Village elders congregate in the city center each evening to visit and discuss life, but none know about eternal life through Jesus Christ.

When a Pomak says no, he shakes his head up and down; when he says yes, he shakes his head back and forth. This cultural anomaly is not just a random characteristic–it has a history that goes back to the very core of Pomak identity.

When the Turks invaded Bulgaria 500 years ago, they forced many to convert to Islam under threat of death. Three hundred years later as Orthodox Christians re-took some of the territory, the Pomaks were again forced to convert or die. Their identity became a pawn in the fight for power, so they learned to adapt. They agreed among themselves to give the answers required of them while holding to the truth of who they were.

If asked about their Muslim beliefs, they would shake their head ‘yes’ to appease the interrogator, while saying no quietly to themselves. When asked if they changed their name from Muslim to Christian, they would say yes, while shaking their head ‘no.’ In this way, they protected their soul while avoiding persecution.

Crossing Signals Today

This survival instinct is still in tact today. The Pomaks live in a synchronistic world that includes Easter and Ramadan, mosques and churches, burkas and jeans. Known by the Bulgarians as Muslims and by the rest of the world as Bulgarians, the Pomaks are living between two worlds.

In village K, in the Rhodope Mountains, Vladimer* takes time from renovating his school building to visit with Mark*, a Southern Baptist (SB) volunteer who is working to reach the Pomaks for Christ. Vladimer has been to visit Mark in America and Mark and his wife have spent extended time in Village K fostering friendship and offering assistance.

When Vladimer was asked about his beliefs, he admitted to knowing little.

“I know only a little about Muslim,” he said. “I know mostly that God sent prophets to tell us to obey Him.”

When questioned on his willingness to receive help from Christians in his Muslim village, Vladimer responded, “Communication with others is normal, even by our Imam. We believe in the same God, so there is no problem.”

At the same time, Islam classes are now being held for children because more radical middle-eastern Muslims have taken an interest in village K. Also, the mosque in the center of Village K is new.

A Need to Hear the Truth

Peter*, an International Mission Board missionary working among the Pomaks described these Bulgarian Muslims as “hanging out in their Islamicism.”

“Many of these people accepted this Islam and they don’t really know what they believe,” Peter said. “They haven’t really been pushed to become some kind of Islamic nation, but when they’ve heard the Gospel, it has been shrouded in ‘you either accept our religion or you die;’ so they haven’t felt the peace and hope that comes from knowing Jesus Christ either.”

The goal of Peter and Mark and the other SB churches partnering with them is to introduce the Pomaks to the true Christianity.

“We need to grab their hearts and show them that there’s something better out there,” Peter said. “We want to love these people and bring them hope.”

Through providing English teachers, serving as an educational resource for Vladimer and retaining a consistent presence in village K, SB believers are hoping to introduce the true Gospel to the Pomak people.

Please pray for the Pomaks to accept the truth with open hearts and minds. Pray about your involvement in reaching them for Christ. To find out more about ministry among the Pomaks go to hope4rhodopes.com.

*Names have been changed for security purposes

It seemed that everywhere I turned I was surprised at what I found. But nothing astonished me as much as being invited to climb the minaret and look out over village K. I saw the speakers wedged into a roughly hewn window and I found the microphone of the muezzin. So common, I thought, not really scary at all–although the sound of the call to prayer earlier in the day had sounded ominous and foreboding and dreadful.  As I looked out over the village from the minaret I was compelled to pray for God’s glory to come down on village K and for Him to be known through His son Jesus Christ. 

As I tenuously made my way down the steep stairs,  I was relieved to enter the main room that was layered in a mosaic of brightly colored rugs.  I walked into a conversation that was even more shocking than all the previous events. Vladimir was asking our American volunteer, a pastor from Texas, a question. 

“What do you believe about Jesus?” Vladimer asked. “Do you believe He was a great prophet?”

“Not the way you do,” Tommy responded. “He’s the Savior of the world.”

There it was, I thought, the highpoint of this trip–sharing the truth of Christ while standing in a mosque. It just doesn’t get any better than that. 

Village K

Village K is hidden away high in the Rhodope Mountains of Bulgaria. The old men meet and play cards in the town hall, the old women gather on benches outside to share the day’s news, and the young people congregate at the school yard to play soccer and dream about having money and fame. It is one of the few completely Muslim villages in Bulgaria. 

Vladimer shared without hesitation that only the old men and women faithfully attend the mosque. He also epitomized the villager’s nominalism while speaking to Tommy about his faith. 

“I know only a little about Islam,” Vladimer said. “I mainly know that we believe there are more prophets (than the ones in the Bible). We believe that God sent his prophets to tell people to believe in him, and when people don’t believe God sends new prophets to tell them.”

