Sharing The Love of Christ This Christmas

Over the month of December the church had the honor to help assist Casa Iuana, a home those who are homeless this Christmas. Our church collected many different shoebox gifts to give to the children of the families located at Casa Iuana. This was a unique opportunity to bring a little Christmas joy to a small child, as well as, to be able to share the gospel with their whole family. We trust God will use these sorts of opportunities to produce the fruit of repentance in the hearts of these families. Please pray along with us that this will be the ultimate result.

The Children of Casa Iuana

Singing Christmas Chorals With The Children

This past Sunday we had the unique opportunity to go to the Embassy of the Philippines to share with the ambassador, diplomatic personnel and citizens of the Philippines in Romania the gospel and true story of Christmas. We praise God for this opportunity as we were able to share with almost 100 individuals. Several mentioned that they would like to visit the church. We are trusting that God will use this to open many of their hearts to Christ. Please pray with us that God will use this opportunity to produce fruit for His glory.

Bill Sharing The Gospel At The Embassy


Bill & Naty with The Philippine Ambassador & His Wife

A Very Good Christmas!

Sunday evening was a remarkable event in the life of the church. We had prepared for our annual Christmas celebration for almost six weeks. We were uncertain how many would attend and once again our Lord totally exceeded all our human expectations. Many from the church took advatage of this special opportunity to invite their friends and families to hear the the gospel as it was presented through various means during the celebration. We were told that at least 128 people attended, this was the largest such crowd for a Christmas Celebration, we praise God for His goodness!

The Christmas Celebration

The Christmas Choir

We thank the Lord for the continued growth of the aftershcool program at the church. As the word has started to circulate throughout the community more and more families have gotten involved. We pray that more children will come and that this will open more doors for the gospel.

The Children of the Afterschool

Preparing for A Wonderful Month of Celebration

Our church recently began preparing for our annual Christmas celebration that will take place this coming Sunday, the 13th of December at 6:00 pm. This is an annual event where many of the different ministries of the church collaborate to share the true message of Christmas with our community each Christmas. Over the last few years this has been one of our best attended events each year. This year we hope once again to have many visit from our community as we share the story of the hope that was given to mankind through the birth of our Savior. We ask you to pray that God will bless these efforts and that many will hear the gospel through them this Christmas.

The IBC Christmas Choir Preparing for the Celebration

Last Sunday we had a special privilege to worship along with our brothers and sisters from Nigeria who led us our musical program. Many who attended enjoyed the opportunity to worship in a new way and to experience how others around the world worship our great God and Savior. Sometime in the future we hope to have this sort of an opportunity again as others from different cultures come and lead us in worshiping the Lord.

Our Friends From Nigeria Leading Us In Worship

Excited About God's Work

In recent days we have seen the Lord doing some great things in the church. Over the last month attendance has increased noticeably in all areas of the church. Just this past week Naty was commenting about how attend in our children's Sunday School has almost doubled. We praise God for how He is working and we are trusting that this coming New Year will be the best in the life of the church.

Children's Sunday School

We praise God as we near the new year for the ways God has shown His faithfulness to the International Church. Naty and I have been privileged to work with the church since June of 2006. Over that period of time we have seen God do some very encouraging things. Recently the budget committee of the church gathered to establish a budget for 2010. As they did we provided them with the historical numbers of the church since we arrived and we learned some things that encouraged us greatly. The numbers were as follows:

Attendance

(2006 Averages - 38); (2007 Averages - 52); (2008 Averages - 64) (2009 Averages - 73)

Giving
(Approximately)

(2006 - $3,600); (2007 - $5,800); (2008 - $33,500); (2009 - $46,000)

We learned from this experience that it is good to take inventory and see what God has done. He has truly been faithful to us and we trust that 2010 will even be better. Please pray along with us that God will bless the New Year coming here in Bucharest with much fruit for his glory.

