Joyful To Be Part of What Christ Is Doing

A few weeks back I had the opportunity to attend a church planting conference in Frankfurt, Germany. This was a great chance to learn more about what God is doing in different parts of the world and to learn how we can partner in that here in Romania. As a result once I returned to Romania I had the opportunity to meet with a Romanian gentleman who is interested in starting a church here in Bucharest. We are currently as a church praying about the possibility of partnering with this gentleman in this endeavor. Please pray that God would guide our steps as we move forward.

Church Planting Conference in Frankfurt, Germany

As you have probably read in prior postings on this blog God has given us many unique opportunities to reach out to our community. This past week we were privileged to be part of seeing a new outreach started on Monday's in the church. We started a music class for children and their mothers. The initial response has been very good. We are praying God will bless this effort to reach others in our community.

The Recently Started Music Class

Reaching Out To All

Since the beginning of the New Year the church here in Bucharest has reinforced its efforts to reach out to all ages and groups in our city. As a result, soon we hope to be starting a humanitarian aid closet and a ministry that will reach out to the aged, sick and dying in our community as well. While we strive to continue to reach out in new ways we are just as excited about the continued growth of other forms of outreach in our fellowship as well. We have witnessed the woman's ministry of the church continuing to grow. This is an exciting development because more than half of those who attend are those who do not know Christ. This gives us a direct opportunity to share the gospel with them. Please pray for these women who attend and for our sisters who have the opportunity to share with them.

The weekly Woman's Meeting at the church

We have also witnessed the continued growth of our children's ministry. We have been delighted to see how it has grown on Sunday's, but we have also seen it grow during the week as well. Approximately four months ago the mothers of our church started a group on Tuesday mornings called the "Little Fishes Playgroup". Many mothers with little ones have come. This is a great opportunity for many of them to spend time with other mothers in the same stage in life, while giving themselves and their children an opportunity to learn more about Christ and how much He loves them. We have been encouraged by how the Lord seems to be blessing this effort.

Teaching the children to serve like Jesus served

A Great Holiday Season!

Every year at Christmas time many within our fellowship travel back to their countries of original origin to spend time with family and friends. Yet, for those who remain in Bucharest we were able to celebrate our Savior's birth for the first time in a candle light service Christmas Eve this year. In the past we always had to rent a worship facilities, therefore, we had no place to host such an event. This year we were able to do so because of God's blessing of our new building. It was a great evening and an encouragement to all who attended.

The Christmas Eve Candle Light Service

Over the holiday's we had many interesting things take place here in Bucharest. My brother Jim from Chicago came to Bucharest and visited with us for a few days. While he was here we had the biggest snow storm of the season. Many of the children of the church also had the opportunity to enjoy the weather God gave us as well. It was a great time for family and fellowship. Currently we are praying that God will direct us and help us in making new in roads into our community in 2010. We are praying that God will bear much fruit in our fellowship in the New Year!

Visiting With My Brother Jim From Chicago


The Teens of The Church at Their Christmas Party


The Children of The Church Enjoying The Winter Weather

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