Mustard Seed Mission Bulgaria 2008
West Market St. UMC’s Final Report
“…one body, one Spirit…one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all…” Ephesians 4:4
Introduction
As with all mission trips, the primary purpose was to grow together as disciples of Jesus Christ as we nurture each other in the faith and serve together out of our love for Jesus Christ and in response to His call. Whatever we “accomplish” will be through the power of the Holy Spirit and to the glory of God, not us. We are traveling to Bulgaria to further our relationship with our partner churches in Pleven, Mizija, and Voyvodovo. The purpose of this ministry is to build up the body of Christ. We will do this by being in mission together, by worshiping and serving together, and be developing Christ-centered friendships with each other.
This team of 18 people:
- Conducted a VBS at an orphanage, as well as at the Pleven, Mizia and Voyvodovo churches.
- Cleared grounds at Pleven church, and prepared the original sanctuary (which is still under construction) for the first worship service in 50 years.
- Conducted seminars on Methodism at the Mizia & Voyvodovo churches for lay people and at the Pleven church for all clergy in Bulgaria who wished to attend.
- Started a prayer shawl ministry at all 3 churches.
- Provided musical concerts for the communities of Mizia and Pleven, and performed during worship at Pleven.
- Worshiped and had fellowship with our brothers and sisters in Christ in all 3 communities.
Team Leadership
Overall Team: Elizabeth Montgomery
Children’s Ministry: Amy Kreimer
Devotionals & Hospitality: Mary Ann James
Treasurer: David Johnston
Music: Brian French
Seminars: Dave Melton
Prayer Shawl Ministry: Betty Betts
Mission Team Recruitment & Preparation
Bridge to Bulgaria Event/Information Meeting
In October, 2007, we held a congregation wide event designed to introduce to the congregation the IMT ministry and our partnership with the 3 churches in Bulgaria. We had a luncheon featuring Bulgarian food. We actually had a bridge decorated with sunflowers (very prevalent in North Central Bulgaria) that participants could walk across, viewing blown up pictures of our brothers and sisters in Christ in Bulgaria along the way. We had Cyrillic stations for making your name tag in Cyrillic and learning the Cyrillic alphabet. There was a trivia quiz on Bulgaria and a slide show from the vision mission trip that had taken place that summer to create the partnership. People had donated Legos, so that children could literally build a “bridge of understanding” to Bulgaria. The children also enjoyed making Martinitzas while Bulgarian folk music played in the background.
Those who were interested in learning more about the actual mission trip planned for the following summer were invited to an Information Meeting following the luncheon. At this meeting, they received an Information Meeting detailing the specifics of the trip and to cost, in addition to an application.
Mission Team Orientation Meeting
Approximately 5 months prior to departure, we held an Orientation Meeting for the mission team so they could start to get to know each other and learn more about Bulgaria in general and their mission in specific. The team leaders were also introduced, and the music and VBS leaders recruited help from among the mission team members. These task forces each prepared for the trip in advance and on their own schedules.
The packets contained the following information: team roster, mission trip description and purpose, team roster, a list of “Things to Remember While Serving on a Mission Trip”, general information on Bulgaria, a map of Bulgaria, Information on each of the partner churches, Team Leadership, Packing List, Trip Itinerary, Trip Finances sheet that itemized per person mission trip costs and the amounts budgeted by the church (see budget attachment for further detail), and Dates to Remember. We reviewed each aspect of the packet in detail.
Language Classes
Two former Peace Corp members to Bulgaria and current Duke seminary students provided Bulgarian language instruction, instruction on learning the Cyrillic alphabet and reading Cyrillic, and Bulgarian culture and customs. These classes were extremely beneficial and took place for 6 weeks. They also provided auditory CD’s as well as informational handouts. In addition, they helped with the translation of VBS and Prayer Shawl materials.
Sponsorship
Each team member was paired with a sponsor group that provided some supplemental funding as well as prayer partners for each day of the mission trip and letters of encouragement for each day of the mission trip. Members of the UMW also made prayer bracelets for the mission team members as well as one for each one of them to give away to a brother or sister in Bulgaria.
Commissioning & Final Team Meeting
The team was commissioned during the contemporary and traditional services the Sunday prior to departure. The team met following worship to pack all materials for VBS and the Prayer Shawl Ministry in addition to the shoes the team members were donating to the orphanage. Luggage tags were distributed, those who had not been on a Mustard Seed Mission were “pinned”. They then had a final meeting and communion service.
