IMPACT
eport R 2021
Christians transforming lives and communities in the Balkans and Eastern Europe
Welcome to our 2021 Impact Report The document can be read by all. Even if you only have 15 minutes, this report will give you a real insight into the work of TEN and the impact our partners are having in the Balkans and Eastern Europe. The last couple of years have been dominated by the effects of Covid-19 and whilst it has stopped many things, it has not stopped God’s work in the region. We have heard amazing stories of God at work in the lives of young and old. As this report makes clear, those on the margins have been loved through the meeting of their practical needs, the gospel has been shared with many people coming to faith and new churches have been planted. We thank God for all he is doing. I want to thank you too, firstly for picking this up and having a read;
secondly for your support, your prayer, commitment, and encouragement. The part you play is vital and we could not do this without the TEN family of partners, volunteers, supporters, trustees, and staff team. My hope is that you will be encouraged and informed as you read on.
James Vaughton, CEO
Thank you for your care and support for the work of TEN and our partners. Do have a look at this summary of what your support has helped our partners to achieve. I am sure that like me you will be encouraged. Just to highlight one item: 400 adults and 330 children have become believers—God is good and together we can do more than we can individually. Hazel Vinson, Chair of TEN
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TEN Impact Report 2021
The vision and mission of TEN At TEN we long to co-work with Christian leaders sharing and living out the gospel, transforming lives in the Balkans and Eastern Europe. We serve alongside those who are part of the TEN family, in their vision, through compassionate ministry, evangelism and church planting. We support our partners knowing that God sees more than we do and invites us into his plans, (John 5:19). We operate by starting with what we have and where our partners are, including the UK TEN family, trusting that God will make his ways known, (Proverbs 3:5-6). We seek to be a movement fuelled by God’s Spirit (Romans 15:13), filled with a hope ignited by Jesus Christ.
Our current areas of focus include:
Developing mutually beneficial relationships between people and churches in the Balkans, Eastern Europe and the UK.
Engaging a younger generation of partners in the Balkans and Eastern Europe, and volunteers and supporters in the UK.
Supporting the development of financially sustainable local ministries. Intentionally supporting Roma communities and those working among them.
Expanding our fundraising campaigns such as Harvest for the Hungry and WinterHelp to support partners as they reach out to their communities.
Resourcing partner ministries to enable them to show, share, and help those they serve grow in Christ’s love.
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Where we work Transform Europe Network works alongside Christian partners in Europe with a focus on countries located in the Balkans and Eastern Europe. These countries are:
Albania Bosnia and Herzegovina Bulgaria Croatia Kosovo North Macedonia
Moldova Montenegro Romania Serbia Spain Turkey
When TEN began (as Eurovangelism), it focused on supporting the work of indigenous Christian partners in European countries where the good news of Jesus Christ was either banned or suppressed. Many of those countries were part of the former Yugoslavia. Times have changed considerably but complex issues remain.
SPAIN
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TEN Impact Report 2021
Challenges such as poverty, political corruption and public mistrust have given rise to mass emigration, particularly among the younger generations, which makes it harder for economies to stabilise and the people to thrive. It is hard for many of us in the UK to understand how much history, politics, nationality, ethnicity and religion are pivotal to eastern and south-eastern Europe. A person’s national identity is often tied into their religion, even if followed nominally. The region is mainly divided between Orthodox Christianity, Islam and Catholicism. Many of our partners are leaders from Protestant churches, which are in the minority. In Montenegro, there are around 200 evangelical Christians.
In 1995, the Dayton Peace Agreement brought an end to two and a half years of violent conflict in Bosnia and Herzegovina, between the Orthodox Serbs, Catholic Croats and Bosniaks (Bosnian Muslims). Many atrocities were committed, and generations wiped out by ethnic cleansing. Even now, peace in the region is under threat from ethnic divisions and nationalism. Lasting peace can only be found through the transcending, transformational love of Christ and the peace of God. We work alongside our partners as they live out this transformational love.
MOLDOVA
ROMANIA CROATIA
BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA
SERBIA
BULGARIA
MONTENEGRO
KOSOVO
NORTH MACEDONIA
TURKEY
ALBANIA
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Numbers and Stories from 2021
Compassion = Help given = People supported Refugees and migrants
3,000
Clothing
3,000
Winter help
1,300
Addicts
140
Education/ vocational training
Prisoners
520
1,750
Women in need
700
Food aid meals
8,000
School supplies Children in poverty
2,050
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TEN Impact Report 2021
1,500
Homeless
350
Firewood helps family in Serbia Nesa Radeka, Serbia
“K. family is a family we used to help on several occasions in previous years. They have six young children. Dad and mum were committed to taking good care of them but still they were poor. “Dad was working from time to time, no regular job, simply hard physical labour. This winter we got a call from mum telling us that her husband died two months ago. She begged for help, especially firewood. We visited them and brought firewood. “The photo is of mother and one of the daughters. This is a perfect example of how TEN met the need first-hand, no other options for the K. family at that moment. They were not on our list for the firewood help, however when we saw the obvious need, we could not do anything but help.”
