10 Years of Military Ministry in Bulgaria
Military Ministry in Bulgaria is celebrating 10 years. The special events will be held in the Black Sea town of Varna, Bulgaria. Chaplains from around the country, as well as international colleagues and friends, are invited for a time of reunion and inspiration. Special speakers of the event are Paul Pettyjohn and Chaplain Bernie Windmiller from the International Association of Evangelical Chaplains.
After serving the military in Bulgaria for a decade, the ministry is strategizing the legalization of chaplaincy and pastoral care in the Bulgarian professional army and police. Today, this difficult task seems closer than ever before, as ministers, pastors and caregivers are excited about the opening of such doors and the new opportunities which it will present for Bulgaria.
Ministry Not for Sale
My son, if sinners entice thee, consent thou not (Proverbs 1:10)
Several years ago, while employed with a certain organization, we faced the dilemma to choose between what was morally right and what was financially secure. Regardless of the jeopardy of this predicament, we were able to make the right decision, preserving our integrity and disallowing financial pressure to dictate our moral choices. Soon thereafter, we initiated a healing process which dealt with the internal wounds, restored the lost trust and attempted to recover the invested time and resources. Years past, we forgot the pain, but never forgot the lesson we learned …
Recently, while involved in a global ministry campaign, we were faced with a similar situation. This time, however, it did not involve business partners, but a multitude of Pentecostal ministers. The larger size of the context did not change the problem at hand, but rather intensified and multiplied its harmful effects. We regretfully witnessed how hundreds of men and women involved in ministry were manipulatively forced to face the same dilemma. They had to make a mandatory choice between the financial security of their families and their own moral integrity. The results were accordingly. Read more
Our Ministry in the Yambol Region
How Do We Do Ministry in Bulgaria? (Part 2: Pastoral Teams)
The foundation of the Pastoral Teams ministry paradigm is the use of ministry teams in the parallel provision of pastoral care for a group of churches located in close proximity. The method has proven useful in situations with shortage of ministers, newly found churches or satellite church model. It is designed to dynamically accommodate the needs of all congregations included in the program and provide for the training of local ministers who can continue the work.
Cup & Cross Ministries first implemented the ministry model using pastoral teams in 1995 during the establishment of the Bulgarian Church of God in Chicago. A similar strategy was designed for our outreach team in Bulgaria, Mission Maranatha. The strategy has been in use with the churches in the Yambol region for over eight years.
In the beginning of the process, two separate teams provided pastoral care through 12 services per week to 5-6 local congregations. In less than six months, the work of the pastoral teams brought to existence two brand-new congregations.
Once the number of churches participating in the outreach passed ten, it was time for the implementation of the second phase of the strategy. The number of ministers in the pastoral teams was increased gradually. The newly included members were trained and then assigned to a group of churches. At the same time people within the local congregation were trained to participate in the ministry process.
Today, Cup & Cross Ministries’ teams provide pastoral care to 19 congregations through over 100 services per month. Since in the Bulgarian Church of God tradition, pastors do not receive salary, the model of pastoral teams has given an opportunity to enlarge the outreach of the church beyond the traditional scope into a larger vision for the future.
How Do We Do Ministry in Bulgaria?
The prime characteristic of our ministry is revival and church planting. Incorporated in a long-term vision, these characteristics demand special attention to preaching, teaching and publishing of the Word as well as ongoing training of ministers.
In the current Bulgarian reality, however, long-term planning is virtually impossible as the Bulgarian people are immobilized by the economical and socio-political crises and among all their mentality which still resembles the way of thinking enforced by the half-century Communist Regime.
But even in such context, God remains faithful confirming the preached Word with undisputable signs and miracles. It is through this confirmations of the Spirit that we can continue our work in Bulgaria. The end of 2004 was such a miracle. In the month of December extraordinary signs occurred virtually every day in almost every area of our ministry.
