REFORMED EPISCOPAL CHURCH CROATIA & SERBIA NEWS 2/2025
Dear in Christ,
At the link provided, you will find our latest newsletter. We kindly ask you to share it in your churches, on your social media, and to forward it to others. For any additional information, please contact us at: bishop.jmilic@gmail.com
We present to you the new REFORMED EPISCOPAL CHURCH Croatia & Serbia News 2/2025. You can read previous newsletters here.
REFORMED EPISCOPAL CHURCH CROATIA & SERBIA NEWS 2/2025
Work among the Romani people
Our church continues its ministry among the Romani people, not only in Kapelna but also in Bistrinci (a village near Osijek). The work that was started by the late Rev. Bob Hitching of blessed memory is now being continued by Rev. Damir Sitar, who regularly visits families, proclaiming the Word of God and caring for their needs. As far as it is able, the Church also strives to provide humanitarian aid to these dear people, especially to the children.
See the photos:
Easter in Croatian Parishes
As in every year, this year too the greatest Christian feast – Easter – was solemnly celebrated in our parishes. We bring you several photos from Tordinci, Osijek, and Karlovac.
Ecumenical Prayer in the Week before Pentecost and the Commemoration of the 1700th Anniversary of the First Council of Nicaea
In several of our parishes, we organized prayers for the unity of Christians. Although most Christians today observe this prayer in January (from January 18 to 25), following an old Roman Catholic tradition, we have revived the original custom of holding the week of prayer for Christian unity during the week leading up to Pentecost.
See the photos from Tordinci and Karlovac.
1700 Years since the Council of Nicaea Commemorated in Belgrade (Serbia)
On Saturday, May 31, 2025, we marked the 1700th anniversary of the Council of Nicaea with a solemn worship service in Belgrade. On this occasion, Deacon Sergej Beuk gave a lecture on the significance of this anniversary, and the service was led and the sermon preached by Bishop Jasmin Milić.
See the photos:
Confirmation in Belgrade (Serbia)
On Monday, July 14, 2025, we held a worship service in Belgrade at the location where our office is situated. Unfortunately, due to ongoing student protests—mostly taking place on weekends—it has been difficult for us to organize weekend services in the church space we rent. Nevertheless, our joy in fellowship was not diminished, regardless of the day we gathered.
On this occasion, we confirmed a new member of our mission church in Serbia, Brother Mladen.
See the photos:
New Book by Bishop Milić in Serbian
These days, a new book by Bishop Milić is coming off the press — his 13th book overall and the second one published in Serbian: The Word in the Time of Salvation.
Following his previous collection of Lenten and Easter sermons, this newest book contains sermons from the period after Pentecost as well as from the Christmas cycle.
Commemorative Service in Zagreb on the 80th Anniversary of the Murder of Bishop Popp
On Sunday, June 29, 2025, we held a joint worship service with clergy from the Evangelical, Methodist and Reformed Churches to mark the anniversary of the murder of Evangelical Bishop Philipp Popp, who was executed in Zagreb’s Maksimir forest on June 29, 1945, following a staged communist trial.
Although a Lutheran, Bishop Popp was deeply committed to the preservation and development of Protestantism as a whole in what is today Croatia, leaving an enduring legacy. Sadly, as an ethnic German, he shared the fate of his people after the Second World War—unjustly condemned to death by the new communist authorities and executed, with his burial place still unknown.
See the photos:
New Graduate of the “Mihael Starin” Seminary
On Sunday, April 27, 2025, at the church in Tordinci, Bishop Jasmin Milić, who also serves as Dean of the Mihael Starin Seminary, presented a diploma to Old Catholic Deacon Jure Žnidar from Slovenia for the completion of his studies in Theology (BA in Theology).
The Bishop’s Interview on Croatian National Television
On June 7, 2025, an interview with Bishop Jasmin Milić was broadcast on Croatian National Television. Bishop Milić spoke about the Reformed Episcopal Church in Croatia, GAFCON, orthodox Anglicans, and related topics.
NEEDS
Mission work in Virovitica:
The need for this new mission project is the rental of the space – $250 per month.
