On February 2, 2025, Bulgarian Patriarch Daniel visited the city of Pernik and met with parishioners of the Church of the Meeting of the Lord in the new Teva district. The building has remained unfinished for five years, but now the Church will help complete its construction, according to the Bulgarian Telegraph Agency (BTA).  

The head of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church performed a water blessing ritual in the church. The ceremony was attended by Pernik Governor Lyudmil Veselinov, Deputy Mayors Stefan Krastev and Engineer Boris Tomov, as well as dozens of parishioners.  

The Church of the Meeting of the Lord, whose construction began in 2020, will be the only place of worship for residents of the Teva district. The land for the church was donated by a local resident, and the primary funding for construction has come from parishioners' donations. However, the project requires significant financial investment. More than 226,000 Bulgarian levs are needed to complete the dome and roof construction, while only about 12,000 levs have been raised so far.  

Valentin Bonev, the initiator of the project and secretary of the church council, noted that the government allocated 75,000 levs for the project several years ago. Additionally, an application for further funding has been submitted to the Holy Metropolis of Sofia.  

"We are pleased to see this church filled with people, as it shows its importance to the residents. We will do everything possible to complete its construction, and we hope that the church will soon fulfill its mission," stated Patriarch Daniel.  

Before visiting Pernik, His Holiness traveled to Zemen, where he celebrated a patriarchal liturgy at the Church of St. John the Theologian. The service was attended by dozens of believers.