Christmas Season in Bulgaria
It has been a blessing for us to be able to spend the Christmas season in Bulgaria. With your prayers and support we have been able to touch the lives of many. From spending time with those who are without family to giving gifts to children without, our spirits have been lifted proving the Word, that it is definitely more blessed to give than to receive.
The day before Christmas Eve we delivered gifts and food to those in the village of Zlatare, Pet Mogili and the surrounding Zagora area. Some of the families we had never met before, but the Lord spoke to us to bless them during this time of giving. On Christmas Eve, after service, we along with the youth of the Yambol church went choraling. As it is customary, we spent a time of fellowship with the families of each home we visited. Then on Christmas Sunday we held a regional service for the Yambol area in the village of Malomir and the choir of the Yambol church attended as well blessing us with several songs. On New Years Eve we were again in service with the Yambol church which lasted until the New Year. Each present was given a card with a scripture in which to start the New Year.
We thank you for giving to Bulgaria making our ministry here possible. We pray blessings over you, your family and your church in 2010.
God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore will not we fear, though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea.
Psalm 46:1
Christmas in Bulgaria: Appreciating the Simple Things in Life
Roasting chestnuts over an open fire and Jack Frost nipping at your nose is a comforting carol which brings many pleasant feelings around the holidays. These are two features, which are not only common to the States, but to Bulgaria as well. This is the season of chestnuts being roasted, however it is not like we picture being over a cozy fire place in a warm home. In Bulgaria it would be on the street side to sell in order to bring in some income for your family. And the Jack Frost is not just a nip for some, but it is a bone chilling cold due to not being able to afford the electric bill.
For some, there will be no gift under the tree and for others there will not even be a tree. This is not said to bring you sorrow, but for you to appreciate the simple things in life. Enjoy family, friendships, a warm home, a hot meal, your health. Enjoy the time the Lord has given you and use it for his Glory and not for bickering or complaining over the small angst.
Don’t loose sight of the true meaning of Christmas. Christmas is not about the material, but it is about the spiritual. It is about the birth of our Lord and Savior even though our politically correct society wants to get ride of the “Christ” in “Christmas.” If it were not for His birth, He would not have been able to die for our sins. This remission of sin is the ultimate gift this Christmas season for it is through this act that we are able to have eternal life if we only ask.
So when you wake up on the 25th begin your day not consumed with what you didn’t get or what didn’t happen to your liking, but in silence remembering the silent and holy night over 2000 years ago. Remember those less fortunate in order not to take for granted with what you have been blessed. And most of all thank Him for His gift to you. Let these thoughts bring you comfort this holiday season.
Merry CHRISTmas 2009
From all of us in Bulgaria!
School of Worship in Bulgaria
Our Bible School initiative for the Bulgarian Church of God has dedicated the month of December for a special time of praise and worship. We have compiled teachings from lead Bulgarian praise and worship teams to be presented in the School of Worship on topics of personal experience with God and teaching others how to use music in the ministry. Four modules were selected for weekly presentation during the month of December as follows:
1. Pastor Iliya Panov teaching at the Life Church of God in Sofia, which he pastors
2. Rev. Daniel Tanev teaching at the DOVE Christian Center in Sliven
3. Missionary Keith de Majo teaching at the Oasis of Love Bible School in Sofia
4. Leadership Conference for Praise and Worship Teams
School of Mission: Missions Week in Bulgaria
School is in Session: Young Leaders Ministry Retreat with Special Focus on Missions
It is Missions week in Bulgaria following Thanksgiving. A time to meet with Bulgarian missionaries who travel abroad, discuss their needs and pray for the success of their respective ministries. Our Thanksgiving weekend involved a ministry team retreat in the Balkan Mountains as part of the education program initiated several months ago by our Bible School initiative for the Bulgarian Church of God. As usual, this event was dedicated to training young ministers and their teams and this time the focus of our meeting was missions. Ministry teams represented the Plovdiv, Yambol and Sliven regions. A missionary from Spain was also present for the training.
