HUB Bulletin – Summer 2016

Dear friends,13517416_1159252527458754_4910541142569211513_o

Heartfelt greetings from HUB and all of us. I hope this email reaches you well.

We wanted to look back onto the past period we’ve had here at HUB, and share a little of what God’s doing here.

We just finished our last semester of the school year and the students have gone back home.
The 20th generation of the Bible school left and we can’t wait to see how God will use them while they continue on in ministry. We’re thankful to God for giving us the opportunity to serve them here and help them acquire a lot of knowledge, experience and many blessings. It’s amazing to see how God have been working in them in this past year.

20th years of HUB – GOD is faithful !

Veran je Bog

We had a huge event on June 18th here at HUB. Praising God for his faithfulness in these past twenty years of the School and the ministry of HUB here in Serbia.

We gathered with around 500 other people from all parts of our country and region to praise God for the abundance of faithfulness in our ministry, and especially in the lives of many through our whole region. It’s amazing to see what He has done! Watch this short and exciting video that we recorded that day – https://youtu.be/T095-gKQ4XA

zgrada

 

HUB Summer camps !

As always – we’re expecting a “hot” summer here. HUB will, again, be a host to many this summer. We are glad that we can offer churches and organizations a good place to organize summer camps and our hospitable staff team and volunteers.

Apart from that – again at HUB, we’re organizing a family retreat for families with children that were treated for cancer, and also another camp for families with children with disabilities. This is something that we had at HUB last year that was really amazing. The volunteers, the staff team and the guests were all blessed by what we’ve experienced at camp in those days. We see that HUB can contribute so much to those families. We are honored for opportunity to be their “hands and feet” as they are experiencing unforgettable moments here. Pray for those events.

HUB team!

ElenkaOur Elenka Kraljik, has spent almost 17 years at Hub serving others. She is leaving HUB and moving to Belgrade where she will live and continue to serve at an adult disability care center. She’s been visiting that place with the HUB students for a long time, and has many dear friends there and her wish was to be able to be there “full time” – to continue serving others and be a salt and light to people with disabilities.Pray for God’s guidance and strength while she continues her life there.Also, pray for the further development of the HUB staff team – that God may bring the right people who will be a part of this ministry.

New good titles in Serbian

As HUB we published a couple of books in Serbian – which was our wish and vision, to omot za biltencontinue to publish good Christian literature, for it to be accessible, as an answer to the great need that we have here in Serbia and in our region. We already have a new book translated that we’re publishing in Serbian, by John Piper – Seeing and savoring Jesus Christ. We also published a book by Vaughan Roberts – God’s big picture, and also Dig deeper by Nigel Beyon and Andrew Sach.

Our wish is to publish more books like that, so if you, in any way, want to help us with this, contact us, please. It’s a great blessing to have access to good Christian books.

Community center – café club – in Opovo

Our prayer, for a long time, has been to start some sort of public work in Opovo, a place where some of us on staff live, and a place that’s closest to HUB. Although HUB geographically belongs to Belgrade, the closest place is town Opovo.

HUB with the students and lecturers really has the potential in many ways to minister and be useful to many. We visit many churches, organizations, and serve people in different ways, and so we want to be able to serve more the locals here. We rented a place in the very center of Opovo, for the needs of this café club, where we will organize different workshops for youth, parents, elderly, also have lectures, music and movie nights… There’s always going to be someone there that will welcome our guests, talk to them, etc.

The church and Christians should be an active part of the society and be with the people – so that they could be the light. Please, pray for these new and large pioneering steps which we are making in faith. If you want to know more or want to be a part of this exciting beginning, let us know, your help and prayers for this are very much needed.

New, 21st year – enrollment

The enrollment of the new student generation is in progress. We are excited for the new people and the new school year. We want to thank everyone who is faithfully supporting and praying for this school that it might exist, progress during all these years, accept new students and enable them to get a good quality biblical education.

Thank you for everything! It’s great to know that many of those who love us pray for us faithfully and support us.

God is good !

Yours in Christ,

Sladjan and Jaroslava Milenković

With HUB team

Write us, keep in touch with us. There are so many things we want to share with you.

Our Facebook page is www.facebook.com/hub.serbia

Email: info@hub.org.rs

Tel: 00381.(0).11.88.086

 

 

 

Twenty Years of the Bible School in Serbia…

This is a year of celebration in Serbia as the Bible School heads towards its twentieth year…

Bible School beginnings in 1996

It was autumn 1996 that the first group of students arrived to begin their studies in the village of Backi Petrovac in the north of Serbia.

