MARCH 2010
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SOUTHERN BAPTISTS : A PRAYING PEOPLE IMPACTING A LOST WORLD
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Standing strong in Serbia
Serbs: tyrannical or hospitable?
The Serbian people are often portrayed as evil and
tyrannical. Images of the Balkan wars are fresh in people's
minds, and they associate Serbs with the atrocities of war.
This image couldn't be further from the truth. The average
Serb is friendly, ready to drink coffee with you and invite
you home for a meal. They are known throughout the Bal¬
kans for their hospitality.
Nationalism still plays a part
in the life of Serbs, who are proud
of their heritage, in particular,
the Serbian Orthodox Church.
The church is seen as the protec¬
tor of their culture and heritage.
Today, many churches are empty
and stand more as museums than
places of spiritual learning and
encouragement. Rituals are car¬
ried out, but there is little spiritual
life and no sense of a need for a
personal commitment to God.
The Bible is available in their
language, and many Serbs own a
copy. However, they seldom, if ever, read it and never look
to it for authority. A commitment to the Bible and to a bibli¬
cal fellowship is often seen as treacherous to one's culture,
history and family.
Partnering to advance God's kingdom
Baptist work in Serbia is more than a century old, but
still underdeveloped. Millions of people have yet to see
the Gospel lived out
through the ministry
of a local church. Over
the last decade, Team
Serbia's focus has been
on church planting in
the southern part of the
country, where a num¬
ber of cities and towns
are totally unreached.
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OMING SOON ...
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Day of Prayer
and Fasting *
May 23, 2010
Look for additional details in
the April issue of PrayerPoints!
They rejoice that the Baptist Union of Serbia has caught
a vision for planting churches there. Plans to form teams
between their personnel and local church planters are
being discussed. Team members believe this partnership
will greatly advance the effectiveness of church planting
and also energize existing churches to engage in missions.
This year, Team Serbia welcomes two church planters and
a worker in a ministry of encouraging
churches to engage young people. They
are excited to have these colleagues
join them, yet they still pray for more
workers.
Standing strong
American believers rejoice when
they see God's power change some¬
one's life. "Here in Serbia," shares a
worker, "things are different. Instead of
being patted on the back, new believers
are persecuted; instead of being en¬
couraged that their teenager is not out
drinking, parents encourage drunken¬
ness; instead of seeing the beautiful life
that forms in the presence of the Lord, others see 'weird¬
ness' in believers' new choices. It is a different world, yet
people are coming to Christ wholeheartedly. Fred* has
begun to live a life dedicated to Christ but is experiencing
tremendous persecution from family and friends. He is a
musician and is leading our home group in songs of praise
and worship. As a high school senior, he is supposed to be
out drinking and sleeping around . . . not attending Bible
studies. He continues to read the Word and share with his
friends. Recently, he was able to lead a friend in the sin¬
ner's prayer. To be Serb is to be Orthodox; if one leaves the
church, they are believed to have given up their national¬
ity. Because of this, the step of baptism is very difficult.
Pray for Fred and other
new believers that their
faith will be strengthened
and that they will be
baptized."
*Name changed
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MARCH PRAYERPOINTS:
^ Spotlight on Serbian people
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