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On November 25, 2022, a new community center was inaugurated in Belo Pole, Bulgaria. Many brothers and sisters traveled there for a weekend to distribute gifts as part of the Christmas campaign and to help with the preparations for the inauguration.
Preparations for the inauguration
With this report, we would like to share our experiences of a blessed and eventful weekend, which was a crowning conclusion to a busy year.
The community center in Belo Pole, Bulgaria, was to be inaugurated, and so a total of 24 people flew to Sofia on Friday, November 25, 2022. Some brothers and sisters had already traveled there a few days earlier for the Christmas parcel drive and preparations for the inauguration.
On Friday, our bishops, Brother Viktor Folz and Brother Peter Fast, conducted an instruction and discussion with the responsible brothers of the Brotherhood in Bulgaria in the parish of Sofia. The Brotherhood has existed since July 13, 2022.
Brother Viktor Folz is preaching and is being translated by Brother Peter Nikolov.
Evening service
Following the service, a worship service was held at 6:00 p.m. in the church. Pastor Brother Peter Nikolow opened the service by emphasizing how beautiful it is when brothers serve God together in harmony. After a message from Brother Milton about unity and mutual support, Brother Peter Fast spoke about the church of Jesus Christ. He stressed that the church belongs to Jesus, since He gave His life for humanity. For Jesus, the church, His bride, is the most precious thing on earth.
Brother Walter Gesswein recalled what had been achieved in the ten years of cooperation between the brothers from the Speyer region and the brothers from Bulgaria. Eight congregations now belong to the Bulgarian brotherhood. He called upon them to serve as Christ had served them.
Brother Viktor Folz concluded the sermon, explaining that God uses various instruments to prepare us, the congregation, for His coming. The Word of God, the Holy Spirit, and the ministers of the congregation are such instruments.
After prayers had been offered for the congregations, their servants, and the entire brotherhood, the congregation did not want to disperse because a very blessed fellowship had been created through the Spirit of God.
Group song during Sunday church service in Sofia
Day of inauguration
The next day began early with the drive to Belo Pole in northwestern Bulgaria. Many Roma live there, there is hardly any industry, and it is one of the poorest regions in Europe.
As soon as the siblings arrived at the church building, the sisters immediately began preparations in the kitchen. The brothers set up the tent where the service would take place and prepared everything needed for lunch inside the building.
Table fellowship during the break in the hall
The first half of the dedication service
At noon, Brother Milton, responsible for the region, opened the dedication service. Conductors and young people from Speyer participated in the service, singing together and performing group songs.
The community leader from Seckach, Brother Paul Ganske, pointed out that God, just as He chose the Jews as His people, the dove from among all birds or the lily from among all flowering plants, also chose Belo Pole from the surrounding villages to build His house here, so that people would notice the house of God.
The second mission leader, Brother Michael Akulenko, mentioned that although we didn't speak Bulgarian, God had proclaimed the Gospel here in Belo Pole simply through the renovations and the arrival of the helping brothers. He expressed his wish that the congregation would remain here until Christ takes His bride.
My report as project manager for the construction site in Belo Pole followed. From the verse, " Unless the Lord builds the house, the builders labor in vain " (Psalm 27:1), I concluded that EVERYTHING in our lives is in vain without God. On February 4, 2022, the house and the land were purchased. During the following ten months, eight construction crews came from Germany to do God's work. The approximately 100 helpers all stayed with Brother Milton and were cared for by his family. May God reward them for this great deed! My report ended with an appeal to take better care of this house than our own, since it is God's house.
Brother Viktor Folz concluded the first service by saying that more evangelization had been achieved through the work on the house than through the sermons. The most important thing was not the house, but the presence of God. Moses fell down before the burning bush because the presence of God was there – here, too, the presence of God should always prevail, so that all who come here may fall to their knees before God!
Aaron's blessing was pronounced upon the community of Belo Pole, followed by a break with lunch and much discussion.
Brother Tobias Vogel reports on the construction site and is translated by Brother Martin
The second half of the service
At 4 p.m., Brother Peter Nikolow introduced the second part of the service, and Brother Rudolf Witmaier emphasized that it was not the building itself, but the people who loved and served God within it that were crucial. Then Brother Milton recounted how, seven years earlier in Belo Pole, it had all begun with an evangelistic outreach, and how more and more people had embraced the Gospel of Jesus Christ. For years, they had gathered in houses until they could no longer find enough space. And after seven years of prayer, God laid it on the hearts of the German brothers to search for a building.
Brother Peter Fast brought the service to a close. He announced to the congregation the good news that two of their brothers were proving themselves suitable for diaconal service.
After dinner, everything was tidied up and prepared for Sunday service the next day.
The Bulgarian Council met in the evening in Dondukovo in the meeting room in Brother Milton's house and also prayed for this meeting place.
Gifts were distributed to children
The return journey
On Sunday, we traveled back to Sofia for the church service, where we were again able to serve with songs and sermons. God poured out His blessings abundantly there as well, and several people responded to the invitation and received prayer. When we arrived back in Germany that evening, we were very grateful and happy that God had blessed the weekend so well.
In closing, I would like to ask every reader who has followed this far to take a moment to pray for the churches in Bulgaria. They face many challenges and difficult circumstances. May God guide the people there and pour out His blessings.
Tobias Vogel
Municipality of Speyer
More information about the project and the opportunity to donate: