Ministry

June ministry trip in Maccedonia

Sat, 03 Jul 2010 02:00:00 GMT

With a population of 2 million, the Republic of Macedonia is landlocked country which was part of former Yugoslavia. George Bakalov Ministries has been supporting the work in Macedonia through our relationship with pastor Borche and Vesna Popovski. Not many people know that the city of Skopie is the birth place of Mother Teresa. This city of 500,000 populated by Macedonians with a substantial Albanian minority has just a couple of evangelical churches. The total number of Christians in Macedonia is considered to be around 2,000.

Recently I was able to minister at the church in Skopie as well as the church in Shutka - the town suburb populated predominantly with Roma people. I was joined by Ivan Vasilev from Breakthrough Christian Center in Sofia, who is a businessman and has the heart to travel and minister as well. For about three years the church led by pastor Borche has tried to get official church registration. Because of restrictive religious laws and the domination of the Orthodox church they were not able to obtain it. Three days before our arrival the church finally got their official registration from the government, which will open new doors for them to serve the local community.

On the first day we conducted a seminar, teaching the basics of the Kingdom of God and its advancement on the earth. For a church at the heart of the city consisting of young professionals the Kingdom message about the influence at the marketplace and its practical application was crucial for bringing encouragement, sense of identity and motivation to use their gifts and talents for expanding God’s Kingdom.

Next day we ministered at the Roma district Shutka. Recently the church in Skopie with the help of a NGO from Norway, was able to purchase a two story house right at the heart of this quarter near a Muslim mosque. Since then the place has been used as educational center providing computer and English classes to Roma children. Pastor Borche’s vision to serve the poor in this community has expanded to a new level by purchasing this property. He wants to start classes helping unemployed people to acquire skills in various crafts like sewing and others.

During the time of ministry the Lord gave us a clear prophetic word for him as an apostolic leader, that they are entering into a season when God is breaking the siege around their ministry and that he is expanding their influence by opening new doors to serve their community. During the service also there was a special time for ministering deliverance to a young leader from the church, who was set free in powerful way by the Lord.

Prayer points

The church in the Roma quarter has experienced some persecution from the Muslim community: parents have withdrawn their children from attending classes, and there has been some prayers in the mosque against our brothers and sisters. They need our prayer support for protection!

Pray also for health and strength, especially for pastor Borche’s wife Vesna whose health recently has been under serious attack. Please also join us in prayer for the financial provision for the educational work, for teachers and favor with the community as well as with the government.

Alexander Djorgov

GEORGE BAKALOV MINISTRIES INTL.

More pictures from the trip:

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Important Update from George Bakalov Ministries Intl.

Sun, 13 Dec 2009 05:23:00 GMT

Dear Friends and Supporters of George Bakalov Ministries:

A huge part of my ministry in the last 20 years has been dedicated to our flagship church in Bulgaria -- Breakthrough Christian Center. However, the last season of the church has been rather challenging. I am glad to say this season is over and new one has begun.

I have just returned to Minnesota from my latest trip to Bulgaria and some changes have taken place, which I thought you might want to know about.

SOME BACKGROUND

Seven years ago I was led by the Lord to relocate our family to the United States and to begin to travel internationally. This resulted in number of developments and it impacted profoundly the completion of my formation as a minister. I really feel as if the last 20 years of ministry have been simply the time and the season for the Lord to form me as a leader and a minister. At 40 I feel ready for some things, while at the same time I feel less confident in my carnal self. I think this is a good place to be.

The church in Sofia has been our apostolic base for many years. Seven years ago I made an attempt to transfer the pastoral leadership and shift to an apostolic oversight. This did not happen as successfully as I would have liked it. After a season of working together it became apparent that pastor Emil, the leader I thought was going to be the one who will fit the profile, turned out not to have the gift mix required for the task. We appreciate the time we shared laboring in the Lord's field, but the time came to evaluate our building and it wasn't what I had anticipated for it to be. The need for a leadership change was obvious.

Meanwhile, pastor Kaloyan Kourdomanov, who has been part of the leadership of the church for many years, has emerged as the leader myself and other mature leaders see as matching the profile of a leader Breakthrough Christian Center needs in order to develop as intended by God.

LEADERSHIP CHANGE

I initiated the change already in 2007. Wanda and I were so concerned with the direction of the church and how this change would impact everyone, that we actually were preparing to move back to Bulgaria for a season of time in order to oversee this leadership transition. However, last year turned out to be very challenging for us on a personal level - Wanda lost her mom in May and I ended up extremely tired and burned out. We were not in any shape to move to Bulgaria at all. We initiated the change anyway and it has been going on already since the fall of 2008.

As a result, the former pastor didn’t accept our decision for leadership change. Initially he agreed to accept a new position as national coordinator in our network of churches, but few months asked to be released from this position. In June of this year he informed me that he no longer wishes to be under my leadership and his family will no longer be members of the church. We released them and began to prepare to turn a new page in our church's history.