Prayer and Fasting
As part of our evangelistic ministry we setup a schedule where each week one of the nineteen churches under our care holds an all-day prayer and fasting meeting. On December 4th our team held an eight-hour prayer meeting in the Liulin church. Many relationships within the churches were reconciled through forgiveness, as the team had fasted for a long time in preparation for the meeting. The following day, the team with 15 members from the Liulin church traveled to the churches in five other village churches where similar meetings took place. The last one, which was in the Kamenetz church, lasted until 10:30 pm. On the next day, the group ministered in the churches of Polyana (morning) and Leyarovo (afternoon).
Church Building
As the church congregations are growing, the need for buildings becomes more demanding. Only a few of our congregations can afford their own building. The majority rent one, and the congregation which are in a beginners phase meet at the home of one of the members. In December our team was able to provide a meeting place for the Leyarovo church. With the help of many of the members, the building was refurbished and is now used by the congregation.
Ministry to Children
Protestant churches in Bulgaria are very closely monitored when working with minors. Often, church building permits are denied when in close proximity to schools and evangelistic work within the schools themselves is always difficult.
For over four years now, our team has been blessed with the opportunity to hold Sunday School lessons for hundreds of children in the Yambol region villages. In December, we established a new connection within the Child Services Agency which will allow us to work with underprivileged children in their custody or under their care.
Revival Among Traditional Pentecostals
Pentecostalism was introduced in Bulgaria in the 1920s establishing a congregation in virtually every Bulgarian town in its almost centennial history. The Pentecostal Revival which has swept Bulgaria in the past 15 years has had a transforming effect on both unbelievers and believers. Our ministry’s work focuses on areas where the Gospel has not been preached before and reaches people who have never been saved. At the end of 2003 and during 2004, however, our team noticed an opportunity to minister among the members of the older Pentecostal congregations. Since then, we have had representatives of these congregations in every regional meeting, training seminar or conference we have organized. We have also been able to incorporate pastors, church choirs and other ministry teams in our work.
Bulgarian Churches in America
In May, 2004 our team participated in the Annual Conference of Bulgarian Churches in North America in Minneapolis. Since then, three pastors and their families have made mission trips to the Yambol region in Bulgaria. The last one was the pastor of the newly established Bulgarian Church in Ontario and his wife who worked with our team in Bulgaria. in December 2004. This has given us opportunity to invite all of them to minister with us in the field where they can familiarize themselves with the work and prayerfully consider future involvement.
It has been our prayer for over ten years now, that the Bulgarian Churches in North America recognize their call for mission to the motherland. We believe that the events which have been taking place recently will become the first steps toward this direction and will encourage and enhance the work of the Church of God in Bulgaria.
2004 Annual Ministry Report
Click on the picture do view full report (PDF)
Тhe following is the 2004 annual report of the work of our ministry in Bulgaria. We thank you for your prayers as our work in Bulgaria keeps growing.
Statistics 2004:
Churches: 13 (plus 6 project churches)
Team: 10 (plus 6 in training)
Monthly Average Traveling: 781 miles
Monthly Average Services: 76 (over 95 services per month during the warm periods. The number of services about are 50 during the winter season due to traveling difficulties).
Marketplace Radio Ministry
For the past four years, Cup & Cross Ministries’ weekly radio program has been broadcasted from a regional network that was used for Communist propaganda during the regime of 1944-1989. After the fall of the Berlin Wall, the Lord has blessed us with the opportunity to use this media resource for the ministry. Since the year 2000, the weekly broadcast has gained audience and influence and continues to play an important role in our work.
Several weeks ago one of our team members was at the Yambol marketplace and noticed a crowd that had gathered around a radio speaker. While the marketplace is generally accompanied with noises and loud voices, this crowd was quiet and focused on the radio program. They were listening to one of our regular weekly religious broadcasts. This particular issue was on the topic of fasting. Our team member reported the occurrence and followed up by visiting the marketplace again the following week only to find out that people had gathered around the radio speakers listening to the program again.
Our Bulgarian team reports that this is not a new occasion, as they have observed similar occurrences in stores, marketplaces and village squares since the beginning of our radio ministry. Keeping in mind that a great number Bulgarian and foreign radio stations, cable televisions and satellite programs offer a great variety of broadcasts in Bulgaria, this news brings excitement and encouraging among our churches. The Gospel of eternal life is preached in the markets and by all means this is the fulfillment of a Biblical mandate.
