Church of God 125th Anniversary
August 19th, 1886 eight people stepped forward and covenanted to “set together as the church of God.”
They committed to take the New Testament as their only rule of faith and practice.
They committed to “giving each other equal rights and privilege to read and interpret for yourselves as your conscience may dictate”
They expressed their desire to be “free from all man made creeds and traditions.”
Thus, there are four foundations in the Church of God: 1) Liberty 2) Biblical 3) Equality 4) Diversity
These eight people were: Richard Spurling, John Plemons, Polly Plemons, Barbara Spurling, Margaret Lauftus, Melinda Plemons, John Plemons Jr, and Adeline Lauftus
The Exodus of the Youth from Church: In Search of Answers to a Dark Dilemma
by Kathryn N. Donev
I recently sat in a lecture “Why Are Youth Leaving the Church?” I listened to the most recent statistics, compared one opinion to the next, looked at the latest church involvement research and even explored some emerging themes of why people in general leave the faith. All the information was very interesting and contained an impressive collaboration of ideas. The research does not lie and opinions are to be valued. However, honestly what good does this enlightenment do us when we sit back and do nothing to correct the problem? We are so used to youth leaving our church that we have become complacent with pews filled with “ancient dinosaurs” in the words of a young lady just last week. We have become so overwhelmed with data that we forget to look at the real picture of why our next generation of leaders are leaving. Or perhaps we do nothing because we simply don’t understand young people’s true motivation for leaving the church. The answers may be uncomfortable for some but they deserve deeper exploration.
Youth are leaving the church but this does not necessarily mean they all are leaving the faith. Many young people of today have much more faith than some of the pew fillers whom have their assigned seats with their pillows and blankets left to save their spots. So if this is the case that they still have a genuine relationship with Christ but simply don’t want to be within the four walls of religion, so to speak, should we not explore the million dollar question differently? We should not excuse away their leaving to agnosticism, postmodernism or neopaganism regardless of how cleverly it takes the focus off of the real concerns and sins of the “church.” It is not a very popular idea to confess the sins of the church which is ironic when we proclaim to be a house of confession. Perhaps confession is only good for the soul as long as the sins are not our own. Behind the irony rests a darker problem, one that is responsible for many young people leaving the church.
For years the church has been a place of hypocrisy and today’s young generation is one that is fed up with the dishonesty and is willing to take a stand. They are so disgusted they can no longer keep silent. They are not willing to “tweak the numbers” of the church financial records or work their way up the hierarchical ladder. They see through the masks and are not willing to compromise. Young people are tired of religious politics, bickering, back stabbing and lying. If we, the church, do not open our eyes to this now, if not yesterday, it will be too late.
This young generation is wandering looking for a place of refuge and they no longer find a safe place in the church house. The church regrettably is no longer safe. You cannot genuinely express your feelings, concerns or doubts without them being the topic of the message on the following Sunday morning. There is no longer trust within the church. The place of worship has turned into a place of gossip. A spiritual encounter has been replaced with a social gathering. The leadership of the Holy Spirit is no longer considered because we are too busy worrying about the opinions of others. So if by now you are still puzzled as to why the today’s youth are leaving the church then my heart is deeply saddened.
Nevertheless, we need to make a self-less effort and remember that the church does not exist for our personal entertainment. Realize it is not a prize to possess but is a treasure to be given away to the next generation. We must do whatever it takes to restore the tabernacle to its original purpose; to call its people back to holiness. We must be willing to give up our seat to the next generation before it is too late and there is no body left willing to fill the void.
Postscript: This article was written based on the following word the Lord gave me June, 2011: “The Church is not a prize to possess, but is a treasure to give away”.
Mirichleri: Second Evangelical Church in Bulgaria
Bansko: First Evangelical Church in Bulgaria
Bulgarian Church of God in Cyprus
For the past three years the community of Bulgarian immigrants on the island of Cyprus has been swept by a Holy Ghost revival much similar to the revival which brought freedom in Bulgaria some 20 years ago after the fall of the Berlin Wall. Similar phenomenon was observed in the mid 90s in the Chicago Metro area, where several Bulgarian churches spurred up into a revival and as surveys showed years later, this has become the main characteristic of the establishment of Bulgarian immigrant churches across the world.
