Across continents and oceans, and amidst time zones and language barriers, the Bulgaria and MidTexas annual conferences live out global community through a connectional partnership. What began as financial support developed into a covenant relationship founded on Christ, reciprocal support and a common mission to spread the Gospel throughout the world. The first annual conference to join the Global Methodist Church, the Bulgaria Annual Conference left behind the familiarity and security of the United Methodist Church in 2022 to join the fledgling denomination. “We moved as a package,” said the Rev. Daniel Topalski, Bulgaria conference superintendent. “We had the same people, same churches, same leaders, same district. All the people are the same, and for us it was very difficult to understand that we are not the same church anymore.” According to Topalski, Methodist churches in Bulgaria were financially dependent on other entities for nearly two centuries. With a history of financial dependency in the 1800s from the Methodist Episcopal Church, to receiving support following the communist regime, reliable plans to establish financial autonomy were never made. When Bulgaria churches unanimously left the United Methodist Church, the pressure of financial sustainability began to build. That’s where MidTexas comes in. In 2023, Bishop Emerita Leah Gregory, MidTexas conference superintendent, and Topalski served on the Global Methodist Transitional Leadership Council together and discussed what an international partnership between the Bulgaria and MidTexas annual conferences could look like. “When Bulgarian churches joined the Global Methodist Church, they lost nearly 70% of their previous financial support,” said Gregory. “The partnership with MidTexas helped provide stability as the Bulgarian churches worked toward greater financial sustainability.” The partnership began with an annual $120,000 commitment from MidTexas to Bulgaria which reduces every year over a five-year term of covenant. By year five, the annual commitment will be $24,000. The partnership is funded outside of connectional giving. Each MidTexas district voluntarily raises a set amount, strengthening the districts as they work together to meet the annual need. The funds support Bulgarian pastors who lost a significant percentage of their salaries, but the partnership quickly blossomed into meaningful personal relationships and shared ministry. Each of the 24 congregations in Bulgaria is paired with one of MidTexas’s 23 covenant district areas. According to Gregory, the annual conferences have met for five exchange trips since the start of the partnership, with Bulgaria members visiting the United States and vice versa. In April of 2026, clergy and laity from the MidTexas Annual Conference visited Bulgaria, joined by representatives from the Mexico Annual Conference and ecumenical partners from Costa Rica. “It is not just a financial portion of regular connectional giving that goes to a partner,” said Dave Roberson, a lay member in the MidTexas Annual Conference who visited Bulgaria in April. “It is a personal relationship. When the local church develops a relationship with a connectional partner, the bond is stronger than if the connection is only at the conference level.” Early in the partnership, Topalski visited the MidTexas Annual Awakening conference and spoke at the first laity gathering. After the conference, Roberson took Bulgarian pastors to several churches to connect with MidTexas laity and share about the Global Methodist Church presence in Bulgaria. “Although MidTexas is significantly larger, we have intentionally structured this as a partnership of equals in ministry,” Gregory said. “The strength of a church is not measured simply by its size or financial resources. We have much to learn from the faithfulness, perseverance, and spiritual vitality of our Bulgarian brothers and sisters.” Through video calls and WhatsApp messages, members of both conferences keep in touch between visits, sharing photos of their ministries and praying for one another. Bulgarian pastors use Zoom to attend to weekly MidTexas class meetings for meaningful conversations and accountability. “We utilize the technology to really learn about each other’s families and histories, learn each other's faith stories and walk together in partnership,” said the Rev. Ryan Barnett, MidTexas operational officer. Barnett added that some members in the annual conferences are working on ways to conduct joint international Bible studies. “These things are all driving the relational nature of our international partnerships and we are learning from each other.” In addition to supporting one another in prayer and communication, the annual conferences participate in leadership development and trainings focused on stewardship, discipleship, prayer and evangelism. During the trainings, no one annual conference leads—attendees share best practices, drawing on experience and expertise from both sides of the world. The strong personal relationships serve as a foundation when hardships and challenges arise. During a visit to the United States, the Rev. Margarita Todorova, pastor of Sevlievo Global Methodist Church in Bulgaria, visited a partner church in Texas led by the Rev. David Medley. This connection with an American church would later make an impact on Todorova’s community. In March of 2026, Sevlievo was hit by flooding and Medley’s church sprang into action. “ [Medley] not only prayed for us, but alerted the bishop and the MidTexas Annual Conference about the situation,” Todorova said. Because of this connection, the Bulgaria Annual Conference received $15,000 from MidTexas to help flood victims in Sevlievo and Turnovo, aiding eight families in desperate need of support. Likewise, in July of 2025, MidTexas experienced massive floods throughout the Texas Hill Country. The Bulgaria Annual Conference responded and raised more than $5,000 to help their brothers and sisters in Texas. “Not a big amount by American standards, a significant amount for us,” said Topalski. The Bulgaria Annual Conference raised an additional $5,000 to support a partnership in Rwanda. These offerings were collected in empty two-liter soda bottles at the end of local church services. “A partnership is important because it truly makes you understand and feel that you are not alone in this world and you have a partner to support you in everything you do,” Todorova said. “When one falls, the other will lift him up, just as it is said in Ecclesiastes 4:9-10.” Looking ahead to 2027, the annual conferences are planning for two additional exchange visits. In February, a delegation of three Bulgarian representatives will visit MidTexas for the next Annual Awakening conference. In May, an American delegation of 15 pastors and a choir will accompany Gregory on a visit to Bulgaria. In addition, volunteers from MidTexas will partner with pastors in Bulgaria for a youth camp weekend. While nurturing the reciprocal relationship through fellowship and training, the annual conferences will focus on what’s next for the partnership—planting more Bulgarian churches. “Following decades of persecution, only three Methodist congregations remained in Bulgaria by 1989. Today, there are 24. We want to encourage their continued growth and witness,” Gregory said.  Several congregations have already become self-supporting, and the annual conferences celebrate that progress. “For a very long time, we were accustomed to think that we are so small and we cannot bring to the table anything meaningful,” Topalski reflected. “MidTexas and our participation in the Global Methodist Church help us to think differently about that. We believe now that despite our size, we also can bring a significant contribution to the table.” The partnership between Bulgaria and MidTexas is a prime example of what it means to be part of a global church. Despite cultural differences, language barriers and financial situations, the love of Christ binds the Church together and motivates members to serve across borders and oceans. Global Methodists belong to one another. “We are blessed by this partnership,” Gregory said, “not just from an exchange of resources, but by being able to walk side by side in seeking to grow closer to God so that we can make disciples of Jesus Christ and spread scriptural holiness across the globe.”

