bulgaria

In 2007, West Market Street UMC's Outreach Committee joined In Mission Together (IMT) to expand WM's international ministry with a partnership with Pastor Vladimir Blajev in the Pleven UMC in Pleven, Bulgaria. Four members of WMSUMC made a fact-finding trip in June 2007 to meet Pastor Blajev, his wife, Neli, and their daughter, Nina. The Pleven church survived communism being used as a puppet theater, but it was in poor condition when communism ended in 1989. In 2008, it had not been used for a church service in over 50 years. That changed in 2008!

Our first team of 18 folks traveled in 2008 and picked up the work of renovating the sanctuary and the church. This project was completed in 2010 with donations (no WMSUMC support from pledges), and the re-consecration of the sanctuary took place in July 2011. In these fourteen years, we have assisted Pastor Blajev's churches in Pleven, Miziya, and Voyvodovo with Vacation Bible School and English Camp. We have provided funding for youth to attend a Methodist youth summer camp as well as scholarships for the Christian Union (CU) students at the Pleven Med School to attend Methodist retreats with other Methodist students in Bulgaria. We have assisted with support for technology to provide a computer that is needed for Sunday services. We have helped with periodic painting that has to be done downstairs in the building due to water problems that were discovered after the renovation was completed. We have helped the church purchase a car which Pastor Blajev needed to reach the other two churches that are an hour and a half plus from Pleven. Two groups from Pleven have visited Greensboro. Our last team visit to Bulgaria was in October 2019- pre-pandemic!

You can see the variety of areas where we have provided funds to assist Pastor Blajev and others in ministry. Most of those needs were met because of your Angel Tree donations. The Emerging Needs fund gives us money when those unexpected needs arise during the year.

Thank you for your donations that assist our brothers and sisters in Bulgaria.

Click the button below and use the drop-down box to select Bulgaria.