MACEDONIA PROJECT

God is at work in the Union of Congregational Churches in Macedonia. Pavle Kostadinov, President of the Union, and Pastor Nikola Ginevski attended the 2024 annual gathering and shared the story of their work to revitalize established churches and plant new churches. These works are led by gifted young pastors who are called to this ministry. These pastors need support since the economy in Macedonia is weak and unstable.

Macedonia is a country where Christianity is trapped in traditionalism and nominalism. It is also a country where the economic situation is difficult. This has led to much corruption and young people have a growing desire to leave the country and pursue a better life in the western world. The Union believes that God has put them there to shine his light in the midst of darkness. Regardless of the many challenges, these believers keep trusting and serving the Lord, and desire to be a voice in the desert that cries out: “Prepare the way for the coming of the Lord!”

Evangelical Congregational Church – Skopje is an urban church that is located in the center of the capital of Macedonia. The church was formed in the 1980’s with the mission to to reach the people with the Gospel. This church desires to build a strong spiritual community that will impact this region with the Gospel.

Nikola Ginevski (age 34) was called to serve as pastor in 2024. Nikola is married, with a child less than a year old. The church has not had a full-time pastor for almost 20 years. The church is not able to provide the resources to pay a full-time pastor at this time. It is vital that they have a full-time pastor to help the church pursue its mission and vision.

The Evangelical Congregational Church – Lighthouse is located in Drachevo, a suburb of Skopje. Drachevo is a community of around 20,000 people who have different ethnic and religious backgrounds. There is only one other Gospel preaching church of 5-6 people in the whole area. Angel Andonovski (28 years old), his wife Simona and their 2,5 year old son Petar serve there.

There were no young people at the church when he started in 2016. Today there are 20-30 regular attenders. There is a functional leadership that ministers to these people. Two years ago, Angel set a goal to take the gospel to every home in the municipality. This work has expanded other villages around Drachevo within a radius of 10 miles. These mission stations are growing and reaching people with the message of the Gospel.

The opportunity in Macedonia is great! We don’t have to send missionaries because God has raised up pastors to do the work. But they need financial support. We trust that member churches and pastors in the CCCC will partner with the Union to help the Kingdom of God is expand in Macedonia.

Please contact Conference Minister, Ron Hamilton, if you are interested in learning more about this ministry.