MY MOST RECENT TRIP TO BULGARIA

My mission on this latest trip was:

• to address the leadership situation and various rumors regarding it.
• to release publicly the former pastor from the church.
• to express my support for the new pastor and leadership core of the church.
• to confirm publicly our decision to remain resident in the United States.
• and to confirm my future commitment to the work of God in Bulgaria.
• to meet with the national leaders of our church network in Bulgaria and ask for their support in this coming new season.
• to minister to all the leaders from our church network through a day-long seminar.

I was able to accomplish all of the above.

I feel a release from the church in Sofia like I have never felt before. I now sense a new motivation to work with the national leadership. My positioning has changed and it’s very tangible and real. With pastor Kaloyan and the current leadership team (pastor Stoyan Georgiev and pastor Radoslav Iliev) in charge I feel safe and I feel that the church is in good hands.

They certainly need to learn a lot more and grow a lot more as leaders and I will continue to provide apostolic oversight to them and the church. But I do feel a profound change has taken place and I am released to be positioned in a whole new way both in the United States, in Bulgaria and in general. The truth is that in the last seven years, due to the difficult transition of the leader in Sofia, the church didn’t really take ownership of the vision and I had to put much effort and time to make sure things went well. I don’t feel this is the case any more.

NEW POSITIONING

While I am not 100% sure what our next step is going to be, I know it is the next level God has been preparing us for the last 20 years. When and how we will move to our next level of involvement in the ministry the Lord has called us to, is only a guess at this point. We are well positioned and we ask for the prayer support of the Body of Christ in preparation for the future.

Feel free to comment in the section below, we would love to hear from you!

George Bakalov

President
GBMI, Inc.
Overseeing apostle
Apostolic Reformed Church Bulgaria

Ministering in Razgrad, Bulgaria

Thu, 24 Sep 2009 17:14:00 GMT

Our team ministers in Razgrad, Bulgaria. This predominantly Muslim city is a regional center for the Bulgarian Islamic community in the north-eastern part of the country. Our vision is to plant 50 churches in the region. We have partnered with pastor Sunai. Ethnically he is Turkish, formerly a Muslim himself. However, Sunai was educated in a Bulgarian school and preaches both in Turkish and in Bulgarian. Today he leads a church called "Perfecting The Saints" and ministers in the region around Razgrad.

Breakthrough Christian Center co-hosts a public discussion

Thu, 10 Sep 2009 17:49:00 GMT

Sofia, BULGARIA -- Justice 21 - a civil initiative of Breakthrough Christian Center based in Sofia, Bulgaria, together with Legal Aid Foundation, hosted a public discussion at the cultural center "The Red House".

The theme was: THE NEW CHANGES IN THE LAW ON FOREIGNERS AND THEIR PRACTICAL APPLICATION

Participants in the discussion were: Lozan Panov, Chairman of Administrative Court, Sofia City; Rossitza Grudeva and Gabriela Kilfanova from Legal Department, Migration Directorate at MIA and Emil Koen, Bulgarian Helsinki Committee. The discussion was moderated by Anna Krusteva from the Center for Migration Research CERMES, New Bulgarian University.

The discussion was organized in connection with the new amendments in the Law on Foreigners in the Republic of Bulgaria voted by the Parliament at the end of April 2009. The changes have been provoked by the necessity to synchronize Bulgarian legislation with European law.

One of the main and most discussed changes is related to the long expected introduction of a maximum term for forced detention of undocumented migrants, as determined in EU Directive 2008/115/ЕО – up to 6 months and in exceptional cases, up to 18 months. The efficiency of the new amendments will depend not only on the introduction of new legal texts but also on their practical application.

According to the organizers the discussion has accomplished its goal – “Through useful cooperation between the non-governmental sector, executive body and judicial authority we tried to lay the right and balanced foundation for detailed and exhaustive interpretation of the underlying legal changes. Interpretation and application that corresponds not only to the European Directives but also to the principles of reansparency, objectivity, individual approach, reciprocity and effective means of defense typical for one European country like Bulgaria”, says Diana Daskalova, co-founder of Center for Legal Aid Voice in Bulgaria Foundation.

The discussion aroused exceptional interest among the attending citizens, lawyers, journalists, leaders and representatives of humanitarian and human rights organizations – BRC, the ACET Center, Karitas, CVS; representatives of the refugee and immigrants community in Bulgaria from Iran, Afghanistan, Tanzania, India, Ethiopia.

The questions naturally moved from the legal practice to the personal destinies of the foreigners from the Special Center for Temporary Accommodation of Foreigners (SCTAF), Busmantsi quarter: what will be the rules and what will be the exceptions in the defined maximum term for forced detention – 6 or 18 months; is the right to effective access to appeal violated by the short three-day term for appeal; is Bulgaria ready to develop a policy for assessment rather of the benefits of the immigrants than of the dangers they may cause?

In conclusion Anna Krusteva, moderator of the discussion, pointed out that “it is our personal responsibility as citizens to demand transparency and accountability from the judicial, executive and law-making authorities for their decisions and actions”.

Contact: Elena Dyankova
Coordinator of Justice 21 Civil Initiative
Breakthrough Christian Center
tel./fax: +359-2-9836730
email: edyankova@prelom.bg

Update from our covenant friends in Sri Lanka

Thu, 10 Sep 2009 17:58:00 GMT

Today Jacob called me. It was a great joy to speak with him. There are three topics that we covered and I'll share them with you.

