Mission Bulgaria Week 17
NEWS – Week 17 – December 8-16, 2001 – Sofia, BULGARIA
Greeting from Bulgaria:
This is Kathryn Barton reporting on behalf of my fiancée, Dony K. Donev and Cup and Cross Ministries International.
I left on the 15th of December for Bulgaria to be with Dony and his family for the holidays. I had a very pleasant flight and made it through custom without any problems. For Americans, Bulgarian borders are open and no visas are required for a stay under 30 days. When arriving at the Sofia airport, snow covered the ground. The temperature at my arrival was –16 C. The Black Sea is frozen and this is a record temperature since 1929. Today we even made snow ice cream. Though I have only been here for a day, I have adjusted quite well to the 7-hour time change and am having a wonderful time in the country of Bulgaria.
This past week Dony traveled to the town of Samokov to organize a special Christmas program. The Bulgarian Church of God there has a local congregation of more than 1,500 members. This is the largest Gipsy Church on the Balkan Peninsula. Sunday night they had a Christmas service for homeless Gipsy children and orphans where more than 200 Christmas shoebox gifts where given to the children present. Two hundred more gifts where given to children in the capital Sofia under the ministry of the Central Church of God, which is also organizing a Christmas lunch for elderly people who do not have families. This lunch will be held on Tuesday.
The Bulgarian Church of God is organizing other similar Christmas social programs in each region of the country. Their effect is very prominent especially in the Northwest part of the country, where 47 new congregations have been established in the past 3½ years under the leadership of the regional supervisor, pastor Emil Petrov from the town of Lom.
Mission Bulgaria Week 16
NEWS – Week 16 – December 1-8, 2001 – Sofia, BULGARIA
Greetings from Bulgaria: I just returned from the country of Romania, a northern neighbor of Bulgaria. We traveled in a heavy snowstorm, which covered both Romania and Bulgaria, yet the trip was more than successful. We visited the Church of God in Bucharest at the dedication of their new church building in northern part of town. We were kindly received by Pastor Bolgar and his team. After the meeting we had an opportunity to speak with a number of church officials from Cleveland, as well as the local pastors and leaders. As an overall my impressions is that Romania is a beautiful country. Like Bulgaria, it is going through heavy economical crises. The Church of God there is the largest one in Europe, and this gives the local churches security and a good name. In Bulgaria, there have been some new developments on the building project, which the Central Church of God has been working on for the past two years.
Our ministry has been going with the same good speed and success, and we are all preparing for the upcoming holidays. Several thousand shoeboxes have been prepared for the homeless children and children of prisoners, whom we minister to. In my teachings I am at the end of the Book of Revelation. I am expecting to finish it on December 26. In the beginning of the New Year, I am planning to do a study on the Letter to the Galatians. This week I have been meeting with the representatives of the Chaplains Ministries (hospital, army and prison) in Bulgaria to discuss an upcoming Chaplaincy Training Seminar. Our committee also arranged the distribution of several thousand of Christmas shoeboxes to the children of the prisoners at a Christian concert in the Central Prison in Sofia next Tuesday. This is a holiday event, which we have been holding for the past three years.
Mission Bulgaria Week 15
Mission: BULGARIA – Week 15 – November 25 – December 1, 2001
This past Wednesday night (November 28) we had the best church service since I have come back. About 150 were present and I preached on Revelation chapters 14 and 15. The text finished with the passage about the glory of God. Then God touched us. At the altars people were crying everywhere, kneeling and falling on their faces. Four were healed – one from headache, one from pain in the kidneys, one from heart problems and one from pain in the lower back. I praise the Lord for all these and expect even more reports.
The General Council of Elders met on Friday and Saturday. More than 320 pastors, evangelists and ministers from churches all over Bulgaria belonging to the Church of God denomination came to the meeting. We had a good time in the Lord together as many important decisions for the future of the church were made. I was given the opportunity to present to everyone the Sunday School Pilot Program. A set of 9 lessons (all of the lessons we have prepared so far) was given to each minister present. This means that in the next 9 weeks, each Sunday, a lesson will be taught to more than 20,000 people belonging to the membership of the Bulgarian Church of God.
Mission Bulgaria Week 14
Week 14 – November 17-24, 2001 – Sofia, BULGARIA
TRAVEL: I had to take a trip to my hometown Yambol this week to check on the ministry of the mission team there and to renew my driver’s license. As I had reported in my previous email the ten churches in the Yambol region are well taken care of by the team who travels almost daily to different destinations to hold regular services. In the village of Polyana we have an opportunity to buy the building, which the church rents for their meetings. The price will be about $900.
