Blog | Supporting Local Churches, Missionaries and Church Planting in Europe

Online Bible Training in Portugal - well-spent Saturday afternoons!

Theological education is crucial to loving God, knowing Christ, and pursuing godliness; it’s vital to handling the Scriptures, defending the truth, and preaching the gospel; and it’s indispensable to planting new churches and strengthening existing ones. In short, it’s hard to overstate the importance of teaching people the truths of God’s Word. And that’s why EMF has always placed a strong emphasis upon theological education. A number of our missionaries are engaged in training and equipping men and women to know and serve God. One of these is Rogério Ramos.

Prison Ministry in Alcázar de San Juan

21/5/21

EMF missionary, José (Pepe) Moreno Berrocal pastors an evangelical church in the town of Alcázar de San Juan in central Spain. As part of his preaching and pastoral duties he has been ministering to prisoners in the local prison since 1999.

“I wanted to follow my dreams”. An interview with Bruno Pires

11/5/21

“I wanted to follow my dreams”. For some years Bruno Pires tried to push to the back of his mind the sense of calling to the ministry that came to him in 2015, the year he was baptised. Maybe a career in politics instead? That had always been his ambition, after all. But God had other plans, and today Bruno is studying at the Portuguese Bible Institute in Lisbon, where he is receiving a grant from the EMF Training Fund. https://www.europeanmission.org/train

Ruth: That’s a strange name!

27/4/21

Not many little Greek girls are given the name “Ruth”, so when Ruth Yfantidis introduces herself, she knows the other person will be wondering if she is truly a Greek citizen. Evangelicals, typically those most likely to give their infant daughters Bible names, make up only about 0.2% of the Greek population. EMF missionary Ruth told us a little more about living out her faith in her work as a nurse (now in a Covid ICU in an Athens hospital), and about other areas of ministry.

The Gospel in the Centre project

21/4/21

Just over one year ago a website was launched by the leaders of the evangelical church in Siedlce, Poland – Ben Layer (American missionary), Jan Stefanoff (church elder) and Adam Urban (EMF missionary). Its purpose is to supply trustworthy biblical teaching in the Polish language which exalts the glory and grace of God and equips the church for Christian discipleship and gospel outreach.

A heart for the heart of Spain

13/4/21

Xavi Pérez Patiño is known for having a heart that beats with love for the gospel and for those who still have not experienced its truth. He now has a wife (Paty) who shares his passion for others to know the Lord Jesus as Saviour. Together, they are working in the heart of Spain, in the enormous region of Castilla-La Mancha, whose arid landscape is dotted with towns and villages that are still relatively untouched by the message of hope that grabbed hold of Xavi some decades ago in Mallorca. Here is an update on what the couple are doing in three towns: Cuenca, La Solana, and Ciudad Real.

Sanida Ministry in Thessaloniki

1/4/21

Work is progressing well on the renovation of two apartments in the city of Thessaloniki, northern Greece, which were donated to the work led by Antonis Topaloglou. They are intending to use these apartments as part of the Sanida ministry, focusing on supporting women suffering domestic violence or coming under pressure to have abortions. The Greek word Sanida means 'Life-Saving Board'.

“Since Michael married Mary”...a continuing story

30/3/21

Anyone could have forgiven Michael and Mary Steedman for wanting to dedicate their married life to getting to know each other and to settling down into full-on leisure. Michael was in his retirement year (2014) when he wed this godly Scottish lady, and he had already for many years boldly and diligently used his strategic position teaching in Bologna University, and then in Forli, to invite his students to come along to “inductive” Bible studies. Would that evangelistic zeal die down in what some call “the golden years”? Read on to find out what has really happened, and what is still happening...

Galeazzo Caracciolo - Marquis of Vico

22/3/21

Vico del Gargano, the town where EMF missionary Antonio De Noia came to faith in Christ and where today he ministers to a small congregation of believers, was also the home of a famous Italian Reformer called Galeazzo Caracciolo. Antonio recounts the story.

