DOOR OF HOPE INTERNATIONAL SOCIETY – CANADA
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
PAUL H. POPOV: DOHI-Canada, President
Paul Haralan Popov the president of DOHI-Canada, was born in Bulgaria. He is the son of Pastor Haralan and Ruth Popov.
When Paul was five years old his father, Dr. Haralan I. Popov, a prominent Protestant pastor in Bulgaria, was arrested in July 1948 by the DS-communist secret police. He was imprisoned and brutally tortured for his faith in Christ. During this difficult time, Paul did not know if his father was alive or not. Growing up in communist Bulgaria with his father in prison, Paul suffered many deprivations. He was separated from his father for 15 years.
Paul’s family was labeled as spies and enemies of the communist state and therefore not to be helped. Anyone attempting to help the family risked arrest. His mother, Ruth, a Swedish missionary to Bulgaria, was not allowed to leave for her homeland or permitted to work, and therefore had tremendous difficulty to feed and provide for her two young children.
When Paul was eight years old, his family was finally given permission to leave Bulgaria to his mother’s homeland Sweden. It was in Sweden that Paul committed himself to serve mankind and assist others like his own family who had suffered political and religious discrimination and poverty. He pursued an education in Political Science and Human Geography at the University of Stockholm.
When Paul’s father was finally released from communist slave camps he miraculously rejoined his family in Sweden. Although Paul’s work as a journalist at a daily newspaper engaged much of his time, he devoted every extra moment to help his father with the difficult and dangerous missionary work of smuggling Bibles into the country and smuggling out Samizdat (secret documents) from the Iron Curtain. He became indispensable to his father and the ministry.
In 1974 Paul was asked to start Evangelism to Communist Lands – ECL Later the name was changed to Door of Hope International Society – Canada as the ministry expanded to include the Islamic world.
Uniquely qualified, Paul was (until recently) in charge of all secret operations such as “smuggling” of Bibles, secret information gathering of documentations about who, what, and where Christians are persecuted and how to help them, as well as bringing aid to the Suffering Church.
Paul and his wife Agneta, have been married for more than 50 years and have two sons and one daughter.
For more information: Listen to Paul H. Popov, interview on Crosstalk!
REV. ERNEST CULLEY; Life Centre Community Church, Senior Pastor
Pastor Culley has been a DOHI-Canada Board Member since 1986. He is the Senior Pastor of Life Centre Community Church which he founded in 2010 and oversaw its development for the past 11 years. He has launched foreign mission projects in caring for women and children at risk in dangerous places in the world and teaching seminars in oppressed countries to their leaders.
PAUL FORSETH, Director
TIMOTHY ARKEL, Director
RUTH SHEVCHENKO, Board Secretary