Balkans Staff Consultation

I went to Belgrade in mid-Feb for the Balkans Staff Consultation. Jonathan had been to the Consultation the previous two years, so it was good for me to go and meet folk. The conference was at a Bible School on the outskirts of Belgrade for the third time in a row.

There were General Secretaries, Staff and Volunteers representing almost every movement in South-East Europe (we missed Albania and Cyprus). It was great to meet people with the same vision even if their backgrounds and situations are quite different. Historically the Balkans region was united under the rule of the Ottoman Empire from the mid-15th Century until the 1830s. All but Greece, Cyprus and Turkey were behind the Iron Curtain until about 20 years ago and many of the national movements were part of Yugoslavia back in the day. Almost all of the countries are dominated by Orthodoxy (excepting Croatia – Catholic and Bosnia, Turkey, and to a greater extent Albania – Muslim). I was struck by the resulting similarities and differences. Some of these were really obvious: the former Yugoslavian states (along with Bulgaria) have sufficient common language to be able to communicate with each other (to the exclusion – not intentional – of Romania, Turkey and Greece). The legacy of communism and the impact of the wars of the last 20 years in many of these states has put these countries in such sharp contrast to places like the UK, and even Greece, where democracy was restored more than 30 years ago.

Ministry in these nations is tough-going and the lovely people I met have been through a lot personally and in their nations. This made me realise that I’m not only a Southern Softie (I'm from the South of England) but also a Western one (a Western Weakling?!)… As I said in the prayer letter, many of these nations are keen to find both foreign and national staff. There are pioneering opportunities as well as established situations. Please pray with us. And, if you’re interested in a post or know someone who is/should be interested, just let me know!