Z a g r e b / B e l g r a d e – The Croatian Vice President of the European Baptist Federation (EBF), Pastor Toma Magda (Cakovec), has called the Baptists of Europe to spend a week in prayer for the disenfranchised Christian minorities of Serbia. Since the passing of new laws on church and religion at the end of April, small evangelical groups are on much weaker legal footing than officially-recognised religious organisations. In his appeal Magda stated categorically: “In Serbia our Baptists brothers and sisters legally no longer exist.” Serbian Baptists along with other evangelicals have therefore called for a week of prayer from 4 to 11 June. Christians in all European countries are being asked to pray for legal reform. Magda writes in his appeal: “The law has been passed and it appears as if it could no longer be changed. But we believe in a God who is greater and has everything under control. He can do miracles.”

There are approximately 3.000 Baptists and 60 congregations in Serbia and Montenegro. They as well as the 1.000 members of the Evangelical-Methodist Church feel themselves discriminated against by the new legislation. All attempts to abridge the new legislation were of no avail. Serbia consequently now has two religious classes: the state-recognised “traditional churches and religious fellowships” and further undefined “confessional fellowships”. Officially recognised were the Serbian-Orthodox church, two Lutheran and a Reformed church as well as the Muslim and Jewish community. All other churches are reduced to seeking legal status as “confessional fellowships”. They have no tax-free status and are kept from hospital or prison ministry. They are also prevented from holding religious instruction in government or private schools. The running of charity organisations such as hospitals, homes for senior citizens or schools is for them illegal. Baptist are branding the new legislation anachronistic and the result of “destructive, nationalistic policies”. Already during the war in Yugoslavia over a decade ago Serbian Baptists had been the victims of social discrimination, being unjustly accused of cooperating closely with the USA.