A Big Step Towards a Fulfilled Vision in Zagreb

We are both grateful and excited to share the following news with you! Through conversations or a visit with us, you have likely heard of our vision to open a Center for Faith, Ethics and Culture. The first step to this was purchasing a building. To make a long story short, this past June, Pastor Ratko signed the papers and our church has become owners of a property on the most well-known street in Zagreb! 

Ilica, the most well-known street in Croatia. Our new facility is the white building on the left.

Over the last several years, the Lord has planted a vision in the hearts and minds of the leadership of Stijena Spasenja (Rock of Salvation). In thinking and praying for our local church and our city, we have often been inspired by Timothy Keller. His words: "Christians should seek to live in the city, not to use the city to build great churches, but to use the church’s resources to seek a great, flourishing city" helped articulate a vision for how our church relates to our location in the largest city in Croatia, right in the heart of the country. 


We're excited to grow into a place that serves the city through education, public discourse and various cultural events. Although we are currently planning on using one floor of our new building for our local church needs, we hope to one day expand throughout all four floors of the facility and open the doors of the Center to serve the city of Zagreb. 

One of the possible arrangements for the new sanctuary

We are so grateful and humbled by the fact that we have come this far and were able to make this purchase. However, the need is still great. Although we had the money from our savings and a loan to be able to purchase the building, we are now raising funds to help with renovations such as lighting, sound, furniture, flooring etc. Would you prayerfully consider joining our efforts? Your gift goes towards a sanctuary that will serve the dual purpose of offering the local church a distinguished space to worship the Lord and the community a reputable hall for public lectures, round-table discussions and concerts. 


We realize that there are so many projects to give to. With that in mind, our desire is that you would catch a glimpse of the vision, share our joy for this project and join us in expressing God's love for the city of Zagreb. You can partner with us financially by sending donations to NEW EUROPE VISION, PO BOX 9000, Peabody, MA 01961 (indicate that your contribution is for Stijena Spasenja). 


Now for a bit longer explanation of where we've been and how the Lord sowed this vision in the hearts of the leaders of our church. Stijena spasenja church has been renting a space since we were first founded in 2009. 

Celebrating the Stijena Spasenja's 10th anniversary in 2019

In 2020, we were forced to move out of the building we were renting. Since then we have been using a space only available to us on Sunday mornings. Unfortunately, this has not been not adequate to meet many of our practical needs like a nursery, children's ministry and space to hold weekly prayer meetings and other gatherings. Although we are always grateful to be able to meet in any capacity, we have long known that in order to be able to continue to flourish as a local church with a vision for serving our city, we would need a 'home'. 


In 2019, as a congregation we decided to start putting away money specifically with the goal of one day purchasing property instead of continuing to rent. One large donation towards that goal gave us the push to start looking at land and properties more seriously. The building we purchased in June cost more than what we had saved. But with a lot of prayer and many advisors in the process, we decided to ask for a loan for the amount that we were unable to pay from our savings. One of the amazing components in all of this is that our loan request was granted. 


The process of renevoating the space we would use for a sanctuary began this fall

The size of the building means that there are currently three different businesses renting out various floors. Their rent will pay off our monthly loans and we still have plenty of space for a church sanctuary and additional rooms for Sunday school classes and offices. We are so grateful to the Lord for all the advisers He has provided along this journey to help us ensure we were being wise throughout the whole process. 


The floor of the building that will be used by our church needs to be renovated and made into a proper sanctuary. The other rooms need to be updated to serve their various purposes. Again, we are working to build a high-quality and long-lasting sanctuary that we will be able to offer the community around us an up-to-date facility for public lectures, round table discussions and concerts. Building the sanctuary is the first step in our long term vision. We hope to move in by Christmas 2023! We are anxious to be in our own space and continue to grow while offering more ministry opportunities. 


One of the possible designs of the foyer/cafe area outside the sanctuary

Your prayers and support are greatly appreciated! Feel free to forward this to people who might share this vision with us. 


We would love to hear from you and are more than happy to tell you more about this project and our future plans. Please let us know if you would like any additional information. 


