The Methodist Church World Church Committee

Transcription

1 The Methodist Church World Church Committee Visit of Area Secretary to Bulgaria 30 th September 7 th October Background The background to the visit was Susan Johnson s attendance at the Evangelism / Mission Conference held in Varna in January 2003 at which the Bulgarian Church said they would welcome a visit from the Area Secretary as they wished to further develop their relationship with the Methodist Church in Britain. 2. Purpose The purpose of the visit was: To build good relationships with the Methodist Church in Bulgaria To gain some experience of church life and issues surrounding church development To prepare some of the ground for the arrival of Mission Partners, Pete & Sam Taylor 3. Programme It so happened that the dates I had proposed for the visit coincided with the Bulgarian Annual Conference (2 nd -5 th October). This proved to be both beneficial and restricting. It was beneficial in that I developed an understanding of some of the ways the Church functions and I was able to meet a number of people in one place. The disadvantage was that I was unable to visit a number of Methodist projects and meet some significant people who were not at the Conference. Of course, this can happen at another time, and there is an invitation to return. The programme included: A visit to Sofia & Varna Visit to the Annual Conference in Dobrič Visit to Šumen 4. The Methodist Church in Bulgaria The first Methodist missionaries in Bulgaria were Wesley Prettyman and Dr Albert L Long. After learning Bulgarian, Dr long translated the Bible into Bulgarian. The first worship service was held in Over the years much of the support for Methodism in Bulgaria has come from Switzerland and Germany. There have been many ups and downs as the development of the Church has been affected by wars, revolution and famine. In the 1890 s the Mission Board in the USA continually asked the question about continuing or abandoning its mission work in the country. At the time statistics show there were 4 American pastors, 4 Bulgarian and 40 adult members. However by the beginning of the 20 th century some 269 members and 15 pastors were

2 reported. Between the two world wars the Mission Conference became part of the Central Conference of Central & Southern Europe. In 1947 hope emerged for a more normal church life with the renewal of the Annual Conference. However shortly after this meeting with the Communists now in power new persecutions shook the church and forty years of suppression followed. Pastors were arrested, imprisoned and sent to work camps. Property was expropriated. Only two small groups out of sixteen congregations existed. During this period the Bishop was never allowed to visit, no Protestant literature was published, no minister ordained. In fact the State chose and appointed persons to replace the deported pastors and assigned them to liquidate Methodist churches and congregations. At the ending of Communism only 5 pastors were still alive. They made contact with the Bishop and the Central Conference and the Church was reborn. The first service in the new era was held in 1990 though services had always been held in the two congregations that survived Communism. The first Superintendent was Zdravko Bezlov (until his death in 1993) followed by Bedros Altunian. Zdravko was a key figure in the re-establishment of Bulgarian Methodism despite serious health problems as a consequence of being imprisoned. The first post communist Conference was held in The Central Conference has developed a training programme for the preparation of new pastors, based at the seminary in Graz, Austria. Students come from Serbia & Montenegro, FYR Macedonia and Bulgaria. It is this programme we are being asked to give financial support to particularly for pastors in their final year to enable them to train others in their own country. 2 The two small groups that survived communism have now grown to some congregations. It is the fastest growing Methodist Church in Europe. 5. Issues arising out of the visit: Joys & Struggles I wouldn t normally give such prominence to the historical setting of a church but any judgements of the current situation need to be made in the light of this context. Communism has left a legacy that the church continues to struggle with and needs to move away from but it isn t that easy. There are many joys being experienced in the Church. New churches are being planted. Church planting in the form of new if small church buildings is a key policy in church development. New buildings give a visible sign that the Church is not a sect but a vibrant part of community life and interested in the well being of people in true Wesleyan heritage. Whilst at the Conference one elder (presbyter), one deacon (probationer) and one local preacher were ordained. All three were young, enthusiastic and committed. I 1 I am indebted to the UMC General Board of Global Ministries, mission profile on Bulgaria for this information, produced by Peter Siegfried, Executive Secretary for Europe & North Africa. 2 I have arranged to visit the seminary in Graz in March 2004 and negotiate appropriate support for this important programme