Humanitarian aid to the poor and sick in Derventa Dario Kapin, Bosnia and Herzegovina
“Thanks to the generous support of TEN, we have been able to deliver food parcels to around 30 poor individuals and families in the city of Derventa. “It was very encouraging to be joined by the city president as we distributed the parcels and witnessed to the families. After handing out seven of the ten parcels we brought on one of the days, we returned to the car park to discover four parcels in the president’s car! We recounted and there was still one extra parcel. I shared with the president about how things multiply with Jesus. His face suddenly changed. I believe that sooner or later he will give his life to Jesus.”
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Numbers and Stories from 2021
Evangelism = Turning to Christ = Activities
Youth Camp Places
2,000
Team Visits
48
New Followers: Adults
400
New Followers: Children
330
Bibles/ New Testaments given away
9,700
Evangelistic leaflets distributed
21,000
English Classes
460
Adults baptised
142
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TEN Impact Report 2021
The Gospel is preached in Romania despite Covid restrictions Pastor Gavril Covaci visited the Roma community in Tarcea “We praise God that he found no further Covid infections and those still suffering with it were isolated at home with their household. “The local police allowed Gavril and the team from Tinca Baptist Church to conduct a distanced church service in the lane on Sunday, but the community members are still prohibited from leaving the Roma estate and so have no access to work or food. “This is part of Gavril’s ongoing work to share the gospel in words and actions (providing hot meals and giving out food parcels) with the Roma communities in the villages.”
Lives changed at Pentecost event in Albania A special Pentecost event was organised by Erion Cuni and the Church of God at Pogradec, Albania in collaboration with Living Water Albania. The event was held on Sunday 23 May. Church leaders, Hervin Fushekati and Erion Cuni, both spoke at the special event. Erion reported afterwards, “It was amazing, full of the Spirit, people accepted Christ and recommitted themselves to God and the ministry. So much needed.”
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Numbers and Stories from 2021
Church Planting = New Churches = Outreach Events = Training
New church plants
15
Bible Course Attendees
8,500
Christianity Explored
300
Ministry Training: University
Ministry Training: School/ Mentoring
250
550
Bible Study Attendance
274
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TEN Impact Report 2021
Conference Delegates
750
Marriages are being strengthened in Croatia Vjeko Mrsic, Split, Croatia “We have had a great and exhausting summer, the church had a baptismal service and many tourists came by. “From the opening day on 1st May at camp Fokus (a site the church owns up in the mountains), we had more than 400 campers on six camps, and we still have one more parents/ teen weekend on the first week of October. “Praise Jesus we had no Covid outbreak, or any people test positive on the camps. “The photo is from the Marriage Course where couples enjoyed romantic picnics together.”
New church planted in Radovish, North Macedonia For three years Petre, Robert and members at Shtip Evangelical Church prayed for Radovish, a town 38 km away. God heard their prayers and opened the door so they could hold a few outreach events. In 2020 Robert Salamanov and his family moved to Radovish and in March 2021 started Radovish Evangelical Church. At the end of the year, Robert said, “Ten months have passed since we opened the church and God works miracles. God adds people to the church. We continue with Sunday services, prayer meetings, services with children, women’s meetings, and on other days we run a coffee house. In such a short time we are very thankful to God as people are touched by the gospel.” 11
An update on our strategy Whilst much of this report looks back at the last year, these two pages illustrate how TEN is implementing its strategy at this time.
New developments at TEN Sustainability Since 2020 we have explored how to work alongside partners developing more local financial sustainability. The aim is for partners to broaden income sources, generate local income and grow their ministries. We have looked at best practice, funded several projects with grants and one with a loan. Grants have been made for a van for a removals business in Serbia and a polytunnel in Romania.
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TEN Impact Report 2021
A vision to serve the local community and strengthen the ministry: A Soft Play Centre Nenad Radeka has a vision to reach his community with the gospel and be less dependent on western funds. The church is setting up small businesses to help achieve this. The first business is a Soft Play Centre. Having shared the vision with TEN, we have been able to part grant, part loan the funds to purchase the necessary equipment to set up the soft play centre. Nexus Soft Play opened in September 2021 and is now thriving as a small business, giving local employment opportunities, enabling new connections within the community and supporting the church ministry.
