Bulgarian Churches in Cyprus (2021 Report)
View Bulgarian Churches in Cyprus in a larger map
#1 Nikozia, Olimpiados Str. 5
#2 Limasol, Pafos Str. 82
#3 Pafos, Niko Georgiu Str., Pano Pafos
#4 Larnaka, Navpakmu Str. 79
READ MORE:
- First Bulgarian Church in Chicago Opened in 1907
- Gateway Cities for Bulgarian Evangelical Churches
- How to Start a Bulgarian Church in America from A-to-Z
- Unrealized Spiritual Harvest as a Paradigm for Cross-Cultural Ministries among Migrant and Disfranchised Ethnic Groups in America Today
Bulgarian Churches in Cyprus (2017 Report)
View Bulgarian Churches in Cyprus in a larger map
#1 Nikozia, Olimpiados Str. 5
#2 Limasol, Pafos Str. 82
#3 Pafos, Niko Georgiu Str., Pano Pafos
#4 Larnaka, Navpakmu Str. 79
READ MORE:
- First Bulgarian Church in Chicago Opened in 1907
- Gateway Cities for Bulgarian Evangelical Churches
- How to Start a Bulgarian Church in America from A-to-Z
- Unrealized Spiritual Harvest as a Paradigm for Cross-Cultural Ministries among Migrant and Disfranchised Ethnic Groups in America Today
Bulgarian Churches in North America
Bulgarian Churches in North America results from a comprehensive dissertation work on emerging Bulgarian American congregations. The book incorporates some twenty years of research, which the author began while involved with the establishment of the first Bulgarian Church of God in North America initially located in the city of Chicago. The work presents an overview of the historical presuppositions and immigrant dynamics associated with Bulgarian churches is offered to enlighten the current problem of ministry. Next, a detailed contextual analysis describes the churches participating in the project. The project model design explains the research methodology and the study’s findings, which provide the first ever statistical overview of Bulgarian American congregations. The work concludes with a series of prognoses of the explored movement of evangelical churches, various considerations and an A-to-Z church planting proposal to serve as a paradigm for ministry and church planting among Bulgarian immigrant communities in North America.
Bulgarian Churches in Cyprus
View Bulgarian Churches in Cyprus in a larger map
X 10.10.10 Cyprus Reflection
Every year our ministry organizes a National Mega Youth Event we have come to call “X”. This year our event was held on 10.10.10 on the island of Cyprus. From the invitation of Pastor Rumen Mitodiev, we went to Cyprus expecting greet things. We spent there two weeks during which we were able to minister to and train the members of the national network of new and growing Bulgarian churches that have formed within the past several years as a direct result of the increase of immigration to the island.
Cyprus is an island located at the eastern end of the Mediterranean Sea just above Israel and 47 miles south of Turkey. It was once a British colony until 1960 when it gained its independence. It is the only militarily divided country with a Greek and Turkish zone. With this division brings a challenge in ministry unique to any other. However, where the Spirit of the Lord is there is liberty and no division among believers. The Bulgarian churches in Cyprus bring this refuge not only to Bulgarians, but Romani (Gipsy) and Turkish people as well.
During our time on the island, we faced much spiritual warfare as one can imagine with Cyprus being among the main destinations for human trafficking and highly influenced by black magic and Islamic beliefs. Yet, being faithful to the Cause our team continued to press on. Throughout our time with the various Bulgarian churches, we continued to receive one praise report after the other including healings, deliverance and people being restored to the faith. And in the Sunday morning service alone on 10.10.10 over 50 people came to the altar to receive Christ as their personal Lord and Savior. This makes any battle worth the fight and all the Glory belongs to God.
X 10.10.10 Cyprus (in pictures)
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.
