Bob Hitching Ministry Biography
Founder and Leader – The Roma Bible Union
Missionary Parish Priest – Roma REC Church of Croatia
M.Div ThD., - Mihael Starin Seminary, Osijek, Croatia (Ecclesial Degrees within Denomination)
1970 – 1973
• Ministry Training with Operation Mobilisation in England, France, Turkey, Nepal and India
• Three months in prison in Turkey for evangelistic outreach. I taught myself rudimentary Turkish whilst in prison.
• Lived in a Turkish Muslim home for three months in London’s East End to assist in language study and cultural orientation.
1973 – 1981
• Assisted in a variety of Ministry projects in the Turkish community in London.
• Developed a training and mentoring programme for young people in Open Air Evangelism.
• Built a Media outreach ministry to Turkey, The Middle East and South Asia for Operation
• Mobilisation. Produced mother tongue audio visuals in over 30 languages.
• Was arrested, held, charged and found guilty of Christian propaganda in Yugoslavia and banned from the country for two years.
• Served on the Board of an inter-agency creative outreach ministry to the Jewish community in London.
1981 – 1990
• Based in the US and split my time between the US, Europe, The Middle East and Asia.
• Co-hosted World Missions Report Radio Programme WRBS Baltimore/Washington, Maryland, USA
• Wrote and presented a weekly nationwide (1200 Stations) radio commentary for United Press International Religion Department.
• Wrote and produced the 90 Minute documentary “More Than Conquerors” on the Unregistered Church in the Soviet Union.
• Launched People Profiles for Intercession a Prayer ministry for unreached peoples using audio visuals.
• Built a mother tongue audio visual ministry in Yugoslavia, Poland, Hungary, Czechoslovakia, The Soviet Union and Romania. Developed covert delivery programme for materials.
• Taught Missions and World Religions, From Egypt to Canaan, The Book of Isaiah, at the Baltimore School of the Bible, Maryland, USA
• Served on the Board for Lifeline Ministries Baltimore which was an outreach by former National Celebrity professional sports persons.
• Served on the Board of Multi-Language Media.
• Served on the Board of Intercomm International Media ministry.
• Served on the Board of Pioneers Missions USA and then served as Chairman of the Board to build the organisation into an International network of ministries now in 100 countries.
• Exercised gifts of Evangelistic preaching in public meetings in the UK, USA, Poland and Yugoslavia.
• Was regular Plenary and Workshop speaker at the Love Europe Festivals.
• Was regular “Motivation For Film in Missions” speaker at the annual Ken Anderson Films Missions Seminar.
• Was workshop teacher at Urbana 1989 – “Marx, Mohammed or Michael Jackson”.
• Wrote and presented 10 part video series on Faith in the Modern World and the Restoration of the Sacred – Released by Firm Foundation Ministries.
1990 – 1993
• Based in South Dakota, USA
• Spent approximately 1000 hours researching on the sociological shifts due to Modernity that were effecting the Muslim world.
• Spent a similar amount of time studying and building training modules on the Book of Leviticus.
• Associate Pastor of 1st Wesleyan Methodist Church in Sturgis South Dakota.
• Interim Senior Pastor of CMA Church in Rapid City, South Dakota.
• Was keynote speaker at European Alliance Roundtable on Modernity and Post Modern thinking in Missions.
1993 - 2003
• Based in Virginia, USA
• Wrote McDonalds, Minarets and Modernity – A Christian Sociology of Islam Published Spear Books.
• Wrote and presented 10 part video series on the Hebrew Tabernacle, The Offerings and The Priesthood as a model for the Restoration of the Sacred in Evangelicalism – Released by Firm Foundation Ministries.
• Wrote and produced two short documentaries for Spear Ministries on Turkey and Afghanistan.
• Regular Guest Lecturer for The Perspective Course connected to East Coast Centre for World Missions.
• Studied by Extension at London School of Theology for MA in Theological Studies. Topic: Dialogue between the wrings of Lesslie Newbigin and Jacques Ellul. Completed first half of the programme.
2003 to present Based in Croatia and Hungary
• Founded The Roma Bible Union.
• Planted and Pastored a House Church in Varaždin, Croatia.
• Oversaw the translation of the Bible (Ongoing) in the Bayash language.
• Founded Green Shutters Books as the publishing arm of the Roma Bible Union. Publishing Projects for Green Shutters in the Hungarian, Serbian, Croatian, Bayash, Romanian and Arli languages.
• Created an inter-agency alliance for Roma Ministries with Wycliffe Bible Translators, Pioneers Missions, International Teams, Operation Mobilisation and The Roma Bible Union.
Books Published
• Nejla – 1980, STL Publising
• Ali and Silvana – 1982, OM Books
• The Wounded Part One – 1988, OM Books
• The Wounded Part Two - 1989, OM Books
• Macdonalds, Minaret and Modernity – 1995, Spear Books The White Dove – 2009, OM East/Green Shutters Books
• The Habit of Love – 2010, OM East/Green Shutters Books
• The Price of a Bride – 2012, OM East/Green Shutters Books
• Daughter of The Forest – 2017, OM East/Green Shutters Books
• Eucharistic Socialism - 2015, OM East/Green Shutters Books
• When The Ravens Leave The Tower – 2018, Green Shutters Books
• The Eagle Changed His Feathers - 2021
Reformed Episcopal Church Croatia
• Licensed Reader Protestant Reformed Church Croatia September 2017
• Ordained Deacon Protestant Reformed Church Croatia September 2018
• Completed Master Divinity, Mihael Starin, Osijek, Croatia 2018
• Ordained Presbyter Protestant Reformed Church Croatia September 2019
• Awarded Doctor of Theology, Mihael Starin, Osijek, Croatia 2023
2021 to Present Based in Osijek Croatia
Current Research and Writing Projects Waiting Publication
• THE OXFORD MOVEMENT – THE RESTORATION OF THE SACRED
• LESSLIE NEWBIGIN – A THEOLOGICAL SOCIOLOGY OF MODERNITY
• THE GOD WHO IS HERE – A COSMOLOGICAL THEOLOGY Of MISSION
• THE CHURCH BEFORE THE MOCKING WORLD – EUCHARISTIC SOCIALISM
• WHEN THE RAVENS LEAVE THE TOWER (MYSTAGOGIC REALISM FICTION)
• THE GREAT LOGOS-MACHIA - THE PALEO-ARAMAIC GOSPEL IN CONFLICT
Current Roma Study Projects
• Experimentation with Liturgy in Roma Church context