TESTIMONY: On the way back to Sofia on Friday, we stopped at a town called Sliven nearby Yambol. As mother and I walked in the street a lady in her mid 40s stopped us and asked if we recognized her. I did not, but mother did and even remembered her name, Maria. Maria attended the church in Yambol a few years ago when I served as an associate pastor there. She had a large tumor-like mass in her back and the doctors urged her to let them operate. In one on the services, she said, I prayed for her and the Lord healed her. As she went back to the doctors a few weeks later, they could not find even a trace of a tumor or cancer formation. Unfortunately, I do not remember any of this, but I still give God the glory for all He has done.
WEATHER: As we got to Sofia we were surprised by the snow, which had covered the ground everywhere. By the end of the evening many towns and villages in South Bulgaria suffered power cuts caused by the snowfall, sources from Civil Protection reported. Among the worst hit municipalities are Asenovgrad, Pakovski, Haskovo, Smolyan, Dimitrovgrad. The normal traffic between Sunny Beach resort and Obzor was restored, but the road between Varna and Burgas is still closed. Sofia Airport reported that all planes are arriving and departing as scheduled. The streets and thoroughfares in Sofia are clean and passable.
CHURCH: The Council of Elders is meeting this coming Friday and Saturday. We expect about 500 pastors and ministers from the country to attend. I will give each of them a set of the 9 Sunday School lessons written so far. This means that about 4,500 more lessons will be given freely and will go toward the Bible and doctrinal education of the 380 local congregations of the Bulgaria Church of God. The lessons in each church will be multiplied according to the needs of the local congregation, which will increase their number in a geometric progression. I feel blessed to be abele to invest in this project.
MISSION BULGARIA: QUARTERLY REPORT AUGUST – NOVEMBER 2001
MISSION BULGARIA: QUARTERLY REPORT AUGUST – NOVEMBER 2001 Sofia, BULGARIA
Three months have passed since I have returned to my home country Bulgaria on August 17, 2001. This year has been a special one for me and I have a lot to thank the Lord for. First of all, I thank the Lord for my fiancée Kathryn Nell Barton. Kathryn and I got engaged on July 4, 2001 and will be getting married on July 6, 2002. Then, I thank the Lord for giving me the opportunity to finish my master’s degree from the Church of God Theological Seminary, a water wheal of experience and knowledge from which I can now take in abundance and apply to the present ministerial context and tasks. I thank the Lord for bringing me back to my home country Bulgaria and giving me the opportunity to minister here of which I give the following report:
Focus:
1. Sunday School Pilot Program
2. Central Church of God in Sofia
3. Chaplains Commission
4. Local congregations and outreaches
5. Results: Sunday School Pilot Program
6. More than 15,000 lessons printed and distributed (cost: 5 cents per copy)
7. Lessons made available vie e-mail and internet
8. Sunday School lessons taught in 37 local congregations nationally (reported)
Results: Central Church of God in Sofia
FTH – Central Church of God – Sofia – 6 out of 12 lessons on Revelation finished
Results: Chaplains Commission
1. Bulgarian Chaplaincy work reformed according to modern standards
2. Chaplaincy Training Course scheduled for 18-22 February 2002
Results: Local congregations and outreaches (including Yambol team)
1. 66 Bibles and 91 New Testaments purchased and distributed free of charge
2. More than 40 pairs of eyeglasses given or fixed free of charge
3. Social work – lunch served twice weekly to more than 450 people
4. Financially supporting 1 minister of the Gospel
5. Weekly Bible Radio program reaching Yambol and 19 villages in the area
7. Sunday School for children reaching 137 children of 4 villages with Children Bibles, Sunday School literature for children (in Bulgarian and English) and food
8. 39 visited churches
9. 457.5 miles traveled per week with rented car (price of gas $2.94 per gallon)
Vision – Goals for the next quarter (November 17, 2001-February 17, 2002)
1. 15-20% Increase of total ministerial activities
2. Finish the Sunday School Pilot Program and publish a Sunday School textbook including lessons on the 14 articles of the Declaration of Faith and Revelation
3. Continue participating in the ministerial outreaches
4. Decreasing the transportation expenses by getting own automobile
5. Continuing the local radio ministry and starting TV documentary with Shalom TV
6. Establishing a Chaplaincy Commission with the Bulgarian Church of God
7. Click here to view a full map of events
The Experience with the Community of God
Because I am limited in my time and resources, I have to ask people to help me. For example, in order to have the Sunday School lesson printed in the needed copies, I write it on my computer, send it vie e-mail to a friend who prints it on the printer in her office, then gives it to her husband who takes it to the print shop where they multiply the copies and returns it to me on Saturday night ready for the Sunday morning service. This process takes a little bit less than a week. While it seems quite inconvenient, it involves people and relationships, which make it a priceless experience within the family of God. If I had all the resources I needed, I would have never had the opportunity to ask people to help me, and being helped and helping others I have found to be the best part of ministry.
