Bulgarian in Uruguay

Introduction / History

Ethnic Bulgarians trace their history to the late 7th century, when the Bulgars, a central Asian Turkic people, and the Slavs, a central European people, merged to form the first Bulgarian kingdom in what is now northeastern Bulgaria. In the following centuries, they struggled with the Byzantine Empire for control of the Balkans, only to be overrun by Ottoman Turks towards the end of the 14th century. Northern Bulgaria attained autonomy in 1878 and the entire country of Bulgaria became independent from the Ottoman Empire in 1908.

After fighting on the losing side of both World Wars, Bulgaria fell within the Soviet sphere of influence and became a People's Republic in 1946. Communism fell in 1990, and Bulgaria began moving towards political democracy and a market economy while combating inflation, unemployment, corruption and crime. Bulgaria joined the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) in 2004 and the European Union (EU) in 2007.

Bulgaria has a weak economy, partly because of their communist past and partly because of corruption. For this reason, the country has a negative net migration rate. A significant number of Bulgarians have moved to Western Europe and North America; a small number have emigrated to Uruguay.

What Are Their Lives Like?

Various Uruguayans of Bulgarian descent have excelled in music, art, athletics and politics.

What Are Their Beliefs?

The Bulgarian people have been Orthodox Christians since 865 A.D. However, the political and cultural dimensions of Bulgaria's Orthodox Christianity have typically been more prominent than the spiritual ones. This was true from the beginning, as favorable

What Are Their Needs?

Ethnic Bulgarians' biggest felt need is economic security. This is fueling both urbanization and emigration as people increasingly relocate to larger cities inside and outside the country in search of work. While some find it, however, many ethnic Bulgari

Prayer Points

Pray that Bulgarians in Uruguay will regularly witness Christians living in joyful obedience to Jesus Christ, leading them to embrace the cross and the empty grave.
Pray that Bulgarian Christian believers develop culturally relevant church and church-planting models to reach the "new Bulgarians"—middle class, postmodern thinkers, etc.
Pray that Bulgarians will put their hope and trust in Jesus Christ, not a religious institution.

Text Source:   Joshua Project