Croatia now has a democratic government, but because it is still in transition from communism, it faces many challenges in rebuilding almost every segment of the economy.  Because it has a beautiful coastline, 1,700 islands and a crystal clear blue sea, tourism has always been one of the strongest industries.  Since Croatia has been underdeveloped industrially, it also has many untouched ecological resources such as national parks, mountains, lakes, waterfalls and caves, some of which are now protected by UNESCO.  Croatia ranks in 5th place on the list of countries that have most of the world?s clean water supply.  Croatia has been named the number one travel destination by ?Lonely Planet? in 2005.

There are five distinct regions in Croatia, all with a completely separate mentality, culture and cuisine.  However in general, Croatians are a very spirited and lively people.  Croatians have a fascination with anything that goes on outside of their country.  Most young people speak English and like to keep up to date with what?s going on in places like the US and Europe.  When you walk through the city of Zagreb on a nice day you will see floods of people of all ages, sitting outside drinking coffee in the cafes.  There is a large Croatian community around the world who left the country during the Communist time, but also in today?s times because of better professional opportunities outside the country and a weak economic situation.  The average person in Croatia, regardless of profession, education and experience lives a generally simple lifestyle and the average net salary is about 600 Euros a month. 

In the days of Communism, most people declared themselves as atheists, as this was strongly endorsed by the politics of the time.  However since 1991, many people have declared themselves as Catholics, but this too has been largely driven by politics, a swing in the opposite direction.  Official statistics quote the percentage of Catholics at 87.8%, Eastern Orthodox at 4.4% and Muslim at 1.3%, Protestant at 0.3%, and undeclared at 6.2%. 

Some interesting historical facts about Croatia:

?         The Republic of Dubrovnik (now a city in Croatia) was the first country to acknowledge US independence from the British Monarchy in 1776.

?         The White House is made from a special stone from the Croatian island of Brac.

?         The entire city of Venice was built on wooden stilts brought over from Croatia.

?         The men?s tie or ?kravat? originated in Croatia as it was first worn by Croatian sailors and then popularized in France by Napoleon. 

History of the local church

The Boston church sent a mission planting to Zagreb, Croatia, in December 1996, with 18 disciples who were mostly young Croatian nationals from Amsterdam, Berlin, London, Munich, London and New York.  The church grew by 100% in the first year with an emphasis on a strong student?s ministry.  As the needs of the church grew, a professional singles ministry was also developed as well as a small married ministry.  We also have a ?moms? ministry that is made up of 8 mothers who became disciples because their son or daughter was baptized in the Faith. 

The church in Zagreb is officially known as ?Christ?s International church? and is legally recognized by the Government through a ?Council of churches of Christ? which includes some of the traditional churches of Christ.  Currently the church in Zagreb has 79 disciples who are mostly professional singles, 10 married couples, and we will have 14 children in the Fall 2005.

Prayer request

?         Wisdom and unity within the leadership group

?         Renewal of discipleship groups and deep personal convictions for each disciple

?         Dreams and vision for the mission

?         More new studies and baptisms

Written by: Damir Jandricek from Zagreb, Croatia