3 experienced good fellowship at the Conference despite the language difficulties (though understanding and speaking some German was very helpful) as this was the Conference s second language i.e. the one used by the Bishop! The music by choir and musicians was first class and inspiring. There were many stories of mission activity to challenge and encourage the listeners. On the other side are many struggles whose context and nature can be found in the legacy of Communism. At some point the Church needs to take responsibility for this and not continue to blame history. Here are a few examples: A lack of trust of leaders. It is hard for people to trust leaders to make good, reasonable and appropriate decisions without their being a suspicion of personal interest at work. There is a tendency for leaders to act in authoritarian ways and make decisions that are not transparent. Leadership is seen as manipulative. There needs to be greater financial transparency. There are suspicions that money given for one purpose is spent on something else this could be averted through greater openness. Leaders struggle with the development of democratic styles of working and accountability and integrity. This leads to jealousy and the accusation that decisions are not made in the interest of the whole church but in the interests of the people involved in making the decision. Personal empires are maintained and defended. One accusation I heard was that power is held by a few and others who take alternate views are excluded. A lack of acceptance of personal responsibility it s always someone else s fault. 3 As an aid to the development of further financial and democratic accountability the Bishop has appointed Mr Ulrich Bolleter [no relation] from Switzerland, a retired engineer, to work with the Church [including local congregations] to help them and offer training with issues of financial accountability and transparency. In this way the Bishop hopes that some of the above suspicions will be laid to rest. 6. The Annual Conference: 2 nd 5 th October The Conference was chaired throughout by Bishop Heinrich Bolleter. It was held in a new Methodist Church in Dubrič. This in itself is an inspirational story. Reports were received from a number of people about work among women, children, young people, property development and other aspects of mission including the role of the publishing house. The Publishing House has been a contentious issue for some time and its accounts are now frozen due to the previous director s behaviour. He has since been dismissed from the church (he was a pastor) and it was alleged that he now writes and 3 Of course we need to be careful not to stand too much in judgement. Many of these points can be discovered in societies with long democratic traditions, like our own for example!

4 prints anti-umc stories and articles. In the meantime another publishing arm has been developed. Books are published without any reference to the market potential for sales. Many are subsidised from external sources and are given away or are very cheap. However, it was commented to me that at this Annual Conference more questions were asked from the floor than at any previous Conference suggesting people are developing accountability skills and challenging situations and are wanting people to account for their actions. A further area of debate was about the work among young people. The speaker admitted that whilst this was his responsibility it was not his area of ability and therefore little had happened! This led to an important discussion about youth work. There is the frustration of not being able to find adults with the skills and insights required not only to attract young people to the Church but also to devise strategies and youth programmes through the use of experiential methods Visit to Šumen This is the Church where Pete & Sam Taylor will go as Mission Partners. 5 The minister is the Revd Margarita Todorova. Margarita trained at Wesley House and is very pleased that Sam & Pete are going to be stationed there. They will be designated as Church Workers. There are sensitivities in the Social Centre & Hospice (not as a hospice in a British context but more like a very small cottage hospital e.g. it has 11 beds and provides medical facilities for the local population). The Centre is sponsored by a congregation in Waibligen, Germany who raise substantial amounts of money, send lorry loads of food, and send clothes to be sold to raise further money. The centre is run by a doctor who doesn t really welcome interference by the Church be it pastoral or organisational. Yet the social centre part of the building is underused due to a lack of volunteer staff. I was told that the Methodist Church in Šumen is the only Methodist Church in Bulgaria not sponsored by an external congregation either in Germany or Switzerland [at this point we differentiate between the Social Centre and the Church]. They do, though, have a relationship with the Methodist Church in Bromley, Kent.. Two other matters became clear in Šumen: money and manse. a. The Church, like other churches in Bulgaria, is very short of money hence their need of external sponsors. Straight forward running expenses like heating and lighting are not easy to cover so any donations are gratefully received. Similarly pastors are only paid small salaries. Some have additional sources of income but, on the whole, 4 This is an area to which we could contribute some help either through offering to help develop appropriate training programmes, or supporting the development of their youth work through an application for an NMA (if the right person can be found!) 5 Pete & Sam in Šumen at the moment (until December) as part of their training & preparation in particular to learn Bulgarian but also to gain insight into Bulgarian life, to get to know the Church, to have some first hand experience of their mission situation. This will be used as a basis for some reflective learning in their final term at UCA.

