Snapshot is a round up of a number of brief news items from across Central and Eastern Europe and Central Asia.
-
SGA has had a long involvement in Polish tent missions and last summer that tradition continued as we helped finance this important ministry. Its effectiveness can be seen in what was accomplished throughout the summer of 2011. Youth camps were held where hundreds of non-Christian children came from needy backgrounds; Christian conferences were hosted which encouraged believers in their ongoing ministry; and a Christian witness was maintained during a 5 day festival where over 1000 people listened to the Gospel and Christian music. We thank God for reports of conversions and His blessing during this time.
-
Delcho Atanasov reports promising plans for two new church plants in villages close to his fellowship in the city of Plovdiv. A number of people from the village of Briagovo regularly joins with them on a Sunday morning and Delcho plans to use this small group as the basis for the new church. Further plans are in the pipeline for the village of Topolovo where it is hoped a family from Plovdiv will be sent to start a Bible Study group in the near future. Both villages are made up of Bulgarians, Turks and Bulgarian Muslims who are in great need of Gospel ministry. Please pray for this exciting opportunity for two new churches in needy areas. There are challenges which must be overcome but Delcho and his team are trusting in God as they move forward in faith.
-
Marko Grozdanov Pastor of the Baptist Church in Skopje has recently sent an encouraging report. He writes, ‘We were blessed with 7 new believers confirming their faith through baptism in our church. We had a wide spectrum of ages represented, the youngest in his early twenties, and the oldest in his mid seventies. The Lord has been gracious to us this year, to see both young and old, coming to the Lord.’
-
Bread of Life continues to minister to the most vulnerable in society, recently expanding their work to help drug addicts. Alexander and Monica, both converted in rehab centres some years ago, are now involved in this ministry which has three main areas: firstly, making contact with addicts on the streets; secondly, offering valuable support; thirdly, sharing about the dangers of drug abuse in schools, colleges etc. Praise God there are twelve converted drug addicts serving the Lord with Bread of Life. We thank God for the ministry of this organization since its inception in 1992. Continue to remember their outreach programmes to the most vulnerable including the elderly, children and now addicts.
-
In 2012 SGA Leadership Training will re-commence in Slovakia after a break of several years. Two Schools are planned, one in Levice about 90 miles east of the capital Bratislava, and another small group in the capital itself. SGA continues to support a number of Slovakian national workers, and it will be a privilege to be associated with our brothers and sisters there once more through the Leadership Training Programme. The first series of lectures in both venues will take place during the last week in March [26-31]. Pray for God’s blessing.
-
Our partners in Central Asia have expressed concern and requested prayer for the Church in Uzbekistan. Following a worrying pattern of behaviour the authorities have raided churches, arrested workers, and confiscated books and printing equipment. Prayer is specifically requested for a Baptist pastor who faces false charges and up to 2 years’ imprisonment if convicted.
-
The heat of the Bulgarian summer has given way to the colder days of autumn. Soon winter snow will make its hard and uncomfortable presence felt. These months are particularly difficult for one section of the community – the widows. Already SGA has begun to send out its regular, much-appreciated financial help for distribution to those in most need. The sum of £3600 has been given to support widows in Bulgaria. Other gifts have gone to Serbia and Kazakhstan, and in coming months help will go to other countries, so that those who struggle to keep warm and to keep food in the larder, may be sustained and cared for in the Name of Christ.
-
It’s a blessed combination when an older generation, serving the Lord with enthusiasm, sees another generation emerging to take on aspects of ministry, preparing to build on that which has already been accomplished in the name of the Lord. This is the wonderful picture presented to us in scripture. Moses and Joshua, Elijah and Elisha and Paul and Timothy are just a few examples. What a joy it is to see this biblical pattern developing in Serbia where the faithful ministry of the past decade is being augmented and developed by a new generation of believers. It is a privilege for SGA to have a part in this spiritual process through our teaching programme. Please pray for this next generation.
-
We praise the Lord for a new development in the village of Nojorid, just 15km from Oradea, with a growing population of 3000. The village council have given Emanuel Baptist Church a 700 sq.mtr. plot of land free of charge, right in the centre of the village, to erect a church building. Liviu Naghi, a graduate from the SGA School of the Prophets is in charge of the small group who meet regularly in a home. This will be the tenth church planted by Emanuel.
