Wider Europe and Middle East had a full summer filled with conventions, events, family retreats, and camps. Despite two ongoing wars in our area and numerous religious and political strains, we are grateful for all that the Lord is doing. Here are some testimonies from our nations.
Azerbaijan
Pastor Jeyhun and his family live in a Muslim country where sharing the gospel is very difficult. However, they organized a kids’ camp where they shared the Word of God! Please continue to pray for him and his family. Here is his testimony:
Greetings! On June 2–5, our youth team held a camp in the Gusar Region (180 kilometers from Baku). More than 50 people participated in the camp, including 10 leaders and more than 40 children. We expected up to 30 children, but there were more than 40. Some of the children were from Muslim families. The camp was very interesting; activities included some games, communication, testimonies of salvation, Bible stories, and stories about Jesus. Several children prayed the prayer of repentance. After the camp, the team leaders continue to communicate with the children online.
Ukraine
This summer, Youth Director Irina and her husband, along with a great team, organized a summer youth camp where over 70 people came together. Travel is difficult due to the war, damaged streets, and constant bomb warnings. But the Lord provided safe travels. We serve a God who is always faithful! The youth came, slept in tents, did crafts, went kayaking, expanded their faith in workshops, and experienced the Holy Spirit in their worship and services. Eight new teens gave their lives to Christ.
Our churches, leaders, and pastors are working with passion and dedication in this challenging season. They dedicate their lives to their churches, their communities, and to reaching the lost. Revival has begun in Ukraine. Please continue to pray for our churches and families there. Pray for peace and protection.
Bulgaria
Warm Christian greetings from Bulgaria.
Thank you very much for your financial and spiritual support for our country during the last months. We would like to share with you some of the activities that took place during this time:
- Water baptism for new people. Baptisms are held at the churches and in the Danube River. The goal of the church is to add new people to God’s kingdom. New believers are baptized at the church if there is a pool. If not, as is often the case at small churches, pastors will baptize in the rivers in Bulgaria.
- Village evangelism. During spring and summer, the weather is suitable for outdoor meetings. Many evangelistic meetings were held outdoors in the village of Lehchevo, the town of Lom, and other locations.
- Ladies’ meetings in Slivo Pole and Rousse. The ladies attended special meetings similar to the Women’s Day held in March. These meetings were a blessing for the ladies who attended.
- Celebrating Easter at every COGOP in Bulgaria. Easter was celebrated with children’s and youth programs that included worshipping, dancing, and dramas. In Lom, Bulgaria, the crucifixion of Jesus was presented on the streets of the town. Many new people were touched by this drama.
- Easter gifts given to poor children in the region. Many children in the villages live on the edge of poverty. These children listened to the story of the resurrection of Jesus Christ and received small gifts, which were a blessing for them.
Pastor’s conference. A conference for pastors convened in May at the mother church in Rousse, with General Presbyter Bishop Clayton Endecott in attendance. It was the third module of study, and the pastors in Bulgaria continue to grow in preaching the gospel. The atmosphere was lovely and very blessed.
7. Seminar on spiritual gifts and spiritual growth. A special seminar on spiritual gifts and spiritual growth was also held in May. Believers from all denominations in our town took part in this good conference.
8. Public reading of the Bible. May 24 is a day for celebrating the creation of the Bulgarian alphabet by two brothers, Ciril and Metody [Methodius]. For the second time in Rousse, with permission of the mayor and participation of all churches in the town, there was a public reading from the Bible. The weather was not very good—it was raining—but many people still attended this special event.
9. Meetings with youth. New young people are being added to our churches. In Rousse, the youth meetings are very successful, and the number of teenagers who attend continues to grow.
10. Renovation of two rooms in Rousse. Summer is a good time for renovations, and work is in progress in Rousse, but the funds are limited. The roof of the whole building needs to be repaired.
Our needs:
Peace in Ukraine, Israel, and the world!
Spreading of the gospel in every village and town in our country, and many more people to be added to the churches.
Finances for replacing the roof of the mother church building in Rousse. The roof is in very bad condition. When it rains, water collects on the pulpit.
Support for reconstruction of a house for children’s ministry in Vetovo. We have many children at Vetovo, but there is no room for the children’s ministry, only one big hall for the church services. We have a small house beside the church, but it is in need of repairs/rebuilding.