5 this is part of the picture of need across the whole of the Balkan region. Without external support the churches could not function. The Fund for Mission in Europe makes a very important contribution to help meet some of these expenses. b. Between the Methodist Church and the Social Centre is a derelict manse. Pete & Sam have been allocated an adequate flat on the top floor of the Social Centre. Margarita, as minister, was not allowed to live there when her need was considerable. She has recently moved from an apparently appalling flat to one out of town. Even though it is in better condition it isn t in the right place so she has to travel in to the Church. Whilst it would take a substantial amount of money to renovate (or even pull down and rebuild) the manse it would be a worthwhile project that would enable a more complete ministry to be offered Visit to Varna The Methodist Church in Varna is a magnificent building by any standard and in any place. It was built at a cost of 800,000 and opened this year. There are both Bulgarian and Armenian speaking congregations. Very near the Church is a memorial to the victims of communism and socialism built by the Church. The site was given by the city authorities but on the condition that it stood at least six storeys high hence the height of the cross and bell tower with the Baltimore Bell. The Church replaces the original Methodist Church that was converted into a children s puppet theatre by the communists. The building of the new Church led to tensions and conflict with the Orthodox Church, who, through various legal appeals delayed its building by three years. The Church is to receive a further donation of an organ being built in Germany at a cost of 400,000. The Swiss donor insists the money can only be spent on the organ despite pleas to the contrary an example of the way in which control of the Church s development sometimes lies outside the country. On the Sunday evening an excellent dedication service and opening of the new Social Centre was held. The centre is designed to serve the needs of the people of Varna. The prime siting of the church means it is recognised by the city authorities and helps defuse the notion of Methodism being labelled a sect particularly by the Orthodox authorities. There were numerous ecumenical visitors who attended and spoke at the opening, a sign of the significance and acceptance of the contribution Methodism is making to the general community. 9. Concluding Comments I have returned from this visit with some significant impressions of Methodist life in Bulgaria. It is a country in which the former King, Simeon- Coberg-Gotha, is the Prime Minister and a former Communist the President! It was a visit of extremes, of contrasts and concerns. There were the 6 If the Bulgarian Church decided to renovate the manse the Methodist Church in Ireland may be willing to contribute to the redevelopment from a manse fund of their own

6 extremes of economic life epitomised by the number of new and smart cars (mainly in the towns & cities) through to the many donkeys and carts that were on the roads and in the fields. I passed many derelict factories no doubt asset stripped then closed in the very early post-communist years. However the European Commission has declared Bulgaria to be a functioning market economy, a pre-condition for entry to the EU of which it has major aspirations. 7 The country is still poor but the economy is growing at 5 % per annum. 8 The Methodist Church is a church of extremes with its commitment to church planting, evangelism & social holiness among the poor including the Roma people, yet needs to develop a more open and transparent way of accounting in financial matters and in some of its decision making. It has its extremes of buildings - from the magnificent development in Varna to much poorer buildings elsewhere. Despite all these contrasts and tensions both within the Church and between Churches (i.e. with Orthodoxy but the Orthodox Church itself is split into two factions each aligned with a different political leader. This is one of the problems of Orthodoxy when it is so closely identified with nationalism and culture) I met many wonderful people all in their contrasting ways and not necessarily in agreement with each other yet wishing to express their faith through service and witness in the Methodist Church. They are committed to growing the Church and enabling the love of God in all fullness to be celebrated through action and commitment, through worship and Bible study and through prayer and dedication. 10. Recommendations that we find a partner congregation for Šumen initially to ask the Methodist Church in Bromley if they wish to enter into a stronger arrangement than they have at the moment. that we enquire if the renewal of the manse in Šumen is a priority, and if so, how ourselves and the Methodist Church in Ireland could contribute to its rebuilding. that we recommend that an NMA application is made by the Bulgarians for the appointment of a national youth worker, if an appropriate person could be found and, of course, if this is what they wish to do. Also, we could offer training and support for the appointed person. that we indicate to the Bishop s office our willingness to receive Special Grant requests for priority work. Colin Ride Area Secretary for Europe 11 th November The Economist, November 1 st -7 th 2003 p42 8 ibid p42

7 Sam in the Social Centre Šumen Manse! The Bishop, the Superintendent & the Advisor Methodist Church in Varna Church Planting Dobric Choir

8 Dobrič Musicians Pete, Margareta & Sam Methodist Church in Dobrič Presentation of crosses during the Conference The Annual Conference Arminien Children s Choir at the opening of the Social Centre

9 A caricature of Bulgaria! Conference break Local Monument in Dobrič Dobrič park