Today in the United States we celebrate Veterans Day, honoring all who have served in our nation’s armed forces. Thank you to our veterans and their families for their service and sacrifice. Within the Global Methodist Church, this service extends beyond the borders of one’s country and into the world. Through endorsing ministries, clergy are authorized to represent Jesus Christ and the Global Methodist Church in the military and other settings. In this special Global Messenger testimony, Army Chaplain Bradley Bruce shares about how the call to serve Christ aligns with the call to serve one’s country and beyond. As we remember the veterans in the United States, we also acknowledge those serving and spreading the gospel in other countries through chaplaincy ministry. The Gospel knows no borders, and no life is beyond the reach of God’s grace. The World is My Parish: A Military Chaplain's Perspective by Chaplain (Lieutenant Colonel) Bradley V. Bruce (Retired) Military Chaplaincy is a unique subset of endorsed ministry in a setting where the world is truly your parish. Over the course of 24 years in the United States Army with travel to over 20 countries and many parts of the continental United States, it has become evident that endorsed ministry to the military is one of the most blessed and diverse settings to serve in. Endorsed ministry is simply ministry beyond the local church. It is an important part of who we are as Methodists and for sharing the gospel to the very corners of the earth. The church is always our home and place from where all are sent to carry the gospel—some further than others, like missionaries to other countries. A life as an endorsed clergy member is an adventure with Jesus for those God has called and equipped. Other than perhaps serving as a university chaplain, it’s hard to find more opportunities to engage young men and women who are seeking to understand life and the world around them as you have in the military. The military is a mission field with people from all walks of life, socio-economic statuses and cultures. From waking in the morning and joining your team on the field for physical training, to being present in workspaces, joining in training, participating in ceremonies and following your people into battle, the chaplain represents the Lord in all places. Like the prophet Jeremiah, an Army chaplain walks where soldiers walk. There are many opportunities to share the love of Christ with those you serve, some more overt than others, like in chapel, field services or impromptu Bible studies. From the earth-shattering and horrifying moments to the tender times of brokenness, it is a sacred journey to bring the light of Christ into a secular setting that is often portrayed as evil, and yet there is nowhere we will not go to share the gospel. As I was serving in my first appointment, I thought God was certainly calling me to the global mission field since I had served in the Army previously in the Ranger Regiment and trained for the most austere conditions. I just knew God was going to use me in a less permissive missional area. This was of course before a group of military chaplains surrounded me at the Veterans Affairs hospital in Durham, NC and told me that they believed God may be calling me to the military again. They said they had observed my love and compassion in service to veterans and were certain through the Holy Spirit that this was my calling. Naturally, I was hesitant and took the time to dip my toe in the water as a pastor volunteering first to cover a weekend for a reserve unit meeting for training, called drilling. The next week was the beginning of clarity in my call to endorsed ministry. This was where God was truly calling me. It of course would mean going back to military training again as well as preparing for military ministry in the Army. Things seemed to happen fast with packing lists, physical training prep, the Chaplain Officer Basic Leadership Course, and months of learning to be a soldier again. After onboarding, I was asked to deploy with a Special Missions Unit (not the missions you’re thinking). In Jalalabad, Afghanistan, I served my unit, prepared them spiritually every day for the grueling throes of war. Combat settings have a way of accelerating bonds due to the threat of loss of life. It was an honor and privilege to provide worship in any way I could for my unit to include worship, Bible study, and communion each week. What was equally important was just being there for soldiers to pray and ask questions. I was their pastor in a place where humanity was waning. For me this routine would happen off and on for nearly 10 years. In all the time spent in military ministry, the most precious times were those spent on my knees with others before the God of the universe in the war zone. There is something sacred about a space where men and women are willing to die for those they do not even know. To serve them and be their pastor was an honor like no other. As you might imagine, there was no shortage of daily miracles and many who accepted Jesus as Savior. Today, I am happy to support our endorsed ministers and those not requiring endorsement as they move like John Wesley across this planet to bring the gospel to the very corners of the earth in every secular setting imaginable. It has been an honor to serve alongside a diverse mix of anointed leaders from every sector of endorsed ministry on our GMC Endorsing Board. The work we do to encourage and equip our colleagues continues to echo the words of Wesley, “I look upon all the world as my parish; thus far I mean, that, in whatever part of it I am, I judge it meet, right, and my bounden duty, to declare unto all that are willing to hear, the glad tidings of salvation. This is the work which I know God has called me to; and sure I am that his blessing attends it.”