Wednesday October 23 2024
Kragujevac, Serbia's fourth largest city. Picture by Струјајое. CC BY-SA 3.0
A Scottish Christian organisation has been instrumental in the establishment of a new church planted in Serbia’s fourth largest city.
The new congregation in Kragujevac consists of around 25 people, with ministry in Serbian and Portuguese, and is the fruit of collaboration between Serbian believers from other towns, missionaries from Brazil and the Scotland-based charity Blythswood Care.
Since 2011 Blythswood Serbia has pursued various projects in the city of 150,000 people, which lacked an evangelical witness: an afterschool programme, Christian summer camps and study groups using the Serbian edition of Christianity Explored.
This summer, Blythswood Serbia opened Contact Hub, described as a Christian educational site with a mission to positively influence lives through the promotion of Christian values. It also serves as a meeting place for the new church on Sundays.
“The people who come have different profiles,” says David Armus, director of Blythswood Serbia. “We have parents of children who attend the afterschool programme, participants of the Christianity Explored course, and Brazilian football players from a local club.”
Pastor Dragisa Armus who teaches theology at Balkan Theological Seminary shares the preaching with Pastor Christian Marquez who is originally from Brazil. David Armus says: “We believe that this is only the beginning of God’s plan for the city of Kragujevac.”
Blythswood’s chief executive Jeremy Ross says: “If you drive a Fiat, it might have been built in Kragujevac. For many years there hasn't been a Serbian-speaking evangelical church in this city, but now there is. Please pray that factory workers, their families and many others in that city would hear good news and believe in Jesus.”
Blythswood, founded in Glasgow in 1966, is probably best known for its annual Christmas shoebox appeal. It works in the UK, Europe, Africa and Asia, supporting education, community projects and sharing the Gospel.
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