"Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, 'Whom shall I send?' and who will go for Us? Then I said, Here I am, send me.” Luke 9:48
On May 10 and 11 in the city of Plovdiv, the National mission conference "Send Me", organized by the Southern Region of the Seventh-day Adventist Church in Bulgaria, has taken place. The event attracted over 500 participants from all over Bulgaria who gathered to share the Sabbath together and to encourage each other for missionary initiatives.
The conference began on Friday evening with an inspiring sermon by pastor Mihai Brasov under the title "You are the light of the world". He shared the story of Anna and Fenina, emphasizing that Elkanah gave Anna two shares because he believed in the potential of her future. This could serve as an example of the attitude we should have towards the church. In support of the topic was the comment about the constructive attitude towards the church by Karolina Hristova, head of the family ministry at the Bulgarian SDA Union: "Missionary work in the church... should be aimed at young people and children, because they are the future."
Saturday morning
The morning program began with a sermon under the title "The Extraordinary Missionary" by Florian Ristea, head of the Sabbath School, Personal Ministry and Adventist Mission departments of the Inter-European Division. He stated that Jesus sees in man not what he was, but what he can become. Pastor Ristea encouraged the participants to share with others their personal stories of how Christ changed their lives and saved them. He emphasizes that missionary activity is a conscious act, not an accident. He also gave three practical tips:
1. Pray that when you leave home, you will meet someone to tell about Jesus.
2. Don't let prejudice get in the way of your mission.
3. If God has not placed a certain person in your path, look for him/her!
Pastor Trifon Trifonov, head of the "Personal Ministry" department at the Bulgarian Union, emphasized that if a person is looking for ways to serve, "God will show him specifically about him according to his spiritual gifts" what he/she should do.
As part of the central Sabbath service, pastor Mihai Brasov delivered a sermon under the title "You are the salt of the earth". It examined the subject of true love for people and how it should be the foundation (the seasoning) of all missionary activity. Brasov emphasized that if you love people, you don't need to make efforts to be a missionary, because love in itself is a mission. He urged the youth to learn new languages so that they can spread God's word to every nation and language, which is what Christ has mandated his followers to. Pastor Brasov, also, shared about the initiative "100 years of Popa Tatu = 100 projects in one year", where every member of his local church in Romania was encouraged to be involved in a mission project. The projects that Pastor Brasov shared with the audience provoked questions that were later discussed during the planned panel discussion.
Saturday afternoon
In the early afternoon, the conference participants were invited to walk around the stands of the national departments of the Bulgarian Union, where there was an opportunity to learn about the activities of each ministry and to get ideas which could be applied in the local churches, as well as what other initiatives church members could get involved in.
In the second part of the afternoon, a panel discussion was held, which began with the answer to the question of 10-year-old Annie: "What is it to be a person of faith?" Pastor Brasov differentiated faith, trust and faithfulness, emphasizing that the true believer loves, he is happy and has peace, even in difficulties, and this is evident through his/her actions. Questions related to education followed, with the announcement that next month a delegation from the Department of Education from Bulgaria will visit Romania to exchange experiences and know-how. In an interview with Pastor Mihai Brasov, he shared that "The best way to fulfill your mission" is really through a focus on education and the possibility of establishing Adventist educational institutions.
This year, May 11th was, also, declared as the world day of the international humanitarian Adventist organization ADRA. The conference ended on Saturday evening with a charity concert by the national choir "Voice of Hope". The concert raised funds to support ADRA's work in Armenia and left a deep impression on all participants who were moved by the power of music and the messages conveyed through it.
The National Mission Conference "Send Me" reinforced the importance of mission work and created a platform for cooperation and support. The participants left with new knowledge, inspiration and readiness to continue their mission journey. These were also the main messages that the organizer of the conference, Danail Antonov, Southern region leader of the Bulgarian Union, shared that he would like the participants to take for themselves from the event: "To be much more dedicated and to be much more convinced, that what is on our hearts, God may help us and make it happen through us...”
