At BibleTech in Seattle
The blizzard caught up with us in South Dakota right after leaving Minneapolis in rout to the BibleTech conference organized by the Logos Bible Software in Seattle. We were stranded for two days in Murdo, SD until the interstate was drivable again and we slowly headed further West as the sun followed melting the icy roads ahead of us. Passing the Wall Drug of Rapid City, Mount Rushmore and the Crazy Horse memorial, we continued through Wyoming and Montana before reaching our final destination. Our arriving safely to Seattle was a miracle as the conditions were very difficult even compared to Bulgaria.
The following morning we attended the BibleTech conference where we presented the case of our new website Bibliata.TV as an example of Underground Webministry (UW). Our presentation purposed to raise the awareness of the usage of Bible related technologies in a censured Postcommunist context and to inform of the possibilities to do Christian WebMinistry in countries that institute and practice a purposed censuring regime toward Christian websites. For it is our belief that while the time of “smuggling” Bibles may be long gone, the time of “smuggling” Bible websites is at hand.
Our presentation was well attended and accepted as it is obvious from the Twitter follower’s feeds here:
http://twitter.com/Rob_Feature/statuses/1402754202
http://twitter.com/Rob_Feature/statuses/1402736032
We were also able to meet with the developers from the Logos Software, Olive Tree Software, The Sword Project, e-Sword and many others. Of special help to our ministry were the presentations of the Dramatizer software, Mobile Ministry Magazine (MMM) and Geeks&God. The 2009 BibleTech experience was so amazing and enriching, that while still at the conference in Seattle, we began scheduling major WebMinistry 2.0 events for the Leadership Development Institute of the Church of God of Prophecy and the Bulgarian Evangelical Church of God in Chicago.
Ministering in Minneapolis
The next stop on our trip was the Bulgarian church in Minneapolis. Through the years, we have ministered in a number of national conferences organized by this church, but we have never had a chance to minister to the congregation apart from that. Therefore, it was a real treat to visit with them while traveling through Minnesota and minister in their Sunday service.
When arriving in Minneapolis the weather was a bit chilly with light snow. Yet, the welcoming of the Bulgarian Church there was warm. We had service in an overlook lounge of a local complex reserved for the occasion as 21 people were present. We began with praise and worship which followed with testimonials of the blessings of the Lord over the past week. After, we were able to minister with the Word and have a time of prayer following the service in which we together along with the pastor anointed those who came forward for special prayer.
Afterwards, we had a time of fellowship with a meal prepared by the various families of the church. The people were curious to learn about our ministry, especially our time of service in Bulgaria and graciously offered to take turns praying for us during our travels.
Revival Begins in Chicago
After a brief visit with the Bulgarian Consulate Office to finalize the details of our trip, we returned to the Bulgarian Evangelical Church of God in Chicago for a blessed time of reunion and ministry. This occasion marked the beginning our National Revival Tour – a ministry endeavor reaching virtually all active Bulgarian Evangelical churches in North America.
The message brought was one of forgiveness and reconciliation as through the years of ministry we have seen this as the most important step toward spiritual revival and revitalization of the church. We were grateful to learn that our prayers of many years had already been answered, as we received numerous testimonies of changed lives both during and after the service. For brotherhood and holiness were the foundations of the original vision on which this church was birthed, expressed in the simple but powerful words: “Revival must go on …”
Upon our departure for the 2009 National Revival Campaign, we were invited back to hold a three day seminar for the Bulgarian Evangelical Church of God in Chicago during the month of May as follows:
May 1, 2009: WebMinistry 2.0
May 2, 2009: Church Leadership Seminar (Modules 1 through 6)
May 3, 2009: 20 Signs of the Last Days
Weekend of Champions Camp
March 13th -14th, Cup and Cross Ministries was able to participate in the Weekend of Champions Camp organized by Healing Hearts Helping Paws in partnership with Blythe-Bower Elementary School of Cleveland, Tennessee. The camp’s focus was to encourage children in their exploration of personal strengths and to assist in redefining their growth areas to promote a healthy sense of worth.
The camp began with a joint assembly in which the children were assigned a group and given camp T-shirts, dog tags and group-colored bandanas. After a time of song and throughout the following day, the children attended small group activities including art therapy, play therapy, story time, music and sports. During the closing ceremony, family members were invited to participate in a time of celebration of their children.
It was an honor and delight to be able to work with the wide range of personalities as some 30 young people, ages 5-17 were present. To see the faces of the children transform in such a sort time was a blessing. The camp was truly a time of building champions through healing hearts. We are thankful for this gracious invitation.
Research Trip to Nashville
Again we were able to visit the Southern Baptist Historical Archives in Nashville for a time of research and consultation with Dr. Wardin. Since our last meeting with Dr. Wardin in Bulgaria, we have come across several new findings concerning our common research interests, namely the life and ministry of one of the first Pentecostal missionaries in Bulgaria, Rev. Ivan Voronaev.
During our conference we were able to review and compare the developments and make connections with further institutes which have committed to assist in our quest. We have scheduled an appointment with the curator at the Berkeley Seminary to further examine the Northern California Baptist Convention Archives of the early 1900s. We hope to be able to establish a more concrete timeline of Voronaev’s arrival in the United States in 1912 and his consecutive theological training and organizational work as an ordained Baptist minister among the Russian churches of California, Oregon and Washington State.
Decid a los justos que les irá bien
Haga clic en el enlace para descargar y escuchar el mensaje https://cupandcross.com/mp3s/spanish-pahokee-mission-conference.mp3
Say Ye to the Righteous: “It shall be well”
Click on the link to download and listen to the message https://cupandcross.com/mp3s/2009-pahokee.wav
Say Ye to the Righteous is a message preached at the 12th Annual Mission Conference in Pahokee, Florida
transcripted via: https://cupandcross.com/index.php/say-ye-to-the-righteous/
and broadcasted on: http://www.cogwm.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1945&Itemid=60
ADF-Allied Attorney Wins Crucial Victory
European Court of Human Rights: Bulgarian church should be free of state coercion
STRASBOURG, France — A dissenting synod of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church that had its legal personality stripped and its property seized by the socialist government of Bulgaria has won a decisive victory at the European Court of Human Rights. Alliance Defense Fund allied attorney Latcho Popov argued that the Bulgarian government violated the European Convention of Human Rights in its treatment of the synod.
“The church should remain free of government coercion and control,” said ADF Legal Counsel Roger Kiska, who performed most of the work on the case while serving at the European Centre for Law and Justice before recently joining ADF. “The Bulgarian government vastly overstepped its bounds in stripping the synod of its legal identity, seizing its property, and handing it over to a synod of which the government approves. We are pleased with the ruling of the ECHR, which respects the alternative synod’s freedom and independence.” Read more
PRAYER for the POMAKS of BULGARIA
This urgent report is based on the resent proposal for changes within the legal status of the Muslim mosques on the territory of Bulgaria. The controversial changes may allow even Muslim temples which are protected as buildings of historical value to be reactivated and used again for service. This will inevitably affect the Muslim community on the Balkan Peninsula, as well as the Bulgarian Pomaks – a Bulgarian-speaking Muslim population group native to southern Bulgaria. The building of Muslim mosques on the territory of Bulgaria has been revitalized in the past decade, especially in the villages in Southern Bulgaria where Pomaks live.
Reporting on the Children of Bulgaria
Exposing Europe’s guilty secret: the incarcerated children of Bulgaria
Times, London: February 13, 2009
BBC, London: December 11, 2007
OVER 2,500 BULGARIAN CHILDREN WAITING FOR ADOPTION
Sofia Echo, Bulgaria: December 11 2007
