Sofia Baptist Church Баптистка църква - София

We receive regular news from Teddy and Didi Oprenov, the leaders of Sofia Baptist Church. The church are working on their own web site at present but while that is under construction, we offer some news about the fellowship for your interest. Their 2006 Christmas letter is here in pdf format.

Sofia is the capital of Bulgaria, and Teddy, who trained with Didi, at Spurgeon's College, in London, UK, is the General Secretary of the Bulgarian Baptist Union (a voluntary rather than a staff position). Most of the foreign Christian visitors who pass through Bulgaria wanting to know something about evangelical believers, meet Teddy and Didi during their trip. So you can see that they are very busy and also very influential people - but also people whose only desire is to serve Jesus and his kingdom in their country of Bulgaria.

Sofia Baptist Church has a similarly important position in the capital. It is an evangelical church, and therefore experiences the difficulties that face all evangelical Protestant organisations in a strongly Orthodox Eastern European country. But they seek to be a truly Bulgarian church, reflecting Bulgarian culture, and also reflecting Baptist congregational principles - so key decisions about strategy and ministry are made by the Bulgarian members rather than foreign sponsors. This gives them a distinctive role and witness, as compared with some other larger and foreign dominated churches in Sofia.

The church is rich in the things of God, but has very limited financial resources. Gifted indigenous Bulgarian Baptist Christians are equipped with the skills (but not necessarily the funds) to carry out a variety of tasks that God has laid on their hearts. They do not look to foreigners for a vision, but they do welcome sponsors who will support Bulgarian initiated projects.

Sofia Baptist church has seen rapid growth since the "changes" in 1989 - but that has not meant that life is easy or that the church is prosperous. Unemployment is high, and older members on pensions are in real need. The church takes seriously her responsibility to the community and is developing a number of  ministries to help people who have suffered badly during the economic adjustments since the fall of Communism, including street and orphan children, gypsy communities and the elderly. Their ministries include winter food distribution, practical ministry to existing orphanages and a desire to develop their own orphanage work. They also have an ambitious project to develop a church centre where they can establish a variety of much needed social projects for the surrounding community. You can read about it in this pdf document (Adobe Acrobat required) here, or by going to the web site of Bulgarian Partners . We will have a video here soon about the project which features Teddy, Didi, and members of Sofia Baptist Church, talking about the project - while we are waiting for permission, then you can view the various downloadable resources about this project, including the video, at the website of Common Compassion, from the US Association of Baptist Churches in Massachusetts, here."

Teddy, Geoff and John Wallis from UK, and Teddy's eldest daughter Anne-Marie recently completed a 440km sponsored cycle ride through some of the beautiful mountains of Bulgaria to raise funds for the new centre and the work of the "Good Samaritan Foundation". You can read their reports of the journey here - from the Wallis's and the Oprenovs. Their route took them across Bulgaria from the western border with Serbia, to the eastern town of Bourgas on the Black Sea coast. Teddy tells us the longest uphill stretch was 6km, and the biggest battle was against the wind! On their journey they passed some of Bulgaria's most beautiful scenery, old buildings built in the Bulgarian national style, spectacular mountain scenery, and the occasional exhilirating downhill stretch!

If you want to assist the work of Sofia Baptist Church, then please contact Teddy by email, or visit the website of Bulgarian Partners a UK charity specifically supporting the work of the Bulgarian charity Good Samaritan Foundation, which is behind the building of the social, medical and educational facility near the Sofia Baptist which is mentioned above. The good news is that final buildings approval has now been obtained and they can start building as soon as they have the necessary funds.