The story of a Polish builder (and friends)

16/3/21

Nearly three years after the church in Zywiec, Poland began their important building project under the leadership of their pastor, Dawid Kozioł, the work is nearing completion. Dawid has himself given many hours to the job, even during the pandemic, when he and his wife went down with Covid-19 and his aunt Danuta, a retired EMF missionary, was called home after contracting the disease. Read on to find out more about this sacrificial labour.....

The Hungarian Baptist Seminary in Oradea

9/3/21

Pál Borzási is an EMF Missionary and pastor of the Hungarian Baptist Church at Pericei, in the region of Transylvania, Romania. In addition to his pastoral responsibilities, Pál lectures in the Hungarian Baptist Seminary in Oradea. We interviewed Pál about seminary and his involvement in it.

Vitalii ordained as co-pastor

3/3/21

On 14th February 2021, EMF Missionary Vitalii Mariash was ordained as co-pastor of his church in Kyiv, the Bible and Life Church, to serve alongside the current pastor, Borys Borysovych, and co-pastor Yevgeniy Yashchenko.

The Christian and Politics TV Debate

23/2/21

When you think of Italian politics, you might recall TV images of brawling parliamentarians, or stories of scandals and financial intrigue. What place has a Christian in that world? How should we as Bible-based Christians view the issue of involvement in politics?

The Gospel in Italy

1/2/21

Jonathan ‘JD’ Gilmore lives with Annette in Palermo where they are church-planting (LifeHope Church). He is also Area Lead for Acts 29 for southeast Europe. His parents: John and Maureen Gilmore, were missionaries to Italy with EMF back in the 1960s. Jonathan has lived in Italy since he was four months young and therefore is well able to give an introductory article on: The Gospel in Italy.

Interview with Romuald

19/1/21

EMF are passionate about training a new generation of people for gospel ministry. Here we get to know one of the students who is really benefitting from our training fund.

Peschici Food Bank

22/12/20

How do you reach a community with the gospel when you’re viewed as an outsider? That’s the problem faced by many evangelicals in Italy. In fact, many Italians view the evangelical church with great suspicion, believing it to be a kind of cult or sect. Evangelism in such a context is therefore especially challenging.

New Church in Włocławek

8/12/20

Plans to establish a new church in the city of Włocławek, central Poland are progressing well. Krzysztof Rutkowski who is leading this new venture reports that strong foundations are being established with a group of over twenty people now attending meetings.

Help for Happy Wheels

24/11/20

We are excited to announce the launch of our brand-new project called ‘Help for Happy Wheels’. The purpose of this project is to raise funds for a new minibus for people with disabilities in the city of Ternopil, Western Ukraine.

Passion for the Gospel

16/11/20

Back in 2016 EMF missionary (now EMF Director) Andrew Birch attended the ‘Together for the Gospel’ conference in Louisville, Kentucky and was greatly blessed by worshipping with ten thousand fellow Christians, listening to excellent preaching and enjoying rich fellowship.

From Student to Teacher

23/9/20

Vitalii Mariash in Kyiv, Ukraine, as a young person wanted to study theology, and in this article outlines his journey and the importance to him of ‘handing over the baton’ to the next generation.

Paul's Legacy for Leaders

23/9/20

1 & 2 Timothy; Paul's legacy for leaders. An article by Steven Bowers.

New Mission Director - Andrew Birch

2/9/20

A short autobiography.

PIETRO LOREFICE (17th February 1938 - 5th July 2020)

9/7/20

A personal appreciation by Daniel Webber.

Openings for the Gospel in Ioannina

28/4/20

For many years Leonidas and Irene Kollaros have worked in Ioannina and this article gives an up to date account of the work in that university city in north-western Greece

Comment on the Coronavirus by Mission Director Steven Bowers

16/3/20

An article by Mission Director, Steven Bowers, commenting on the Coronavirus problem at the present time and encouraging us to renew our trust and commitment to the Gospel, our trust in the God of that Gospel and our efforts to give that Gospel to Europe.

