From Bulgaria: ‘Evangelical Focus’ on its 11th anniversary

Eleven years ago, a relatively small media outlet began to look for a way to tell the story of Europe through a Christian worldview – calmly, without sensationalism and without running away from difficult questions.

Now, Evangelical Focus marks its 11^th anniversary, and for me this is not just a jubilee. It is a personal moment of gratitude to God that such a voice has managed to remain, grow and mature in a media space that is often loud and superficial.

As a reader from Bulgaria, I have followed Evangelical Focus for many years. What has kept me reading is not the search for a “correct line”, but the effort to read reality honestly – in the churches, in society, in the technological and cultural changes around us.

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This media project does not simplify reality, but it also does not dramatise it artificially. In a world where the Christian faith is often either marginalised or used as a scarecrow, such balance is rare.

Over time, this consistency has revealed something important about the character of the media itself. Evangelical Focus does not seem interested in impressing anyone, nor in trying to set the tone for every conversation. The tone is usually calm, the language thoughtful and the response to events expresses an inclination to listen and learn.

Across news, interviews and reflections, there is a visible effort to listen carefully to Europe as it is, while reading it through a Christian worldview shaped by a serious engagement with Scripture and by a sense of responsibility toward both church and society. The result is a kind of journalism that tries to be clear without being simplistic. The articles touch heavy issues without creating excessive alarms, and that is something other Christian media seem to lack.

Over time, this relationship has gone beyond that of a reader alone. My relationship with Evangelical Focus is also connected to my own work as a writer. Over the years, I have had the privilege of contributing to around thirty texts. I have also been interviewed on different occasions, and two articles about the unfortunate Bulgarian draft law on religious denominations in 2018 even entered the top ten most-read materials of that year. This does not make me part of the team, but it gives me the opportunity to observe closely how an international Christian newsroom works – with respect for the author, with sensitivity to context and subject matter and with a clear understanding that Christian faith is not decorative. Rather, it is a starting point and even an anchor for all content.

Alongside my involvement with Evangelical Focus, I am also part of the editorial team of a similar Protestant publication in Bulgaria – the bi-monthly newspaper Zornitsa. Zornitsa first started coming out back in 1876, when Bulgaria was not even an independent state. As a Protestant publication, it covered a multitude of matters – social, political, Biblical, educational, moral – and became one of the most recognised media outlets during the Bulgarian Enlightenment. Today, as we celebrate 150 years since its inception, it is a privilege to serve aboard such a historical newspaper, as well as celebrate the special occasions of sister media like Evangelical Focus.

Over the years, Zornitsa and Evangelical Focus have worked together many times. We have exchanged texts and perspectives, borrowing from each other. This partnership is not only media-based. It rests on spiritual closeness and mutual trust.

Especially valuable to me is the personal side of this cooperation. My friendship with Joel Forster from Valencia, one of the main driving forces behind Evangelical Focus, has given this relationship a human face. I have cherished his perspectives and insights during this time. Through him, Europe stopped being an abstract concept and became real people, churches and communities.

This personal connection also made distant events feel close. Through him, I felt very engaged with the 2024 Valencia flood that brought so much damage and suffering. Along this line, the Bulgarian Evangelical Alliance was able to send financial support to those affected by the severe floods in Valencia. The funds were transferred directly to the Spanish Evangelical Alliance with the purpose of relieving families who had suffered serious material damage. This was a clear example that Christian solidarity does not end with words and publications.

In this sense, the media partnership between Zornitsa and the Spanish team of Evangelical Focus is only a secondary expression of something deeper – the spiritual closeness and cooperation between the Spanish Evangelical Alliance and the Bulgarian Evangelical Alliance.

It is also important to note that Evangelical Focus is not an isolated project. The website is based in Spain and has a sister Spanish-language edition – Protestante Digital – which serves the Spanish-speaking world with the same dedication and journalistic responsibility.

Eleven years are not a small thing, especially for a media outlet that seeks faithfulness to God rather than algorithms and popularity. Evangelical Focus does not claim perfection, but it shows perseverance. And this is what builds trust, because it testifies to a steady desire to serve both truth and people.

As a reader, as an author and as someone engaged in Christian journalism in Bulgaria, I can say calmly and honestly: the presence of Evangelical Focus matters. It is humbling to observe how a Christian media remains faithful to its deeper values despite all pressures and political changes. In today’s Europe, this is truly remarkable. I feel deeply privileged to be able to contribute, even in a small way, to the work and witness of this website.

My prayer for my dear brother Joel and for the whole team – both the English and Spanish editions – is that they may continue forward with renewed strength, a fresh vision for the place of digital newspapers on the screen of today’s reader and true spiritual guidance from God. I pray that His Word may dwell richly in the heart of every team member, that they may find new occasions to publish testimonies and stories of God’s work across the continent.

I also pray for financial provision, so that Evangelical Focus can continue to serve – both in step with what is happening in Europe and in tune with the pulse of the movement of God’s Spirit.

Seguid avanzando con valentía, queridos amigos.

Vlady Raichinov, Baptist pastor and author in Sofia, Bulgaria. This article has been translated by the author into English from its original on Zornitsa.