Andrew & Kate Blackwell

"You planned something bad for me, but God produced something good from it, in order to save the lives of many people, just as he's doing today." (Gen. 50:20) Our experience of God's faithfulness in using circumstances for his glory has brought us on a journey to Bulgaria to walk alongside, equip and encourage others in ministry.

In 2013 God placed a specific call on our lives to work in Bulgaria with those who have been, or are at risk of being, trafficked or sexually exploited.  The majority of these come from Roma communities. Although we still have a heart for the Roma people, over time God has moved our focus to more international work.
We are involved in two primary areas of ministry – the International Baptist Church of Sofia (IBCS) and European Christian Mission International (ECMI) leadership.
Andrew is a part of the Leadership Team of IBCS and our desire is to see our church embrace its identity as an international church, drawing expatriates in, intentionally discipling and equipping them, and then sending them on, to wherever God calls them next, better prepared to be salt and light in that place.
Kate is the Field Ministries Director for ECMI and leads the Field Ministries Executive Team (which also includes Andrew). This team oversees all the field missionaries and ministries of ECMI.  We are both part of the ECMI International Leadership Team.
We also continue our role as Cluster Leaders for Romania, Bulgaria, Greece and Malta, seeking to ensure that all our missionaries in these countries thrive and are able to do the work which God has called them to.
In our leadership roles with ECMI, it is our desire that all current and future ECMI missionaries are lead, developed and cared for in such a way that they thrive in their ministries and are well equipped to share the Good News of Jesus.