A New School Year On The Horizon

As we finish out this past school year and prepare for a new one there are many new opportunities ahead of us. In a few weeks the church in Bucharest will host its annual 'Welcome Back Barbecue' to welcome back all our families who have been traveling during the summer break and to warmly welcome many new guests who will be investigating the church for the first time. Last summer we had well over 100 in attendance for the barbecue and this year we believe we will have even more. Please pray for this special event. It will be Sunday, August 29th. It is a great time to develop many new friendships with guests from the community around us. We trust the Lord will use this to help us develop new friendships through which the gospel will be able to be shared with those who do not know Christ.

Below Are Some Photo's From Last Years Barbecue

One of Our Elders From Nigeria
Brother Sunday Oloidi, Cooking Up A Feast

Nobody Went Hungry, God Provided A Great Meal

It Was A Great Day To Introduce Many To The Church

As the barbecue draws closer, we continue the weekly activities of the church. Many in the fellowship here are returning from their travels. We are excited about their soon return and all the new possibilities that this new school year holds. Below we thought we would give you a little taste of what happened this past Sunday.

Bill Sharing The Message Sunday

Listen To A Short Clip From Bill's Message Sunday

Moldova Summer Camp 2010

This year we enjoyed once again being able to assist the churches of the south of Moldova by conducting a wonderful summer camp. There were well over 200 children who attended. The children showed a great amount excitement all week. They seemed to love the games, crafts and stories about Jesus. We were very encouraged as we learned that at least half of them came from homes that do not normally attend church. These type of events are proving to be a unique opportunity not only to share the gospel with the children, but also with the parents of the children as well.

Naty with some of the little campers

The children had a great time worshiping and learning about Jesus



Watch the children enjoying singing about Abraham!

The puppets were new this year and they were a big hit



Watch the children get excited about the puppets!

Since we started working in the south of Moldova we have had the opportunity to help develop leadership with several different individuals. This years camp was especially encouraging because it was almost 100 % taught, managed and administrated by those who have been trained in the past. Below you will see Nelu Bercaru who has completed leadership training courses in past years teach the children each day. You will also see Valara Mesina who has completed the same courses as well direct and administrate the camp. We are not only blessed to be part of what God is doing during these camps, but it is a blessing as well to see a new generation of leadership now take over and continue the work of ministry.

Nelu Bercaru was the daily teacher

Nelu Teaching the children during bible study

Valara Mesina was the director of the camp



Watch the children enjoy game time!

Naty leading the children in craft time

Naty and Valara congratulating each other on a job well done

The little ones enjoying some ice cream the last day

The children of the camp from the south of Moldova

Summer Ministry Activity

The end of June signified the end of the School year. For many of our teens and young people this is a exciting time of year for them. To help them celebrate this time we hosted an end of year barbecue at the church for them. There were approximately 25 young people who came. We are excited about what God has been doing in their lives and we pray this coming school year will open even more doors for ministry in their lives as well.

Enjoying Some Barbecue With The Young People

The Young People Enjoying Their Time Together

This last week Naty and I returned to Moldova. While we were there we had the opportunity to challenge the church in Naty's home village to continue there work of reaching out to those around them. Through the years God has used many in this village to touch many of all ages with the good news of the gospel. We are praying that this will continue. This summer the village has the opportunity to conduct a bible school and youth camp to reach out to the young people. While we were there we assisted conducting a preparation meeting to help them prepare for these up coming activities. Please pray that God will use them to touch many unbelievers in their community. We are praying that we will be able to celebrate the new birth's of many new Christians by the end of the summer.

Sharing With The Church During Thursday's Bible Study

Our Planning Meeting For VBS & Camp

A Report for June 2010

Early this month Naty's parents visited with us from Moldova. A few month's back her mother had a routine check-up in Moldova where they found some spots on a mammogram. Her parents came to Bucharest to be sure that what was found was not cancerous. We were thankful to have had the time we had with them and we were even more grateful when we received positive reports back from the doctors Naty's mother came to see. They told her that none of the spots appeared to be cancerous, we praise the Lord for this report.

Enjoying dinner with Naty's parents

As is the case in most places around the world, as the summer months come many take time away and go on vacation. That is the same here in Bucharest. Yet we have been thrilled thus far this summer to see how many are still prioritizing there time on Sunday's at church. Throughout the spring months the church has seen strong, steady growth. That has continued to remain the same as we have entered into the summer, praise God! Below was our first Sunday of the month as we celebrated the graduation of four of our international students. The four students were from Nigeria and Kenya. We pray as they prepare to move to the next stage of their lives that God will use the things they have learned here at the International Church to help each of them go on from this place to places where they will bear much fruit for Christ's Kingdom.

