Easter 2006 Pastor Simeon Krastev's Update
Highlights
- Teaching Homiletics II at Sofia Pentecostal Bible College
- Burgas Regional Pastor's conference
- Updating EPC Dono Ezerovo Church Membership
- XIX Sabor Of Pentecostal Assemblies Of Bulgaria
- 10 Years Ministry in EPC Dolno Ezerovo
- Pastor Barry Ridgway in Dolno Ezerovo
- Jesus Movie Evangelistic Campaign
- EPC - Dolno Ezerovo Easter Service
- Mount Bakardzhik in the Spring
Teaching Homiletics II at Sofia Pentecostal Bible College
From February 13th to 24th I readed lectures on Homiletics II at Sofia Pentecostal Bible College.
This teaching at Sofia PBC was also my final thesis-project for my M.A. studies with TCM. I had:
- to plan it,
- to create "measuring devices" for students' and my success,
- to implement it,
- and to draw conclusions from my experience.
I almost finished all this job, although I still have to write some more in order to bring it to completion.
Students:
Buildings:
Staff:
Class Room and teaching equipment:
Burgas Regional Pastors' Conference
On the 3rd of March in Burgas we had a regional conference. The main speakers on this conference were: Pastor Ilcho Eftimov, pastor of First Pentecostal Church; Pastor Stefan Dimitrov, pastor of Cities for Jesus Church of God; and Pastor Stefan Krastev, pastor of Philadelphia Pentecostal Church.
Updating EPC Dono Ezerovo Church Membership
Recently we updated the church membership in our church. When we speak about "members we think about the "active members" or the "owners" of the church. Otherwise we have as many visitors or inactive members - people that fulfilled some of the membership requirements, but not all of them. When we started our ministry in Dolno Ezerovo in 1996 there was not an official membership in the church. In 2001 we introduced it. Now everybody can become member of our church if he/she fulfills the following four basic conditions:
- Water baptism
- Moral life
- Regular church attendance
- Supporting the church with willing tithes and gifts
In 2001 annual meeting of the church we officially accepted 26 members including our family. During the next 2002 year we accepted another 10 members so we became 36. But then in the following years we started to decrease. 3 people left the church in order to go to another church. 2 left the church because they moved to other places. Because of different reasons 3 people stopped to visit the church regularly. One passed away and went to be with the Lord. In 2003 we accepted 2 more members. So in 2005 the church had 29 members. In the first Sunday of April we accepted another 7 members so the number of 36 was restored. Please pray for our church growth and spiritual fruitfulness.
XIX Sabor Of Pentecostal Assemblies Of Bulgaria
On the 7th and 8th of April in Sofia was the XIX sabor of Pentecostal Assemblies of Bulgaria. This highest forum of the denomination is hold every four years. On the sabor Pastor Victor Virchev was reelected for his fifth mandate as President of PAOB, and the following brothers were elected for members of the PAOB Board:
10 Years Ministry in EPC Dolno Ezerovo
On the April 12, 2006 we celebrated ten years since the beginning of our ministry in Dolno Ezerovo. I still remember the day when we arrived in the center of the village with our old "Moskvich". Then we did not know where the church is, although it was just in the center in the old school. We decided to stop and ask somebody. I saw an young man and decided to ask him. I said: "Excuse me, do you know where the Evangelical Church in the village is?" He smiled and answered: "Yes, I know. Just now I am on my way to the church. You are very welcome, we were waiting for you." Was not this the divine plan of God that the first person we met in Dolno Ezerovo was not somebody else but our brother Petko Stoyanov?
What God did for us and for the church in the past 10 years?
1996 - This year was my deacon ordination by Pentecostal Assemblies of Bulgaria; the plan for the church building was made;
1997 - the permission for the start of the church building was given to us by the city counsel;
1998 - we dig and filled the foundation of the church
1999 - This year I graduated the academic program of Global University and received a Bachelor of Arts in Bible and Theology degree; The founding floor of the church was done;
2000 - I was ordained as a pastor by Pentecostal assemblies of Bulgaria; After 6 childless God gave us our first son - Matey; the first floor of the church was completed;
2001 - This year we introduced the membership in our church. In September 2001 I ordained Zheko and Slaveyka Georgievi as deacons in our church. The roof of the church was done;
2002 - Together with Gedeon ministry we gave a New Testament to almost all children from fifth to eight grade in the local school; This year we had a family seminar; With the help of ICI Bulgaria we established Center for Evangelism and Church Ministries at our church. In this initiative we offered a course for new converts covering the following subjects: Your New Life; Your Bible; Who Jesus Is?; When You Pray; The Church; and Bible Ethics; This same year I started my M.A. program with TCM International - Austria; Also this year I started my internet ministry; This year we also put the doors and the windows of the church.
