May Update

To say the past 2 months since my last blog post have been busy would be an understatement. There have been many times that I have wanted to write during these past 2 months, but extra time and energy are two things that I have not had in abundance. Here is a brief update of what’s been happening and what’s to come.

Ministry Highlights
Children’s Workers’ Conference - At the end of March, the Sighișoara Church of the Nazarene hosted a conference sponsored by Eurasia Nazarene Compassionate Ministries for children’s ministry workers. In total, there were 47 participants, including 8 Bulgarians, 2 Albanians, 23 Romanians. Trino Jara, coordinator for Eurasia Region child development, led most of the seminars, with one led by Zhana Georgieva from Bulgaria, one by Jay Sunberg (field strategy coordinator), and one by Larry Bollinger (NCM director), each emphasizing child development from a Christian holistic point of view. Participants came away with a new ideas for children's ministry. They also came to recognize that there are dozens of others in Southeastern Europe who have similar ministries and can support them in prayer.

Țigmandru Men’s Group – The Bible study with the men in the Țigmandru Church of the Nazarene is often the highlight of my week. There are four men who attend regularly. Just recently, we finished studying the book of Genesis. We spent one session reviewing the people and events from Genesis. As a group, they retold the entire story of Genesis. It is so exciting to see what God is doing in them! I baked a cake from a boxed mix my mom had sent me for my birthday to share with the guys to celebrate their accomplishment. We’ve now moved on and are studying Exodus. My goal for this group is that it won’t just help them understand the Bible, but that they will spend time together and be able to apply it to their lives. On that note, three of them spent 3 days helping me paint my apartment in April, and this weekend we are planning a outing to a nearby lake together. Please pray with me that they will allow God to transform them into leaders in their church, families, and community.

Other Ministries – The young adult Bible study has continued to meet at my apartment in Sighișoara. We have been studying episodes from the life of Simon Peter. This month we are hosting college students from MidAmerica Nazarene University and Olivet Nazarene University, and students from Trevecca Nazarene University and Cedarville University are with us until August. I’ve been leading the students’ cross-cultural orientation and processing. I also am planning to teach a course through European Nazarene College in September. But first...

Coming to the US!
In just 2 short weeks I will be arriving in the US. I will be spending 3 ½ weeks in the US, based in the York, PA, and Boston, MA, areas, speaking in churches and small groups about what God is doing in Romania through the Church of the Nazarene. You can view my schedule here. There are still a few openings; if you would like me to speak to your church or group, please contact me.

Next spring, I will be in the US for my ordination as an elder in the Church of the Nazarene. I will be spending about 2 months in the US, speaking in churches and raising missions awareness and funds. My schedule is filling up, but I do still have openings. If you would like to have me speak at your church or district, please contact me. You can view my schedule here.

I ask for your prayer support as I travel to the US. Please pray that God will speak His message through me as I share what He is doing in Romania through the Church of the Nazarene. Please also pray that the time away from Romania will be a time of refreshment and refocus so I will be ready to resume ministry in July.

Recent Travels Last week, I went with American students to the villages of Saschiz & Viscri. Click here to view pictures.

At the beginning of April, a group of us traveled to Bucovina, a region in northeastern Romania known for its painted Orthodox monasteries. Icons cover the exteriors of the churches at these monasteries. Click here to view a few of the pictures.

In March, I got to visit several places near Sighisoara. You can read about that trip, which I titled "One Day, 3 cities, 2000 years of History" by clicking here.

Thank you for partnering with me in ministry.
Jonathan Phillips