Running Between Romania & Moldova

Once we returned from our recent trip to Belgium for the International Baptist Conventions Annual Meeting we immediately began to prepare for the work ahead of us in Moldova. The first week of this month we spent teaming up with other pastors and leaders from around the world (Brazillia, Brazil; Tacoma, Washington; Eastern Pennsylvania) in an evangelistic project in Moldova. The projected was sponsored by leaders from the International Baptist Convention. It was a great week as the gospel was shared with many all throughout the southern part of Moldova. We praise God for the decisions that were made for Christ during this wonderful week of evangelism.

Bill preaching the gospel in Valeni, Moldova

Recently many of the women of our church started a new outreach program for woman of infants and toddlers in our community. They are trying to provide a weekly time when these mothers can get a few hours to go into the city to do what they could not do unless they had some trustworthy help with their children. After our time in Moldova, one of the reasons we hurried back to Bucharest was to assist with this new ministry.

The women of our church working with the children

A NEW OPPORTUNITY

Recently we had the opportunity to meet a man from Pakistan who is currently in Romania finishing his medical degree to become a licensed physician. He came to us to learn whether or not we might be able to help him become better prepared to minister to his people back home once he returns. We are excited about this possibility and we are praying that God might make this possible to work with Sajjad as he not only prepares to minister to peoples physical needs in Pakistan, but also to their spiritual needs. Please pray along with us about this possibility.

Naty and I with Sajjad from Pakistan

New Blessings & Prayer Requests

A few months back God blessed us by opening the door for the church to start what is the equivalent of a day care program in our church to reach out to our community. Progress has been slow, but we are happy to report that it has been steady. We are seeing more and more families from the community investigating it and we are hoping more and more will allow their precious children to attend. We are also praying that this will open the door for us to be able to introduce Christ to many of these families. We would ask you to pray along with us that God will open doors with families we have never had relationships with before that ultimately will result in these families finding the only hope for eternity in Jesus Christ.

Stefan a young boy from the Daycare

The women of the church planning the activities

This past week Naty and I were blessed to be able to attend the Annual Meeting (conference) of the International Baptist Convention in Brussels, Belgium. While we were their we were encouraged by visiting with other pastors from other International Churches from around the world. During the conference I was asked to make a small presentation to the pastors and church leaders who attended. Last year Naty and I were asked to serve the convention as part of the conventions committee for World Missions. It has been a joy to do this and as a result I was asked to give a small report to the convention on one of our missions partners, European Baptist Mission. As the convention drew to a close a new opportunity has been brought our way. We were asked to serve the convention by becoming the chairmen of the World Missions Committee. We have not decided to do so and are currently praying that God will make His will clear to us concerning this. We ask you to pray along with us so that we make the appropriate choice.

Bill making his presentation at the conference

Bill & Naty in Brussels

Getting You Caught Up!

A few weeks back I wrote to you concerning our English as a Second Language Classes. God has blessed this outreach and a handful have been consistently atteding. We want to ask you to remember this in your prayers. We want this activity to reach those in our community who do not know Chrsit. Yet sometimes it is difficult to develop continuity here in Romania because so few ever commit to anything anyway. Please pray that Gop will help those who have committed to consistently attend. Pray also that God will open doors for the gospel as they work to master the English language.

ESL Class at the International Church

Saturday Naty and I enjoyed having the privilege in being involved with our student ministry as many of them participated in citywide Scavenger Hunt. It was great to see them develop a stronger bond of fellowship through this activity. We are praying that God will continue to use this ministry to reach out to international students who do not know Christ. Please pray along with us.

The winning team enjoying the spoils of victory

Last, Saturday evening was a first for us, but a very encouraging time as well. We had the unique opportunity to be involved in officiating over an engagement ceremony. A young man in our fellowship who had come to Christ out of Islam was getting engaged to a young woman from the states. He wanted to do it a way that would truly celebrate their commitment to one another. Therefore, we were privileged in being involved in their engagement ceremony. Their hope is to married sometime this summer, around June or July. Please keep this dear couple in your prayers.

