9/6/21
Tomorrow, former students from across the Balkans are meeting at the Bible School building to celebrate a quarter of a century of God’s faithfulness through the Bible School. We praise God with them!
Refugees who met Jesus
It was 1996 when the Bible School began in Backi Petrovac, northern Serbia – not long after the civil war had finally come to an end. The Bible School was set up in response to some of the refugees from the war having come to know Jesus. They had met Him as a result of seeds sown by local believers working in partnership with the Oak Hall teams who had travelled out from the UK all through the war.
Bible study for future leaders
The vision was to run a full-time residential Bible study centre where these ‘future leaders’ could be discipled and experience service before heading back to the towns from which they had come. We thought that the project would run for one or two years…
25 years and hundreds of students
Now, over these two and a half decades, hundreds of students have studied through the whole Bible together, served as teams of evangelists and experienced a year of Christ-centred fellowship. Dozens of wonderful Bible teachers have travelled from all corners of the globe to generously teach at the Bible School.
Much fruit
After completing their studies, many of these graduates have headed out to all corners of the region to plant churches, launch children’s clubs, lead projects that served the most vulnerable and share the Message of the love of God shown in the Lord Jesus. Many have seen much fruit.
You have prayed and God had graciously blessed
Through all of this, you have been among those who have prayed – and even travelled out to the Balkans – to stand with the Church of the Lord Jesus there. As you have prayed, God has worked in wonderful ways – raising up leaders like Sladjan and Jaroslava to head up the work, providing the ex-hotel that is now the ‘HUB’ centre… and blessing His people.
Every tribe, tongue, language and nation
One day – in the not too distant future – all of us who have trusted the Lord Jesus for His rescue, achieved through His death and resurrection, will stand before His unspeakably wonderful glory. He will be honoured by all nations and among that throng from every tribe, tongue, language and nation, we will hear words of worship in Serbian, Slovak, Hungarian, Romany, Macedonian, Croatian, Slovenian… Some of these voices will be of those who turned to Him as you have partnered with the work of the Lord Jesus through prayer.
‘For the Lord is good and His love endures for ever; His faithfulness continues through all generations.’
– Psalm 100:5
We praise Him together on this 25th anniversary – and we pray on together!
Every blessing,
– Andy and Faye