Bulgaria
The Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) and its mission partner in Bulgaria face subtle but challenging circumstances, including the transition to a market economy and western European structures. After five decades of Communism, Bulgaria is a candidate for membership in the European Union.
The Bulgarians need support in recovering from the effect of those years on their sense of mission, leadership development and lay involvement and in their efforts to foster and renew international connections and ecumenical cooperation. They also need assistance and support in dealing with rapid transitions in education, health care, environmental issues and equal social opportunities and in finding new places in society in their relationships to government and politics.
Bulgaria has a numerically significant Roma (Gypsy) minority. The PC(USA) tries to support our partners in serving as a bridge between the Roma and the majority population. We encourage the Bulgarians to share the insights into faith with which they have persevered through years of Communist rule.
Partner churches and organizations
The Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) does not have a partnership relationship with a church in Bulgaria but it does relate to the Conference of European Churches (CEC), a regional ecumenical organization.
The movement that led to the creation of the CEC dates back to the period of the Cold War, when a group of church leaders brought into conversation churches in European countries separated by different political, economic and social systems. CEC has sought to build bridges not only between Eastern and Western Europe but also been between minority and majority churches and between Christians of different confessional traditions.
Resources
Ten Days of Prayer and Thanksgiving for Roma, 2011
Ten Days of Prayer and Thanksgiving for Roma, 2012
Learn more about Bulgaria
Visit the BBC country profile.