A New Chapter at the Seminary

One of the most rewarding parts of our ministry in Croatia is the privilege Jeremy has of teaching at the Evangelical Theological Seminary in Osijek. Over the last year or so, the seminary has both celebrated a major milestone and undergone a significant transition. Last December was the 50th anniversary celebration of the seminary which began in Zagreb, moved briefly to Slovenia in the early 90's during the war, and has been in Osijek for the last 40 years. 

The Beginning of the '23-'24 Academic Year at ETS in Osijek

While the seminary is significant to Central Europe, it's also important to our family. Petra's father had a large part in planting the vision and founding the seminary. Peter just retired from his role as the Dean this past summer. Below he's pictured with the new Dean. 

Former Dean Peter Kuzmič with New Dean Dalibor Kraljik

ETS houses the largest theological library in the former-Yugoslavia. 

ETS Library

It also shares its campus with the local evangelical church - Joyful News Church which meets in a synagogue. This is a constant reminder to both seminary students and church members of the importance each institution has to the other. Dr. Kraljik's vision is for the seminary to train both church leaders and those in the secular workforce theologically.

Jeremy and his Graduating Class 

This past week, the seminary hosted several book launches, lectures and the premier of a sculpture dedicated to the seminary in Osijek.  All of these events, in addition to the new students who have enrolled this academic year, point to a bright future for the Evangelical Theological Seminary.

Romanian Artist Liviu Mocan in front of his Five Alters of Revelation

Book Launch of "Discipleship Jesus' Way" by Ervin Budiselić


The New Living Room in the Seminary Library





Fifty Years!

Camp in Orahovica was the single biggest reason Petra wanted to come back to Croatia when I first met her at Gordon College. She has gone to camp every summer since she was eleven years old with 2020 being the only exception because of the pandemic. Even when she went to high school and college in the States, she came to Croatia every summer to volunteer at camp. This year marked the 50th anniversary of the first camp. Petra's been to the majority of them. 


Our slogan is "a meeting place". "Encounter" would be another way to translate it. Camp in Orahovica is a place where thousands have encountered the Lord. Throughout its 50 year history, God has been faithful. He has used his people in this place to call campers to himself and renew their relationship with him. 

It's also a place where valuable relationships with others have been fostered. This year we had a couple speak at our family camp from Belgrade, Serbia. While the husband had never been to this part of Croatia, his wife was in one of the pictures of kids camp in the 80's. She had been at kids camp 40 years ago. This sort of story is very common. Camp in Orahovica is a highlight for many Christians in the former-Yugoslavia. 

We are thankful for the Lord's faithfulness in this small but significant pocket of eastern Croatia!

 



Handing off the Baton


Despite the fact that it began in the U.S., I hadn't heard of Royal Rangers before I moved to Croatia.

But as of this writing, I've been serving as the Croatian National Coordinator for 11 years. It was a role I was reluctant to take on at the beginning. In fact, I accepted only becasue it was the only way I could use Royal Rangers as a tool in our local church where there were a number of pre-teen guys I was discipling. 

I also qualified my agreement by expressing my desire to hand it off to someone from Croatia one day. I didn't feel that it made sense for a foreigner to lead this ministry long-term. 

That moment came in early November when my good friend Danijel officially became the National Coordinator of RR. 


Danijel's been working with me from the beginning. Together, we attended our first training camp in western Serbia in 2011. He has been a trusted friend and advisor, always ready to help in whatever way he possible can.

Handing this ministry off to Danijel has been rewarding. With the Lord's guidance and Danijel's and others' help, we have used RR as a tool in our endeavor to make disciples of Jesus Christ. I am excited to see how the Lord continues to use Danijel and RR for his glory. 








Once in a Lifetime

August was a once in a lifetime experience. There have been various combinations of Bohalls that have visited the U.S. from Croatia. But this was the first, and perhaps the last time we went as a family of seven. 

We began our trip in the Boston area, visiting Jeremy's family and seeing the Gordon College and Conwell campuses (where we met and were married), among other things.