Easter weekend outreach

Jacob and his church hosted a three day festival to celebrate Easter. They set up a stage near the road beside their church. They figure about 7,500 people came out for the festival. That's big news since the country is about 70% Buddhist. Jacob preached about Jesus five different times during the festival. They offered food and drink to all the attendees. Before the event began, the sound system caught fire and they couldn't use it. Instead, they rented equipment.

I asked Jacob if he felt pain or got tired while he was ministering. He said he felt no pain at all and wasn't tired. Keep in mind he cannot see in his left eye and in his right eye, he can see only slightly. But that didn't stop him. He felt energized while ministering.

Additional ministries

Jacob has started several more ministries in addition to those already offered by the church. They are serving prostitutes and their children by providing food and clothes. They're also starting another feeding program for poor or orphaned children. They currently feed about 700 children once a week with a meal. They're increasing that feeding to include a lunch.

I asked Jacob how he is doing with his health and increasing the ministry activities. He said, "Nothing can stop God's call!" Every day Jacob enjoys doing something for God's Kingdom. He feels there is much more work to do and doesn't consider his failing eyesight or failing kidneys as holding him back. He said he doesn't think much about it.

Health report

On Monday, April 20, Jacob goes back to the hospital for a procedure on his right eye to stop some bleeding. Once his right eye heals, they'll fix his left eye and once that healing is complete, they can perform the kidney transplant. So, the current concern is for the healing of his right eye, followed by his left.

They are also actively searching for a kidney donor. There are two donors that are being investigated. Two previous donors didn't work out. Please pray for the healing of his two eyes as well as identification of a kidney donor match.

Chris S. Heinz

Racist sentenced for first time in Bulgaria

Tue, 22 Sep 2009 15:53:00 GMT

SOFIA, Bulgaria - On Friday, October 31st, Sofia City Court sentenced to 5 years in prison Alexander Ginchev (20, pictured right) from Sofia for his racially motivated attack against Muiwya Kolauale (Mike) from Nigeria on January 20, 2007.

This is the first time in history a Bulgaria court sentences a Bulgarian citizen for a racially motivated act of violence.

At the time of the attack Ginchev was part of a nationalist group of young people popularly known as “skin heads”. Mike, who is a soccer player and originally from Nigera, came to Bulgaria in 2004 to play soccer for one of Bulgaria’s regional teams (Sportist, Svoge).

On the evening of January 20th, 2007 Mike was coming home from soccer practice when he was attacked from behind. The incident happened in an isolated underpass area used for people to transfer from one city bus to another.

The attackers, around 10 of them, kicked Mike in the back and when he fell to the ground, one of them pulled a knife. Alexander Ginchev, who at the time was 19 years old, stabbed Mike five times with deep cuts in the abdomen`, the back and the head. Mike was kicked, beaten and left for dead with number of serious head and body injuries. A by-passer called an ambulance and Mike was rushed to the hospital where the fight for his life began. After being in coma for 2 days and after multiple operations, Mike began to recover.

Breakthrough Christian Center, a local church based in Sofia, rallied around Mike, who is a member of the church and assisted his recovery with prayers, care, financial aid and legal assistance.

A case was opened and an official investigation was launched. After 21 months the verdict comes as the first sentencing in a racially motivated crime in Bulgaria.

Violence against persons of color living in Bulgaria is not a new phenomena. Reports of such criminal acts have gone largely unreported or ignored by the authorities. However, racist attacks have escalated in recent years as radical nationalism is on the rise.

In 2007 Bulgaria became a member of the European Commonwealth and has signed numerous international treaties condemning racism, even as the Bulgarian constitution condemns it as well.

“This case is unique and first of its kind for our practice here in Bulgaria. Mike was able to recover physically and go through this process of seeking the truth and the justice he deserves with the help of his friends from the church. This case opens the door for legislative initiative, which can improve the Penal Code by introducing specific legal provisions where racial violence is involved”, said Mrs. Stanislavova, Mike’s attorney.

“I’m very happy justice has prevailed today”, says Mike, who has recovered and has begun to practice again in search for a new career opportunity in soccer. “I know of other Africans who have been attacked and they never reached this point in seeking justice. Today this has changed. Bulgaria is changing for the better.”

For contacts regarding this case, please contact:

Elena Dyankova
Justice 21 Project Coordinator
Breakthrough Christian Center
Sofia, Bulgaria
Tel. +359-2-983 2930, +359-899 902 837
edyankova@prelom.bg

Belorussian Christian attorneys take part in the 5th World Meeting of Christian Lawyers «Advocates International»

Wed, 16 Sep 2009 12:03:00 GMT

WASHINGTON, D.C -- Belarusian Christian attorneys Sergey Lukanin and Sergey and Dina Shavtchovy took part in the 5th World Meeting of Christian Lawyers «Advocates International», which took place from the 6th to the 12th of October in Washington, DC. Around 1,500 delegates from 150 nations took part in the worldwide gathering aimed at education and equipping Christian legal professionals with practical knowledge related to justice issues and freedom of religion.

