Elusive Building Permit: Adult Mission Story for August 8, 2026

In Bulgaria, the Seventh‑day Adventist Church prayed for 25 years to obtain a building permit for the Sofia West church. After repeated delays, unanswered calls, and suspected opposition, a new chief architect finally signed the permit—allowing construction to begin with support from a Thirteenth Sabbath Offering.

To build any kind of building in Bulgaria, you need a building permit.

The building permit is issued by the city.

Because the Seventh-day Adventist Church planned to open a large church in the country’s capital, Sofia, it needed to obtain a building permit signed by the city’s chief architect.

To get the signature, you had to make an appointment to meet the chief architect in person. But he wasn’t available every day. He came to his office to sign building permits one afternoon per month.

Furthermore, appointments could only be scheduled by phone. In-person scheduling wasn’t allowed.

It fell upon Iva, the office secretary of the Seventh-day Adventist Church in Bulgaria, to call the chief architect’s secretary to request an appointment.

The task wasn’t simple. When Iva called during the first month, the phone line was constantly busy. The second month, the line was free, but no one answered. The third and fourth months, it was busy again.

Finally, the president of the Adventist Church in Bulgaria went to the chief architect’s office to explain the situation in person.

“You can’t arrange an appointment by coming here,” the secretary said. “You need to call.”

So, the president called Iva from the chief architect’s office and said, “I’m in the office. Please call his secretary now.”

Iva called and called, but no one answered. The phone rang and rang. The president could hear it. The secretary could hear it. But no one answered.

Frustrated, Iva called the president and said, “Please call her yourself.”

So, he did. Standing right in front of the secretary, he called her office line, but she didn’t answer.

It was then that the Adventists began to suspect that someone else might want to buy their land. The property they had purchased for the Sofia West Seventh-day Adventist Church was prime real estate—right next to the underground entrance of a subway station. On one side of the future church was a large shopping center. On the other side was a main tram line. Someone likely hoped the Adventists would give up and sell the land at a low price.

The Adventists began to pray earnestly for their church building. They prayed for 25 years. Finally, a new chief architect took office in Sofia, and he signed the long-awaited building permit. Construction of the church began in October 2024 with the help of a Thirteenth Sabbath Offering, also known as a Quarterly Mission Project Offering.

“We are glad that our prayers for 25 years have come true,” said Marian, head elder of the church.

The Sofia West Seventh-day Adventist Church is under construction, thanks to the support of generous donors from around the world who contributed to the first quarter 2020 offering. This quarter, you can help share the good news of Jesus’ soon coming in Bulgaria. Part of the offering will support a Seventh-day Adventist kindergarten called Colorful Hope (Tzventna Nadezhda) as it moves from rented facilities into its own building in Sofia. Thank you for your generous offering.