Rev. Dony K. Donev, M. Div.
17 November 2001 – Sofia, BULGARIA
Mission Bulgaria Week 12
Week 12 – November 4-10, 2001 – Sofia, BULGARIA
This coming Sunday, November 11, Bulgaria is having its Presidential Elections. Please pray, that the newly elect president is good for the existing and further development of the Evangelical Movement in Bulgaria.
In a few days the Bulgarian Church of God Headquarters will be publishing the monthly ministerial bulletin, which goes to all ministers, pastors, evangelists, and social workers – about 500 addresses. The bulletin will contain all of the Sunday School lessons published until now. This would increase the amount of lesson distributed with several thousand copies. The Sunday School Pilot Program will be further presented to all ministers at the National Elders Council on December 1, 2001. Along with the program I will be presenting an educational course for Sunday School teachers, purposing to establish the foundations of the Sunday School Program as a national event in every local Church of God congregation.
On another note, mother was invited to speak at the monthly lady’s meeting, which is organized by the Central Church of God-Sofia the first Monday of each month. She also traveled to Yambol for the recording in her radio program. Please pray for her, since she has been staying with us here in Sofia to help us, as at the same time she has been traveling to Yambol back and forth for her radio program and along with her mission team taking care of the 11 churches there.
Mission Bulgaria Week 11
Week 11 – October 28 November 3, 2001 – Sofia, BULGARIA
The beginning of November surprised us with the first snow. This is usual for the Sofia region. Although the snow melted right way, the weather got colder and we all felt that the winter is here. We are facing a very busy week, since the pastoral council left for a conference in Germany. I will be preaching three services on Sunday, and then the services for the week. This is combined with the organization of the meeting of the National Council of Elders planned for the end of November.
Along with this Dr. Rodney Howard Brown will be in Bulgaria November 5-7. His crusade is organized by one of our local churches in Sofia. Please pray for the services here.
Friday night, along with representatives from a mission in England, I traveled to an orphanage where some renovations have been made – repairs of the building, heating system, inventory, etc. The orphanage is close to the town of Pravetz in the Balkan mountains of Bulgaria. Both children and teachers were happy to receive us and we spent quite some time with them. I hope that the work can be completed before the winter fully comes.
Mission Bulgaria Week 10
Week 10 – October 21-27, 2001 Sofia, BULGARIA
Greetings from Bulgaria: This Sunday we passed the 5,000 mark of lessons printed and given through the Sunday School Pilot Program. The lessons so far have included topics from the Declaration of Faith on articles 7-10, 13 containing subjects on water baptism, second coming, holiness, baptism in the Holy Spirit, etc. The topics were selected upon the current necessity for teaching for the Central Church of God. The results have been accordingly satisfactory.
Several thousands of lessons have been freely given to regular church members. This has already increased the attendance for the Sunday morning worship with several hundred people. The people come earlier than 10 am in order to listen to the lessons and do not get there as late as 10:15-10:20 as it was earlier, which use to create great confusion especially when several hundred people had to find a place to sit in the middle of worship. The spiritual impact over the services is also evident, as we have had people healed and baptized in the Holy Spirit each Sunday. This creates an excellent opportunity for the growth of the church and enriches its life tremendously. The lessons have had a great impact in several churches beside the Central Church of God. We have sent them as a test program to all churches in the Sofia region, as well as churches as far as Yablanitza and Pravetz. The vision is to create a system through which all lessons will be published and sent to all local churches weekly. At the end of the Pilot Program all Sunday School lessons will be gathered in one booklet which will be published for the needs of all churches nationally. This process will continue to become a national event with new lessons each year. The first book will also contain the lessons on the book of Revelation, which I am presently writing and teaching on Wednesday evenings at the Central Church of God. For the past month we have progressed to Revelation chapter 6.