Total $3,000 per year
Mission work in Belgrade
1. Monthly rent for worship space – $300
2. Monthly Travel expenses: $200
Total for 2025: – $6000
Long – term project
Church space in Belgrade – around $200,000
Mission work in Karlovac & Zagreb
1. Monthly rent for worship space (for Zagreb and Karlovac) – $200
2. Travel expenses: $100
Total for 2025: – $3.600
Long – term project for the church building in Karlovac
$15,000 in the fund
Need another $50,000
General needs
For the translation and printing of the Book of Common Prayer and other literature, for assistance to families in need, and other needs – Any help, even the smallest, is welcome.
Our clergy and lay ministers
Rt. Rev. Jasmin Milić, PhD, received his master’s degree (MTh) and doctorate (PhD) at the Evangelical Theological Seminary in Osijek. He is the author of 13 books, and ministers as the rector of parishes in Osijek and Tordinci and a Church planter in Belgrade (Serbia). Likewise, he taught at the Evangelical Theological Seminary in Osijek, where he also worked for a time as the Dean for External Studies, and at the Protestant Theological Faculty in Novi Sad (Serbia), where he worked as the Academic Dean. For over 20 years, he taught religious education in two state (public) schools, and for ten years hosted the radio show “Sources of Faith”, which was broadcast on over 20 radio stations throughout Croatia. He is married and has a son and a daughter.
Rev. Canon Almir Pehlić, ThD, completed his BTh at the Evangelical Theological Seminary in Osijek and received his master’s degree (MDiv) and doctorate (ThD) at the “Michael Starin” Protestant Theological Seminary in Osijek. He is the rector of the churches in Karlovac and Zagreb and a church planter in Split. Also, he is the academic dean and a lecturer at the “Michael Starin” Protestant Theological Seminary. In 2024, he published his third book of poetry.
Rev. Damir Sitar, MDiv, completed his studies at the Evangelical Theological Seminary in Osijek (MTh) and at the “Michael Starin” Protestant Theological Seminary in Osijek (MDiv). Also holds B.A. in Pedagogy degree from University of Osijek. He is the priest of the Romani parish in Kapelna, and serves as the president of our humanitarian organization PASTIR (Protestant Samaritan Work). Likewise, he also works as an Educator at the Center for Youth Education. He is married and has two daughters and two granddaughters.
Rev. Nenad Adžić, MDiv, completed the study of Economics and BTh at the Evangelical Theological Seminary in Osijek and MDiv at the “Michael Starin” Protestant Theological Seminary in Osijek. He is the Assistant pastor in Tordinci, and is employed at the tax service and serves the church part-time. Also, he is the editor of the very influential Christian website Novi Život (New Life).
Deacon Sergej Beuk, ThD, completed the study of Pedagogy (BA) at the Faculty of Philosophy in Sarajevo and Belgrade, and Cultural Studies (MA) at the Faculty of Culture and Media in Belgrade. He studied theology (MTh) at the Evangelical Theological Seminary in Osijek. Currently serves as a Church Planter in Belgrade. He is employed at the Belgrade Youth Center as a Program director, where he organised over 2.500 programs and projects in the fields of theology, philosophy and culture. He published scientific papers in the country and abroad, along with three professional monographs. Likewise, he is the president of the Anglican Theological Institute in Belgrade. He is married.
Lay Reader Domagoj Rade, serves in the church in Karlovac. He completed the program of Computer Science at the Rochester Institute of Technology (B.Sc.), and is currently studying at the “Mihael Starin” Protestant Theological Seminary.
Lay Reader Dragan Tomašević, is a REC seminarian at the “Mihael Starin” Protestant Theological Seminary in Osijek He serves in REC Zagreb since October 2024. He is married and has two daughters and one son.
Lay Reader Mario Kushner studied at several academic institutions (Theological Biblical Academy in Croatia, Shepherd’s Theological Seminary in USA, European Bible Trainings Centrum in Germany, Irpin Bible Seminary in Ukraine, and The Master’s Seminary in USA) where he earned academic degrees B.Th. and Th.M. In the past 10 years he has lectured at several Bible schools and theological seminaries in Croatia and Serbia. He is a member of the Croatian Evangelical Theological Society. He is married and has one daughter.
