News Flash

The „Beteli Centre“ of the Evangelical Baptist Church of Georgia officially opened!

 

With a solemn and festive act the Centre of the Evangelical Baptist Churches of Georgia (EBC) was inaugurated Friday, June 10. After years of intensive work, uncountable problems and many financial crises, the Beteli Centre could now be dedicated in the presence of a great number of national and international guests.

 

The EBC of Georgia has 60 churches and a membership of about 7.000 plus a great number of friends.

 

The beginning of this project goes back to the initiative of the former General Secretary of The German Baptist Union, Eckhard Schaefer. The German Baptist Union therefore also became the sponsor which invested most of the money. Other organisations like Diakonische Werk in Stuttgart/Germany, the deaconesses’ order of Bethel in Berlin/Germany, the Corvus Foundation in Switzerland have donated to the project. Others were the Texas Baptist Convention USA, the American Baptist Churches USA, the European Baptist Federation, the Anglican Church in England and personal friends of the EBC of Georgia. The German Bund Freier Evangelischer Gemeinden donated a great number of chairs and tables.

 

But without the great involvement of many Georgian Baptists and friends of the churches this centre never could have been finished. If you had a chance to see the centre only two days before the inauguration, you would believe what a change took place during the last hours. But when the day had come everything was in splendid condition. The centre will be a place for conferences, for education in various programs, a home for elderly and for several offices of the Baptist church. As soon as the third wing of the complex will be completed it will house the new Theological Seminary where students can live and study.

But the centre will be open for other churches as well.

 

As one would expect you will find a lot of signs of the Georgian religious culture and heritage. Modern icons can been seen in several rooms and even above the entrance of the building. There is already a school of iconography in the centre.

 

Many international guests were present. From the capital city of Tbilisi came the mayor to bring a word of greetings. He called the centre a symbol of tolerance and love. Beside him a representative of the President of the country was present together with a number of ambassadors and representatives of all other churches. The Georgian Orthodox Church was not officially present but some Orthodox priests who are friends of the presiding Bishop of the EBC of Georgia, Malkhaz Songulashvili.

It was a very moving moment, when the Rabbi of the Jewish community expressed his greetings and the leader of the Muslim Community in Georgia as well.

 

Following the official procession into the building and the wonderful conference hall, prayers, all the greetings and an impressive folklore program all were invited for a big Georgian meal.

 

The centre is not yet fully completed. The money for the interior construction and for the large garden is lacking and so it has to wait. The plans for both are ready and wait for the realisation.

 

If today you come close to the building you will noticed the white shining building from far. This area will be a centre for a lot of new constructions and bring new life. The personnel of the US and German Embassies will have their village in the neighbourhood.

We may see very soon in the centre a new Baptist Church and even an International Church.