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The Central and Eastern Europe and the Balkans Report

OCTOBER 2023

The CEEB is a geographical region spreading from the North of Central Europe including Poland, Czech Republic, Slovakia and Hungary, touching the East of Europe in Romania and turning to the south to the Balkan countries including Croatia, Serbia, Bulgaria, Albania, Greece and Turkey.  

Poland

In Poland there are currently nine localities with the church life fully established and three localities with the church life being formed. 

The total number of the saints in Poland is 273 adults, 19 young people, and 62 children.     

During the past year, the following events related to Poland took place: 

  1. The splitting of the Full Time Training Centre in Moscow into 2 locations: Moscow and Warsaw, which led to the moving of some trainees and their serving ones to Warsaw. This step was followed by the purchase of a property for the Full Time Training Centre.
  2. The migration of a significant number of saints from Ukraine to Poland, which led to the formation of the nucleus of the church life in three new cities: Poznan with 10 saints, Wroclaw with 15 saints and Lodz with 11 saints meeting. 
  3. The establishment of regular gospel and shepherding meetings in Warsaw where new Russian-speaking people still come.
  4. The establishment of brothers’ and sisters’ houses in Warsaw and three sisters’ houses in Krakow.

Meanwhile this year the saints participated also in: 

  1. International Blending conference in Warsaw in May
  2. CEEB Conference in Bratislava, Slovakia in May
  3. Winter Young People’s Conference in Kaczyn
  4. European Young People’s Conference in Małe Ciche
  5. Regional blendings of three local churches in Opole, Sosnowiec and Krakow
  6. Whole Poland sisters’ gathering 
  7. Two semiannual video trainings in various localities

CZECHIA & SLOVAKIA

There are currently 49 adult saints and eight children in the church life in the Czech Republic gathering in three localities Prague, Brno and Letovice. 

In Slovakia there are altogether 55 adult saints, six young people and 15 children in Slovakia, most of them meeting in the two largest cities in the country, Bratislava and Kosice. 

The brothers in Czechia and Slovakia coordinate closely in most of the main church activities such as the video trainings, preparations of the morning revivals, and also in children, young people and family related gatherings and services.  

Among the saints there is a strong and continuing burden for “the one piece” – the one work,  where in the church life the children’s meeting, the young people’s work, and the gospel work in the community and on the college campuses are all related as one work, starting with the daily living of the saints in their families, and continuing in the meetings as an outflow of the practical church life lived out day by day. Through the continual fellowship, more and more saints are picking up this burden and have begun to apply this vision in their practical situations. 

Meanwhile, the saints in Slovakia and Czechia continue to participate in the semiannual trainings, international conferences, conferences for children, young people and the parents and regular blending with other churches especially in neighboring countries and the CEEB region. 

In Prag, Czech Republic, Lord added two Ukrainian families and students from Taiwan during this past year.

For the Lord´s spread in Bratislava, Slovakia the saints continue to have a weekly group Bible study with local contacts. In relation to the Lord´s spread to a new locality, the saints in Zilina regularly labor to establish a new locality in this city located in the central Slovakia region.

    HUNGARY

    There are 26 adult saints, two young persons and two children meeting in Budapest, Hungary at the moment. 

    At the beginning of this year, a burdened couple from South Korea was able to obtain a 5-year visa to stay long term in Hungary, but they had to go back to their country temporarily due to medical reasons. The church in Budapest is praying for their return to Hungary.

    In February, the church in Budapest hosted an FTTA gospel team for a few days. As a result, the saints were encouraged to continue to have weekly BFE distributions in the spring.

    In September, a couple migrated to Budapest from the church in London. The saints in Budapest have anticipated their migration for many years because the sister is Hungarian.

    This year, there have been some blending meetings with neighboring localities (such as Bratislava and Kosice, Slovakia; Zagreb, Croatia; and Novi Sad, Serbia).

    In one of the homes, there is a weekly meeting for students and young adults. It has been encouraging that some of the contacts, including international and Hungarian students, have been coming more frequently.

    ROMANIA

    Presently there are 103 adult saints, eight young people, and four children meeting in ten localities in Romania: Timisoara, Cenad, Deva, Hunedoara, Chetani, Cluj, Seceava, Iasi, Bucurest, Resita.