TEN has amazing supporters and volunteers in the UK. Over the last couple of years, a new generation has started to engage with TEN in a variety of ways; as trustees, volunteers and supporters. For the nations This is a new six-session resource launched in Spring 2022. Developed by TEN for small groups, it will inspire churches to engage in God’s plan for the nations, at home and overseas. The unique element is the opportunity to meet with a group in Europe by Zoom for two sessions.
TENteams Mission teams engage people of all ages in God’s work. These are key opportunities for discipleship of those on the trip and supporting partner ministries. 2022 sees a women’s team visit Mission Possible Bulgaria. We anticipate more team trips in the years ahead.
TENteach These are online English classes for people in the Balkans and Eastern Europe, a new initiative started by a TEN volunteer who has taught English in Moldova. Working with our partners, TENteach provides English lessons for partners to offer to those in their communities.
Church buildings In the last 12 months TEN, working in partnership with US-based International Cooperating Ministries, has been supporting the work to purchase, renovate or build six church buildings across the region.
Younger generations We are engaging a younger generation in the Balkans and Eastern Europe. TEN is proactively working with current partners to identify new leaders who we will co-work with in the years ahead.
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Financial support for TEN and how it is used to transform lives The following summary information is intended to give a feel for the financial performance of TEN to anyone, irrespective of their familiarity with financial reporting. This summary information is taken from the relevant notes to the financial statements for each reporting period. For cross-reference and a more full and comprehensive account, please refer to the accounts and trustees’ annual report (TAR) for the last three financial periods. Each of these statutory reports, which have been independently examined, can be found by going to the Charity Commission page of the gov.uk website and searching the register of charities for Eurovangelism or 1140592 (our registered charity number). Please note, in the expenditure chart opposite we have used the term ministry, but the statutory reports refer to charitable activities. The costs shown are exactly the same, however.
Fundraising Expenditure Trend
Total Expenditure: % Split April 2020 – March 2021 7.3% 8.4% 8.7% Total expenditure: £578,730
63.5%
12.1%
Ministry grants Ministry support Other ministry costs Fundraising support Direct fundraising
Fundraising support
Direct fundraising
£300,000 £225,000 £150,000 £75,000 £0
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£135,894
£144,424
£74,249
£79,649
£61,645
£64,775
£42,073
Apr 2018 – Mar 2019
Apr 2019 – Mar 2020
Apr 2020 – Mar 2021
TEN Impact Report 2021
£90,546 £48,473
We are hugely thankful for the support that is provided to TEN by all our donors. We recognise every donation as generous and sacrificial giving. The expenses shown on page 14 (be they salaries, compliance and governance costs, or fundraising promotions) enable your donations to reach their ultimate goal: our partners,
and thus the furthering of God’s Kingdom now and in the future. Please note the significant drop in fundraising expenditure in 2020/21 is due to reduced costs resulting from restrictions during the pandemic. We strive to keep our costs as low as possible, and this is evidenced by the trend in fundraising costs.
Sources of Income: % Split April 2020 – March 2021
17%
0.4%
Donations from individuals Legacies Total income: £610,149 29.6%
48.8%
Grant income Income from charitable activities, investments, and other income Donations from churches and organisations
4.2%
Total, Restricted, and Unrestricted Income Trend
Restricted income
Unrestricted income
£1,400,000 £1,050,000 £700,000 £350,000 £0
£610,149
£490,067
£489,868
£152,207
£149,603
£337,860
£340,265
£415,000
Apr 2018 – Mar 2019
Apr 2019 – Mar 2020
Apr 2020 – Mar 2021
£195,149
The above bar chart does not include the other income category for reporting periods ended March 2019 and March 2020 because this exceptional, one-off income would skew the trend. Please see the relevant accounts and TAR, as previously mentioned, for details of this income which relates to the sale of the old office.
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Thank you to all of our supporters! Your help makes a real difference in transforming lives throughout Eastern Europe. Sign up for TEN’s free quarterly Connect magazine at ten-uk.org/sign-up
info@ten-uk.org
+44 (0)117 961 5161
www.ten-uk.org
Transform Europe Network 23 Apex Court, Woodlands, Bradley Stoke, Bristol BS32 4JT, UK
TEN remains committed to spending no more than 15p in every £1 of restricted income on support costs, with at least 85p spent in benefit of the partner, project or appeal. Transform Europe Network is the operating name for Eurovangelism, registered in England and Wales as a charity (no. 1140592) and company limited by guarantee (no. 7507682) at the above address.