Recent report from New Life Church in Minsk, Belarus tells us that: "Throughout the whole week these Christian lawyers were working hard, took place in different seminars, during which there was opportunity to share the experience and to get acquainted closer with the colleagues.

The opportunity was given to Sergey Lukanin to have a speech on how Belarusian believers were standing for their rights. He shared his experience on holding the Campaign «Protecting the rights of freedom of conscience», during which more than 50,000 signs were gathered for changing religious Belarusian legislation. There were represented 7 regional structures during the Worldwide meeting: Christian lawyers of North America, South America, Australia, Asia, Africa, Europe, and Oceania. There were also congressmen from USA, former United States Attorney General and other high officials from different nations.”

George Bakalov Ministries and members of our related Harvest Breakthrough Network sponsored in full Sergey Lukanin's visit to the United States. Much greatfulness and appreciation from our Belorussian Christian brothers and sisters goes to these donors, who made it happen!

Deportation of ministers from Belarus - what does it mean?

Wed, 16 Sep 2009 12:07:00 GMT

On October 9, 2008 I was officially banned from entering Belarus. Only a few days later the same scenario was repeated with long time Belorussian minister bishop Benjamin Brukh. I had the priviledge of meeting bishop Brukh in 2006 when I visited Belarus for the first time and I can assure everyone he is one very fine person and minister of the Gospel.

So what do these deportations mean? Were we deported due to visa or technical problems? Have we and other pastors who have been banned from Belarus done something wrong?

No!

Rather, we have dome something right. We have been a voice and an influence both in and outside Belarus in encouraging believers in their walk with God amidst trials.

My recent involvement in Belarus can't be compared with the many years of intense ministry and sacrifice pastors like Slava Goncharenko and Benjamin Brukh have poured into that country. However, the regime of Lukashenko has demonstrated they detest both newcomers and long standing members of the unofficial coalition of ministers from around the world who care deeply about Belarus and the future of that nation.

Speaking for myself, I know why I was expelled from Belarus - I have become one of the many activists worldwide who have shed light on Europe's dark corner - the dictatorship of Alexander Lukashenko. He came to power in 1994 and has since secured the integration of Belarus with Russia and other former communist states. He has violated the constitution of his own nation, imprisoned dissidents, rigged elections and has suppressed almost all forms of free journalism in his country.

Lukashenko has established strong ties with Venezuela's Hugo Chavez and Iran's Ahmadinedjad, among others.

These recent incidents show several things:

1) BELARUS IS NOT A FREE COUNTRY

Alexander Lukashenko's dictatorial regime has proved once again his government is not interested in Belarus becoming a free nation. No democratic government deports people without giving them any explanation. What kind of a reputation will Belarus have in light of such treatement of foreign national who have come to visit the country? In light of this, it's scandalous that the European Governments have recently removed the EU visa ban on Lukashenko and his cabinet members. Support for this bloody, criminal regime is being considered by different EU member governments, which shows how far European leaders themselves have deviated from the principles of democracy and justice.

Due to energy wars and politics between Russia and the European Union, Belarus has established itself as the middleman in the delivery of gas to Europe from Russia. Lukashenko has now succeeded to convince the EU to soften its stance toward his regime in order to gain him as an ally against Putin's Russia. This shows that the governments of Europe have completely lost their way and are willing to do business with a dictator in order to save the energy configuration that benefits their countries.

When will Europe stop empowering dictators like Lukashenko?

When will European leaders raise the standard of freedom as a non-negotiable in their dealings with these bloody regimes?

Freedom thinking Europeans need to be aware of the betrayal of their elected officials. These leaders are willing to sacrifice the very values free societies are founded upon in the name of perceived economic benefit.

2) OUR CAMPAIGN IN SUPPORT OF NEW LIFE CHURCH HAS BEEN EFFECTIVE

One clue as to why the Lukashenko regime has now put me on their black list is the fact that I have been a very vocal supporter of New Life Church in Minsk, Belarus.

New Life Church is one of the leading opponents of the Lukashenko regime. The government tried to force the church out of their property in 2006 and it failed. The church had built its own facility and has refused to compromise. I went to Belarus in 2006 to give my support to pastor Slava Goncharenko and New Life Church.

Since that time I have informed the international community of the continued oppression against New Life Church and its leaders. Dictators don't like opponents. They don't like leaders who oppose their regime and spread the truth.

3) OUR PROTEST IN FRONT OF THE BELORUSSIAN EMBASSY IN SOFIA HAS BEEN NOTICED

In March this year we received a notice that the Government of Alexander Lukashenko wants to evict pastor Slava Goncharenko and his family from his house in three days and demolish it.

At that time I was in Sofia and quickly organized a civil protest against the Belorussian Embassy in Bulgaria.

No such protest has ever been organized before in Bulgaria in relationship to Belarus. Obviously the regime in Minsk has taken notice and has decided to ban me from the country as a means of blocking my access to their territory.

4) OUT EFFORTS NEED TO INCREASE

I want to appeal to all freedom loving people: we need to increase our efforts to inform the free world of the gross violation of basic human rights in Belarus by the regime of Alexander Lukashenko.

