09 June
2023

perry@bizg.hr

Greetings from sunny Zagreb (and sunny Bowling Green KY)! We want to update you on the things God is doing through your gifts and support in Croatia. “You have planted generously” (2 Cor 9.6); now rejoice with us over part of the harvest.
The summer months are here, and school has ended in the United States. But the BIZG summer semester has not yet ended. Our classes don’t wrap up until mid- or late June, and BIZG people will still be active after that point.
It’s not yet time for us to take a break. Our people are busy
preaching, teaching, and traveling in Croatia and in the USA. From seminars and workshops to one-on-one discussions and speaking engagements, we have been encouraging the churches, spreading the gospel, and talking about God’s work in Croatia far and wide.
Symposium. This summer marks our international Symposium, The Biblical Story of God: Challenges of Interpreting and Living. This is a true international event, which we have organised in partnership with the Evangelical Theological Seminary (Osijek, Croatia); the Evangelical Theological Association of Croatia;
Center from the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, “Aurel Vlaicu,” University of Arad (Romania). This Symposium will be held in Zagreb on June 16-17. The afternoon of the 16th features papers and discussions of how the book of Psalms tells the story of God’s redemptive work in the world. The evening of the 16th will be devoted to presentations and discussions of changes in Croatian evangelical churches since 1990, including a survey of teaching and practice regarding baptism in those churches. Then Saturday the 17th is devoted to presentations and discussions of discipleship and disciple-making, from scholars and churchmen from Central and Eastern Europe.

Please join us in praying that this event will lead to future years of productive collaboration between our faculty and the personnel of these other institutions, and that this collaboration will produce materials and publications that will benefit the churches of Central and Eastern Europe for decades to come.
Speaking, preaching, teaching. Our people are busy teaching. Ervin Budiselić has been teaching Exegesis of the Book of Revelation at Theological Faculty Matija Vlačić Ilirik at the University of Zagreb. Monika Bajić continues to travel to Sarajevo, Bosnia, to teach Old Testament classes there. Danijel Časni has been teaching Christian Ethics. Danijel Berković continues to teach Hebrew at CBI. Goran Medved is wrapping up his classes on 1 Corinthians, and will be teaching Greek at the Evangelical Theological Seminary in the Evangelical Theological Seminary.
Traveling. Our professors have been traveling all over Central Europe, to Berlin and Poland and other places. And in addition to teaching, Dr. Stepp is in the midst of a fairly active travel schedule since he returned to the USA in late April. During the second week of May, he visited several supporters and potential supporters in Kansas and Oklahoma. He is also meeting with potential supporters in Cincinnati and Nashville, and will travel to Texas in July to meet with current and potential supporters there.
This is a lot of activity; it’s a very busy time. None of it would be possible without your support and your prayers. We are your coworkers in building the Kingdom of God in Central and Eastern Europe, in places where the scars of war are still visible (and sometimes the threat of violence is still present. God is transforming people’s lives for the better, and we celebrate your commitment to serving him and spreading his goodness and good news to all.