In front of Wilson Hall at Gordon College

We then spent two weekends with Jeremy's relatives in Brooklyn. Experiencing the Big Apple was a highlight for the kids. 



















In between the two weekends we made a quick trip down to Washington D.C. 












During these first three weeks, we were joined by our pastor and his family - also (and still!) close friends of ours. This was the first time his wife and kids had been to the States. It was quite the adventure for the 11 of us to travel around the northeast. But of course these will be memories we will never forget. 

Towards the end of our trip we visited good friends in Buffalo, NY where we experienced Niagra Falls, then went to Cooperstown. 

Jeremy has always said family and friends are what he misses most about the States. During this trip we were able to reconnect with many of our friends - some who are not specifically mentioned here while introducing our children to some of the most important places and people in the U.S. We even got to take in a couple MLB ballgames - firsts for all of the kids. 

It was certainly a trip to remember!

From One Generation to the Next

"One generation shall commend your works to another." - Psalm 145:4

Royal Rangers workshop at Kids Camp Orahovica 2022


Jeremy here. Although I wasn't at Kids Camp this summer, the picture above jumped out at me as I was looking through the highlights on social media. Besides the fact that it was taken in Orahovica, a place we lived for nine years and have spent most of the summers since, the man on the right is a friend of mine and a significant part of the time we spent in Orahovica. His name is Filip and he was six years old when we moved to Croatia. 

Filip was one of the first boys in our baseball ministry back in 2007 when I invited whoever wanted to come to the local soccer field to learn how to hit and play catch. He was a young teenager when we began Royal Rangers in Orahovica. And this past week, he led the Royal Rangers workshop at Kids Camp. We're thankful for Filip and his desire to commend the Lord's work to the next generation. 

To be clear, this is not our doing. Filip and others like him are the result of his Christian family, local church, camps, other ministries and ultimately the grace of God. But it's these sort of stories that we came to Croatia to be part of. We don't see ourselves as disciple makers, but rather as members of the Body of Christ that makes disciples. And so it's this sort of example that excites and energizes us to continue the work. 

Today, as Teen Camp begins, there are 6 leaders from our local church in Zagreb, including our pastor who leads camp. The goal of camps throughout the years has been to provide a place and an opportunity for each person, leaders and participants alike, to have an encounter with God. We invite you to pray with us that this would indeed be the case throughout the next 3 weeks of camps. 

A Significant Day

I'm convinced that, like masters of any other profession, if we're disciples of Jesus Christ, we need mentors. Today wouldn't have necessarily seemed that special on the surface level. But going into it, I had made plans to get together with two guys whom the Lord has used in significant ways. 

My mentor, Tom Foley, who I've known now for the last 10 years, was visiting Zagreb from the States. Throughout 2020 and 2021 he didn't visit as much as he had in the past so I've begun looking forward to these face-to-face visits even more. There's always the potential that he'll ask a tough question. Tonight it was a softball, "So what are you reading in the Bible these days?" But it could have just as easily been, "How are you and Petra doing?" or "How's your relationship with the Lord?" The questions themselves aren't tough. But he knows how to help me dig into territory that may not be addressed much. Everything's on the table.

Tom and Jeremy in Hungary 2020


Earlier in the day I got together with Tomislav, a guy who I began mentoring soon after we came to Zagreb. He's become a good friend and a young leader in our church. 

Jeremy and Tomislav in Croatia 2020



Tomislav is the sort of guy who will come to others who are older and have more experience, pick their brain and ask for advice. He's open, genuine and transparent - characteristics that have helped him grow to be more and more like Christ. 

I'm so grateful to be in the middle of these two generations. It may not seem like a big deal, but it took several years of living in Croatia to find a guy like either of these two. The lack of having a mentor and having someone to share my experience with was a huge motivator in my drive to learn what it means to make disciples of Jesus Christ in Croatia. 

In the end, that wasn't merely an academic exercise. It's one I've been learning about "on the job". Tom and Tomislav have been a huge part of that.