This nominalism mixed with a new disco in town and a dwindling population has led to openness on the part of village leaders to anyone willing to help them have hope and a future.  Both radical Muslims and evangelical Christians have been welcomed. The former have begun Islam classes for children as well as a campaign to popularize the burka through financial incentives. Christians are helping the community through assisting Vladimer, the school principal, in bettering his educational program. Volunteers have come to teach English, give advice and offer friendship.  They have also hosted Vladimer and his wife in America. 

How to Win them

Alexi*, a Bulgarian missionary working to reach the Muslims of Village K described his plan to share Christ with them.

“Building relationships–providing value to the people, meeting needs, building cultural bridges…and all this packaged with the Gospel message,” he said.

While visiting in America, Vladimer visited in a local school district and learned many things that he has now implemented in his village. From a better use of time, to more accountability between teachers and students to adding new whiteboards, the school is in transition. 

“When I have a problem at school, I open my notebooks from my time in America and look for ideas,” Vladimer said. 

But the friendship has had a wider impact on Vladimer than improving his school. While in America he also visited a Baptist church for the first time and heard the Gospel. When Tommy, the equivalent of an imam to Vladimer, came to his village, it was Vladimer who began the conversation about Jesus. Later when they were talking about the day, he commented on Tommy’s demeanor.

“You were not what I expected from an imam,” he said. “You are lively and warm and real–you care.” 

Tommy plans to come again and continue building the relationship he’s begun in Bulgaria, because the people of village K need hope. 

“I think being real, and genuinely loving people with the Love of Christ will build strong relationships of trust,” Tommy said. “These people have been burned by those who came in the name of God–both Islam and Orthodoxy–and by communism. They are distrustful.”

Tommy wants them to say, ‘here’s an American guy and there’s something about him I like and I want to open up with him.’  He hopes to be able to talk about what life is made of…what’s real…what lasts.

Standing in the mosque that day and hearing the identity of Jesus clearly defined, was a great first step. 

*Names have been changed for security reasons

Who are the Pomak? This same question was asked by each of the American students as well as their professor who served as team leader. Bobby, a sophomore at Campbellsville University found the trip an eye-opening experience. “I couldn’t have told you where Bulgaria was before finding it on the map. Since it is in Europe, I kind of expected a certain type of people. But as we went out into remote areas I definitely saw some things I wasn’t expecting. I had no idea a Muslim culture would be there.”

The Pomaks often defy expectations of those around them. They are a sort of enigma. They live in the mountains of Bulgaria, Greece and Turkey, sharing a common language and culture. Each country claims them as their own, but they are in fact a people without a nation. They speak a Slavic language that resembles Bulgarian, but with a Turkish accent. They live in countries that hold to Orthodoxy but they worship in Mosques and not churches. Some of their mosques and religious schools are funded by the wealthy country of Saudi Arabia, but they live in villages of extreme poverty, with mule carts as their primary source of transportation. They are Slavs but are a remnant of the Ottoman occupiers of old. They are mostly considered Slavic speaking Muslims, but their origins and ethnicity are mere speculation.

It is exactly because of their obscurity that the team made the trip to South Europe. Through production of videos and other media, the CEE media team wants to make the Pomak people group, as well as many others, household names to Southern Baptists in order to reach them with the gospel. They are passing this vision on to media-savvy men and women who want to use their gifts to reach the lost for Christ.

Volunteer team leader Jason Garret is the professor of Cinema Television at Campbellsville University in Kentucky. His desire is to use his gifts, talents, and relationships with students for God’s glory. He saw this volunteer trip as the perfect opportunity to do just that.

“I would say it’s a perfect opportunity to do what it is you love to do and not really have to worry about money or worry about the business side of things–just go and do your craft and do what you love to do, and do it to the glory of God and let it kinda become this worship you have to offer.”

That worship is a tremendous blessing to the Pomak people, though most don’t know it yet. Through the videos and media produced that result from this trip, the Pomaks will, hopefully, be adopted by a church or ministry that is committed to doing whatever it takes to reach them with the gospel.  The possibilities include becoming a virtual strategy coordinator, becoming or sending out a missionary to serve among the Pomaks, sending volunteer groups to minister, committing to be prayer intercessors for this group, or giving money to fund evangelical projects.

According to Scott Wood, CEE Regional Media Team member, it’s going to take a long-term commitment. “The work there is very slow. Long-term relationships are required with the people and covering them with prayer is the first priority, ” he said.

The work may be slow but it has now begun thanks to this first volunteer trip. If you or your church is interested in taking the next step to reach the Pomak people group, contact us at hope4cee@pobox.com.

There are so many more groups that need to have work begun in their midst! If you would like to be a part of a media ministry trip for one of CEE’s 234 targeted people groups visit the media website at hopecommunications.org. Come and worship with us!