We must let our governments know we are keeping an eye on Belarus and we expect our governments not to support such dictatorial regimes.

Dictators want to work in the shadows, unaccountable to no one, oppressing and exploiting their people without the resistance of the free thinking world.

We can make a difference!

I personally and our ministry will continue to assist New Life Church and all other freedom activists in Belarus in their peaceful opposition to the dictatorship of Alexander Lukashenko.

To make a donation towards the Belarus Campaign, click here.

Sign up for our newsletter to stay current on these and other developments related to our involement in FREEDOM ACTIVISM in Belarus and around the world.

Deported and banned from Belarus!

Wed, 16 Sep 2009 12:10:00 GMT

Minsk, BELARUS - The Government of Belarus has banned me from entering their country. On October 10, 2008 I flew to Minsk with three of my associates from Bulgaria on a four day visit. Upon entering Belarus from Vienna at the Minsk airport on a tourist visa, the group was told I will not be allowed in the country.

The border police officer informed me in the presence of one of his colleagues and my travel companions that I will be deported immediately back to Vienna where we came from. I was also told I was banned from ever entering the country again.

When I asked him for a reason, he said this was a decision of the authorities and I can make an official inquiry at the Embassy of the Russian Federation when I get back to Sofia. I told him that there is a Belorussian Embassy in Sofia, wanting to make sure there was no mistake. However, he was adamant I need to contact the Embassy of the Russian Federation if I wanted more information.

The Austrian Airlines personnel was kind enough to hold the airplane with 88 passengers waiting while the deportation procedure was completed. I was then given back my passport and was allowed to board the aircraft. We were shortly in the air on our way back to Vienna.

The rest of the team was allowed to enter Belarus.

REPORT BY: George Bakalov

NETWORK NEWS: Ministry in Madrid update

Wed, 16 Sep 2009 12:18:00 GMT

We're in Madrid, Spain and it's awesome to watch what God is doing among the Bulgarian immigrant community. To our knowledge, this is the only real functioning Bulgarian church in Madrid, planted by pastor Yanko Strehin and his wife Vania in 2004. They started as a small group of believers seeking fellowship.

In 2005, a member of our church in Sofia who moved to Madrid, was instrumental in connecting our ministry with the pastor of the newly founded Bulgarian church. It became clear that there was a clear need for leadership input in pastor Yanko's life and church. The main connection was with pastor Kaloyan Kourdomanov, who is one of the presbyters of our church in Sofia. Pastor Kaloyan has already made several trips to Madrid since 2005 and has clearly established a bridge and an apostolic connection with the church in Madrid.

In March of 2007 I was invited by pastor Yanko to visit the church and this marked the official beginning of our Kingdom relationship. Since the time of our ministry in '07 many things have happened, but most importantly, the core of the church became consolidated and they are now poised for growth.

"Last year, while you were speaking, I experienced the fire of God literally burning up in me, setting me on fire. It was like spiritual embers being stirred in me all over again in me", said pastor Yanko when I asked him how did the meetings impact him last year.

He went on to tell me how God had been working intensely in the lives of the believers since last year. Several people got saved at these meetings, but one in particular became a real demonstration of God's power and deliverance.

Another young man told me: "Last year, when you spoke a prophetic word over me, it broke something over my life. Years of wandering and carnality were broken", said Stoyan, who is a young man, whose life has been totally changed. "I was born-again and at the same time I was going to bars getting drunk and doing bad things. I was unsure if I'll ever be able to serve God". All this changed after the prophetic word was released over him last year. He became a changed man and is now testifying to many people every week and people are responding.

During this ministry trip mine and pastor Kaloyan's teaching focused on the Kingdom of God and the role the Church has to advance His Kingdom. The response was fantastic! We saw tears of healing rolling down people's faces as the Holy Spirit directed me to speak into the hearts of these precious disciples of Jesus. We saw encouragement, new fire and new boldness visibly change many people who came hungry for the word of God.

Today (Sunday) we traveled outside of Madrid and went to a nearby lake, where we baptized 6 believers in water. It was glorious and the presence of God was with us. One of the baptized was pastor Yanko's 5 year old boy - David. He was so serious and dedicated to the Lord!

To our knowledge this is the first time a Bulgarian church in Spain has given water baptism to Bulgarians or anybody for that matter. It certainly was the first time pastor Yanko gave water baptism to people.

Thank you everyone who prayed and supported us on this trip! Tomorrow I'll spend a good part of the day ministering to the pastor and his wife, building them up in the Lord and we will also strategize the next step in reaching the 50,000 strong Bulgarian community here in Madrid. This is a mission's field and we definitely have an open door as a ministry dedicated to the advancement of the Kingdom, leadership development and the deployment of believers into the destiny and purpose God has for them in this region.