The work this week also included a trip to my hometown Yambol, in Southern Bulgaria. We traveled through some 40 towns and villages to inspect the work of the already existing churches and to check on the opportunity for new church congregations being started in the next 6 to 12 months. For me personally, having in mind the heavy economical crises in Bulgaria, the results were really encouraging. I am encouraged because God is still working in Bulgaria.
The National Student Movement, which works under the supervision of the Bulgarian Church of God and also turned their results of the work they have accomplished through the past quarter. According to their report 6,000 New Testaments have been given to students (4,000 in Sofia and 2,000 elsewhere), 70 have received Christ as Savior, and 14 have joined the organization.
Mission Bulgaria Week 9
Week 9 – October 13-20, 2001 – Sofia, BULGARIA
Christian Greetings from Bulgaria:
A main priority for me has become the Sunday School project given to me by the National Overseer Pavel Ignatov and the Bulgarian Church of God Council of Ministers. The pilot program already has six lessons on the Declaration of Faith, which are in the process of being published and given to all local Church of God congregations. Our vision for education on a national level includes the developing, publishing and distribution of this National Sunday School Program for the Bulgarian Church of God. For the past two months, since its beginning, the pilot program has been implemented in several local congregations including the Central Church of God in Sofia where it has been taught each Sunday morning prior to the worship service by myself.
The future of this project is its fulfillment as a National Sunday School Program for training and discipling of the members of the local congregation. Since the Bulgarian Church of God has never had a Sunday School Program before in its history, this present project represents the effort of the church for education on a national level, which is accessible by members of the church of all ethnic groups and educational levels. The development of the program in Bulgaria will include the training of Sunday School teachers/ministers as well.
Every called minister in Bulgaria must pastor a church. My short-term pastoral objective consists of local and distant work. The first is connected my job as an associate pastor at the Central Bulgarian Church of God, where every Wednesday I present a lesson from a 12-part seminar on the Book of Revelation. These lessons will also become a part of the Sunday School literature. My distant short-term goal includes pastoring the Pravetz Church of God due to the sudden leave of the pastor there. I have developed a team with which I will travel each week and hold services in the town. My work there is more than a duty, since the church in Pravetz is the church where I first began perching and pastored my first youth group.
Finally, as a bridge between the religious and social activities of the church, comes the ministry of chaplaincy. More than twenty Bulgarian Church of God congregations feed homeless men, women and children daily. The Central Church of God in Sofia alone provides daily lunch and basic medical care for more than 500 people. With the finishing of the new building for the Central Church of God, the ministry in Sofia will increase tremendously, and will include the care and education of more than 160 orphan children from the Sofia area. In this work, I have found my training as a chaplain extremely helpful. Therefore, under the patronage of Dr. Robert Crick and Pastor Pavel Ignatov, I have dedicated time and efforts to work toward the establishing of a Chaplaincy Commission in Bulgaria for the purposes of training and endorsing active ministers for social context establishments such as social centers, hospitals and the Bulgarian army.
My further work has daily included a few hours as coordinator at the Bulgarian Church of God Headquarters in Sofia and the participation of the last four crusades organized in the cities of Lom, Samokov, Varna and Sofia. The numbers total to more than 300 saved and 450 healed. Thank you for your continuous support and may the Lord bless you richly. Please remember us in your prayers!
Mission Bulgaria Week 8
Week 8 – October 7-13, 2001 – Sofia, BULGARIA
I just returned from a crusade in the largest auditoriums in Sofia and in the town of Samokov where we have the largest Gipsy church on the Balkans (the congregation passes 1,500). We have seen the glory of God real among the people.
On Saturday we had two meetings in the largest auditorium in Bulgaria at the National Palace of Culture. More than 7,000 attended as people came with buses from their local churches. More than 150 Church of God congregations were represented, as many of the visitors were from other denominations as well. We preached, prayed worshiped and ministered to the people throughout the whole day, as the Lord confirmed his Word with miracles and healings.
The services continued on Sunday as well. The concluding meeting was on Sunday morning. At the later service more than 300 men, women and children gave their lives to Christ. About 60 of them were children under the age of 12. More than 450 people testified that they have been healed since we started the series of crusades four weeks ago. The most amazing fact is that God touched children who testified of their healing.
God is bringing a new Pentecost in Bulgaria. We are continuing to experience revival through out the whole country. I want to report that the revival, which started after the Berlin Wall came down in 1989, is continuing with new strength today. God is pouring the latter rain of His Spirit over the Bulgarian Nation and the Bulgarian Church of God.