On the behalf of all the COGOP pastors in Bulgaria, we express our BIG thanks for all the financial help from our sponsors for the ministry in Bulgaria. Let us continue to pray for each other for our spiritual and financial needs.
National Bishop Darin Ivanov
Spain and Portugal
“Let a man so account of us, as of the ministers of Christ, and stewards of the mysteries of God. Moreover it is required in stewards, that a man be found faithful” (1 Corinthians 4:1–2).
We are now eight months into the year 2025, a year that we have embraced in faith, asking God to help us to be a Church driven by the Holy Spirit towards a ministry of excellence. Over the last three years, the Lord has guided us with different emphases that have shaped our lives and strengthened our processes in the work, producing signs of growth that encourage us to move forward with a renewed heart, new strength, and a vision of restoration. We remember the promise of Isaiah 61:3–4:
To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that he might be glorified. And they shall build the old wastes, they shall raise up the former desolations, and they shall repair the waste cities, the desolations of many generations.
Spain
We have 586 members in Spain. We also have:
- Seven organized churches—Elche, Vireyamat (Barcelona), Su Presencia (Barcelona), Vallecas, Madrid, Zaragoza, Mallorca, and Valencia
- Five organized missions—Su Presencia (Madrid), Donostia (Basque Country), Figueres (Catalonia), Gerona (Catalonia), and Baza (Andalusia)
- Three groups in the process of organization—Alicante, Monzon (Aragon), and Adonai (Barcelona)
- Three mission fields in homes—Toledo, Alcalá de Henares, and Seville
- Possible opening—Murcia Centro
Four years ago, we had nine preaching points and 200 members; today, to the glory of God, we have 18 preaching points and 586 members, not counting new converts and friends of the faith. We continue to prioritize the legalization of churches, the search for new spaces, and evangelization through the La Mesa y El Camino Association. In Murcia Centro, discipleship has begun with a couple who opened their home after our evangelization efforts. Pastor Carlos Mendoza gives continuity to this process.
Portugal
The church in Portugal maintains a strong testimony with 29 active members and a sustained emphasis on formation:
- Foundations: Minister’s Development Program (MDP) has 17 online students and 11 on-site students.
- In May, Bishop Hernandes Fernandes (Brazil) taught the course “The Personal Life of the Minister.”
- We are grateful for the faithfulness of Pastor Ramanh Moreira and his wife, Renata, who sustain the work and encourage the missionary vision.
Get Plugged In
Get Plugged In is a youth conference for youth from across the nations of Wider Europe and the Middle East. Troubling times exist across Europe. The impact of wars on our nations, hearts, churches, economy, and borders is severe. All these issues made planning our biannual youth conference difficult. However, we know the greater the obstacles, the greater the impact of God’s great blessings.
We are humbled to share that 380 people from 17 different nations came together to worship Jesus Christ. Our program and services were translated into eight different languages. On behalf of Wider Europe and Middle East Youth Ministry, we honor and share our gratitude with Youth Ministry Director Bishop Kirk Rising, who invested in, impacted, and led the conference alongside our team. His prayers, encouragement, and love made this event come together despite the great challenges. In addition, we honor our General Presbyter Bishop Endecott and his wife, Sister Wanda, who invested financially and spiritually to establish the next generation of servants in Europe.
What an honor it is to serve alongside a family of generations. We serve a God of generations and feel blessed to call everyone family. “I sought the Lord, and he answered . . .” (Psalm 34:4 NIV).
Youth and young adults experienced a call to ministry, lives were saved, many were filled with the Holy Spirit, healings were shared, and many other testimonies could be told as a result of the conference.
Alongside our youth track, we had the honor of working together with our children’s ministry leaders, Joy Hensley and Rebekka Leuschner, who conducted classes to equip new leaders.
“Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord rises upon you” (Isaiah 60:1). Arise, next generation of Europe, for the glory of the Lord shines upon you! Join us in prayer as the new generation is being formed and are preparing to RISE UP for our Savior.
Our services were streamed on our YouTube account. We invite you to check out the videos
@YMCOGOPEU:
https://www.youtube.com/@YMCOGOPEU/streams.
Tessa and Jo Dietze
YM Wider Europe and Middle East