Bulgaria’s miraculous turnaround When the draft version of the Religious Denominations Act was presented to the Bulgarian parliament on 4th October 2018, Christians in Bulgaria faced the prospect of a new law that would severely restrict the freedoms they currently enjoy. In a show of unity, Christians across Bulgaria took to the streets for prayer and peaceful public protest. Church leaders urged their fellow Christians from across Europe and beyond to pray and make written representations to their MEPs, Ambassadors and Bulgarian government officials. Local church leaders, with the support of thousands of Christians across Bulgaria, engaged in eight weeks of marches and prayer rallies, often in severe wintry weather. Churches were united and defiant in the face of threats by the lawmakers, and leaders were resolved to maintain their freedoms to preach the Gospel and freely assemble together, whatever the cost. Supporters of TEN joined in prayer with literally thousands of believers across the world in solidarity with their Bulgarian brothers and sisters. The dramatic breakthrough came
just before Christmas 2018. The parliamentary voting on the second reading of the amendments to the Religious Denominations Act resulted in each of the controversial changes being dropped. God had answered prayer. It was with much joy that Christians in Bulgaria praised God for the miraculous turnaround by the government. TEN’s Bulgarian partner, Pastor Theodore Oprenov of First Baptist Church in Sofia summed up: "God has granted us a remarkable blessing, by allowing us to see the will of the political powers changed. We are fully aware that this would not have happened without the prayers and strong international support." Evangelical leaders in Bulgaria are mindful that despite the change of heart by the government on this occasion, the long-term future remains uncertain. Ongoing prayer is required. 6