The engagement ceremony Saturday night

Thankful For God's Continued Work

Since we have returned from our time away in Bulgaria we have been grateful to see the Lord continuing to work in the church. On the 4th of October Jonathan shared the Sunday message while I had the rare opportunity of leading the congregation in worship. He spoke on unity in the body of Christ. It was a timely message that many in the church was encouraged by. Last Sunday we started a new sermon series called, "Lessons for Life". This series will be taken from the book of Ecclesiastes as we study through the book together.

Bill Leading Worship

As we shared a few weeks ago, we have started ministering to our children through children's church. We have been encouraged by how the children have taken to this ministry. We have also been encouraged by the response of many of the parents of the children involved. Many seem to be encouraged by how their children are being ministered to.

Children's Church Sunday

Last, we ask you to pray for our ministry to university students. We have been encouraged by the response of some and we are thankful for their response. Yet, we know there are so many other students who need to be reached. Please pray with us that God will do a work amongst the international student population in our city. We earnestly desire to see God work in this way.

Student's Worship Time Saturday Night

A Week of Contrasts

This past week Naty and I celebrated our fifth wedding anniversary and as we both reflect on the past five years we are very grateful for our Lord's provision and providence in our lives over the past five years. This week has been a great example of His providence once again. It started last Wednesday as Naty and I were preparing to leave for a few days of vacation and rest. We had not taken any time away from the ministry in over a year so we planned to go to Bulgaria for four days to rest. Wednesday evening we receivd a call from the United States telling us that my dad was having heart problems and that he was going to have to have immediate open heart surgery to correct the problems. Obviously this caused us great concern. We went ahead and left for Bulgaria on Thursday not knowing specifically what would happen. As a result of the news we had received it may be obvious that rest was hard to come by. We finally received word very early Friday morning (approximately 3 or 4 in the morning) that my dad had made it through surgery and that he was doing well after 4 bi-passes. We had not slept well for two days, but because of our short time away we were able to rest and regain our strength. Once again God showed just how much He is in control of our lives. We praise Him for my dad's successful surgery, we also praise Him for the way He always provides for us in a timely way.

Naty and I in Bulgaria
celebrating our 5th anniversary

Last Naty and I wanted to write to thank many of you who we know have been praying for my dad during his time of trial over this past week. We can report that he seems to be recovering from his quadruple bi-pass surgery well according to the doctors. It is a great encouragement to us and my family that there are some many of you who were willing to pray for us during this time, we thank you!

Last We Need Your Help

As you know Naty and I started this blog a few months ago to help assist you in better understanding the comings and goings of the ministry here in Romania and Moldova. We do hope that this has been helpful to you. Therefore, we would enjoy having your feedback. If you would be willing to take a moment and send us a quick email to inform us of the usefulness of this blog it would help us in knowing if you would like for this formate of communication to continue as it currently is configured. In addition, if you have any suggestions as to how it may be better as well, that would be appreciated as well. Please send your feedback to williamtully@hotmail.com. Thank your for your input, each of you are a blessing.

Please Pray With Us!

The New Building

There are those times when God allows tests in our lives where we must make choices that will show whether we will trust God in all circumstances or whether we will trust him in the difficult times as well. Currently the International Church is learning this lesson first hand. Recently we were informed that the church has a financial obligation to the local government concerning the new building that we were unaware of until a week ago. This has caused the church to be in the difficult place of having to make a decision as to how we will meet this obligation. We have asked the church here to pray for a few things. First, that God will give the pastor and elders wisdom to make the correct decision. Second, that God will help each of us who consider the International Church our church home to do our part to give to meet this obligation. Third, that God will work to provide all that is needed so that the work of the International Church may move forward for many years to come.