But the similarities with the Chicagoland revival of the 90s do not stop here. Just like in Chicago, some 65,000 Bulgarians live and work on the island of Cyprus. And this is the number of only the registered ones. But while the Bulgarians in Chicagoland are spread across only 220 sq.m. of the city, the island area of Cyprus has 3,500 sq.m., which makes their networking and communication much harder.
Pentecostal ministry among the Bulgarian Diaspora began somewhere around 2005 with small groups that reached 30-40 people. In this context of ministry, in the spring of 2008, the first Bulgarian Church of God congregation was formed in the city of Nicosia (Levkusia) with Bulgarian trained Church of God minister Rumen Metodiev as the pastor, under the supervision of Bishop Michael Charalambous, overseer of the Cyprus Church of God of Prophecy.
After a series of deliverance revival meetings, the growth of the congregation exploded and within a few months reached some 200 people. When special services are held once or twice a month over 300 people show up, making it impossible for the congregation to meet in their current location. Bulgarians from other parts of the island reached out to the new church and soon a new Bulgarian congregation was started in Limassol, a Mediterranean resort an hour way from the capital Nicosia. And then another Bulgarian Church of God was started only a few months ago in the city of Paphos and already numbers some 55 parishioners.
As the network of Bulgarian churches in Cyprus is growing, congregations are facing important decisions that demand immediate answers in the areas of leadership training, finances and cultural contextualization. After successfully recovering from some initial dilemmas through the establishment of a strong leadership team, the congregation in Limassol is already looking for a new larger building to rent in order to accommodate their growing attendance. The congregation in Nicosia is at a point where they need to acquire their own building for their meetings, but with their rapid growth, such may be difficult to find on the small island.
Our purpose in visiting with the Bulgarian churches in Cyprus was to hold a two week revival and to train leadership teams to assist the local pastors. We had a total of 14 services with the Bulgarian congregations and one with the Greek Church of God of Prophecy congregation in Nicosia. Our team held over 20 training sessions covering the areas of Bible study, the ministry of preaching, types of ministry, team building and church leadership. Pastor Iliya Panov joined us during the second week of training and covered the topic of praise and worship as well as provided a powerful presence of worship during our time together.
During the course of the revival, a Bulgarian pastor from Paralimni attended the meetings. Upon their invitation, we held an evangelization meeting on Saturday night, which brought many new souls to Christ and strengthened the faith of this new congregation.
Now, after having our annual “X” youth events in Bulgaria for four years in Sofia (2006), Bourgas (2007), Uzana in the Balkan Mountains near Gabrovo (8.8.2008) and the city of Samokov (9.9.2009) we are anticipating this new level of global ministry on 10.10.2010 in Cyprus, when “X” will be held for the first time outside of Bulgaria. The event will be hosted in partnership at the Cyprus Church of Prophecy in cooperation with all Bulgarian congregations on the island.
Ministering at Rouse Church of God
For many years we have wanted to minister with the Rouse Church of God, but for one reason or another we were never able to do so. Therefore, it was with grateful hearts that we were finally able to do so during the National Leadership Conference in cooperation with the Bulgarian Church of God of Prophecy. Upon the invitation of pastor Rumen Bonchev and his family, we ministered to the church accompanied by Bishop Peter Georgev, pastor of the Rouse Church of God of Prophecy, Bishop Clayton Endecott and director of the Tomlinson Center, Dr. H.E. Cardin. It was a very prophetic time confirming a word Bishop Peter had received several years ago that the time would come when both Church of God and Church of God of Prophecy congregations would come together again regardless of denomination and worship side by side. After the word was delivered all gather at the altars and prayed fervently together. Barriers were broken and spiritual walls came down that night as it was a time which will remain in the hearts of the people to never be forgotten.
Church of God Regional Seminar
One of the fastest growing regions within the Bulgarian Church of God has been the Central Gabrovo region led by Bishop Vasil Petrov. The mother church in Gabrovo has become a dynamic congregation, operating in the gifts of the Spirit and active evangelism with a strategy that has resulted in a regional revival. Two more congregations were established in years past in the close-by cities of Sevlievo and the Old Bulgarian capital Veliko Tarnovo. We have been privileged to be a part of this process through regular training seminars and revival services at these churches located in the very center of the country of Bulgaria.
