40 Days of Prayer to Change the Heart of a Nation Begins
Church of God General Overseer Mark Williams has urged Church of God congregations to consider joining the interdenominational prayer effort, “40 Days of Prayer to Change the Heart of a Nation!” The forty-day prayer emphasis takes place from September 28 to November 6, 2012. Tens of thousands of other congregations will participate in the joint prayer venture.
Williams noted, “While there is an obvious urgency for prayer here in the United States, this theme can be applied to any nation! And yet, our situation is particularly acute, and it affects the globe – financial crisis, the lack of repentance, unchecked sin and greed, national disunity, a disregard for all things sacred. We need a ‘great awakening.” Materials to assist with the ’40 Days of Prayer’ beginning on September 28, can be downloaded at www.40daysofprayer.net, and www.40daystosaveamerica.com.
Doug Small, coordinator of Prayer Ministries for the Church of God, noted that this effort is being led by the National Prayer Committee and the National Day of Prayer leadership team. A prayer guide is available on-line. In addition, both Dave Butts and Greg Frizzell have produced excellent resources. The first is available at www.prayershop.org and the second, through David Gosnell’s office, who leads Church of God Men’s Discipleship Ministries.
Here are some ways congregations can be involved in the 40 Days of Prayer effort:
1. Observe the Great Day of Prayer, early in the 40 day period – October, 7.
2. Plan additional corporate prayer meetings.
3. During this period, forgo the typical topics of prayer and focus on the nation.
4. Pick a day or week in which you will do a prayer-chain, 24-7 prayer, one day, as a minimum, to pray 24 hours. Or, for one 7 day period, engage in a concentrated season of prayer.
5. Set a room aside at the Church where people can come and pray. Better yet, open the sanctuary. Turn on the music. Dim the lights. Make it reflective and prayerful. Keep it accessible. Establish prayer stations. Lay out prayer helps with a focus on the nation.
6. Create a chart, divide the day into 24 one-hour or 48 thirty minute segments. Keep someone in the sanctuary praying for a day – or a week.
7. Do a fasting chain. Have people sign up to fast one meal, and another the next – until you fill up a week. People are then asked to pray at that time and around that period.
8. Join with other churches your community. Set up a schedule so that one church prays this week – and it is open, and another the next week. Unity and prayer must be partners. Seven churches can cover the period of prayer, one per week. And 40 churches, can each take a day.
The first ‘Great Day of Prayer,’ on October 7, will be a part of this solemn call to pray for the nation, beginning with our own need for repentance and re-dedication to God. Church of God Prayer Ministries has produced support materials for this Sunday. They can be downloaded at www.praycog.org.
Being Pentecostal Conference
Pastor-Agents of the Secret Communist Police in Bulgaria Revealed
Silence in the face of evil is itself evil: God will not hold us guiltless.
Not to speak is to speak. Not to act is to act.
Dietrich Bonhoeffer
Pastors who served as agents of the secret police during the Communist Regime in Bulgaria are being revealed this week through special legal provision of the Bulgarian Constitution, which allows secret government dossiers and archives to be made public. The law excuses ministers who are retired, immigrated or deceased as it pays special attention to people who continue to serve on denominational boards, heads of religious organizations or church pastors.
The released records have revealed a significant count of Bulgarian evangelical pastors, who have served directly under the Communist government as secret agents and are currently serving in lead positions in their respective churches and denominations. At least 17 agents have infiltrated the Pentecostal churches in Bulgaria (including the Assemblies of God, Church of God and other charismatic denominations). The count is overwhelming in comparison with the Bulgarian Orthodox Church representing some 90% of Bulgaria’s general population with only 11 regional bishops with secret police dossiers.
The newly released documents reveal that these pastor-agents served the Regime through willfully betraying and reporting fellow ministers and their respective ministries, regularly submitting the names of new believers joining their congregations and the activities of their churches as a whole. Special interest in their reports seems to have been given to “foreign religious emissaries” – missionaries from sister-denominations in other countries who visited Bulgarian evangelicals with the purpose of bringing moral and financial support, smuggling Bibles or just encouraging the churches during their time of trials and tribulations under the Regime.
Even more disturbing is the lack of definite and unified response on behalf of the current denominational leaders and the repulsiveness of the general public on the issue as a whole. While the Bulgarian Evangelical Alliance appealed for prayerful but fair dealing with the said misconducts, the Bulgarian Assemblies of God has chosen to deal with the issue internally behind closed doors and the Church of God in Bulgaria has postponed discussion to its general meeting in March or perhaps May. Several outspoken leaders from the Congregational and Apostolic churches have been unsuccessful in bringing about a public debate involving all Bulgarian Protestants, while journalistic investigations in the Christian media have been openly attacked in attempt to be kept silent.