BULGARIA: Riots in refugee facility in Sofia

Wed, 16 Sep 2009 12:21:00 GMT

"We want the media to hear what's going on behind these walls", says a refugee from the Special Centre for the Temporary Accommodation of Foreigners in Sofia, concerning the disorder and the fire which occurred

Wednesday, 23rd April, at dinner-time on the 3rd floor of the Special Centre for the Temporary Accommodation of Foreigners (SCTAF) near Sofia, a riot burst out, when several Iraqis learned that their flight to Iraq was delayed and postponed for the next day. The Iraqis started breaking windows, caused fire and disorder. Source of the information are several foreigners, who at the time of the tumult were locked on the 4th floor. They managed to call their relatives and non- governmental organizations involved with the problems of refugees and immigrants, using their cell-phones. They report that during the time of the fire there were unconscious people and when the extinguishing of the fire started "people were thrown out of the 3rd floor." In their calls the foreigners describe the tumult, created in the Center. One of the recived text messages reports about a death case. "We want the media to hear what's going on behind these walls" one of the foreigners said on his phone. Shortly after the event, all the cell- phones of the people abiding in the center, were collected and the flow of information from the inside stopped.

Bulgarian media covering the event inaccurately call SCTAF – "A Refugee Asylum" (Dir.bg – Today), "Center for Temporary Accommodation of Foreigners Illegally Abiding in Bulgaria" (DarikNews.bg), "Center for Temporary Accommodation of Refugees"(BTA). SCTAF is an institution of the Migration Department of the Ministry of Domestic Affairs. But the truth is that it is a center for deportation. The only reason of the accommodation of the foreigners here is their sending back to their native countries based on orders given for taking out of the country or expulsion. People are being illegally kept in Busmamtsi - some of them are candidate-refugees, others are not even registered in the State Agency for Refugees (SAR). The refugees need to be registered as asylum seekers and not to be treated like immigrants and deported people. In most of the cases the application for asylum is delayed by SAR for months. Many of these people - potential refugees in Bulgaria, are accommodated in the center and because of that they are subject to the danger of deportation to places where their lives are endangered, even before having access to the State Agency for Refugees.

The riots in SCTAF and the suicide attempts are not something uncommon. The main reason for the escalation of the tension is the lack of legally established minimal time limit for the stay in the center as well as lack if information. As a result of that foreigners are being kept here for years without deportation and without receiving information concerning the length of their stay. The situation of being kept in suspense, the uncertainty of the length of their stay and the state of deprivation of their rights - the right to freedom, in fact cause the escalation of tension. Similar situation does not serve the interests if the imprisoned and of the state as well.

In most European countries the maximum time limit of imprisonment varies between 20 and 90 days. Presently there are people who have spent two and a half years in SCTAF. Some of them have homes, wives and children in Bulgaria. The event in question once again takes to the surface the necessity of changes in the Law for Foreigners in the Republic of Bulgaria.

Contact person:
Elena Dyankova
Coordinator of "Justice 21" Civil Initiative
Breakthrough Christian Center
tel. 02-983 2930, 0899 902 837
edyankova@prelom.bg
www.prelom.bg
"Justice 21" is civil initiative, having the purpose to protect the
justice of people and groups of people, facing racism, xenophobia and
persecution based on racial, ethnical and religious prejudices in the
21st century.

Macedonia: imporatant update and analysis

Wed, 16 Sep 2009 12:27:00 GMT

Dear apostle George and covenant partners in the Gospel in Macedonia, First of all I send blessings to you in the name of Jesus for the coming year 2008. May the Lord be with, guide you, give you wisdom and strength in serving Him. May you and your families prosper in Him in every way. For His glory, amen.

I want to thank you for everything that you have done in different ways helping the growth and strengthening of the Kingdom of God in Macedonia in the last year.

For us here, it was a very challenging year. Many problems, sufferings, but also many victories.

One of the major things that was happening with us was the right positioning of our church. As most of you know, our main ministry was among the poor Roma people in Shutka and some other places in Macedonia. This year a change happened in the spirit of the church and the Lord started to establish us as a national network of churches in Macedonia. Still most of the believers we have are Roma believers, but it is important to mentioned that this year many Macedonians also were added to the church. During this process a new church was planted in Skopje, which I believe in the coming few years will grow into a strong city church.

Just to remind you that at the moment we lead and oversee our network of 5 churches: - Shutka church; Roma church in the Roma area of Skopje, around 100 believers; 60-80 Sunday attendance, 6 cell groups. - Skopje church; mostly Macedonians, church in the center of Skopje, around 30 believers; attendance 15-20, 4 cell groups (that will start very soon). - Kumanovo church; mixed ethnic church in the city Kumanovo, around 20 believers; attendance 10-15. - Sveti Nikole church; mixed ethnic church in the city Sveti Nikole, around 20 believers; attendance 10-15. - Prilep church; Macedonian church, around 10 people, attendance around 5-10 people.

We have also all together around 40-60 children coming to children meetings, alone or with their parents on the meetings in the different churches.

There are also around 30-50 more Roma believers from different areas in Skopje that are not coming at the moment to our church meetings, but to some extend still count as part of our church. This year we had around 15-20 new people (already saved, mostly Macedonians) joining our churches. Some of them were backslidden, some confused or could not fit in the churches they were going to.

They are all very happy now and grow in the Lord.

We hade around 20-30 new converts, and around 10-15 of them were baptized in water. It is not so many, but yet praise God for every soul that got saved.