The Mission Experience
Music
A quintet consisting of a trombone, violin, English horn, Euphonium, and keyboard performed several musical concerts for our partner congregations as well as the communities in which they reside. This provided a unique opportunity to transcend language barriers and promote the church to the community in a non-threatening way. The first concert was held in the town concert hall in Mizia. It was well attended, and even the mayor came and made a presentation of gifts to the musicians. They next performed prior to the worship service in Voyvodovo, then the following day at the orphanage in Borovan. They performed a brief concert prior to the Methodist seminar for Bulgarian clergy that Rev. Dave Melton conducted in Pleven.
One of the most moving musical experiences was their performance in the original sanctuary in Pleven. The sanctuary is unfinished, but the team cleaned it up for the first service to be held in there since before communism. Tears streamed down the faces of the congregation members as the musicians played familiar Methodist hymns that have not been heard in that sanctuary for more than two generations. Their final performance was in an art gallery in Pleven. It was a lovely setting, and was also well attended. The churches in both Mizia and Pleven received good publicity from the events, and the mayor was also present at the concert in Pleven.
Children’s Ministry
The team led an abbreviated Vacation Bible School at all 3 partner churches using the Godly Play method of telling the Bible story about Jesus as the Good Shepherd, and offering crafts related to that theme. In addition, the children played games, sang songs, had a snack and helped to make a “He’s got the Whole World in His Hands” banner that would be brought back to our church. Our children made one for each partner church as well. The VBS’s at all 3 churches were very well attended.
The team also did a program at the orphanage in Borovan. One of the parishioners from the Pleven church did a wonderful job as a clown, communicating to the children, making them laugh, and helping to tell the Bible story of David & Goliath. The children then did crafts, sang songs along with our small orchestra, and had a snack. The team had brought them shoes and Beanie Babies, which they loved. The team hopes to engage in future ministry there along with our brothers and sisters in Christ at the Pleven church.
Sharing Methodism
Pastors Dave Melton & Rob Hutchinson led a series of seminars on Methodism for both clergy and lay people at all three partner churches. The theme for the series was “What’s so Amazing about Grace”, and it focused on the Wesleyan ideas of prevenient, justifying, and sanctifying grace. They engaged congregation members in discussion, and answered questions. At the end of the service in Voyvodovo, we held a “Remember your Baptism” service because that is one of only two sacraments recognized by the Methodist church. This was a very moving experience for those who may had been baptized as infants in the Orthodox church, and many of whom have the mistaken notion that they must be re-baptized as adults to be full fledged Christians.
An all day seminar for clergy only was held in Pleven, and pastors, including the DS, came from all over Bulgaria to attend. Finally, there was a seminar held for the lay people in Pleven, and this was done as a small group discussion combining our team members and Pleven congregation members. We were able to share the ways in which we have each experienced the different types of grace in our own lives. It was a very moving way to share our faith, and yet at the same time “learn” what it really means to be a Methodist and the ways in which that differs from Orthodoxy.
Prayer Shawl Ministry
WMS has a prayer shawl ministry, whereby women gather once a week to knit shawls that will be blessed by a pastor and then given to those who have had illnesses, or suffered loss, or even had great joys in their lives. These shawls are also presented to people all over the world that our church serves in mission. The knitter of each shawl commits to pray for the person who will receive the shawl as they are knitting it. They are later told of who received the shawl, and they continue to pray for that person.
We decided that this would be a good ministry to start at all 3 partner churches because many of the women already knew how to knit, and it would be a ministry they could continue on their own in service to their congregation members and their respective communities. The women at all 3 churches very much enjoyed this ministry and sharing with the women in this way on the mission team. This was yet another way that we could be in ministry with our sisters in Christ that bridged the chasm of language. The team brought what they thought would be enough yarn to launch the ministry in each church, but the response was so overwhelming at each church, that the team had to purchase more yarn in Pleven. The UMS at WMS will continue to send yarn for this ministry at all 3 partner churches.
