Stories from the Field

May-June 2006

A Resurrected Graveyard
From the Central and Eastern Europe newsletter

When Joan and Randy Bell moved to Slovenia five years ago, they were told not to expect much in their new hometown of Maribor. Though it had been home to Baptist work since 1933, the existing church was literally dying out with no real impetus in recent history. The Slovenians referred to this small town as “a graveyard for missionaries,” and further said, “nothing has ever happened in Maribor, or ever will!”

Now, five years later, the Bells have seen the inception of two new house churches and one home Bible study, as well as separate groups for children, teens and university students. The graveyard has been resurrected! “and we’re just getting started!” said Randy.

Slovenia is, typically, a place that is hardened to the gospel. One missionary couple recently moved to a town that has seen no evangelical work in 400 years—since the Reformation! “Prayer and the faithfulness to stick it out even when we could see no results were the pivotal issues of change,” explained Randy.

Sticking it out was never harder than after the JESUS film was shown in Maribor. About 2,500 people saw the film, but only two were interested in follow-up. However, those two individuals have been the foundation of the phenomenal growth of the past year. In just six months, they have seen their church in Maribor grow from eight to 22! And there is a second Bible study that has begun in the same town. In the nearby city of Moravske Toplice, the house church has grown to 30!

From Hope4CEE/Accelerate Hope, Issue No. 5, Dec. ‘04