Faith
Serbian Church Brings True Freedom to Addicts
Faith Facts
- Serbia has only 6,000 evangelicals, making up just 0.1% of the population.
- Rev. Dušan Beređi, once an addict himself, found freedom through Christ and now leads the Rainbow Rehabilitation Center.
- The church programs, inspired by the Teen Challenge model, help men struggling with addiction, homelessness, and gambling.
Jesus declared His mission was “to seek and to save the lost” (Luke 19:10), a truth lived out daily in Novi Sad, Serbia, where the Rainbow Rehabilitation Center opens its doors to men seeking freedom from addiction. The center is run by dedicated believers, on mission in a country with only a small evangelical presence.
Rev. Dušan Beređi, or Pastor Bera, once lived in addiction and despair until God’s grace set him free, an experience that shapes his compassionate leadership.
“For me, it’s easy to understand the pain of addiction, the struggle and the relapse and all those issues.”
Pastor Bera testifies that his healing came not through human effort, but through a miraculous encounter with Jesus—a deliverance that ended his desire for alcohol and drugs instantly, and for the last 32 years, he has remained free.
“So for me, with the healing [after prayer] I just lost the desire completely. I was free in a second and I have not touched alcohol for 32 years.”
Though aware of the lifelong dangers of addiction, he believes God alone brings real and lasting freedom from its grip, striving to bring others to the same place of true deliverance.
“Our goal is to bring people to the stage where they don’t have any more desire for them — and only God can do that.”
The aftermath of the Kosovo War left Serbia flooded with heroin, making addiction widespread. Pastor Bera and his team began offering support after seeing the limits of outside rehabs, eventually opening their own center to serve men suffering from various addictions.
Their ministry not only addresses drug abuse, but also alcoholism and gambling, meeting people where they are and offering a Biblical path to recovery and restored hope.
While resources for women in addiction remain limited locally, the church’s focus on men’s ministry is a response to the needs and realities they face in their context.
Pastor Bera reminds us that only a relationship with Jesus can fill the deep emptiness that addicts try to escape, pointing to God’s power to restore broken lives and give lasting purpose.
“When God comes into our life, the deep feeling of purpose gives a strength to deal with our pain, pain of our past.”
If you believe in the power of God’s grace to transform lives, stand in prayer and support for ministries like Rainbow Rehabilitation Center as they offer hope, freedom, and new beginnings in Christ.
Faith Facts
- Bangladesh Nationalist Party secures landslide victory, Tarique Rahman becomes prime minister after 18 months of turmoil.
- Government announces first-ever monthly allowances for clergy of all faiths, including non-Muslims.
- Christian leaders voice cautious hope, urging justice, security, and religious liberty for minorities.
Bangladesh’s Christian communities greet the BNP’s electoral triumph and Tarique Rahman’s leadership with prayerful optimism, viewing it as divine response to believers’ pleas amid past violence against minorities.
Symbolic steps like financial support for clergy signal potential progress, yet leaders stress the need for real protections beyond gestures.
“The election mandate is in answer to the prayers of the church,” Rev. Asa Michael Kain declared.
“I personally congratulate the government,” Rev. Albert Rozario stated, pledging prayers for harmonious rule.
Bishop Sebastian Tudu refused the stipend, warning of possible political pressures on the Church dedicated to God.
Archbishop Bejoy Nicephorus D’Cruze called for Bangladesh to become a haven of comfort and hope for all.
Bishop Philip P. Adhikary emphasized translating constitutional rights into daily safety and fair representation for Christians contributing to society.
Scripture reminds us in Proverbs 21:1 that God directs leaders’ hearts; may Rahman govern with Biblical justice, impartial courts, and freedom for faith expressions.
Join in prayer for Bangladesh’s faithful, that this new era upholds God’s values of liberty and protection for His people worldwide.
Rev. Jamie Sewell upholds the sacred beauty of church tradition, echoing generations of faithful Anglican worship that grounds believers in eternal truths.
Reflecting on his ancestor’s role as canal lock-keeper, he stresses that vital paths served purpose, carrying national life forward, much like the church must proclaim Christ.
Faith Facts
- Sewell’s teenage runs along Rugby canals revealed family heritage of purposeful service, not mere sentimentality.
- Parish introduced second service amid grief over losing traditional beauty, balancing reverence with missional outreach to youth.
- Church, like evolving canal to railway to motorway, adapts forms to deliver Gospel effectively across generations.
Sentiment honors forebears who opened gates of faith, yet clinging solely to forms risks forsaking the Great Commission.
Beauty without purpose becomes a museum, sidelining our duty to carry salvation to the nation under God’s sovereign call.
Stand firm for biblical faithfulness in worship and evangelism—share this wisdom with your church family today.
Faith Facts
- Youth clubs, sports, arts have eroded, leaving social media as key peer connection for unsupervised engagement.
- Algorithms exploit young people, but banning access ignores broader loneliness from closed centers and protective parents.
- Church of England funds 30 youth workers via ‘Ignite’ in Lancashire to rebuild community spaces.
Bishop Philip North warns that banning social media for under-16s, as debated in Parliament, risks worsening isolation amid declining youth opportunities guided by Biblical community principles.
While algorithms from profit-driven corporations manipulate youth, punishing young victims ignores the sins of perpetrators and fails to prepare them for a tech-driven world rooted in family and faith.
Adults must replace restrictions with reinvested youth work, sports, arts, and residential experiences to nurture whole persons as God intends, not mere economic units.
Scripture calls us to shepherd the young; let’s advocate for rich, fulfilling opportunities where phones pale in comparison, honoring faith, family, and freedom in our nation.
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