Reverend T. A. Litov

  Tzvetan Alexander Litov

1909-1997

The Rev. T. A. Litov was born in 1909 in a family of Methodists. He was the only one of triplets to survive.

Even before birth his mother dedicated him to the ministry. They named him Tzvetan after the pastor of the Pleven Methodist Episcopal Church. The young Litov preached his first sermon at that church when he was 12 years old. He received his theological degree at the UMC Seminary in Frankfurt am Main.

On his return to Bulgaria Rev. Litov was appointed minister of Dr. Long Methodist Church in Sofia. There he served for 15 years until two years after the end of World War II. His numerous contributions to “Zornitsa,” the oldest Bulgarian periodical, a religious paper, are well known. He also served on its editorial staff.

In the fall of 1947 Rev. Litov went to the USA where he was to complete his doctorate degree in theology at Emory University in Atlanta, GA on the recommendation of Bishop Paul Garbor. Rev. Litov left Bulgaria just in time to escape persecution as the communists started arresting evangelical ministers. He was one of the lucky ones to escape, himself being charged in the first trial of February, 1948. Through arduous work he soon learned to speak English fluently. After much thought and prayer, Rev. Litov abandoned his PhD goal, left the university and went to New York City. There he broadcasted weekly on Radio Free Europe. Later Rev. Litov was assigned by the General Board of the United Methodist Church to speak about the religious and political situation in Bulgaria. He traveled extensively to 30 states addressing audiences in universities, clubs, and churches. Later he became editor/writer for the Voice of America.

One year after he married Alice Zlatka Vlaycheva of the Sofia Congregational Church, he was appointed minister of the Community Methodist Church in Portola, California. His dedicated work lead to a second Sunday morning service. His first two children, Richard and Elizabeth, were born.

In 1957 Rev. Litov became minister of Grace United Methodist Church in San Francisco. He was frequently invited to minister to other churches. Here he was blessed with a second son, Lincoln. Rev. Litov’s pastorate continued at Methodist churches in Modesto and Bakersfield. For excellence as a speaker he was awarded the George Washington Medal of Freedom at Valley Forge. As pastor, Rev. Litov organized youth fellowships, started and lead Bible study classes, and acted as leader for women’s groups. During his ministry Rev. Litov was a member of different clergy associations and was active in community service clubs. In 1967 the Litovs moved to California’s Bay Area. Here Rev. Litov was pastor of Faith United Methodist Church in San Leandro where he served for nine years. Thanks to his guidance the church was able to get out of debt and to enlarge its edifice.

In 1976 Rev. Litov retired after serving in the ministry for 45 years. In retirement he taught Religion Classes at Chabot College. Faith United Methodist Church awarded him the title Pastor Emeritus. In 1986 he and his wife, Alice, founded The Litov Theological Scholarship Fund to help train new ministers.

In 1992, after the fall of communism, the Litovs traveled back to Bulgaria. Rev. Litov was able again to minister to his countrymen from the pulpit.

Rev. T. A. Litov passed away in 1997. He was survived by his wife, Alice, two sons, Richard and Lincoln, one daughter, Elizabeth, and one grand-daughter, Haley. In 2002 Zornitsa published an article about Rev. Litov’s life. This paper is an adaptation of the original article.

Rev. Litov wrote the book Rescued by Miracles in English. In 2003 Rev. Litov’s book Old Testament Sermons (left) was published in Bulgaria. It will be soon followed by New Testament Sermons.