30 Ways to Kill Your Youth Ministry (for Senior Pastors)
1. Assume that the youth ministry is not your responsibility.
2. Assume you know all problems of your youth without taking the time of surveying them.
3. Never attempt to become a role model.
4. Preach messages irrelevant to youth.
5. Do not attend youth services and activities.
6. Give up on the youth in your congregation.
7. Never plan and work toward hiring a youth pastor.
8. Do not authorize your youth pastor with full responsibility for the youth ministry.
9. Appoint a person to communicate between you and your youth pastor.
10. Allow the influence of church members’ opinions and wishes over the vision for the youth ministry.
11. Allow people distanced from youth problems to take leading positions and/or decisions concerning the youth ministry.
12. Do not include the youth ministry in your annual church budget.
13. Deny the involvement of parents in youth work.
14. Do not allow youth representation in the decisions concerning the future of the youth ministry.
15. Blame or allow the youth to be blamed for problems beyond their control and comprehensions.
16. Never deal with change.
17. Use youth ministry techniques older then 2½ years.
18. Do not provide enough room for growth.
19. Underestimate the influence of drugs, alcohol, premarital sex and peer pressure.
20. Ignore the topic of sex.
21. Ignore technology as a ministry tool.
22. Restrict youth ministries to church activities alone ignoring fun and playing as a ministry tool.
23. Never allow youth to participate in spiritual and ministry activities like prayer, fasting and preaching.
24. Limit your youth ministry only to activities organized by your church/denomination.
25. Do not expect the youth ministry to grow beyond the limitations of your personal agenda or limitations.
26. Do not expect the youth ministry to grow beyond the limitations of your congregation.
27. Do not provide age transition mechanisms for youth to enter and exit the youth ministry.
28. Do not treat youth as if they were to remain in church for the rest of their earthly lives.
29. Do not treat youth ministry as the most important ministry of your church.
30. Refuse to be a pastor of youth.
Cup & Cross Ministries 2003 Ministry Report
In 2003 Cup & Cross Ministries was active in both the United States and Bulgaria. Through an international call for Pentecostal revival, our team was able to minister, analyze, inform and strategize with Pentecostal churches in the United States, the Philippines and India while working closely with the network of Bulgarian Evangelical Churches in North America and the Bulgarian Church of God. Cup & Cross Ministries accented on revival evangelism, leadership training, mission outreaches, church planting and the use of media accomplishing the following results:
1. Held over 50 revivals and church services in the United States
2. Organized and held a national Revival Harvest Campaign which spread in five states in the period of six months
3. Held over 1,200 church services in Bulgaria
4. Organized three new churches in the Yambol region of Bulgaria
5. Traveled collectively over 30,000 miles providing pastoral care for 17 churches in the Yambol region of Bulgaria
6. Organized and held six training seminars for ministers in the Yambol region of Bulgaria
7. Compiled, analyzed and published the official current growth statistics for the Bulgarian Church of God
8. Organized and held two ladies conferences entitled Women of Godliness in the Yambol region of Bulgaria
9. Held three baptism services for over 30 people, an adequate number of communion services, prayer meetings and holiday services for churches and communities
10. Provided timely analyses for the political, economical and social conditions in Bulgaria and their effect on the Bulgarian Protestant Movement
11. Increased the number of published monthly informative bulletins about Bulgaria and the Bulgarian Church
12. Broadcasted over 50 weekly radio Chastain programs with air-coverage in the Yambol region of Bulgaria and accented on the international media outreach providing timely information via radio, television and internet
13. Continuously provided insightful facts and analyses of the history of the Bulgarian Protestant Movement from a ministerial point of view and its effect on the Bulgarian Church in the beginning of the 21st century
14. Reprinted and distributed an adequate number of Sunday School materials
15. Studied and analyzed the growing number of Bulgarian Evangelical churches in North America and provided training strategies for ministers and churches to lay the foundation for a nationwide network and further inner-structure development
