February Update from Romania

I’m long overdue for an update from Romania. Here are some of the ministry highlights from the past several months. You can click here for the printable PDF version of my newsletter.

1. First Romanian Pastor in Sighisoara. In October, Relu Cristurean was installed as the first Romanian pastor of the Sighisoara Church of the Nazarene. You can read his story here. Please pray for Relu and the Sighisoara Church.
2. Nazarene Child Sponsorship. Last summer I was asked to coordinate the Child Sponsorship program in Romania. That meant making sure all of our records were updated, including new photos of each child and sending letters to their sponsors. Once that was complete, we were able to enroll several new children. Currently, we have over 80 children enrolled in the CS program from Romania, with more on the way. You can learn more about Nazarene Child Sponsorship at cs.ncm.org. Pray for the children who are sponsored and to those who minister to children.
3. Mentoring. In the fall, we started a mentoring program for those preparing for ministry through European Nazarene College here in Romania. Each of the students has been assigned a missionary to serve as mentor. I’m enjoying getting to know better the 5 students I’m mentoring. Please pray for these students as they prepare for ministry. 
4. Nazarene Identity. In 2008, in observance of the Church of the Nazarene’s 100th anniversary, a series of discipleship lessons exploring the denomination’s 3 core values (Christian, Holiness, Missional) were prepared.  We have recently finished translating those lessons into Romanian. I adapted them into a 6-week sermon and Bible study series called “Nazarene Identity” that I just finished leading in the Tigmandru church. Pray for the Tigmandru Church, especially the young Christians who have been exploring what it means to be part of the Church of the Nazarene. 
5. Veritas Facebook Page. Veritas now has a Facebook page where we post photos and stories of what is happening here in Sighisoara. Check it out and “like” it: http://www.facebook.com/VeritasSighisoara. 

Thank you for praying for me and for the Church of the Nazarene in Romania!