Bulgaria

Country
Bulgaria is a beautiful, mountainous, country in Eastern Europe bordered by the Danube River in the north and the Black Sea in the east. The Bulgars originally were a central Asian people who came to the area in the seventh century A.D. and mixed with the Slavic and Thracian tribes. One fact known about Bulgars around the world is that they shake their head from side so side saying “yes”, and nod their head up and down saying “no”. For centuries Bulgaria was under the “Turkish yoke”, struggling for political and religious independence. After World War II, the communists came to power in Bulgaria and ruled the country until the political reforms in 1989 swept through Eastern Europe. Today, Bulgaria is moving toward democracy and free economy.

People/Society
Bulgarians, as people, are very proud of their heritage and culture, which they have preserved despite centuries of foreign domination. They value people who are open, strong, capable, gregarious, good-humored, loyal to family and friends, and forthright. The concerns of the family and friends are taken very seriously when individual decisions are made. Bulgarians today face many political and economic challenges and look to their future with caution and worry.

Religion
Most of the 7.5 million people in Bulgaria consider themselves to be Christian, and the Bulgarian Orthodox Church claims a membership of almost 83 percent. Muslims comprise about 12 percent of the population, adherents of the Roman Catholic Church comprise 1.7 percent of all the people. Although religious worship is relatively unrestricted, many people still see religion as a matter of tradition and only visit a church during important religious holidays. Animosity toward religious groups from outside of the country has restricted the activities of foreign sects, but it also has had negative effects on new evangelical churches as well.

History
The consequences of the communist rule were disastrous for the country, both spiritually and economically. The needs were obvious and the Church of the Nazarene responded in a variety of ways. It was a many-sided and a unified effort and vision. Southern Nazarene University and its president, Loren Gresham “adopted” Bulgaria and sent in teams of young volunteers. The first volunteers arrived in Bulgaria in the summer of 1994 and immediately got involved with street evangelism, making friends at sports events, carrying out Compassionate Ministries projects.

Hermann Gschwandtner, Eastern Europe Ministries Coordinator, also saw the door of opportunity open in Bulgaria.  However, in an atmosphere of distrust toward religion from outside and in a country where the Orthodox Church is viewed as the only true church, the strategy had to be built around registering a compassionate ministries foundation first, before attempting to register as a church. Instrumental in the registration process of what today is “Nazarene Compassionate Ministries-Bulgaria” were the first missionaries of the church – Cyntia and Don Moore and Lachezar Popov, a Bulgarian lawyer. The foundation initiated programs in the areas of teaching English as a Second Language, helping Small Business Entrepreneurs, Medical Support, agriculture and humanitarian help.

Not long after the first Nazarene volunteers arrived, they made friends with a small band of believers in northern Bulgaria. The believers were from farming families in a town called Montana. The volunteers began visiting that little group regularly, often on Sundays. In December of 1994 the Montana Church of the Nazarene formed with about 7 charter members. At first they had no church building, and therefore met in private homes and, in the summer months, outside in parks and fields. Recently, the church dedicated its own church sanctuary and has over 150 people in its services.

The Church Today
Today, Jay and Teanna Sunberg are leading the work in Bulgaria and churches exist in Sofia, Montana and Razgrad. There are also about 17 preaching points or church type missions. The total number of people in Nazarene congregations averages at 700 people and 396 are full members.

On the field, the Church of the Nazarene is ministering in the following countries: Albania, Bulgaria, Croatia, Greece, Italy, Kosovo, Macedonia, Romania and Slovenia

For more information please visit the district’s Web site: http://www.nazarene.bg