Bishop Ivan Hazarbasanov – current, construction of prayer houses
19.04.2026
I am glad to be with you and to report on what God is doing through “Faith Churches in Bulgaria” – that is our denomination. Together with Pastor Gabi, we are sent to do our work for the Lord and we need your support. It is wonderful to be sent by God, but we also need the support of our local church and other believers in Bulgaria to be in prayer for us, for the new churches that are being founded, for the new houses of worship that are being built, for God’s blessing on the pastors, leaders and ministers and their families. All of these people are on the front lines and need our prayer support.
I will direct your attention to few places where very good things are happening.
The first place is the village of Asenovtsi, which is located 3-4 km southwest of the town of Levski, Pleven region. God is building a strong church there – Christian Center “Open Door”, with Pastor Emil and Sara Angelovi. Years ago, God spoke to them to return home from France, where they were living in the beautiful Alsace region. They took a step of faith and stepped out of their comfort zone to come to Bulgaria and serve the Lord. In the pictures bellow, you can see the prayer house that is currently being built in the village of Asenovtsi.
We need your prayer support so that God can provide the remaining finances and this house of prayer can be completed this year. We have stretched out our faith – in the late summer and early fall this house of prayer will be opened. The building gathers 200-250 people. There are additional rooms for children’s ministry. A large center called “Source of Life” is being set up there. There will be a hotel part, with the possibility of accommodating guests. Seminars and retreats will be held, and believers, pastors and ministers will gather. There will also be a swimming pool. It is no coincidence that the church is located in the village of Asenovtsi, so that God can reach the entire region. God is truly using Pastor Emil and Sarah in an incredible way. We rely on your prayer support. As we travel and do our work, your prayer will open the way before us and bring the supplies we need.
Another house of prayer, which is currently under construction and we expect to be completed within a month so that the official services can begin, is the “New Beginning” church in the “Faculty” district, Sofia, with pastors Yanko and Tsonka Yankovi. The capacity of the new prayer house we are building is 150+ people.
The previous church building was in the Vietnamese Dormitory neighborhood, located in the Krasna Polyana district, but due to a change in the city’s architectural plans, the building had to be demolished because this place had a different purpose. From one side, it was very sad that a developed church building was destroyed, but in fact, it was much smaller and lower than the currently builded one. Praise God for the grace He gave us so that we could not only overcome the sadness, difficulties and troubles, but also have a new place to build an even more beautiful, large, tall and spacious Prayer house. As you can see, the building is at the final stages – the floor screed, electrical installation, insulation have been laid. It has everything necessary for it to function. It remains to lay down the flooring and make the yard even more beautiful so that we can officially open the new church building. We need your prayerful and financial support to complete this project.
The next project is in the village of Karadjovo, located 15 km east of Plovdiv. This is a new planted church which is starting to function, along with the dedication of a prayer house for 70-80 people..
The last two projects that we are doing are not of standard construction type – bricks and concrete, but were made with a metal structure and insulating panels. In this way, the buildings become very beautiful and are implemented very quickly – in just a few months. I am glad that things have progressed so much that for this church we expect the official ordination of the pastor and the opening of the house of prayer in May.
The fourth project we are running is outside of the Bulgarian borders. It is located in the town of Leskovac, Serbia, which is a two-hour drive from Sofia. This is the second project we are doing in Serbia. The first one, which were successfully completed in the last year, was in the town of Bačka Palanka, Autonomous Province of Vojvodina, near the city of Novi Sad. The church in Leskovac is extremely growing, strong and dynamic. The building has a capacity of 600 people. The vision and the scale of the construction are so large so even the new roads have to be built so that the people can reach the new Prayer house. I expect it to be crowded from the very beginning. Thank you for your prayerful support as we travel to do what the Lord has sent us to do.
We are living in a very dynamic time for Bulgaria and the Balkans. A very good season for the gospel is coming. Your prayer support open doors and make ways for the gospel to reach more people, new churches to be established, houses of worship to be built. Glory be to the Lord for this new season!
We are going on a prayer tour in Turkey. We will be at the place where the Holy Spirit brought a new dimension to the life of the Apostle Paul and his apostolic missions team. Paul had many successful missions, but while he was in Troas, your own dimension to missions came – the Holy Spirit gave him a dream about a Macedonian who said, “Come and help us!” Then missions were no longer just urban, regional and national, but also intercontinental. The gospel first came to Europe and from there to the ends of the world. Today, there is also a need for the gospel to reach the ends of the world.
You can see photos from Çanakkale. This is the site of the ancient city of Troy, located in the Troas region, in the westernmost part of Asia Minor. We read about this city in Acts of the Apostles, chapter 15 and elsewhere in the Bible. It was an extremely strong church leadership center for ministers and for world missions.
On the one hand, we are going to pray for Turkey because we believe that God is opening this country to the gospel. We are involved in starting new churches together with Pastor Gürkan and Pastor Doğan. We are extremely connected to the churches in Tekirda, Istanbul and Çanakkale. God is opening new churches and needs more ministers.
On the other hand, we are going to pray for what the Holy Spirit has to say to our hearts about missions – how the Body of Christ in Bulgaria can position itself for the missions that the Holy Spirit has for us. We will be in the city of Troas for two days and we will have a special time of prayer in which the Holy Spirit will show us visions and give us strategies.
We are gathering a large international group from all over Europe. Our trip will be in the period May 13-17, 2026. If you would like to join us on this prayer trip to Turkey, please contact Minister Vladi Gekov. There is the option of private or organized transportation. Everyone can come with family or friends. We will give you the full program so you know when and where we will gather. If you need help with navigation or accommodation, we can also help you.
We have two main events – one in Çanakkale and the other in Istanbul. We will have two days of prayer time in Istanbul. We will stand right on the Bosphorus – a strait between Europe and Asia. This is a crossroads that can be either a springboard for Islam in Europe or a springboard for Christianity in the Islamic world. This is related to the battle for Israel and the imminent coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and His millennial kingdom. These are great divine strategies in which we are privileged to be participants.
Istanbul (Constantinople) has an extraordinary ecclesiastical history. Since the beginning of the 4th century, Constantinople has been the capital of the Roman Empire. Constantinople has been the capital of the Roman Empire for longer than Rome itself. The Roman Empire began to exist in the 1st century, shortly before the birth of Jesus Christ. Our Lord was born during the time of the first emperor Octavian Augustus, nephew of Julius Caesar. Rome was the capital of the Roman Empire for about three centuries, and Constantinople was the capital between eight and ten centuries.
We will be on the site of the first church in the world – “Hagia Sophia”, built in the 4th century in Constantinople. Our capital and the first church founded in our capital bear the same name. Our city does not bear the name of Saint Sophia, whose statue is erected in the center, but bears the name of the church “Hagia Sophia”, which is located right in front of the city hall – this is a personification of the Holy Spirit, who is our best helper on this earth in our service for the Lord Jesus Christ.
Those of you who wish to come are welcome, and the rest of you may be in active prayer. Watch and listen to the events that are taking place.