It is understood that many of the said pastor-agents were coerced to serve as such through pressure in their jobs, friends, families and in some cases even their children. Yet, the Bulgarian churches are now struggling to cope with the fact that leading ministers within their denominational structures have continually and purposefully reported on the life of the church, thus betraying fellow believers and ministers.
50 Bibles in 50 Days
September 15th in Bulgaria marked the first day of the school year. The Sofia Echo reported that Sixty-three thousand young Bulgarians entered school for the first time on this day. School opening ceremonies include the playing of the national anthem, raising of the flag, speeches and of course giving the teacher a bouquet of flowers.
Naturally, the month of August marks a time of preparation, when students are finishing up their summer and will begin buying their supplies for classes. In past years our ministry has assisted several underprivileged children in nearby villages of the Yambol region with providing these much needed supplies, however this year we decided to do something a bit different. Instead of giving notebooks or pencils, 50 days prior to the 15th, we gave out Bibles to these children getting ready to attend school. With the help of our team and regional youth ministers and ministry leaders we were able to reach 50 young students. This may not sound like much when you look at numbers but we have found throughout the years that ministry with a personal touch is much more effective than ministering to the unknown masses.
With the temptations that these children will be faced including alcohol, drugs, sex and the unimaginable, we believe that the Bible is the most needed instruction manual that can serve as a life resource for when these difficult times come. The follow are a few statistics on the influence of peer pressure that we pray will be confronted with the Power of the Word:
* About 50% of teenagers feel pressured with regard to sex in relationships (The Kaiser Foundation).
* Bulgaria has the highest Teen Birth Rate internationally with the United States coming in a close second (National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion).
* 9% (14 years), 18% (15 – 17 Years), 22% (18 – 19 Years) of teens experience a pregnancy every year. (Communities Responding to the Challenge of Adolescent Pregnancy Prevention)
* Right around 30% of teenagers are offered drugs in middle school and high school (Adolescent Substance Abuse Knowledge Base).
* The use of marijuana has risen by a staggering 275% from the years ’92 – ’97.
* Nearly 10% of teens have tried some form of cocaine in their lives. (Adolescent Substance Abuse Knowledge Base)
As we are finishing up our 30 days of prayer campaign in the month of September we request special prayer for these students that they will not leave there new Bibles on a shelf for display, but that they will read them and hide the Truth in their hearts.
Masters of Chaplaincy Reflections
It has taken exactly 10 years since the envisioning of the Masters of Chaplaincy Ministry in Bulgaria for its final realization in the Bulgarian national and cultural context. Through this time of struggle and anticipation, we encountered a number of difficulties as follows:
- Government difficulties on various levels within the Bulgarian administration and a direct repression from the Ministry of Justice, which was later included in the Religious Freedom report of the U.S. Department of State
- Administrative difficulties with approving the program as a legal educational process, while no legal background of chaplaincy has ever been provided in Bulgaria
- Economic difficulties with arranging location and time placement for the program, lecturers, the very much needed student scholarships and various other academic expenses
- Proper student selection through a special screening process to ensure only qualified candidates for placement within the Masters’ Program
- And of course, spiritual difficulties with the whole process of establishing chaplaincy in Bulgaria again being a definite spiritual warfare for all participants
Now that the Bulgarian Chaplaincy Program is an undeniable fact, we realize how our training was more than just a necessity for the implementation of such a great task. It was also well sufficient for a time as such.
I’m especially grateful for the role of my wife Kathryn, who was the main motivator behind the program and who stepped in at very crucial moments in the teaching process providing the complete structure of the program’s counseling module through her training from the Department of Psychology with Lee University and expertise from the Crises Counseling Center in Cleveland. My own experience as a chaplain during my CPE days at Erlanger and Siskin hospitals, as well as educational background from the Pentecostal Theological Seminary and experience with various churches and organizations as an ordained Church of God bishop, also served as tremendous support in various steps through the whole process of the program from its envisioning and foundation in 2001. We are thankful to all friends and partners in the ministry who contributed with their own expertise in the designing of the program and the educational process. And at last a final word of encouragement to all students and churches now set forth to do the ministry of chaplaincy in Bulgaria through the first Masters’ of Chaplaincy Ministry Program in the country.