2003 - God gave us our second son - Andrey; This year on the day of Christian family we started our monthly family gatherings. This same year with the help of Samaritan's Purse we donated 196 Christmas presents and books to the children in the local pre-school.
2004 - On the 9th of May was the dedication of our new church building; In the Autumn this same year we made an evangelization with dinner in the local restaurant that was attended of more that 130 people.
2005 - We made the southern fence of the church, the cross and the sign. From the 3rd of October to 13th of November we had 42 days chain fast and prayer for our church.
2006 - We started the Sunday school room
When I came to Dolno Ezerovo I was 26 years old. Now I am 37. Ten of the best years of my life passed here. I hope that they have been sawn for the glory of God and for salvation of many people from this Burgas' suburb. We can say that to this point God has helped us. We thank him for His mercy and give all the glory to His name.
In the 9th of May we will selabrate 2 years since the dedication of our church building. But it is still unfinnished.
Pastor Barry Ridgway in Dolno Ezerovo
The first foreign guest in our church this year was pastor Barry Ridgway from Melburn, Australia. He arrived in Bourgas in Tuesday, 11th of April and leaved in Wednesday, 13th of April. His visit in our church was part of his national itenary.
In Tuesday fternoon we visited the ancient coast town Nessebar. It was amaising that in the spring a person can see much more from the beauty of the town than in the summer when it is turned in a huge market place.
In wednesday we had our evening service. After the service we wereinvated to have dinner with our faithful deacons Zheko i Slaveyka Georgievi. This diner was very special because it was our last dinner together because some time after this event their doughter Nina moved to stay permanently in Huston, TX.
Jesus Movie Evangelistic Campaign
The preparation for this campaighn started in the Automn last year. Actually this was a kind of pionier project, beacuse it was imlemented for the first itme in Bulgaria. It was very well organised, agressively advertised in the several national TV channels and included several follow up initiatives: Family Party - mainly focused on children, Family seminars - mainly focused on the family couples, and family discussions - the last meeting befor inviting the new families to the church.
In Bourgas the movie was attended by more than 18000 people. In the whole country that have population of about 7 000 000 it was attended by aproximately 300 000 people. When it was showed on the TV on Christmas morning 10.00 a.m. - when most of the believers were on sevice, it was wached by 700 000 people. So the total number of the people reached with this evangelistik toll in Bulgaria were about 1,000,000 people. Praise the Lord for this great opportunity to saw the seed of the gospel in the hearts of young generation in Bulgaria.
Of course there was some oppsition from some of the Orthoodox priests. We again were called sects... but anyway as a whole the campaign was quite a success.
In Dolno Ezerovo we had four projections - 2 at Cafe Caramel in the center of the village (in Friday, 14th, and Suterday, 15th of April), and two at the church building (in Sunday 16th, and Monday, 17th of April). In the first two evenings in Cafe Caramel we had attendence of more than 180 people - mainly children. On the third evening in the church we had attendence of 130 people and the last evening we had 70.
During the whole compaign we worked in unity with all the pastors and churches in Burgas. For the Family party we invited the team from Blagovestie Church. They have even included a clown in the program - something that made the whole event even more joyful. On this first follow up after the projection we had about 90 people.
On the 2nd of May we had Family seminar in Dolno Ezerovo. For it we invited Pastor Radoslav and Boyka Kiriakov - pastor of the Congregational church in Burgas, and Pastor Ivelin and Daniela Minkov - pastor of the Baptist Church in Burgas. With big regret I would say that on this 2nd follow up meeting we did not have any new families. All presents were from our church. Anyway the material from the seminar was very useful and we all had a very good time together.
On every event there were additional evangelistic books and materials that were given to the people as a gift. All the materials and the eqippment for the seminars were provided by Agape Bulgaria - Campus Crusade for Christ branch in Bulgaria.
EPC - Dolno Ezerovo Easter Service
These are some pictures from our Easter Service in Dolno Ezerovo.
Mount Bakardzhik in the Spring
These are some pictures from mount Bakadzhik where we made a short Easter retreet. God's creature is really amaising and inspiring our praise to our Glorious Creator.
At the end of the last XX-th century there was a natural psychological expectation that something unusual and ultimate will happen in the year 2000. This became a reason why many people turned to the Lord in order to prepare themselves for His coming. But now, because Year 2K passed and nothing special happened, most of the people turned back to their daily duties and activities. These same people started to think more about their daily life than about their relationship with the Lord. So, our prayer time decreased and we turned to be "Laodician Christians". But just in this time we should exercise our will power and self-discipline to maintain the reasonable level of our spiritual life. Spirituality - this is the consciousness of the presence of God with us. Our spirituality could be developed through practicing spiritual disciplines.
I pray that you may enjoy good health and that all may go well with you, even as your soul is getting along well.