One of our main focuses this year was not so much on evangelism or starting new churches, but on prayer and on building leadership. At the moment I lead one leadership cell group in Shutka with 6 leaders, and a one leadership cell group in Skopje with 4 leaders. Vesna also is leading one women leadership cell group in Shutka with 8 women. We were investing in these people not just the Word of God and our prayers, but also our lives. We were together with these people in our ups and downs, so the Lord is building a nice team. I believe we will see more practical fruit from this in the coming years.

Concerning positioning our church we did also a lot of intercession prayer meetings for the church and for our nation and slowly we are heading toward organizing a network of prayer, and also establishing a group of intercessors that will pray regularly. We had also a lot of morning prayer meetings, fasting and seeking the Lord. Another important thing that happened this year is starting with meetings with the people from our church that are called in the business. The group is around 10-15 people, most of them not such big businessmen. It is a small beginning, but we have a big vision that Macedonia will have a lot of business people saved and serving the Lord. We meet once or twice a month. On the meetings I usually teach and impart the Word of God concerning Christians into business, we pray together and also share practical business information and do some planning.

We had many testimonies of people being healed. We are still not satisfied with the level of breakthrough in the area of healing, but praise God for His healing power.

In the Shutka church we have a group that is praying for sick people once a week, every Wednesday. We call it "Healing Rooms" and it is part of the International Healing Rooms from Spokane, US. We witnessed many people being healed, or at least being better after receiving prayer. Also many unbelievers came to receive prayer and some of them got saved.

I want to share just two testimonies concerning healing among the many.

The fist one happened to the wife of one of our assistant pastors in Shutka. She was diagnosed with ovarian tumor, that was very big and dangerous. She needed surgery immediately. All of us prayed and especially her family had faith for her healing. The day when she needed to be operated the doctors checked again and could not find the tumor. Instead tumor they found a small baby 3 weeks old in the womb. They called all the doctors together and marveled what has happened. One of them sad something like: Well, looks like we have a miracle here, our tumor tuned in to a baby. Praise God!

One other testimony shows the importance of the leadership in the church. A 2 years old girl from our Skopje church got sick; got flu or something and had very high temperature. Her parents prayed, others prayed, but nothing. They went to doctor, gave her a lot of medicine, but still nothing. She had high temperature for 4-5 days and the lungs and the breathing of the girl got attacked and it became very serious. Because nothing was helping the doctors suggested some radiation therapies, that can be very damaging for the girl because she is very young.

Then we the leaders of the church gathered together and took authority over the sickness in Jesus name. She got healed completely in just 1 hour after the prayer. The doctors were amazed. They compared the pictures of the lungs before and after the prayer, and the sickness and the damages on the lungs were completely gone.

Praise God ! It is good to be reminded that the leaders of the church have real authority and can accomplish much more than the prayers of the normal believers. Also we got reminded that every sickness comes from the enemy, and even a flu can be life threatening so we should not let it rule over us.

An important event this year was that in November we organized our first conference as network of churches in Macedonia. We were meeting for 3 days in the center of Skopje and also in Shutka. It is important to mention that we had no foreign speakers, but the speakers on the conference were 8 leaders from our churches. It was a very blessed event, powerful worship, prayer, and messages. Around 100 people attended it. All of us spoke about important things for the church in Macedonia today. I believe it was a breakthrough event for the church in our nation. One of the things that are missing in the church and in general in Macedonia is motivated leadership. Praised God for every foreign believer that helped and is helping God's work in Macedonia, but most of the believers and leaders here still wait for others to do their job. With this event we paced the way for leaders and churches ion Macedonia to rise up rely on God and do for Him what they are called to.

I want to share little about me. On personal level, I'm still in the process of maturing in the Lord. I'm still not satisfied with what I am in Him. I want to know Him better and serve Him, the church and my family better.

This year I had many battles that I knew nothing about in the past, like hopelessness, apathy, weakness, loosing my joy. Many times I felt like "Why God?" Usually in the past I never complained, but I started to feel about some things like "It is enough God". Maybe it is just growth. Probably I should shift my mind about some expectations. Definitely I should continue changing, dying for my self and living for Him.

Also how I felt probably it is connected with how my wife Vesna is feeling the last few years. In general, as far as we know, medically she is doing ok. But her strength was going up and down all the time. She has enough of this also. When she is weak, I need to take extra prayer, time and energy for her, and then I become myself weak and the end result it influences the church.

It will be good if you can pray for her strength to be up all the time. If you have something from the Lord, be free to share it with us. Please pray for us. We desperately need the Lord.

So in general that were the main happening in the years that is behind us. The new one is ahead of us. New opportunities to do things for God, but also new challenges. But with our God we can do all things.

Thanks for everything once again and blessings to all of you,

Borche and Vesna Popovski

and all the believers from Macedonia

Missions update from Serbia

Wed, 16 Sep 2009 12:30:00 GMT

Bela Balanka

Bela Balanka is a town with approximately 10,000 people living there. It is part of the poorest region of Serbia. The reason to go there is a relationship apostle George was developing for almost a year with a pastor named Boyan.

Boyan pastors the only church in the town for more than 10 years. The church numbers about fifteen people, mainly teenagers who are very hungry for God.