Read more about chaplaincy in Bulgaria in the following HISTORY of EVENTS
Chaplaincy Counseling Module Completed
During the month of September 2011 the Counseling Module of the first Bulgarian Master of Chaplaincy Ministry Program in Bulgaria was successfully completed. This was the last of three modules, which further included two semesters’ long study of chaplaincy and theology taught at the United Theological Faculty of the Bulgarian Evangelical Theological Institute in Sofia, Bulgaria.
A total of fifteen students attended this final module. Ten of these students successfully finished their masters’ level studies and are now set forth for practicum in their respective areas of ministry and consecutive thesis defense prior to their graduation in the spring of 2012. Many of them are already ministering in hospital and prison settings, as well as among military and police personnel.
During the course of the program, we were able to finalize the long awaited negotiations with New Bulgarian University and signed an agreement with which every student chaplain will be able to graduate with a government accredited diploma from the Bulgarian Ministry of Education and New Bulgarian University.
This program in its entirety was only made possible through the personal efforts and tireless teaching of the following friends and partners in the ministry: Major General Clay Buckingham, USA (ret), Chaplain Colonel Rich Young of the IAEC, Dr. Jim Ellis from Union University, legal consultant on European Union religious issues, Dr. Hristo Berov from the Potsdam University in Germany, Dr. Roumen Bostandjiev from the Psychology Department of New Bulgarian University in Sofia, Bulgaria, Dr. Dona-Gene Mitchell from the Political Science Department of the University of Nebraska and professors from the United Theological Faculty under the supervision of Dr. Dony & Kathryn Donev from the Bulgarian Chaplaincy Association.
Read more about chaplaincy in Bulgaria in the following HISTORY of EVENTS
FGBMFI Meetings in Ruse
While ministering in Ruse, Bulgaria we received a special invitation to meet with the local chapter of the Full Gospel Business Men’s Fellowship International. They consist of a group of nearly 50 some Christian businessmen along with their families who have fellowship together sharing common struggles and offering practical advice for applying Biblical principles in the secular market. Many shared their concerns of the economic crises in Bulgaria and the devastating effects that credit lending has taken on the country as a whole.
We were very encouraged of their reception of our ministry, especially through our websites including www.bibliata.tv and evangelsko.info. It is a strange feeling to meet with people for the first time who have been following your ministry around the world online. We remain humbled and give God the glory for how He has allowed us to have such a great presence and influence in Bulgaria.
We were also able to give nearly a dozen copies of our new translation of the Gospels of John and Matthew, which were personally requested. This opened discussion for challenging ones thinking toward a new paradigm of applying the Bible translation in a more open church context.
During their main gathering, we were able to talk to them on the historical presence of Biblical business principle as brought by the puritans within the Bulgarian culture some two centuries ago. We also spoke of the role of the members of the local church in the process of forming Christian identity, providing applicable presence of spiritual fatherhood and reforming the society around us to the standards of God. While there, we were able to go to visit with several at their place of work and pray a special blessing over their businesses.
Masters of Chaplaincy in Bulgaria Approved
After a thorough examination and countless hours of hard work toward its finalization, the Bulgarian Masters’ Program in Chaplaincy Ministry was finally approved by the educational board of the Bulgarian Evangelical Theological Institute. The program currently has 20+ students who are approaching the final year of their studies with expected graduation in the spring of 2012. We have been heavily involved in the preparation and teaching of the program and will be lead instructors in the psychology and counseling module this fall.