With the wars that had marked the early part of that decade only just coming to an end, a number of those first students had come to know Jesus through the humanitarian work that we had been involved with since 1991. Time after time we had arrived in “Yugoslavia” with coaches and trucks loaded with supplies that had been lovingly prepared by friends across the UK. Every time that we shared these gifts in refugee camps or in sport stadiums we carefully shared the Message of a God who loves us and has come to us in the person of Jesus to rescue broken humanity through His death and resurrection…

Some of you reading this bulletin were involved right back in those earliest days as you prayed, prepared aid and even travelled with us.

Image below: arriving at a refugee centre with an Oak Hall coach. 

DSC02204

A Year of Study through the whole Bible

igorThrough that first year of studies, we explored through the whole Bible with around thirty different Bible teachers who gave their time to serve with us. Each week, the students headed to the refugee camps to continue to share the message of Jesus with those there… our lives were shared together as we lived in community.

Graduates Serving across the Region

As those students graduated, many of them headed to new locations to plant churches and launch other initiatives that brought a great and positive impact to the country and shared the Message of Jesus Christ still further. It was clear that it was right to run a second year of the Bible School and so the new year was launched…

As well as visiting refugee camps, we also travelled across the region to stand with – serve alongside – those students who had studied through the first year… and so the work gathered momentum year after year.

Image below: a children's camp organised by graduates Dragan and Danijela. 

Children's Camp...

A New Centre for the Bible School in Belgrade

It was soon clear that although the welcoming, small northern village of Backi Petrovac was a perfect cradle for the beginning of the Bible School that, ideally, we should seek a base in the capital of the country. After years of prayer, research and preparation, God wonderfully provided the amazing building on the edge of Belgrade that is now our centre.

In 2003, after a summer of repairs and renovations carried out by graduates and team of the Bible School, the ninth generation of students began their studies in the “new” building Belgrade. This has proved to be an ideal base for the work as it grows year on year and now the twentieth generation of students approach their graduation.

Image below: students outside the Belgrade Bible School Building. 

16th-generation-of-students

The work continue to grow in this Twentieth Year

With former students serving in Bosnia and Hercegovina, Macedonia, Montenegro, Croatia and Serbia, it is amazing to see how God is building His Church across the region as we reach this twentieth year.

We will continue to send stories of the graduates as this year of celebration continues…

Thank you so much for your prayerful partnership!

“For such a time as this” – graduates on the front-lines of serving refugees from Syria

a0b1ebbb-7408-4aa7-a4ee-59b670322196

 

 

With refugees from Syria moving through Macedonia and Serbia, graduates of the Bible School are involved in serving these vulnerable people. Dragan Manev is mobilising teams in Macedonia along with the Agape churches. Together they are providing shelter, food, hygiene packs and the scriptures in Arabic. Darko Adamek in Serbia is also mobilising teams in a similar way.

We are sending some financial support out to these projects. If you would like to be involved, please pray – there are also details here of how you can give to support if you would like to.

For years we have prayed for these countries that are less accessible for the Gospel and now they are coming to us…

28th June – A Day for Prayer for Serbia and the Balkans.

 

Today is the 28th June: a most significant day in Balkan – and world – history…

 

1389

Celebrated in Serbia as “Vidovdan”, many mark the ancient “Battle of Kosovo Field” that took place on this day in 1389 between the Ottoman Empire and the Serbs (supported by Croats and Bosnians) in Kosovo. This battle resulted in defeat for the Serbs and a change of fortunes for the peoples of these lands as the Ottomans continued north.

Ingrained in the culture and history of Serbia, there are songs, poems, paintings and legends that refer back to this day…

 

1914

It was on the anniversary of the Battle of Kosovo Field that Archduke Ferdinand chose to visit Sarajevo, Bosnia and was killed by Princip who in turn attempted to take his own life. These events precipitated the beginning of the First World War that was to rage to 1918.

 

1989

On this day, the 600th anniversary of the Battle of Kosovo Field, then-president, Milosovic, addressed a crowd of approximately a million people at Gazimestan – the site of the ancient battle. To some this was a heroic celebration, to others a provocation that was another landmark on the road to the terrible civil war that soon was to ravage the region.

 

2014

Across the world, many are solemnly remembering today as the 100th anniversary of those shots that led towards the First World War.

In one Bosnian city, close to the centre, a new building is being opened today. Here, Serbs, Croats, Bosniaks – and members of other European nations – meet together claiming a unique unity experienced through trusting in the One who calls Himself the Prince of Peace. They claim to follow Jesus Christ – Emmanuel – “God among us” – crucified to bring forgiveness to a broken and rebellious humanity – a forgiveness that brings liberation, relationship, hope and a future…

 

How should we mark such a day?

