As a church, Awakening realizes the importance of family. We recognize that a greater portion of our lives is spent outside of the regular church services and, therefore, this time makes up a large portion of our collective spiritual life.Since our founding we have held a series of Men’s, Women’s and Family Special Events relating to topics and discussions which warrant our attention. A main focus of these special events, however, is the fellowship and encouragement we share with each
other.On September 11th we started a new effort. Foreign preachers and workers have visited Bulgaria for years to share what God has put on their hearts. We decided it was time we stopped ONLY receiving. We don’t want to ONLY tell them about what God is doing in Bulgaria. Awakening wants to be a church that gives of itself. We want to be a church that learns about what our Heavenly Father is doing in other countries around the world.
During the first half of September, we had three visitors from Nigeria. We asked them to cook a Nigerian meal (noodles and a fish pate) for us and tell us what God has been doing there. We learned that Nigeria is the most populous country in Africa with over 100 million people. We learned that the country is split between a Muslim north that holds much of the political power and a Christian south that holds much of the natural resources (especially petroleum). We also learned that despite persecution from the powerful Muslim minority, the south boasts large churches with extensive ministries and many good outreaches and theological institutions.
The moment that made the largest impression on us was the video material of an annual conference which draws a huge crowd (CNN’s helicopter-borne
reporter estimated FIVE MILLION attendees!) – as if 2/3 of Bulgaria were gathered in one location to praise God!We look forward to learning more from other visitors whom God sends to us; and, we expect to be a sending-giving church in the future.
David Leistrum
