Evangelism in Odobesti

On Saturday I helped organize a large evangelism event in the city of Odobeşti, about 40 kilometers to the west of Bucureşti, with youth from my church and students studying at a Christian seminary. At least once a month, I have been going to this city to run a Bible club with children and adolescents. Since this is largely an unreached community, I called my best friend Cat and his band helped us organize an evangelism concert, complete with dramas, testimonies, games, food, and lots of time for one-on-one conversations. I was pleased for how the event turned out for several reasons. First, it was a chance to reach-out to a lost community. Second, it was a great way for the youth from my church and friends to get involved in outreach and to develop leadership and evangelism skills. Third, the day was absolutely beautiful, so we were able to have the concert outside. Fourth, somewhere between 150-200 people attended the concert--PRAISE THE LORD! Lots of parents came with children and seemed to have a great time. On the way home, the youth were buzzing with all the great connections and conversations that were had over the course of the day. We are hoping to build on this momentum to expand the Bible club in this city and spur growth in the local evangelical church. Here are some pictures from the day: One of the best up and coming Christian bands in Romania:

"Profides"

Playing games with the kids

Playing in a drama about

earthly temptations We were pleased to have young and old attend the concert

Here I am in another drama Around 100 kids attended the event

The President is impeached!

It's official! The Romanian parliament has officially impeached President Train Băsescu for allegations of not cooperating fully enough with the parliament and opposition parties. Yesterday there were massive rallies in some of Bucureşti's central squares in defense of the president. Băsescu has been quite outspoken about the need for reform in the government, especially in the years prior to Romanian's EU entry. He remains extremely popular among the populace. What now? It is likely that Băsescu will run in the elections (to be determined) to get his postion back. Some speculate that he would easily receive over 50 percent of the vote, eliminating the need for a runoff. What a mess! If you would like to read more, please follow this link:

http://edition.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/europe/04/19/romania.suspend.reut/index.html

Paul Washer in Romania

Last week I finally had the chance to listen to Paul Washer, director of HeartCry Ministries, preach at a local church here in Bucureşti. Washer, a former missionary himself in Latin America, is a gifted speaker and extremely popular here in Romania. He led a conference co-hosted by my home church here on post-modernism and its effects on the local church. His style is very straight-forward and thought-provoking. One of the main premises in his sermon is the lack of appropriate teaching on sin and repentance in the Church today and the rise of "feel good" churches that don't properly communicate to new or young Christians the importance of repentance and living according to Christlikeness. It certainly provided something to think about. If any of you have ever heard Paul Washer speak or have some thoughts, I would love to hear from you.

Happy Easter! Paşte Fericit!

Happy Easter everyone. Just wanted to share with you a few things about Easter in Romania. Take a look: The paintings and icons are beautiful, but far too many Orthodox Romanian Christians are guilty of icon-worship. This particular picture depicts the empty tomb.

During Easter, many Romanians create decorative eggs like the ones shown above

In the Romanian Orthodox Church, a common Easter celebration is to light candles and march home with them from the cathedral after a pre-Easter mass. The candles are to symbolize the light (Christ) going out into the world. I love the symbolism of this ritual, but am saddened that for many Romanian Orthodox Christians, it is just that, a ritual and not a heart-thing.

Oţelu Roşu

I had been wanting to pay a visit to the city of Oţelu Roşu for a long time, so I was pretty happy to participate in an evangelism concert last Saturday in this beautiful village in the Banat region of western Romania. Some friends of mine from Bucureşti were invited to play at the cultural palace and a number of youth from the city came, including orphans and disadvantaged children that I have worked with in the past at Fundaţia Humanitas Pro Deo, an orphanage where I have helped lead VBS programs and Bible studies. I cannot express what a blessing it was to visit this foundation again and to follow-up with kids that I have not seen in a few years. Unfortunately, there were more sad stories than success stories. The life of an orphan in Romania is truly difficult to grasp--they are certainly considered the "least of these". Still, it was great to pay a visit, share pictures, prayers, laughs, and stories. I also had a great time staying with my hosts, Iulian Panca (Emi's brother for those of you who know him) and his wife. The food, conversation, and fellowship were great. Here are some pictures from the weekend. One of my favorite groups "profides" playing at the concert
Sharing a message at a local church on Sunday

Fundaţia Humanitas Pro Deo în Oţelu Roşu

With some of the orphans and staff

With "Stancii"

With Claudiu

Cosmina with one of the newest members of the orphanage

What a bunch of goof balls!