Summertime Highlights

After the church service this past Sunday morning, I found myself remarking to to several church-goers that it's hard to believe that it was already the last day of August. It seems like this summer has flown by. When I got home, I began to jot down the things I did this summer and realized that it's been much fuller than I initially thought. In this newsletter, I'd like to share some of this summer's highlights with you.

Sunset in Sighișoara

Gathering for District Leaders

In mid-August, Romania District leaders met together for 3 days in a quiet rural village for meetings, conversations, and, perhaps most importantly, an unhurried, relaxed fellowship with one another.

On Monday evening, we had a cookout (but had to eat indoors due to the rain). We then worked on identifying how certain New Testament characteristics of the Church are reflected in our own local congregations. On Tuesday morning, we had a devotional time followed by a District Advisory Board meeting. For lunch, we enjoyed traditional Romanian cuisine. That evening, our conversation focused on principles of discipleship and how to foster them in our local churches. Before departing on Wednesday morning, we had an extended time of prayer for one another and for the churches and ministries across the district.

This is the first time since before the pandemic that a majority of our district leaders have been able to meet in person for such an extended time. We’re looking forward to similar events in the coming months to continue the conversations that we began in August.

Romania District Leaders

Local Church Sustainability Project

At the beginning of 2022, we launched the Local Church Sustainability Project with the goal of equipping the churches on the Romania District to move away from being dependent both on outside funds for regular church expenses and on outside leadership for administering those funds. During each year of this 5-year project, the amount of outside funding to each local church is incrementally reduced, new internal structures are put in place to promote healthy and transparent financial practices, and training is provided so leaders can give responsible oversight to financial planning in the local church. A key aspect of this project is the connection between stewardship, leadership training, and discipleship of church members.

Earlier this year, I prepared training materials for each local church to work through together. These materials focus on viewing stewardship as a spiritual discipline instead of simply a requirement to tithe, on teaching the local church to give rather than expecting to receive from the outside, and on empowering church boards to budget responsibly instead of relying exclusively on the pastor or missionary to provide funds. This summer, as local church boards have been working through these materials, I and the district finance team have been preparing the local church treasurers for changes coming this fall with the next phase of implementation.

In January, we will enter the 5th and final year of this project. To date, we've received 70% of the total funding. We are in need of new donors to help bring this project to a successful close. For more information or to contribute to this project, click here.

The training materials are designed as a discussion guide to foster thoughtful
conversation within the group context of a local church board.

Unity within Diversity

Within the past year, the pastors from a handful of Evangelical churches in Sighisoara have begun to meet regularly to pray together. In July, several churches (including the local Church of the Nazarene) sponsored an inter-denominational evangelistic event in Sighisoara. This type of interaction and collaboration has rarely ever happened before and hopefully signals something new for the Body of Christ across denominational lines in Sighisoara.

Several churches were represented at the evangelistic event in Sighișoara.

Beauty From Brokenness

NCM Magazine featured an article about the Open Door Shelter for survivors of human trafficking in Bucharest. Click here to read the article (which includes a link to support Open Door financially).
Also: check out Open Door's newly-redesigned website: www.usadeschisa.ro 

So much more to summer!

There’s been so much more to ministry this summer than what I’ve highlighted above: from enjoying after-church fellowship meals in the Sighisoara and Tigmandru churches, to welcoming new missionaries Andre and Brenda Berkhout as they get settled into their role as NCM coordinators for Romania, to watching children and teenagers in the Sighisoara church become more involved in congregational life, to keeping up with my administrative work (that has included contracts, legal documents, finances, e-mails, and other paperwork).

Andre Berkhout preaching in the Sighisoara Church

Singing Happy Birthday and Praying for Brenda Berkhout

There’s just so much to enjoy about summer: from attending pipe organ concerts in Gothic churches to walking through the medieval town at sunset, to reading books that I bought while in the US this spring, to finding just about any excuse to eat ice cream, to catching up on mundane personal projects like going through desk drawers and cabinets, organizing documents, and backing up computer files in order to purge stuff that has accumulated in the past 16 years!

Enjoying the view of Sighișoara's medieval citadel at sunset

Summer Gospel Choir Concert

My cat enjoying a box. 
(July marked 5 years since I brought her home.)

There have also been so many fun moments shared with friends throughout the summer – from birthday parties, to a wedding, to trips to the mall, to playing board games, to driving to Constanta (by the Black Sea), to walks in nature, to picnics, to go-kart racing and even horse-back riding!

Apuseni Mountains

Constanța and the Black Sea

Horseback Riding

Planning and Praying for What’s Ahead:

As summer comes to a close, I find myself thinking about what the next few seasons will include. I ask you to join me in praying for what's ahead: 

Fall 2025: I’m looking forward to several events this fall, including a respite retreat with pastors and other ministry leaders, the Eurasia Regional Conference, and the Romania District Assembly.

Spring 2026 Home Assignment: I’m now scheduling my next Home Assignment. In March and April 2026, I’ll be on the Mid-Atlantic, Florida, and Kansas City Districts. Please contact me if you’d like me to share an update with your church or small group. Click here to view my schedule.

Fundraising: I currently need to raise $30,000/year to cover my salary, benefits, and operating expenses. If you’d like to contribute to my deputation account, click here for more information.

Prayer: Each month, I post 4 or 5 specific prayer requests for ministries in Romania. Click here to view this month's list. 

Partnerships: There are several opportunities to give, to serve (short or long-term) in Romania, and to pray for specific areas of ministry. Click here for an updated list of these partnership opportunities.

I always enjoy hearing from you. Feel free to send me an update with some of your summer highlights.

Blessings!

Jonathan