Keynote speaker of the event was the president of the Bulgarian Missionary Network (BMN), Rev. Ivo Shatrovsky, who shared his calling from God for missions and a personal vision for Bulgarian missions abroad. In his address, he presented several valuable lessons he has learned in his own missionary experience in the West Indies. Two workshops on the topics of Conflict Resolution and Structuring for Growth were further presented by our team. And while various activities were taking place in the midst of extensive discussions, sharing on the part of the missionaries and strategic planning for the future of the represented regions, the time of fellowship turned to a prayerful reflection on God’s calling upon our own lives.
For the mission of the church cannot exist apart from God. It is a calling, not merely a career. It is a cost, not simply a concern. It is a burden, not just a belief. Its focus is care and compassion. And yes, even in the 21st century, it still remains a Holy Ghost uttering, through which one remains blind for the world around until obeying to the vision of heaven (Acts 26:19) and begins seeing the world through the eyes of the Savior.
Day of Reformation in Bulgaria
October 31st is celebrated worldwide as Reformation Day – the day when Dr. Martin Luther posted his 95 Thesis on the doors of the Wittenberg Cathedral. The day is reserved in the Bulgarian national calendar as a holiday for the Bulgarian Church of God. Traditionally, Evangelical churches across the nation mark it as “Day of Open Doors,” but this year, the special celebration was accompanied by the 500th anniversary of the birth of John Calvin and the centennial anniversary of the Bulgarian Evangelical Alliance (a.k.a Bulgarian Evangelical Churches). As churches across the country opened the doors of their sanctuaries and toured visitors of all walks of life, we traveled to Bulgaria’s largest port city of Varna for a national press conference at the prestige Festival and Congress Center located in the city’s Black Sea garden. Journalists from various medias who were present posted the news of some 150, 000 Bulgarian protestants nationwide. The press conference was followed by a Mega Youth service in the building of the First Baptist Church of Varna, where youth from all protestant denominations in town were present for an explosive worship lead by the First Assemblies of God praise team and a lecture by our team on the subject of “Reformation for Today.”
School is in Session: Bible School in Bulgaria 2009
Through the years, the team of Cup & Cross Ministries International has published reports about various educational courses we have taught across the country of Bulgaria. The ministry context, which comprises this need, is a complex combination of political, economical, religious, ethnical and even legal factors. But above all, education through discipleship programs for church congregations as well as for the training of ministry teams is becoming a very essential and growing need in Bulgaria.
This year, we have been pressed by this need to organize a practical Bible School for ministry teams which being mobile itself and combing modern technology has been able to serve hundreds of ministers across the country. Just this year, our team has been able to hold ministry team training events for the Church of God congregations within the Dupnitsa, Sofia, Yambol, Samokov, Gabrovo, Veliko Tarnovo, and Sliven regions. Additionally, we have gathered ministers in regional training events in the Northwest (Sofia), Northeast (Varna), Central (Gabrovo), Southeast (Yambol) and Southwest (Dupnitsa, Samokov, Bansko) regions.
These teaching events and ongoing ministry training have proven to be a great aid for ministers nationwide. For example, in the month of September, we were able to team with the Church of God of Prophecy in a nationwide, week-long course on church leadership involving the topics of conflict resolution, team formation, ministry training, use of new technologies in ministry and many other important topics. We held two similar seminars in the cities of Yambol (September 16-19, 2009) and Sliven (September 29, 2009).
During the month of October alone, we led ministry training events in the following schedule:
October 3-5, 2009 Dupnitza Church of God
October 6, 2009 Seminar on internal motivation for Yambol & Sliven
October 13, 2009 Conflict management styles for Yambol & Sliven
October 14, 2009 Bible study on the Epistle to Philemon
October 17, 2009 Regional conference for the Yambol & Sliven regions with some 200 delegates from over 20 various locations.