We had two evening services. The first night we ministered to his core team. Right from the start the Spirit of God fell so strong on us and we started interceding and groaning in the spirit for the region and Serbia as whole. Serbia is a really dry place in the spirit. As we were praying and interceding the Lord told us that he opens a new page in regard to His plans for this region. We felt that a door in the spirit is being opened that for long has been closed.

Then we started breaking strongholds of nationalism, hatred and communism. It was a powerful experience in the spirit. Later in the service we ministered to the people individually with prophetic words and deliverance. They have never received that kind of ministry. The team gave very accurate words of knowledge for specific situations, which deeply touched the people. One of the women experienced radical deliverance. She got delivered from different spirits of infirmity, death and occult. Oh, how happy she looked after that!

The next day we ministered to a larger group of people. We shared the Gospel because there were some unbelievers present. We prayed for healing for certain people and while we were praying we felt the Lord leading us to ask the people whether they have been baptized in the Holy Spirit. We were shocked to understand that no one was. So we started praying for them and immediately the Spirit of God came and everybody was filled and started speaking in heavenly tongues. That was a glorious moment.

After these two days the church definitely looked different. Pastor Boyan said he was really changed. He even asked if we could travel at least once a month to his town because he wants his church to be totally transformed. He said after the meetings his vision for the town expanded. We also received a report after we returned to Bulgaria that the people gather in the church to pray without anyone asking them.

Belgrade

The next place we visited on this trip was Belgrade. We wanted to visit pastor Radovan Bogdanovich, who is a dear friend to apostle George for many years. He pastors a church for more then 15 years and to be a pastor in Serbia is a real challenge. The people are not open for changes and anything that is not of the Eastern Orthodox state-sponsored church is considered to be a "sect" (cult). We even saw several signs in different places saying; “Sects out!”

Nevertheless pastor Radovan is pressing toward the goal of changing his country. He has a vision to affect the whole nation of Serbia with the gospel of Jesus Christ.

We had the chance to minister to his church, which looks really alive and encouraged compared to the surrounding environment. We ministered a word of encouragement, challenging them to continue strong in the Lord and focused on Him and fulfilling their destiny on the earth.

After the service pastor Radovan said he was very grateful for our coming. He said we needed to stay closer in that relationship in order not to get isolated. Something we’d love to do!

Conclusion:

This was a very successful trip. We are very enthusiastic about what God is going to do in that nation. On the other hand we see how weak the church is at the moment, lacking leadership with a vision for the church and the nation. Leaders that will bring God’s strategies on the earth for the church and will build according to them.

So lets pray for Serbia!

pastor Kaloyan Kurdomanov
Sofia, Bulgaria

Missions update from Macedonia

Wed, 16 Sep 2009 12:31:00 GMT

Their country- Macedonia goes through very difficult times now as it strives for its identity, international recognition and acceptance. Its borders with one of their neighbors - the Serbian province Kosovo are not yet clearly drawn so this fact brings additional uncertainty to their situation. The unclear future of Macedonia is reflected also in the economic situation and the reluctance of foreign investors establishing their bases in the country.

Ministry Time

On Saturday night we ministered to pastor Borche's church in the center of Skopie. Since few months ago, when we were there last, the church increased by number and we could see some new families added to the congregation.

Together with my wife Mihaela we ministered on the influence of the Kingdom over every area of life. Mihaela was able to share some of the advancements with the civil association we are involved in and specifically the project against legalization of prostitution in Bulgaria.

Sunday we had service in Shutka, which is an area of Skopie, populated mainly with Roma people. We had a powerful worship and time of prophetic declarations, breaking the poverty spirit over the people, praying for the unemployed and sharing practical wisdom in that area. While we are engaging in spiritual warfare it was interesting that someone placed a fire cracker near or under our car, which was parked right in front of the building. I could hear the alarm going on and the ushers made sure everything was fine.

Prayer Support

I believe that after such a trip it is important to define some of the main prayer needs for the country and Pastor Borche and Vesna's ministry. Please pray for:

-Pastor Borche and Vesna, for wisdom and guidance from the Lord; for their development as leaders in the Kingdom, for Vesna's health, which is still very unstable, fluctuating on a weekly basis; for provision in their personal finances.

- their official registration as a church. As I already mentioned they have registered a foundation but this does not give them the freedom juridically to operate as church. It is expected that in May 2008 a new religious law will be voted. Let us pray that this law will be drafted in such a way that it will allow registration of churches different than the official ortodox church of Macedonia.

- for few years they have been renting a place for church gathering in the Roma area of Skopie- Shutka. Recently they received a notice that they need to release that place till April 1, 2008, so they need a new one. Please, pray for the right place and also for the finances needed for that transition.

-for Macedonia- that it will discover its true identity as a nation and will receive broader international acceptance and support.

Thank you again for being part of this trip with your prayer support. We expect to see the hand of the Lord moving mightily in the nations in 2008 through HBN and the ministry of our apostle!

Have a Blessed Christmas Season!

Alexander and Mihaela Djorgov

Harvest Breakthrough Network
Sofia, Bulgaria

P.S. You may look at some pictures from the trip at flickr.com—72157603511799998