This year our team was invited to conduct a seminar for new believers who have joined the church. Some 25 people joined us on a Saturday to participate in the seminar. Many of them have received Christ, water baptism and joined the church less than a month ago and every topic of doctrine and praxis sparks their interest. We spent the whole day in teaching and answering question after question. Such process might be overwhelming for some, but the years of training and preaching are always helpful in persevering and fulfilling Christ’s Great Commission to make disciples among the nations.
Sunday after the seminar we held two services with the churches in Gabrovo and in Veliko Tarnovo. The morning service turned rather prophetic as a word for the condition of the church and the people was rightly delivered and promptly received. The afternoon service at the Charisma Church of God in Tarnovo had more of an evangelistic approach, as it also reached a world wide audience via the internet.
Overall, Bishop Vasil Petrov and his team have made great use of the limited resources in the budget, buildings and media they have in their possession to execute with great effectiveness a regional ministry that can serve as a model within our Church of God denomination. Both services were broadcasted LIVE via our websites, which brought a great deal of response from viewers in Bulgaria and abroad, and set the stage for the Tuesday night evangelism program which the Gabrovo church holds LIVE on the internet. This was their 52nd broadcast marking one year from its conception, and it was our privilege to host the program, giving an opportunity to the regular host, Bishop Vasil Petrov, to be the guest of honor.
Reclaiming the Roots of the Bulgarian Church of God
The Bulgarian Church of God started in the 1920s north of the Balkan Mountains as part of the Bulgarian Pentecostal movement. They came to be known as the “northern brethren” and “free churches.” They had received the message of Pentecost under the ministry of first Assemblies of God missionaries to Eastern Europe Zaplishny and Voronaev and kept their faith fervently through the early years of persecutions. The first Church of God members were Holy Ghost baptized, Bible believing believers who walked in the Spirit of prophecy and practiced the supernatural gifts God had given them.
Their theology was conservative and their practices strict. But their prayers could be heard all through the night as they tarried in fervent persistence, testing themselves against the Word in a constant search for the holiness of God in their hearts. And humbled themselves when they had found it, they experienced miracles ever unseen, knew things of matters untold, saw visions no man was allowed to utter and heard from the throne room in glory, from God, receiving the words to be spoken to their generation. Their tears became rivers of life that watered the seed of the Gospel they sowed, and slowly but surely God blessed their work and brought back revival in the soul of the land.
When the Assemblies of God trained and sent Bulgarian born Dr. Nick Nikoloff in 1928 to bring to order the growing Bulgarian Pentecostals, the Church of God people set themselves apart refusing to register with the secular state, thus loosing their legal status and were forced to go underground. But their prayers were still heard in the darkness of persecution. The stories of the gifts they practiced were told and when only a miracle could have answered a need, it was brought to the people who practiced the gifts, who prayed without ceasing and waited on God till He gave the answer from Heaven above.
Some 90 years have passed since these humble beginnings and times have now changed. Now, new things, new people, new orders and such are taking new rule of soul and of life. And slowly but surely the story is forgotten. The glory of old is long gone in the past.
But it is said that in crises, when times are too hard, someone should return to the basics of life, to reclaim the old roots of the faith from the past, and save again people and free them at last. This time is right now … and this chance must not pass.
At North Greensboro Church of God
Some of the Projects Completed with the Bulgarian Church of God in 2005-10
1. Chaplaincy: Bulgarian Chaplaincy Association and masters program in chaplaincy
2. Ethnic Minorities: annual Roma events and training seminars
3. Evangelism: 19 documented revivals, 24 evangelization meetings and 9 prayer rallies
4. Leadership Seminars for Church of God regional representatives
5. Media: COGBG.com and related websites
6. Mobile Bible School for pastoral teams and local churches
7. National Assembly for the Bulgarian Church of God
8. Served on the educational committees, evangelism board and church planting teams
9. Sunday School Program (2001-2002 and 2010 anniversary addition)
10. Youth Ministry: annual national events and camps