Naty and I wanted to share this with you as well so that you might commit this issue to prayer along with us. Each of you through the years have made great sacrifices to help make this work in Bucharest and in the south of Moldova possible. Each sacrifice is significant and we are grateful for how God has used you. What we ask is that you might pray for us and the church during this challenging time. We know that this circumstance did not surprise God and we believe that He has a larger purpose for us as a body as well. We want to learn the lesson He is teaching us well and come through the test stronger and more prepared to serve the purposes of our great God. That is why we ask you to pray along with us.

As always, Naty and I thank God for each of you and trust that during these difficult times that your needs are being met. "And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus." Philippians 4:19 God bless you all for your faithfulness to us and your brothers and sisters here in Bucharest and in Moldova.

Sunday Worship

More New Opportunities

This past week marked the beginning of many new ministries in the church in Bucharest. We started for the first time a children's church program that is an addition to our children's Sunday school. This new effort allows many of the parents in our church the opportunity to worship without the concern for what their children are doing while they are in the worship service. Additionally, we are beginning our first community outreach program through 'English as a Second Language Classes'. We are trusting that God will give us many opportunities to develop relationships with many of those who are attending these classes. The reason is many of those attending do not know Christ nor do they attend the church. Our hope is that God will allow us over time to develop the type of relationships with them that will open doors to share the gospel. Please pray that God will bless these outreach efforts into our community.

Children's Church

Others from the International
Community In Bucharest

Naty and I wanted to take a moment and share with you our home in Bucharest. Many have asked about where we live and we thought a few photo's might help you get a better understanding of our apartment here. As always, thank you for your generous sacrifices that make this work here in Romania and Moldova possible! You have been a great blessing through the years and we pray that God is blessing each of you for your more than generous sacrifices on behalf of Naty and I and those we have been called to serve here.

New Opportunities

This last week was full of new opportunities. It started when Naty and I were invited to join the Japanese International School for their annual festival. This was a great time as we were able to join a few members from our church for this celebration. In addition, there have been several women from this community that have been investigating who Christ is during our weekly ministry to the women of our community. While we were at the celebration we had an opportunity to encourage many of them. We thank God for the Japanese community and we pray that God will continue to work in it to bring men and women to faith in Christ.

Naty with the Takagi's; A family from
the International Church

As I mentioned, we had a weekend of many firsts. Another first was the beginning of Jonathan Moore-Crispin's term with the International Church. God has led this young man to our church from the United Kingdom to serve the fellowship here in Bucharest as our Assistant Pastor. This past Sunday this finally became official. The following are photo's from our time of worship this past Sunday as we celebrated this special event.

The elders and I praying for Jonathan
as he comes on staff of the church



The Sermon on Sunday

Children's Sunday School

The New School Year Begins

Yesterday at the International Church we had a great day. We hosted our annual 'Welcome Back Barbecue' to welcome back to Bucharest many who had been away and many of those who visited. We estimated that there were as many as 100 in attendance. We trust if God is willing, that many of those who visited for the first time yesterday will return in the future to either worship with us or learn more of what it means to become a believer in Jesus Christ. We ask you to pray for those who visited. Pray that God will bring them back to the church and that those who do not know Christ will come to a place where they put their trust in Christ for forgiveness of sin and eternal life.

The following is an introductory video that the church in Bucharest uses to introduce visitors to the church. I thought you might enjoy seeing it. We hope it will give you a better understanding of what God is doing at the International Church.

As We Conclude The Summer ...

It is amazing to think that the summer is almost over. Children are returning to school and many of our church members who have been away visiting their homes in different lands are returning to Bucharest. So in keeping with this time of year Sunday the International Church will be hosting our annual "Welcome Back Barbecue". We ask you to please keep this time in prayer as many visitors will be visiting the church for the first time. We trust if God is willing, that we will be able to develop some new relationships that will open the door for the gospel.

This past Sunday afternoon we were honored to be asked to join a local church in Moldova for the baptism of several new believers. It was exciting to see what God is doing in the lives of these new believers. The following should give some sense of what being baptized in Moldova is like.