    In February a gospel trip with some FTTA trainees took place in Romania during which the Recovery Version along with the free literature was distributed.

    In April another gospel trip, this time from the FTTT took place in a few key localities.

    In  October the saints participated in yet another week of Gospel preaching focused on the campuses during which the English Recovery Version of the Bible was distributed. At this point,  more than 3000 English NTs have been distributed among the young generation.

    May the Lord use His interpreted Word, manifest His seekers and bring them to the flow of life in the Body.

    CROATIA & SERBIA

    There are five local churches in the Serbo-Croatian speaking world in the Balkans with approximately 70 adults and 20 children. 

    The sowing through free literature is going on in a very good way, however, due to the lack of manpower it is not practical to raise up churches. There are many open ones, but the workers are few.

    We are currently working on the New Testament, Recovery Version in the BCS language (Bosnian/ Croatian/Serbian). This project has at least three more years to be finished. We are assured that if the Lord delays His coming, the Recovery Version of the Bible will hasten the process of raising more churches for the building up of the Body of Christ.

    Our greatest need, as far as the work is concerned, is more visitation of more mature brothers and sisters. The churches are willing to blend, and we are looking forward to the upcoming CEEB in Sofia, Bulgaria, and some saints will attend the One Week Trainings in November in London. There will be some young new ones in that training. We kindly ask for the prayers of the Body, so that some would eventually decide to go to the FTT. In the city of Zagreb the saints are very young (around 20 young saints, with a few older ones.)

    The cities where there are churches are Zagreb, Pula, Split and Hvar in Croatia, and Novi Sad in Serbia. There are new contacts in almost every large city in the former Yugoslavia. Our burden is for the city of Belgrade, which is the largest in the area, and used to be the capital of the former Yugoslavia.

    The saints in Zagreb meet almost every day. It is our feeling that the Lord could spread from that city to other parts of the former Yugoslavia. However, we see the need for perfecting through training. The saints in Split and Novi Sad also meet very regularly in a living way. In the city of Pula there are new saints who need much shepherding. The church life there began only two and half years ago.

    May the Lord gain what He is after in the Serbo-Croatian speaking world.

    ALBANIA

    There are 16 adult saints, eight young persons and two children in the church life in Tirana, Albania.

    While having the burden to break the bread in Tirana, the capital of Albania, for several years, we are also realizing our great need of blending. As with most Balkan countries, it’s not a desirable destination for migration. Most of our citizens migrate out of Albania and very few migrate in. This also means there is not much traffic between the churches in Europe and the saints in Albania. 

    Although we are endeavoring to know the Lord and His economy through the regular reading of the ministry, at the same time we realize we need much help both in perfecting the brothers and caring for the new and young ones. 

    We feel blessed by the Lord´s addition of more brothers into the church life during the recent months and we continue to pray to the Lord and seek, in the fellowship, concerning the best timing to establish the Lord’s Table in the city of Tirana.

    BULGARIA

    There are 22 adult saints, six young persons and two children in the church life in Sofia, Bulgaria. 

    The Lord’s testimony in Sofia, Bulgaria is being strengthened through the blending in His Body and the ministry of the age. Since last year a couple migrated from London and a sister from Berlin moved to Sofia to study at the Medical University. Including 14 Life-Studies that were printed this year, there are a total of 45 publications available in Bulgarian. The fall 2023 CEEB conference will be held in Sofia (10-12 November) and we anticipate a rich feast, through receiving the Lord’s up-to-date speaking and blending with the saints in this region, for the building up of His Body. Please pray for the Lord to gain some remaining fruits in Sofia through the Bible distribution, the Rhema books, and the gospel outreach.

    GREECE

    There are 46 adult saints, 15 young persons and eight children in the church life in Athens, Greece.

    About 100 saints came to Athens for blending during this year. The blending brings us into the fellowship of the body of Christ. During this year a group meeting was also established by the FTTT trainees during their gospel trip. Now the church life in Athens has a solid ground.

    TURKEY

    There are 37 adult saints, four young persons and seven children in the church life in Istanbul, Turkey.

    Two families from Taiwan came to Istanbul last August to strengthen the move in Turkey. Some saints visited Izmir and baptized a Chinese sister in the beginning of October.

    The Church in Istanbul resumed the physical Lord’s table meeting in September.