You Provide A Real Inspiration and Support For Me…

Pastor Delcho Atanasov

Pastor Delcho Atanasov, helped by SGA’s Leadership Support ministry, is responsible for the Congregational Church in the town of Parvomaj, a mission station in the village of Lenovo and for the new church in Trakia, a district of the city of Plovdiv.

I want to express my sincere gratitude to Slavic Gospel Association! You have provided real inspiration and support for me all the years in which I serve our Lord Jesus Christ.

Thank you for your dedication and for your visits and your teaching in the Bible School! Your spiritual work in Bulgaria has helped me greatly. I keep growing in the faith because of you.

Thank you for all the things that your teachers have taught us, for their example of how to believe and how to live in the way our God wants us to live. Thank you for your financial support too. As a family we face a very difficult time in our lives - my two children are students now and because of the hard times in our country we need to work twelve to fourteen hours and more everyday just to pay for their education. I kept serving God because you were here to help me and now I can see the results of my work.

Every Sunday I preach in the churches in Parvomaj and Lenovo. Two years ago, God showed me the need to have an evangelistic outreach in the Trakia district of Plovdiv where more than 70,000 people live and where there was no evangelical church. God gave me a group of new Christians and we founded a church. And for the last eighteen months we have met every Sunday and many people have joined us. The hall we use is very small for us now, so we need to rent a bigger hall. Despite the difficulties and Satan’s attacks, God gives me strength and power so I can serve Him with joy and confidence.

Views over Plovdiv (called the 'City of the Seven Hills') - population over 500,000

One of the things I am trying to develop in my service is teaching students. For some time I have prayed and I focus my mind and my actions on three young men - Evgeni, Georgi and Dinko. I am trying to involve them in preaching. My heart burns about preaching and turning people to God. I need a team to help me and to do the things I can’t do. Evgeni, Georgi and Dinko are young in the faith and they now preach in the village of Lenovo, which is far from Parvomaj. These young men help make my work easier. The church in Lenovo is very small, but people there are fantastic, very sincere and this gives courage to these young people to preach there. I believe and I pray these meetings will be the beginning of them serving God full-time. I know how important this period of studying is and pray for God to give these young men strength, to make them enthusiastic for serving God and make their heart full of love for the church and this dying world. I dream to see them as leaders of churches or involved in God’s work, with the talents God gives them.

I believe that God wants us to be people and churches of prayer. We have prayer meetings in Parvomaj every Thursday and in Trakia every Tuesday. I have to say that prayers in worship in Parvomaj do not answer my expectations. We have met every Thursday for the last six years, but I would like more Christians to visit these meetings. The town is very small, but it is really long (more than 10 km). There is no regular bus transport, and some people just can’t come because of the time, because there is no bus to take them home when we finish. We have thought of starting earlier, but most of the people have little family farms and they have to take care of the animals before they leave home in the evening. More of the people in the church are women.

Most of the people in Trakia are people of prayer. Most of the people who come on Sunday come to our prayer meetings. Christians in Trakia pray a lot, so we had a problem - our meetings were too long. Now we make small groups and pray. The church needs to be more dedicated to evangelism. We teach our church members using home groups for studying the Bible and this is the best method for evangelism in our situation.

I work with all the strength my Lord gives me and I am blessed and happy to be a part of Jesus’ plan for His work for Bulgaria. Thank you again for all the things you are doing for us and I pray that the Lord keeps you and guides you in your service.

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