Five ways to live the Gospel during the #coronavirus

12/3/20

As a church, how can we live the Gospel in practice in the midst of the pandemia of the coronavirus? An article by Stefano Mariotti. Stefano and Jennifer Mariotti are missionaries with the European Mission Fellowship in Budrio, Italy.

Norway - A Needy Land

5/2/20

Europe's northernmost country, the Kingdom of Norway is one of the most beautiful places on earth. It’s famed for its rugged mountains, spectacular fjord coastline, the magical northern lights and the midnight sun. It’s also one of Europe’s most prosperous nations, and regularly ranks as one of the happiest countries in the world. A report by Phil Dunn, the EMF Northern Ireland Representative, on his recent visit to Norway to see EMF missionaries John and Oline Taylor.

Anchored to the Rock - Adversity in Italy

4/2/20

What do we do when our mid-week meetings are empty? What do we do when the local authority changes and we find ourselves struggling as a church? What do we do when the law changes to limit the activity of Muslims and it affects evangelicals too? These are some of the questions EMF missionaries Stefano & Jenny Mariotti have been asking themselves as a couple in the last year!

Moving to a new Mission Field

4/2/20

In September 2019 Pál and Anna Borzási moved with their family from Luna de Sus to Pericei (Transylvania, Romania) to do mission and pastoral work there. An article by Pál Borzási speaking about their move and the challenge to save the lost and build up the church. How? By preaching the powerful gospel of our Lord Jesus!

Spiritual Climate Change in Europe

19/11/19

On 9th November around 100 people gathered for a missionary conference on the theme of ‘Spiritual Climate Change’. It was the 60th Anniversary of EMF.

Casiodoro de Reina's translation of the Bible into Spanish

21/10/19

450th ANNIVERSARY OF CASIODORO DE REINA'S TRANSLATION OF LA BIBLIA DEL OSO. An article by José Moreno Berrocal pastor of the evangelical church in Alcázar, Spain.

What is the religious or philosophical culture situation in the Czech Republic?

15/10/19

Recently I was asked an interesting (and difficult) question – what is the religious or philosophical cultural situation in Czech Republic. I have tried to respond with great humility for I am aware of the limits of my observations. And you may consider my response as an invitation to join us in prayers for we need it indeed. An insightful article by Jan Hábl.

Freedom to tell the truth

30/9/19

‘Freedom’ writes the hero Winston in his illicit diary in George Orwell’s Nineteen Eighty-Four, ‘is the freedom to say 2+2=4’. That’s pretty banal, you may think, but a climax in the book comes when the rulers force him under torture to say that 2+2=5, because they say so. Truth in that world is simply what the highest authority, backed up by force, says it is. A article by Mostyn Roberts, Pastor of Welwyn Evangelical Church and former lecturer in Doctrine of the Church at the School of Biblical Studies.

Contending for the faith against secularism: 'Mind the gap!'

30/9/19

France and Belgium are perhaps two of the main countries in Europe to be classed as Secular. In France 1% of the population is regarded as evangelical and in Belgium 1.2% where even the Catholic church is in rapid decline [source: Operation World]. Michael Robinson working for many years in Belgium gives a concise article outlining the difficulties that secularism can bring in the way of outreach.

A biography of Jan Amos Comenius by Jan Hábl

20/6/19

Jan Amos Comenius (1592 – 1670), Komenský in Czech, was a Protestant Moravian (currently a part of the Czech Republic) pastor, philosopher and educator who is celebrated especially for his revolutionary approach to education. His universal (holistic) notion of education and international success earned him the epithet “the teacher of nations.”

What is Gospel Work?

19/6/19

We are easily distracted from our work. This is as true in gospel work as in any other field. We must, then, be clear about what gospel work is. The Lord Jesus gave a clear statement of the essence of the work,which Luke recorded in Luke 24:44-48. There are three elements.

New HQ

1/3/19

As of 1st March, we’ve made The Old Rectory, Glenfield our formal headquarters and we’ve closed down the office at Guessens.

New Home - New Opportunities

24/1/19

Steven Bowers, EMF Director, walks us through the strategy behind the move to Glenfield and pays respect to the legacy of the past.

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