Bulgaria Project
Zdravei! That’s a big “Hello” to any of you who might know the Bulgarian language! Our mission in Bulgaria takes place after years of godless Communist pressure. In spite of Bulgaria’s present freedom, Communism still has its lingering effects… but it’s evident that the Bread of Life is spreading His fragrance afresh over this country once again. The true Church that was forced to go underground for decades is now taking its place.
Central to the reviving of the Bulgarian church are Pastor Niki and Rossi Markov, who carry an exciting communication vision for their country. In 2001 they established a publishing ministry called The Eagle Publishing House.
Through this ministry, Niki has translated, published, and distributed over 150 different books throughout Bulgaria. His burden from the Lord has been to put mature literature into the hands of the Bulgarian brethren. No Christian literature had been published in the country in over a twenty-year period. Even then, what was available was extremely elementary. The rock-solid reading material they are printing by authors such as Wade Taylor, Tom Tenney, Rick Joyner, Francis Frangipane, Joyce Meyer, John Bevere, T. Austin-Sparks, Gene Edwards, Jack Hayford, etc. is giving a tremendous spiritual boost to the Body of Christ. The Eagle Publishing House has over 350 distributors. Niki is told that his operation is the source of the most Christian books produced and bought throughout Bulgaria.
The Eagle Publishing House is located in the city of Silistra on the edge of the Danube River across from Romania. Though beautiful, Silistra is often overlooked and underestimated for the larger cities of Bulgaria. Silistra is the major grain producing area in the country and known as the “Bakery of Bulgaria”. The publishing house itself is found down a back alley, as unassuming and obscure as the stable in Bethlehem, yet spreading forth the fragrance of the gospel in abundance.
In 2006, COGO went in with a team of eight to bless Niki and Rossi with the funding for a larger printing press. The new press is three times the size of the former one and Niki is now able to print larger posters, colors, book covers, raised print, and all at a greater speed. The press is a 3000-pound beauty that took nine men four hours to move from the truck some twenty feet into the publishing house!
To accommodate the tremendous growth of the publishing ministry, Niki has been extending the building outward and upward with two more stories and an attic. The top floor will house Niki’s future vision for the first Christian radio station in Bulgaria. COGO has been able to help with funding towards this construction and continues to do so. Please join us, as we help make a huge impact upon this small country.