Romania

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Romania is a country in southeastern Europe, occupying the northeastern part of the Balkan Peninsula. Romania is a land of historic villages and castles, fertile plains, and majestic mountains. For much of its history, foreign powers, including the Ottoman Empire and Austria-Hungary, have controlled Romania or parts of it. Bucharest is Romania’s capital and largest city

Agriculture has always been an important part of Romanian life and, despite extensive industrialization since World War II; farming remains a cornerstone of Romania’s economy. Today, nearly half of all Romanians still live in rural areas, where people graze livestock, especially sheep, and grow cereal grains, potatoes, fruits, and many other crops.

The decades-long rule of Dictator Nicolae Ceausescu, who took power in 1965, and his Securitate police state became increasingly oppressive and draconian through the 1980s. Ceausescu was overthrown and executed in late 1989. Former Communists dominated the government until 1996 when they were swept from power.

Under the communist rule and control of the churches was oppressive with severe persecution for those who refused to submit. Only 15 religious groups are officially recognized today. Minority groups today find that persecution comes from the Orthodox Church rather than the government itself.
We are serving God in Romania, in the city of Slobozia where the Gospel has
penetrated very little. Slobozia is a city with a population of 53, 270
people, out of which only a little over one hundred are evangelical
Christians.

God gave us the scripture from Isaiah 43:18-19. Do not remember the former
things, Nor consider the things of old. Behold, I will do a new thing.
This is our promise for this city which is deeply rooted in orthodoxies,
idolatry and superstition. Beside the spiritual darkness, the poverty level
is great in this area and life is a struggle for many. With inflation being
very high and salaries being very low, it s very hard for people to see that
God cares for them. These hardships in people s lives create hardness
towards God. We believe through God s love we can reach these people. We
are praying for a breakthrough in people s hearts and to acknowledge their
need for God.

Our church s mission is to evangelize and reach the young generation for
Jesus. We plan to do this through the cell-based system where the emphasis
is on evangelism. So we have a great harvest before us. As Jesus told us in
Matt: 28:19-20, Go therefore and make disciples; this is our goal to reach
these young Romanian people for Christ. Not just to get them saved but to make them
followers of Jesus, teaching them to love God with all of their heart.

Part of our vision is to form leaders and prepare them for the work of the
Ministry so that they can go out and multiply themselves.
Our desire to start a church was born out of the need for a good
Spirit-filled, thriving church in this city. The greatest accomplishment
will be to teach our people to rely on God and His Word daily.