History of Events
05/12 Anticipated Date for Graduation of the First Cohort of Master’s Program of Chaplaincy Ministry in Bulgaria
2011
09/11 – Master’s of Chaplaincy Ministry Program Module 3: Counceling Completed
07/11 – Master’s of Chaplaincy Ministry Program Module 2: Theology Completed
03/11 – Master’s of Chaplaincy Ministry Program approved by the Educational Committee of the Bulgarian Evangelical Theological Institute
01/11 – Master’s of Chaplaincy Ministry Program Continues
2010
10/10 – Master’s of Chaplaincy Ministry Program Module 1: Chaplaincy Completed
09/10 Master’s of Chaplaincy Ministry Program begins in Sofia, Bulgaria
06/10 Chaplaincy Conference and Master’s of Chaplaincy for Bulgaria
01/10 Proposal masters program finalized and submitted for approval to the Educational Committee of the Bulgarian Evangelical Theological Institute
2009
10/09 Bulgarian Chaplaincy Association holds an introductory chaplaincy course in Yambol, Bulgaria
2008
12/08 Family Seminar for Military Men and Women held in Yambol
11/08 Bulgarian Chaplaincy Association Annual Meeting
09/08 – Bulgarian Chaplaincy Associations noted in Church of God publications
06/08 – The Case of a NATO Chaplaincy Model within the Bulgarian Army released
06/08 – Celebrating 10 Years of Military Ministry in Bulgaria
2007
10/07 – Bulgarian Chaplaincy Associations Recognized by U.S. Department of State
07/07 – National Chaplaincy Conference in Yambol, Bulgaria
03/07 – Bulgarian Chaplaincy Association was officially registered
02/07 – Bulgarian Chaplaincy Association gains legal status
01/07 – Bulgarian Chaplaincy Assassination noted by international religious freedom watch dog Forum 18
2006
12/06 – Registration Rejected Bulgarian Chaplaincy Association by Bulgarian court
11/06 – A master program in chaplaincy ministry has been proposed for the Bulgarian Evangelical Theological Institute in Sofia
10/06 – Bulgarian Chaplaincy Association Founder’s Meeting in Sofia, Bulgaria
10/06 – A contextualized course for chaplaincy ministry is offered at the Bulgarian Evangelical Theological Institute in Sofia
08/06 – Bulgarian Chaplaincy Association’s Resolution No. 1 sets course toward chaplaincy in churches, education and government institutions
07/06 – National Chaplaincy Meeting in Yambol, Bulgaria
06/06 – Meeting with NATO Chaplains
05/06 – Cup & Cross Ministries submitted a research paper to NATO’s Manfred Wörner Foundation dealing with the case of underground chaplaincy within the Bulgarian Armed Forces
03/06 – A contextualized course for chaplaincy ministry was offered in Veliko Turnovo
02/06 – www.kapelanstvo.com was released to serve as the official website of the chaplaincy movement in Bulgaria
2005
10/05 – A national training seminar held in Veliko Turnovo
10/05 – The Bulgarian Chaplaincy Association was presented before the Bulgarian Evangelical Alliance
09/05 – Regional meeting in Nova Zagora which addressed the current issues
08/05 – A regional chaplaincy meeting in Sliven
07/05 – Publication of camouflage New Testaments and Bibles, some of which we distributed to Bulgarian army personal including the divisions currently serving in Iraq
2004-2001
- Chaplaincy Conference and Master’s of Chaplaincy
- Chaplaincy Course in Yambol, BULGARIA
- Bulgarian Chaplaincy Association Annual Meeting
- Family Seminar for Military Men and Women
- Cup & Cross Ministries in Church of God Publications
- The Case of a NATO Chaplaincy Model within the Bulgarian Army
- 10 Years of Military Ministry in Bulgaria
- Bulgarian Chaplaincy Associations Recognized by U.S. Department of State
- National Chaplaincy Conference
- Bulgarian Chaplaincy Association Gains Legal Status
- Chaplain Dees Visits Bulgaria
- Chaplaincy Course at the Bulgarian Evangelical Theological Institute
- Bulgarian Chaplaincy Association
- Meeting the NATO Chaplain
- National Chaplaincy Meeting
- Chaplaincy Developments in Bulgaria
- U.S. Bases in Bulgaria
- National Chaplaincy Meeting
- Chaplaincy in Bulgaria
- HEALTHCARE CHAPLAINCY IN BULGARIA
- Chaplaincy in Bulgaria
- Mission Bulgaria
MissionSHIFT (Part 3): WebMissions – The Good, The Bad and The Ugly
The future of missions cannot be considered separately from what is turning to be the phenomena of the 21st century – the Internet. The relationship was properly discussed in the third and more predicative part of MissionShift. Since our own paradigm of missions and ministry is heavily involved with internet technology, it is my desire to respond to this one particular point in a more holistic way.
The Internet is already turning into an unstoppable geyser of information, a source of data, news and opinions that flow freely around the world. My initial response comes from presupposition that churches, being networking community themselves, have not yet fully realized the power of social networking in the Internet model. Politicians, economical magnates and even social watchdogs have long surpassed the church in their social relationship through creating cloud blogging, social nets and Internet advertisements to serve the goals of their own ideology. And although it was through using the social networking and marketing of the first century that the Christian Church grew rapidly from the ashes of wars and persecution, in the postmodern era the Church has continually remained on the sidelines of the virtual (but quite real for many) social involvement. It is my desire then, to accent on this particular issue form a more practical standpoint of the ecclesial position and involvement in this very real process within postmodern society beginning with the good in them.
