August 12 - Growing a Healthy Church

Adventists in Serbia have made
meaningful connections with people

through healthy activities.

Health clubs have drawn a lot
of interest from the community.

Groups go hiking, exercise together,

hold health lectures,
and conduct cooking demonstrations.

If not for these activities,

it’s likely that the participants
might never meet an Adventist

or be exposed to the Adventist message.

Here it’s important to
actually build the friendship first

and then you can say who you are.

Otherwise they will
reject you from the start.

Personal connection
is how Jesus ministered

when He was on Earth.

So these church members
are following His lead

by implementing
Christ’s method of ministry.

This is the key to building relationships,

especially in the growing
cities like Belgrade

where people tend to stay focused
on their own busy lives.

This is a community
that lives in big buildings.

There are a lot of skyscrapers here

that has a lot of people there.

It’s a very, very big area
to actually outreach to.

There are a lot of people
who actually live here

and don’t know anything about God.

They are not that religious.

People don’t want
to learn and search for God,

because we live in that kind of society.

Now, no one wants to know about God.

So, it’s hard to actually
talk about it with people

who don't know or don't even want
to know about God.

That’s the challenge here.

I mean, it is a secular country.

Just a few years ago,

the area known as Novi Belgrade
had no Adventist church.

Any time church members who lived
in this part of the city wanted to gather,

they had to travel far
to get to the nearest church.

In 2020,

a portion of your 13th Sabbath Offering
helped establish a church

in Novi Belgrade!

They were able to get
a space with two levels

and are in the process
of renovating the lower level

to be an urban center of influence!

It means a lot to us,

because we have our own services,

we can invite friends.

The facility is very good,

and we are very grateful to God
that it has two levels.

The upper one, where we are now,

where the services are held,

and the lower part,

which is convenient
for various activities.

This is going to be a center of influence.

We are going to have
the health clubs here.

We are going to teach people
how to cook healthy food

and maybe some kind of crafts as well

because there are a lot of people
here that like crafts,

like making soaps
from healthy ingredients,

as well as decoupage and quilting as well.

Your contributions to
the 13th Sabbath Offering

have already been received with gratitude.

The new space feels like home
to this congregation,

and hopefully, it will allow them to grow.

I am very grateful
to those that helped us,

all the brothers and sisters
from all over the world,

because this is a big municipality
where we are

and where our church was not.

Believe that we have prayed
for over 20 years.

We have prayed to have this church,

and that’s why we are also
ready to give our offerings

to those who also need
to have their own church.

I have so much gratitude.

Thank you.

I’m grateful to God

that He gave those people
the will to actually give,

and that He inspired them to give.

That actually tells us
that we have to work

and to justify what we've got,

and that we have to actually
pray for God

to actually use us where we are,
and to fill this building

so that we have to find another one.

Please pray for this church

as they soon open an urban center
of influence in a new part of Belgrade.

Thank you for giving
to the 13th Sabbath Offering in 2020

and making this congregation’s dream
become reality!