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The Annual Conventions


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The Annual Conventions

The first convention of the Fellowship in Varna in July 1990 was followed by two annual meetings in Bourgas, held in early August. Answering his disciples' frequent inquiries about the convention's date, Peter Dunov said: "I will come in time, exactly when God has commanded and will bring you His blessing. This year He will guide us in everything. For now, have patience!" "I shall come to Bourgas next Wednesday, on the 1st next month, and what our Lord has destined we shall do." At one of the Fellowship's conventions in Bourgas, Peter Dunov explained the significance of the material obligation to God that he referred to as "Divine tithe." All members of the Fellowship, Dunov himself included, promised to contribute a tenth of their income to a fund for the divine mission. This contribution was never discussed with outsiders because it had to do with a person's sacred relationship with God. After each lecture, Peter Dunov regularly transferred his contribution to Todor Stoimenov in Bourgas.

From 1904 to 1908 the annual conventions were held in Varna, invariably in August. All participants had personal invitations from Dunov, so that "the good seed" might fall in "good soil." The spiritual truth presented at these conventions would have been inaccessible to an unprepared mind, but to an enlightened mind, they amounted to divine revelations. Most of the attendants had knowledge of spiritism and deeply believed that the invisible world was real and inhabited by a variety of creatures who, when required, could manifest in the physical world, too. Thus, they were not surprised when Dunov spoke to them of the Spirit of Christ. He sought to recruit them for the forthcoming mission but their mirids were still tuned to human concerns. "You are tempted by the minutest contradictions in life. You have not yet learned to serve God! You insist on your "bread and fish." You want miracles, you want auguries. They will be given to you, but not as you expect them to be. I will see to it that no doubt is left in your hearts. He who doubts me cannot have faith in the truth, nor can he find it. There, I am talking to you through your brother and if you believe, you will see the truth of my words, for the truth of my words, is seen in life. Peace be with you!"

Later Maria Kazakova who attended the convention in Varna in 1905 wrote to Dr. Mirkovich: "There is something supernatural, something divine about Mr. Dunov. He often speaks on behalf of Christ, or as if he is Christ Himself. In our sessions, God said about Mr. Dunov: 'He is My prophet and your Master. Listen to Him! He is My image and is meek and humble like Me. Peter Dunov is a ray of My Spirit! He is permanently in association with Me and knows everything but he is not allowed to reveal it all at once to you. He will do that gradually, according to your spiritual elevation."

Until 1908, the annual conventions were held in Varna. The number of the attendants gradually increased. People who got in touch with Dunov as a result of his many lectures around the country joined the Fellowship: expanding the circle of positive-minded people with spiritual aspirations. From 1909 to 1915, the conventions were held in Attanas Boynov's villa in Veliko Tarnovo. The rules remained unchanged: a personal invitation by Peter Dunov was required for participation. The objective was to create a link with the spiritual world, for universal elevation and enlightenment. "We are linked in a chain that encircles the earth," Peter Dunov said in 1909. "We need to create a better soil so that better spirits may reincarnate in Bulgaria. It is the purpose of this Fellowship to prepare the ground." The sole and all-important requirement to the members of the Fellowship was to observe its three laws:

The Three Laws of the Fellowship

"Love your Lord God with all your heart, soul and mind, with all your vigour: in Him, you will find your health, your happiness, and your bliss.

Love your neighbour as you love yourself; in him, you will find support for your elevation.

Be you perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect: in Him, you will find the way to eternal life, the source of all wealth."

Veliko Tarnovo, Id August 1909.

The annual conventions did not involve any particular rituals although they included acts that were actually close to sacraments, like the Ford's Supper. It was served at the first conventions in memory of the self-sacrifice of Christ and consisted only of bread, wine and fruit. Each participant had the task to provide one of the foods for the Lord's Supper. Thus, right from the start, the principle of communal life was established.

Every day in the course of a week, Peter Deunov delivered one or more lectures. He would welcome the participants with an address giving them the Spirit's message. His talks were on topical issues, often in response to participants' questions. He gave them instructions about their work over the following year, introduced prayer duties and exercises for mental concentration and health. Spiritual songs were sung.

The general atmosphere of the event was mystical. The participants felt as if they were standing in front of an altar. Each of them realized that being part of the Fellowship was a sacred rite and deeply revered the mysterious communion with the Spirit. The Spirit was constantly manifested. Peter Dunov insistently called upon his brothers not to interrupt this mystical manifestation with disbelief and doubt. Unanimity was the best guarantee of the Divine Mission's success, and trust was its first prerequisite. Still, doubt managed to creep in and hinder their work. Shedding it proved beyond the abilities of some minds. Peter Dunov was adamant; he would not tolerate that: "Christ gathered you here, He teaches you, speaks to you, and yet you ask how you can know Him. The Christ I am preaching to you is among you, you can hear His voice but you cannot see Him, After all, the Divine water has to pass through a fountain, be it large or small. Watch the water you are given instead of gazing at the fountain. I cannot repeat often enough that what I am saying is dictated by the One Who sent me, no matter what anyone should think or say." "The new religion is the teaching of Christ in the physical plane, it is the religion of beautiful forms, music, harmony, and poetry. In poetry, this is rhythm, in music it is harmony, and in the purely physical world, it is physical beauty. This is the external aspect of religion. We need to go back to the veritable teaching of Christ."

 

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