Another Summer In The Books

We wish you could have been here to see. The camps were a resounding success once again. In all three camps or bible schools we saw somewhere between 400 - 500 children and teenagers attend. We were very encouraged by the nature of each as well. Many of those who knew Christ were challenged in their faith. There were also those who came to know Christ for the first time. God has blessed far above and beyond what any of us are deserving of, HE IS GOOD!

Kids Camp 2009



Teens Camp 2009

Camp Life

A Special Message For You

"Thank You!"

Going To Moldova

In the morning we will be traveling to Moldova for a week of youth camps. We want to specifically ask each of you to be keeping this time in prayer. We ask you to pray for the following:

1. Please pray for the current political climate in Moldova. Currently there is a move by some in government in Moldova to completely outlaw the use of or participation in any sort of religious camping experience. We ask you to pray that the Spirit of God will prevail upon the hearts of the leaders of the country to keep this from happening.

2. Please pray for the hearts of the young people who are attending the camps. Pray that Holy Spirit will illuminate their eyes to the truth of the gospel and that those who have not trusted Christ yet, will do so.

3. Please pray for some challenging situations with some families in Moldova that Naty and I are dealing with. Pray that God will give those involved the desire to do right and to work to restore relationships that have been broken.

Once we return from Moldova we will give you a full report about how the camps went. As always we thank you for your participation in the work here and we continue to pray that our Lord is blessing each of you richly.

The Long Days of Summer

Yesterday was a wonderful day of worship at the International Church here in Bucharest. We have been encouraged by the willingness of the congregation to continue to attend even during these days when most tend to leave and vacation. Last evening approximately half the church gathered together at an elders home for a time of fellowship and barbecue. It was a great time. We are beginning to see some great things happen through events like this. During the barbecue one family invited some friends from Canada who are working in Bucharest for the next few years. This opened the door to the development of a new friendship with this family. We are praying that God will allow this relationship to continue to grow so that we might be able to invite them to the church and to hear about Christ. Also a dear lady from Japan who attends our church has been praying for her husbands conversion for several years now. We have been very encouraged recently as he has begun to start to attend the worship services and last evening he joined all of us for our time of fellowship. We trust, if it is the Lord's timing, that he is close to giving his heart to Christ. Please pray for him.

Last, this coming week we are going to Moldova to assist with summer camps for teens. Please keep this time in prayer. Every summer this is an important time of teaching and evangelism as many young people put their faith in Christ. In addition, with the tense political climate in Moldova their are many who would like to keep such events from even taking place. So we ask you to pray for everyone's protection as well. With God's help we believe we could have another camping season to celebrate with many putting their trust in Christ. Thanks again for your part in what God is doing in Romania and Moldova, each of you are a real blessing!

Please Keep In Prayer!

Over the last few days the Lord has tested us a bit. A few years back the Lord blessed the ministry here with a car so that it would make our travel from Romania to Moldova easier. A week ago we had to take the car into the shop for what appeared to be routine maintenance. Just today we found out the cost to repair what is the problem. It will cost approximately $2,000 by the time it is completely repaired. We want to ask you to pray with us that the Lord will completely supply all that is needed so that we might be able to continue to use the car as a tool for the ministry.

We thank you in advance for your willingness to sacrificially stand with us in what God is doing here. You are a big blessing, and we continually pray that God is blessing each of your lives richly!

The Beginning

This is a new form of communication that Naty and I are going to try to keep up so as to help you stay informed about what is happening here in Romania & Moldova. Please let us know what you think.

This past week wasn't much of a change from any other week. On the other hand, we see the membership of the church in Bucharest making the sort of changes that are necessary for the church to ultimately grow and become the type of church that God can bless.

Earlier in the month we were privileged to once again be part of Vacation Bible School and other activities for children in Moldova. God was good, and once again we saw Him bless in ways we could not have imagined. See the attached video!