(photo above: The TBN team in Prague, the Czech Republic.)
by Matthew Crouch
We just finished up leg two of our TBN international trip, which took us to Prague in the Czech Republic, a country that is primed for a real move of God — a move in which we believe TBN will play a significant role.
Even though the Czech Republic’s 1989 “Velvet Revolution” brought an end to over forty years of communist rule and ushered in democracy, that change didn’t equate into spiritual freedom for this little nation of nearly 11 million people. Today only one percent of the population is Christian, while a staggering 88 percent call themselves “non-religious.” What an incredible opportunity for God’s people to win back an entire generation of individuals and families in Eastern Europe for God’s Kingdom — and TBN is strategically poised to be a key catalyst for this crucial mission.
While Laurie and I had never before been to the Czech Republic or Prague, TBN Europe has been a powerful presence in this region since 1999. In fact, over the past sixteen years TBN has provided a continuous flow of life-changing Christian programming to the region via satellite.
As we and our team traveled through the area we couldn’t help but notice that almost every house has a satellite dish on the roof. That means TBN Europe has a direct pipeline to broadcast the message of God’s grace into most of the homes in the region. In fact, TBN is already quite well-known throughout Europe, so now we simply need to supply more life-changing programming in the languages that are specific to the countries of Eastern Europe.
That’s where three important people we met during this leg of our journey step into the picture. As you will see, these men of God are strategically positioned to help TBN reach Eastern Europe with the message of the Gospel.
Festus Nsoha
Pastor Festus Nsoha has a passion for the Lord that is evident in his conversation. As we met with him he told us that over twenty years ago “the Lord spoke to me audibly and told me to go to Prague and preach the Gospel!” He had no bank account, only a few dollars in his pocket, and no place to stay. But he did have a Bible and a word from the Lord, and so he fasted and prayed, resting in the assurance that God would give provision where he gave vision.
A few years later an American missionary friend, Norman Stanton, mentioned to him that there was a Christian television station called “TBN Europe” that he could watch in Prague via satellite. Pastor Nsoha bought a small satellite receiver and immediately became a follower and financial supporter of TBN. In fact, he emphasized, watching TBN motivated him to found Oasis Church, a vibrant congregation he pastors in the heart of Prague.
In 2003 Pastor Nsoha had the opportunity to travel to TBN’s headquarters in California where, in his words, he experienced in person “my lifeline.” Over another decade and more he continued to be encouraged through this network, until most recently he heard from a good friend and fellow pastor, Joel Baker, about the meeting we had planned in Prague — a meeting he decided to attend.
That brings us up to the present. Upon meeting Pastor Nsoha a few days ago, we were convinced that this man of God carries a powerful anointing for ministry and is an ideal partner for TBN’s outreach in Prague and the Czech Republic. Most importantly, he is prepared and enthusiastically committed to head up an ongoing one- to two-hour block of Czech-language programming that would be broadcast onTBN Europe.
Joel Baker
Joel Baker serves as an evangelist and pastor in Montenegro, one of the war-torn former Yugoslavian countries before the split in 1993. Montenegro is now its own country in southeastern Europe, bordering Croatia and Bosnia. Joel has been a missionary in Europe for over thirty years, and over the past decade has pastored in Montenegro while serving a second church in Russia. His connection with congregations in Montenegro, Serbia, and Croatia is what ultimately connected him to TBN and our outreach in Europe.
In 2014 Pastor Joel met Richard Fleming from TBN London, who put him in contact with our head producer, Bob Fopma. Over the past year and a half Bob and our TBN production team have been mentoring Pastor Joel on producing quality programming for television, and when he joined us in Prague recently for our regional meetings, it became clear that we had another strategic addition to our TBN team for reaching Eastern Europe with life-changing Christian programming.
Pastor Joel is committed to working with TBN to establish a fully equipped “Regional Taping Center” in Eastern Europe where pastors and ministries can produce powerful programming for TBN Europe. With a passion for the Gospel and countless connections to pastors and Christian leaders throughout the region, Pastor Joel Baker is uniquely positioned to help TBN reach the people of Eastern Europe with the message of God’s love.
Pastor Blagovest and Katya Belev
In 1993 Bulgarian Pastor Blagovest Belev was invited by Pastor John Osteen to a ministry conference at Houston’s Lakewood Church. It was on that particular visit that Pastor Blagovest met my father, TBN founder Paul Crouch Sr., who asked him to join other international ministry leaders for the 1993 grand opening of TBN’s International Production Center in Dallas. Thus, TBN’s connection with this servant of God spans nearly twenty-five years.
It was also in 1993 that Pastor Blagovest heard the Lord telling him that if he wanted to effectively reach the people of Bulgaria, he must do it through Christian television. He took that word to heart, moved forward with the vision, stayed faithful, and after many years and and attempts, he and his wife Katya were finally granted a broadcast license by the Bulgarian government. Remarkably, they are now broadcasting throughout the region on cable as a “Government Authorized Christian Channel.”
God has also blessed this faithful couple with a small production studio, which is nearly complete, along with a second studio in the making. Their perseverance and diligence for the sake of the Gospel over the past twenty-plus years means that today individuals and families in Bulgaria are receiving the message of Jesus’ love through Christian television. We were thrilled to meet with Pastor Blagovest in Prague, and we are excited for this TBN partnership-in-the-making in Bulgaria.
Just as my dad did over the forty years he guided and grew TBN’s presence throughout the world, we continue to pray and search for individuals on every continent who are strategically positioned to partner with TBN to reach the world for Christ. Please join us in prayer that God will lead TBN to more people like Pastors Festus Nsoha, Joel Baker, and Blagovest and Katya Belev — men and women of God with no other ambition than to reach their neighborhoods, communities, and nations with the life-changing love of Jesus.