Religious Awareness 101

For several years now, our team in Bulgaria has led an extensive Sunday School program using the Sunday School program that Cup & Cross developed in 2001 for the purposes of the Bulgarian Church of God. Although the program’s primary emphasis has been among adults in the area of Christian education and discipleship, its has proven very effective among children and teenagers.

Taking under consideration of the above, several of the churches we work with have opened a special Sunday School outreach for the children and young adults in the villages. Through this endeavor, the Sunday School program has flourished.

Three weeks ago a new implementation of the program was allowed by a local secular school in the village of Kamenetz. The faculty has extended an invitation to our team to hold a Religion Awareness class on Tuesdays. The class has been well attended since its start and will continue through the school year. This week, our team received a letter from the school principal expressing her appreciation of the efforts and the work.

Since Bulgaria is officially an Eastern Orthodox country, all offered religious classes in state schools have been Eastern Orthodox oriented. This is one of the first times that theology with a Protestant orientation is being taught in a Bulgarian state school. It is our prayer that as Bulgaria continues to develop its policy on religious tolerance, more classes like this are offered.