EXCERPTS FROM THE OCT. 1994 BRIDGE BALKAN CONFERENCE IN OHRID, MACEDONIA

“Before I share about my country, there is one thing I must do.” The voice of the Turkish pastor trembled as he placed eight chairs in a row and pointed to specific people in the group to take a seat in the row facing the participants of the conference, each one a Christian leader representing his individual Balkan country: Albania, Bulgaria, Croatia, Greece, Kosovo, Macedonia, and Serbia. Nexhi, the Albanian pastor’s wife, was asked to take seat on the last chair.

“I am in direct lineage of the Ottoman Emperor. On behalf of my Turkish ancestors, the Ottomans, I repent for all the atrocities and devastation my family and my people inflicted upon your people when they swept over the Balkans and conquered, burned, raped, pillaged, and established Islam by force. The present bloodshed and hatred experienced between the Balkan nations is a continuum of a curse that the Ottoman Empire inflicted upon you. Today I ask forgiveness and release your nation from that curse.“

The Turkish pastor then turned to Nexhi and told her with tears, “You represent all the Balkan women who have lived through rape, loss of husbands, fathers, and sons to senseless war; plundering of homes, abduction of children, and oppression by a cruel religion.”

Then, in anticipating silence, the Turkish pastor’s wife carried a basin with water to the line of chairs, and the Turkish pastor and his wife bent down before each one of the others and washed their feet as a sign of the servant+hood of Christ toward the other nations. While tears flowed and warm hugs were exchanged between the pastors, the room erupted in beautiful worship of the Lord – and powerful intercession for the Balkans, and a clear affirmation of forgiveness, reconciliation, and love!

REFLECTION ON THE MOVE OF GOD IN THE BALKANS by Robert Jurjevich

After serving for two years with The Bridge International as the Coordinator for all mission efforts into southeastern Europe, including the nation of Turkey, in October, 1994 I organized the pinnacle event conducted up till that moment. The Bridge Balkan Conference was being held at a hotel in the beautiful lakeside town of Ohrid, located in western Macedonia. We had invited pastors and church leaders, with their spouses, from all the Balkan nations we were serving to attend this unique gathering.  This was an historic, very special event for many of the pastors and their spouses on a personal level.  Many of them had never been away from their children before. None of them had attended a Christian leader’s conference  — even staying in a hotel was a first time experience for some.

It was unique on a ministry level, as many had never met a fellow pastor (much less a fellow believer) from any of the other Balkan nations.  Also, unique on a socio-political level, as everyone attending was challenged to overcoming cultural and historical prejudices and barriers as they came face-to-face with people that they should, in the natural, hate and despise.  This Balkan leadership conference, possibly the first ever in modern history, was an opportunity for either the barriers to be reinforced or for a Kingdom breakthrough to take place for a region of the world that had suffered generational conflicts for hundreds of years. Thankfully, through the mercy and grace of God the Father, those leaders yielded to the move of the Holy Spirit with soul searching repentance on behalf of their respective people groups.

As I reflect both on the significance of that Bridge leadership conference of 1994 and our direct involvement in the Balkans during the last 40 years since God placed this region upon both my and Sandrina’s hearts, I believe the conference of 1994 still remains the deepest fundamental expression of God’s heart for this region which I have personally experienced all through these four decades. The desire for true reconciliation and healing between the various Balkan people groups remains the central heart desire and need in the souls scarred by centuries of tribal bloodshed.  Today, it remains the number one issue in the minds and hearts of national church leaders in the  Balkans; an issue which  must be resolved in order for revival to breakthrough in the region.

I do not propose to know the answers in resolving this central issue – but I do know that when the answer to a simple question is more complicated than the question itself, we may be asking the wrong question.   Why did we experience a breakthrough at the Bridge leadership conference in 1994? My reflections are given not in any particular order of importance, but simply as an attempt to highlight essentials:

FAITH – At the Bridge, we believed in God’s heart full of love for the Balkan nations – His compassion was our passion. We believed that God was able to do the impossible regardless of our lack of abilities and resources. We were able to believe in the potential of Balkan leaders because we believed in our calling from God to be available for his purposes wherever, whenever and with whomever the Lord sent us.  The attendees of the conference knew that the Bridge team believed in them.

FRIENDSHIPS – Sandrina and I first connected with the Bridge because someone took time in 1987 to visit us in Sarajevo, sit down, have a coffee and listen to hearts about the hopes and vision for the city and nation. I spent two years travelling in and out of the Balkan nations drinking a lot of coffee, listening to a lot of concerns and being available in the lead-up to the conference. Relationship is important, but friendship has always been a specialty of the Bridge – no one on the field has ever felt that they ‘work’ for the Bridge, rather are coworkers for the same Kingdom goals. The attendees of the conference knew that the Bridge team members were their friends.

PRAYER – It is said that all ministry that is God-ordained and anointed begins and ends in prayer. One of the blessings within the vision of the Bridge has been to connect the field workers and churches with intercessors from around the world. We kept ministry in the Balkans very simple for our visiting Bridge teams who were instructed to do three things with the local believers – worship the Lord, share the Word and pray for their needs. The attendees of the conference knew that the Bridge team members were intercessors and that they were each individually covered continually in prayer.

HUMILITY – If we humble ourselves before God, He will lift us up on high.  As seen everywhere else, Balkan church leaders face the challenges of life and ministry, and it is always a danger and risk of becoming hurt and offended, becoming territorial and controlling, becoming isolated and lonely. Remaining humble, forgiving and transparent can be very difficult in the Balkan cultures which can very barbaric at times. The hardening of the heart is perhaps the greatest obstacle of all. At the Orhid conference of 1994, church leaders yielded themselves, humbled themselves and laid broken before God and their peers. Greece and Turkey as nations are historically bitter enemies – yet after the conference the Greek pastor and Turkish pastor became best of friends, with each inviting the other to be guests in each other’s home. The attendees of the conference knew that the Bridge was giving them a safe environment where they could ‘unwind’, laugh and cry, forgive and be forgiven.

FROM R.K.’S CORNER

At the time of publishing this issue, we are watching deadly clashes between Palestinians and Israeli forces at the Gaza/Israeli border, due to protest against the relocation of the American Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem – a declaration that Jerusalem is the official Capital of Israel. The animosity between Arabs and Jews runs deep. It goes back more than 3000 years, when conflict arose between two half brothers Ishmael and Isaac (Gen. 16-18, 21).

In other parts of the world we find seething hatred between various ethnic groups. The Balkans has for centuries experienced conflict and wars between its peoples. No one knows that better than Robert and Sandrina Jurjevich who have carried the call to serve the Balkans with the Gospel for forty years, while living in several Balkan countries for large periods of that time.  Read more about the Robert and Sandrina by clicking on the link:

https://www.bridgeinternational.org/category/bosnia/

In October 1994, Robert, at the time The Bridge’s Balkan Coordinator, hosted a Bridge sponsored conference for pastors from eight different Balkan countries of fellowship, prayer, and reconciliation between their peoples .

It  proved to be an unforgettable historic event with relevance today!  At the top, I have copied part of my 1994 report. Following, Robert reflects in retrospect on the significance of that time, and how we can help bring healing and love where there are hurts and hatred! The transforming love of God is still the best remedy!!