09 June
2023

perry@bizg.hr

(plus an update on our financial needs)
BIZG Bulletin for August 2022

Dražen Hrženjak was a soldier in Yugoslavian army in the 1980’s. Then, during the Croatian War of Independence, 1991-96, he fought for Croatia and participated in the fiercest battles of the war. During this conflict, his fellow soldiers became “friends closer than brothers” to him.
But after the war, Dražen received Jesus as his Lord and Savior. He stopped spending time with his comrades because their time together revolved around drug and alcohol use. While his faith was taking shape, he needed to maintain boundaries. A decade later, God threw open the door Dražen had closed, and in an unexpected way. One of his comrades died. After the funeral, Dražen went for coffee with a group of his old friends. Several of them said, “You are a completely different person than you were during the war. Why are you so different?” Dražen’s life had been transformed by the power of the Holy Spirit in him.
And Dražen realized then and there that God was calling him to an amazing ministry to active and former military personnel. He says, “For the first time, I realized that God was calling me to be a missionary and that my comrades were my mission field.” This group is especially vulnerable; tens of thousands of Croatian veterans suffer from PTSD, and thousands have committed suicide since the war.
He soon became a licensed chaplain for the Churches of Christ. This official status allows him to serve in military settings, AND in prisons and hospitals. And to prepare and equip himself for this ministry, Dražen enrolled at Biblijski institut and earned a degree in theology.
Today, Dražen is a chaplain, and the director of the Military Christian Fellowship of Croatia. MCFC is part of the Association of Military Christian Fellowships, a worldwide interdenominational organization of military chaplains, and Dražen is one of the leaders of this larger organization as well.
In addition, Dražen has written and co-produced award-winning documentaries about the spiritual impact of the war. His best-known movie is Bura Duše, “Storm of the Soul,” which describes the role of the gospel in healing the wounds of the war. You can watch this movie, with English subtitles, on YouTube, at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D0vszBt4fX8. Dražen has an amazing ministry. Those of you who have supported Biblijski institut with your prayers and financial gifts made it happen.

An update on our financial needs:
God is blessing us and blessing our ministry. We continue to receive consistent support from our donors for the 2022 budget, and we continue to be very careful with expenses.
We are also able to continue blessing the Ukrainian refugees who have settled here. However: this year, we continue to face increased utilities and facilities costs. And our 2023 budget will increase by 12-15% over the 2022 budget, due to added expenses relating to accreditation
If God blesses you financially and moves your heart to participate in the work of his kingdom in Croatia, please consider making a gift online at http://cecef.net or by sending a check to 1045 Overton Lea Rd., Nashville TN 37220.