EuNC in Romania

This year marks the 50th anniversary of the first classes held by European Nazarene College. Of course, a lot has changed since the school opened in 1966 as European Nazarene Bible College (ENBC)! The most noticeable change is that the residential program on the campus in Buesingen, Germany, has been replaced with 15 active learning centers throughout Europe and Central Asia serving 261 active students. This not only allows students to take classes while remaining involved in their local ministry contexts, but it also allows students who do not know English to take courses in their native languages.

Here in Romania, EuNC provides the theological education required for those seeking ordination in the Church of the Nazarene. We currently have approximately 15 students enrolled in the EuNC Romania Learning Center.

Here's a look at what's been happening with EuNC and Romania so far this year.

Faculty Assembly

EuNC Faculty Assembly
(January 2016)

As a faculty member of EuNC's Romania Learning Center, I was one of the 44 faculty and administrators present at this year's faculty assembly in Catania, Sicily. With EuNC's decentralized approach to education, faculty and administrators rely on technology such as videoconferencing for most meetings. However, each January we come together for a few days of instructional meetings. This year's special speakers were Dr. Mark Maddix and Dr. Carey Cook, both from Northwest Nazarene University. (Click here to read more about the faculty assembly and other EuNC news in EuNC's "In Touch" newsletter.)

While in Sicily, I did some sightseeing (and ate some really good pizza and pasta!). (Click here to view photos I took while in Catania.)

Courses in Romania

In February and March, Romanian students took a course on Christian Worship. Michael Hudson, the Nazarene missionary who coordinates the theological education program in Romania, asked each of us missionaries serving in Romania to teach a different aspect of the course, while he graded all of the assignments. I taught the course's first session (of four total), covering biblical and theological foundations for worship.

Students in Sighisoara interact with students in
Bucharest via videoconferencing in the
Christian Worship course
(March 2016)

Students are now taking the course Pastoral Care and Counseling, which began early in April. It is being taught by Dr. Ron Mauer, Trevecca Nazarene University professor emeritus. Ron and his wife, Jacque, are spending 3 months this spring as volunteers in Sighisoara.

First session of the "Pastoral Care & Counseling" course
(April 2016)

Library Development

Cataloged books in Bucharest
(March 2016)

EuNC is investing in the development of libraries for each of its learning centers. Last year, we began purchasing books for our library. Since we have students in both Bucharest and Sighisoara (5 hours apart), we are developing libraries in both places. At the end of March, I spent a few days in Bucharest cataloging the books there. In April I began cataloging the books in Sighisoara.

We currently have just over 500 books cataloged. About half are books we have purchased in Romanian. The rest are English books that have been donated in the past. We plan to continue expanding the library each year. I'll be working on this project for the next few months, until each book has a spine label complete with Dewey Decimal number and our collection is uploaded into EuNC's online library database.

Cataloging books in Sighisoara
(April 2016)

Pray for EuNC

Please pray for EuNC students who are preparing for ministry. Many of them work full-time jobs and are involved in local church ministry while also taking classes. Pray that these classes will equip our students in Romania for ministry, and that they will be able to quickly fulfill ordination requirements.

Please pray for the faculty. Most of us have other responsibilities in addition to those relating to EuNC. Pray that we can dedicate the time needed so students can be equipped for ministry. Pray also for visiting professors who teach short-term classes and need to work through translators.

Please pray for the school's administration, as they go through a curriculum review and prepare for re-accreditation. Also pray for the continuing transition of the school's administration center from Buesingen to Linsengericht (near Frankfurt), Germany.