Helping Hands
On the day on which the Methodist seminar for clergy was held in Pleven, some team members cleaned out the original sanctuary so that services could be held there the following day, in addition to cleaning our the church yard of overgrowth and debris. Is is hoped that the land where the church yard now resides can later be developed as office space to give the church a consistent cash flow from office rent. However, it should be noted that while the team members were willing to do much more to clean the yard, they were stopped by the person in charge from the Pleven church because many of the team members doing this work were women. This kind of sexism should be something that future groups are forewarned about to avoid misunderstandings. The local people do not appear to appreciate the female contributions to manual labor.
Worship
The team and congregational worship experiences were some of the most meaningful times of the mission trip. First of all, we created a devotional guide that included contributions by congregation members from all four partner churches, including Dick Arnold. This devotional guide was translated into both Bulgarian and English and was distributed to all four congregations and the mission team.
Each night, the team had a worship/devotional time which included Vladimir, Nellie, Daniel, and Nina. Daniel’s wife, Nina, joined us for the worship times in Pleven. These were very meaningful times of music, worship, and sharing.
Fellowship
Meal times became wonderful times of fellowship with our brothers and sisters in Christ in all 3 locations. We had wonderful times of sharing with Vladimir, Daniel, Nellie, and Nina at mealtimes in restaurants, and on several occasions the churches prepared meals for us, which gave us an opportunity for fellowship and sharing with the congregation members at all 3 churches. In addition, the members from the Pleven church joined us for a walk and some refreshments in Kaylaka Park in Pleven and several members joined us in our team devotional and worship times. Congregation members also attended the concerts in each of the community venues. These times of laughter, fun, food, and sharing helped us to form relationships and to deepen the ties that bind us as partners in ministry. Given the busy schedules most of us keep stateside and the dearth of opportunities we have for building Christ centered relationships, these times of fellowship were a gift indeed.
Side Trips
Aside from the long walk through Kaylaka park and several fun outings to local restaurants, the premier side trip was to the Troyan Monastery. This fully functioning monastery was a lesson in the history of the Orthodox church, and Daniel Topalsky’s history with that church (he attended an Orthodox seminary) provided us with a unique perspective and insight into the history of our church. There were also wonderful places to purchase local handicrafts and pottery in this lovely village. Finally, the team was able to enjoy Sofia on its final day prior to departure. The team toured the oldest Orthodox church and Roman ruins, dating to the time of Constantine in addition to the first Methodist church in Bulgaria whose founder, Albert Long, was the first to translate the Bible into modern Bulgarian. A long time parishioner conducted this tour, and then joined us for our final team devotional time in the church chapel.
Accommodations
The team stayed in the “Paradise Motel” in Mizia for the first part of the trip. These accommodations are not the best, but they are all that is available for a large group at a reasonable price. All prices have increased since Bulgaria joined the EU. Groups should be forewarned that the motel in Mizia is loud, has a sewage problem in one of the rooms, and does not have polite or accommodating service. The food is also mediocre, but there are other more desirable restaurants in Mizia. There is no place to stay in Voyvodovo, so the motel in Mizia is the only place to house a large group.
The hotel in Pleven, the Hotel Gallery, was a far more pleasant experience. The service was excellent, the breakfast food good, and the rooms were very nice. The hotel featured art from local artists and was on the bus line for easy transportation to and from the Pleven church and downtown Pleven. The small boutique hotels in Sofia were another matter. While reasonably priced and clean, they were small (it took two of them fairly far apart to accommodate the group), and not that close to the center of town. They offered no food either, but the group found a wonderful restaurant to in which to eat in Sofia.
Recommendations
It is difficult to improve upon a trip that was so transforming and so fulfilling, but there are a few recommendations (in addition to those that will be brought forth from the team evaluations):
- Seek to find better deals for better accommodations in Mizia and Sofia.
- Provide time to learn more about the local culture and heritage in Pleven.
- Encourage the Pleven church to reach out to older children in the community through children’s ministry.
- Encourage greater participation from the local partner churches in the orphanage ministry.
- Engage the partner churches in some type of ministry with Gypsies. There seemed to be some commonly held biases against them in all 3 churches. Maybe race relations and the ways that all our churches could grow in this regard could be explored in the future.
- Provide more opportunities for the small group sharing that was conducted in the Pleven church.
- Continue the practice of the joint devotional guide and the prayer shawl ministry, as well as opportunities for sharing music.
- Include the local church in the planning and execution of the children’s ministries, and assist them in publicity (as they did for the music concerts).
- Provide booklets translated in Bulgarian to supplement the Methodist seminars.