Many of us are choosing to set apart today to pray for the peoples of the Balkans, recognising that along with all of humanity, we need a rescue – a rescue that comes about through trusting in Jesus Christ – “The God with Scars”…

 

“But he was pierced for our transgressions,
    he was crushed for our iniquities;
the punishment that brought us peace was on him,
    and by his wounds we are healed.
“We all, like sheep, have gone astray,
    each of us has turned to our own way;
and the Lord has laid on him
    the iniquity of us all.”

Isaiah 53:5-6

 

- Andy Mayo with many thanks to Jenny Blake for suggesting that we mark today by praying for the Balkans.

Massive flooding in Serbia and Bosnia

Over the last few days there has been massive flooding in Serbia and Bosnia.

Some have been killed and thousands have had to leave their homes. Graduates, students, former Bible School team, their friends and churches have also been heavily impacted by the floods.

Sinisa in northern Bosnia explained yesterday, “It is a catastrophe here. I am in a village near Banja Luka helping with the clean up.”

Sladjan, leading the Bible School said today, “This is a tragedy on the scale of the aftermath of a war – may our people seek after God at this terrible time…”

Kreso in central Serbia said today, “The ground floor of our home has been under 1.5m of water. The water is receding to leave everything caked in mud. Many of our neighbours are in great difficulty…”

Sasko and Ira explained, “We would like to… provide the families with the basic things that will help them go back to normal life again, but even more importantly, our hope is to continue visiting these families and share the Good News of our Lord Jesus Christ with them.”

We are going to prepare a fund to send to those helping those caught up in the floods in Serbia and Bosnia.  As is our usual practice, all of the gifts that we receive will go in their entirety out to the Balkans to be used  by those on the front-lines.

We will divide any gifts received between the following groups to use in relief work:

  • BANJA LUKA (Northern Bosnia) – Sinisa and Olja – Banja Luka Christian Fellowship
  • SARAJEVO (Central Bosnia) – Slavko – Evangelical Churches of BiH
  • HUB (Belgrade – connected across the region) – Sladjan and Jaroslava and the Bible School team
  • BELGRADE (Serbia Capital) – Sasko and Ira – International Church, Belgrade
  • BELGRADE (with interest across the rest of the country) – Dane & Ondrej – Baptist Union of Serbia
  • NOVI SAD (Northern Serbia) – Danny and Vera – Novi Sad Christian Fellowship

Please pray on for those caught up in these floods and for all of those seeking to serve their neighbours and point to the Lord Jesus.

– Andy and Faye Mayo

www.OakHall.org.uk

Please use this link to reach details of how to give.  Please reference your gift, “flooding”.

18 new students in the 18th generation of the HUB Bible school.

Image

Sladjan and Jaroslava write…

Dear friends, brothers and sisters,

18 new students in the 18th generation of the HUB Bible school. What a great start! Praise God for the good work that He is doing.

Please keep praying for this ministry. It is great to see these wonderful people from Serbia, Macedonia, Montenegro and Croatia who are eager to get to know God better through the Scriptures.

An amazing year of fellowship, experience, joy and studying is ahead of them, and us in the team will have a privilege to serve them and be a part of what God does here.

Thank you for your prayers. God is faithful! God is good!

Yours in Christ,

Sladjan and Jaroslava Milenkovic with the HUB team and HUB students

Two new births in Ruma!

 

Image

Ruma

Greetings in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

We would like to take this opportunity to share two very important events that have occurred during the past month.

As mentioned in the title, I would like to share the news about the two births – one in our family and one in our church.

Every birth is a very important and positive thing. New life brings joy, blessings and prosperity. So it is in this case!

 

                                                           Luka has been born!

Image  

 

 

          As a family we are so glad that we got another child. Luke came as the sixth member of our family. All about Jaroslava’s pregnancy and delivery went well. Now we enjoy the wonderful gift that the Lord has given us.

 

                                                               Marko’s birth!

Image

Last month has been rich with the new beginnings.

I would like to tell you a little bit more about Marko. Marko is from Ruma and he is 34 years old. Last month he has been born also! Let me explain. Marko had actually been born 34 years ago, but last month Marko has experienced the new birth. He met and accepted Jesus Christ as his Lord and Savior. It was an honor and a privilege to baptize Marko. Marko’s baptism confirmed his faith and trust in Jesus Christ. I had a chance to talk to several Marko’s friends and they told me they were amazed by the change he underwent in such a short time. We rejoice and praise God, as Marko became part of our great Christian family.

As a church and as a family we would like to thank you for your continuous support for the work to which our Lord Jesus Christ has called us.

Drago and Jaroslava