October 20, 2009 Ministry team formation and leadership for Yambol & Sliven
October 21, 2009 Starting a new Bible book study on the Gospel of Matthew
Our team is continuing teaching and training in the same tempo in various locations in Bulgaria for the remaining of the school year. Overall, we have been able to prepare and offer to the churches and their leaders 12 complete training courses as follows:
1. History of the Bible: Paleography (beginners), Translation Theories (intermediate) and Manuscript Analyses (advanced)
2. Internal Motivation and Stress Management
3. Ministry on the Internet for Pastors and Ministers
4. Parenting Course (various contextualized topics)
5. Practical Church Leadership for the 21st Century (two levels)
6. Sunday School – Doctrinal teachings on the articles of the Church of God Declaration of Faith
7. The Book of Nehemiah (a verse by verse Bible study for church builders)
8. The Book of Revelation (a verse by verse Bible study)
9. The Complete Johanine Writings: Gospel, Epistles and Apocalypse (a practical course for Bible translators)
10. The Epistle to the Galatians (a verse by verse Bible study)
11. The Gospel of Mark (a verse by verse Bible study)
12. The Pastoral Epistles (a verse by verse Bible study)
Ministering at the Newly Founded Church of God in Veliko Tarnovo
As soon as the national leadership training in Rouse was over, we traveled to the ancient Bulgarian capital of Veliko Tarnovo and held service at the newly found Church of God there. The church was started six months ago by Rev. Vasil Petrov, who serves as the pastor of the Gabrovo Church of God and regional bishop for the Bulgarian Church of God. The humble beginnings in the midst of economic, political and church crises have not stopped this congregation of growing and they are now looking for an appropriate size building for meetings. While together we did a practical Bible lesson from the New Bulgarian Translation of the Gospel of John and were encouraged by noticing the eagerness of the people to learn and practice the Word. We were asked to return to Veliko Tarnovo for another Bible training module in the near future. Giving the urgent need for leadership development in the area, we are planning to implement our mobile ministry training strategy in order to support the development of this newly founded local Church of God and to ensure its continues growth and effectiveness in ministry.
Live Broadcast from Bulgaria
Cup & Cross Ministries International will be broadcasting the annual 2009 X event LIVE from Samokov, BULGARIA on September 9, 2009 at 12:00 PM ET
Preaching on II Timothy 4
National Youth Camp in Bulgaria
In years past, we have visited and ministered to a dozen different youth camps in Bulgaria. Each of them has been unique and special, but it has been a while since we have ministered at a youth camp where people have been so hungry to receive from God.
We were asked to visit the National Youth Camp at Petrohan and to lecture on our new translation of the Bulgarian New Testament. Pastor Vasil Petrov and his team from the Gabrovo Church of God accompanied us for the evening services. People from the churches in Sofia, Bankia, Aheloy, Bourgas, Varshetz, Gabrovo, Nova and Stara Zagora, Kazanlak, Sliven, Yambol and many other places joined with tents and campers for the occasion. Visiting missionaries from the Untied States and Switzerland were also present.
As our publisher provided us with several hundred copies of the translation, we were able to give each of the attendees a copy to read and to study. This helped us tremendously in the presentation of somewhat difficult material from the translator’s notes. The lectures were followed by the evening services with an inspiring message from pastor Vasil Petrov. Each night, prayer and worship at the alter continued well after midnight. We prayed for the healing of dozens of people. Many more were delivered instantly from various infirmities, both in soul and in body. Eight young people received the baptism with the Holy Spirit the very first night and many more were baptized in the following evenings. You could see parents and children praying for each other around the clock. One girl saw a vision of the “Heart of God” being exalted in our midst. As we continued with our next ministry appointment in the city of Varshetz, some stayed behind to spend one more day in the presence of the Lord on the top of the mountain. We will reconvene with them this week at the next youth camp organized by the Assemblies of God on the Karandila Mountain near Sliven.
