Church Planting
In partnership with the Union of Evangelical Congregational Churches of Bulgaria (UECCB), we desire to see new churches planted in many neighborhoods in Sofia.
Църква Нов Живот | New Life Church
In 2015 the neighborhood of Mladost became home to New Life Church, a church planted in partnership with UECCB. New Life's vision is “By the new life that the Spirit has given us, we seek to worship the Father in spirit and in truth, and love each other as Christ has loved us, so that new life may come to all of Sofia and to every nation.”
Opportunities:
- Pray for God to raise up Bulgarian pastors and leaders.
- Internships: to live in Bulgaria, forming relationships with Bulgarians and helping with outreach and evangelism.
- Individuals/Families: to live long term in Bulgaria, forming discipleship relationships, assisting established churches and working with the union to continue planting churches in new neighborhoods and cities throughout Bulgaria.
Sofia Christian Academy
Teaching at Sofia Christian Academy (a homeschool co-op) in Sofia, Bulgaria, is a unique way to serve God on the mission field! Teachers at SCA are fulfilling God’s calling to demonstrate the love of Christ by teaching missionaries’ children in a Gospel-centered way, allowing their missionary parents to serve more effectively. For many missionaries, the ability to remain on the field is closely tied to their children’s access to education. This is a ministry both to parents and students that supports multiple mission organizations which are doing a variety of ministries throughout Bulgaria. SCA has a 4 day week, Tuesday-Friday from 8:45-2:30. This allows teachers to be involved in other areas of service.
“My son was sick one week. I quickly became aware of the importance of our school running... One big reason is that while my son was sick, I was not able to get any language learning or ministry opportunities accomplished during that time. I am so so thankful for SCA and how much it is a gift to our family!” -Marianna Laughlin, MTW missionary and SCA mom
Opportunities:
- Individuals/Couples interested in an internship of 11 months or two-year short term experience where they can use their teaching skills to minister to missionary children and their families. Individuals/couples with teaching degrees and experience either in the classroom or in cross-cultural context is helpful but not mandatory.
- Individuals/Couples with teaching experience to live long term in Bulgaria to teach and assist in the running of Sofia Christian Academy
English Language Ministry
Bulgarians are seeking to improve their English for various reasons: diplomas and degrees, career advancement, and as a way to meet new people. In partnership with churches, English Clubs seek to provide quality English lessons and an opportunity for Bulgarian Christians and non-Christians to interact. Once a month we focus our English lesson on a theme from the Bible (What the Bible says about…) In addition, we host a week-long English Camp in the summers, where we present the Gospel. Through these clubs, many Christ-directed friendships are formed by one-on-one meetings and group activities, such as game nights, movie nights, and seasonal parties (like Christmas and Easter, where we share the Gospel).
Opportunities:
- Individuals interested in an internship up to 11 months or two-year short term experience where they can use their native language to build relationships and demonstrate Christ’s love
- Individuals with experience teaching English as a Foreign Language and/or certification in ESL/EFL to live long term in Bulgaria to assist with and deepen Christ-directed relationships with English language learners
- One to two-week mission teams that participate in events for English language learners, such as the summer English Camp
Sports Ministry
A great way to build relationships and break down barriers is through sports. Sofia offers a wide spectrum of sports: football (soccer), American football, volleyball, tennis, and basketball. Through coaching and/or playing in both team and individual sports we find avenues to build Christ-directed relationships with young men and women. We seek to demonstrate the love of Christ to make known the hope of Christ those who love sports and introduce them to communities of faith.
Opportunities:
- Individuals/Couples interested in an internship up to 11 months or two-year short term with experience and knowledge of a sport and desire to form relationships with players and/or coaches
- One to two week mission teams to invest in this ministry through summer sport camps
Medical Ministry
We desire to show the love of Christ by working with local churches reaching out to their communities and helping meet medical needs, primarily of the elderly. This opens a door for the local church and medical professionals to show the love of Christ by listening to those who are struggling with health problems. Mission to the World sponsors one to two medical teams per year to serve with us in Bulgaria.
Opportunities:
- Healthcare professionals who will live in Bulgaria long term to assist with and advance care for the medically needy and providing support and training to Bulgarian professionals
- One to two week mission teams working with resident MTW medical missionaries and Bulgarian churches in outreach to the medically needy
University Ministry
Despite its Communist era concrete block look, Studentski Grad (student city) is one of the fastest changing neighborhoods in Sofia, with flashy new bars, clubs and fast-food joints springing up to satisfy the appetites of ‘New Bulgaria.’ The area is known for its 24/7 partying along with the academic venues of its various teaching institutes and colleges. We seek to demonstrate the love of Christ in Studentski Grad through developing an outreach presence, and seeking to grow various ministry vehicles to nurture Christ-directed relationships. We desire to demonstrate the love of Christ in this profoundly strategic community in order to make known the hope of Christ and introduce young adults and university students to newly planted and existing communities of faith.
Opportunities:
- University ministry trained individuals who will live long term in Bulgaria to assist with and develop a believing community among university and young adults
- Young adult/college aged individuals to participate in our summer Internships, reaching young adults through teaching English in Studentski Grad
- One to two-week mission teams of young adults/college students developing Christ-directed relationships with Bulgarians through various activities