The Good …
Grant McClung postulated several of these principles a decade ago in his book: Globalbeliever.com: Connecting to God’s Work in Your World. However, things have changed a little since then, as the virtual world is becoming more and more real to many even within the Church. While a decade ago, churches were making first steps in designing their website presence on the internet, today every church staff member is wired with email, blog, social network updater and much more coming directly from his/her mobile device. My friend Antoine RJ Wright from the Mobile Ministry Magazine claims this is only the beginning and I have every reason to believe him.
How can a church make sense and utilize the available resources on the internet? Here are the basics:
1. Creating a network between church staff, volunteer team and congregation in one constant mode of working together toward the common goal of a church or a ministry’s vision
2. Improving communications which respond to the need for ever connectedness of the postmodern generation
3. Implementation through using the Internet network and communication as a testing ground
4. Keeping the score to improve effectives through comparing with other churches and ministry dealing with the same dilemmas or context of ministry
5. Round tables and discussion on various levels in search of more effective ministry paradigms and praxis
6. And last, but not least free media – what TV evangelist used to pay hundreds of thousands of dollars every year is now pretty much available on the internet for free with much more popularity and socialization ratio
These principles are already implemented in virtually hundreds of online networks around the world. The mobile ministry is one very vivid example that changes the way we do ministry as a whole. The process of digital discipline and the existence of an actual digital disciplining networks that bring about to reality strong and growing church communities. But there is even more beyond this point – the fact that a person can live an actual salvific experience on the Internet without a minister ever being physically present. Slowly but surely, the so called “virtual world” becomes very real even for the church and its’ mission.
… The Bad …
The bad related directly to any given web ministry today, is that everything good on the global network is surpassed in times by not so good, bad and even evil. And this is not only a talk against porn, sectarianism, racism and hatred, but a holistic overview of the anonymity and animosity of the internet that seem to draw in people of various personality types. The growing problem for us today is that the virtual world in fact can and does change one’s personality in a very real and personal way.
This should not scare the Church, for when Jesus said “Go to the ends of the world,” He meant the ends of the World Wide Web as well. Even on the contrary, it should motivate the search for new models of web ministry that not only draw in such people, but also ministers to them and disciples them for the Kingdom. In fact, this rather scary characteristic of the particular context of ministry could and should become an effective turnaround in the very idea for ministry on the web.
…And the Ugly
While the internet is an enormous mission field, we are limited on using this method exactly where it is needed the most. Over 20% of world’s population or one and a half billion people do not have access to the internet. Many more can access it only through government restrictions and regulations. Unfortunately, these are the exact people that need to be reached with the Gospel the most. The “ugly” here is that we can become so focused on ministering the virtual reality and stop paying attention to the more real and feasible reality. There is a real danger that eternal human souls simply go to hell while we tamper around with modern and postmodern models of ministry.
Our Web Ministry Efforts and Results
Cup & Cross Ministries International runs over a dozen of Bulgarian vernacular websites related to virtually every aspect of the ministry. Some of them are:
www.Bibliata.com – website devoted to the Bulgaria Bible
www.Bibliata.TV – a GodTube like website in the Bulgaria language
www.Protestantstvo.com – website dealing with Bulgarian Protestant history
www.Kapelanstvo.com – website dedicated to the ministry of the Bulgarian chaplain
www.Spasen.com – Bulgarian Christian web-mail
www.Evangelsko.info – Bulgarian evangelical news portal
www.Hvalenie.com –a website for Bulgarian praise and worship
www.Pastir.com – a website dedicated to the work and ministry of the Bulgarian pastor
www.Propoved.com – a dynamic web database with audio and video Bulgarian sermons
www.Lidersko.info – a resource for church leadership and Christian discipleship
www.Osveten.com – an online community round table for holiness and righteousness
www.Molitvata.com – a web-based prayer center
www.Savetvane.com – a website for Christian counseling
www.Evangelieto.com – dedicated to the new Bulgarian translation of the Bible
www.Kapelanstvo.com – an online resource for Christian chaplaincy
www.BulgarianChurches.com – a global web directory for Bulgarian evangelical churches
My First Free Easter
I remember my First Free Easter. It was in the spring of 1991 immediately after the Fall of the Berlin Wall. The Bulgarian Church of God had just emerged from its underground status taking its respectful place in the Bulgarian social life. As a powerful transformational force, literally over night, the denomination rapidly grew from 800 to some 8,000 members. The First Free Easter was to be held in the largest auditorium in Bulgaria, the National Palace of Culture and Rev. Floyd Louhan traveled all the way from the United States to deliver the Easter message. Read more