Prayer Time During Worship The First Sunday of The Month

The Worship Team Leading The Congregation In Worship

Celebrating Jennifer's Graduation (She Is Girl In The Middle)

Over spring one of the nationalities within our fellowship that has grown the most is our group from the Philippines. On any given Sunday you may see as many as 20 individuals that originate from the Philippines worshiping with us. This is an exciting opportunity for the church as we now have the opportunity to more directly impact this culture. We are so grateful for those God has brought to the church from there. Recently we had the chance to share the gospel with four new women from this culture. After visiting with them we were able to determine that they are genuine followers of Christ, but two of the women have never been baptized. They agreed that the bible teaches that they should be baptized and soon we will have the opportunity to do this with them. We praise God for the work He is doing amongst the cultures.

At Least Eight Women In the Picture Are From The Philippines
The Others Are Romanian, British, Nigerian and Kenyan

Men & Ministry In The Summer

Over the first five months of 2010 we have been striving to establish a more effective and growing men's ministry at the International Church. We have been encouraged recently by some of the strides we have seen this ministry make. Recently we have seen a larger group of men more committed to coming together regularly to encourage one another in their walks with Christ (Hebrews 10:24). Over the time we have seen this type of ministry impact many men in a positive way. One such individual is our brother Ali from Tunisia. He came to us after accepting Christ out of an Islamic background. We praise God for the opportunity to impact those like Ali. We ask you to pray along with us that God will bless these efforts as they continue. We hope to have many more opportunities to impact other men like Ali.

(Although an older picture)
These are some of the men effected by the church since we have been here

Bill praying for Ali as he moves on to his next stage in life

Soon the summer season will be upon us. We are praying about all the possibilities for ministry this summer here in Romania and in Moldova. As in years past we hope to be able to conduct camps and bible schools for children and young people in Moldova. We are praying that God will supply all the necessary resources to see this happen. In addition, we are praying about the possibility of having a bible school this summer here at the church in Bucharest as well. We want to be able to have a greater impact and influence upon our community here in the city and we believe reaching the children will help us open the doors to their families as well. Pray that God will give us wisdom how to proceed and that He will provide all that we need as we endeavor to make a greater impact in our community this summer.

Some of the children who will be part of VBS at the church

VBS in Moldova last summer

One summer camp from last year in Moldova

World Missions & Children

About a week ago Naty and were honored to go to Balaton, Hungary to represent the International Baptist Convention at the Annual Meeting for European Baptist Mission. While we were there we had the opportunity to see first hand how some of the resources for the church here in Bucharest are being used to reach out to people with the gospel all around the world. We were excited to meet many brothers and sisters who are reaching their countrymen in places like Cuba, Mozambique and India, as well as many other countries. When we return home to Bucharest we were excited to report what God is doing through EBM to the church and we pray that God will continue to develop a heart for missions in the congregation here in Romania.

Naty & I with the General Secretary of EBM, Christof Hause

Enjoying Dinner With Brothers & Sisters at The Conference

As the weather has changed outside we have been able to do so much more with the children who are attending the after school program. As you know we have taken the on past field trips, but now that the weather allows we are able to simple things like take them to the park. This might not seem like much, but simple things like this help us build repore with their parents. As our relationship with them grows, so does our opportunity to share with them more about Christ. Please continue to pray for these sort of opportunities.

Naty With The Children at The Park

The Children Having A Good Time at The Park

Women & Children's Ministry Traveling

Over the last few weeks we have been blessed by the women of our church as many of them had the opportunity to travel to Madrid, Spain for the annual International Baptist Conventions Woman' s Conference. There were some challenges as they returned to Bucharest because of the problem's the ash cloud from the Icelandic volcano has been causing throughout Europe. Yet, ultimately the Lord worked it out for all to return safely with just a few hours of delay. We praise God for the encouragement that our women received and we praise God for the renewed zeal they returned with concerning the possibilities toward ministry here in Bucharest. Pray that God will continue to bless our women as they continue to reach out to other women in our community.

The women who attended the conference in Madrid

Experience some of the worship from the conference

The After School Program at the church continues to grow. As more families trust us with their children we are seeking ways to make their experience as rewarding as possible. This past week the leadership of the after school took the children to a local petting zoo. The children loved this experience and the parents seemed pleased as well. We trust as we are able to do more things like this that we will be able to continue to develop greater in roads into each family that will open the doors wider for the gospel. Please pray for each of these families from our community. Pray that God will open their eyes to the hope we have found in Christ.

The children from the after school at the petting zoo

Spring In Full Motion

A few weeks ago Naty and I had the opportunity to attend the annual International Baptist Convention's pastors conference. This years conference was held in Portugal. While we were there we had the opportunity to get with other pastors and leaders from around the convention and discuss the work that God is doing. One of these conversations directly involved the work of missions in Moldova. The convention is already supporting church planters in Moldova and now some of the pastors from the convention are wanting to periodically travel to Moldova to assist this work. We are grateful for this partnership and we trust the Lord will produce fruit for His glory in the Republic of Moldova.

Bill & Naty at the pastors conference in Portugal

Once we returned to Bucharest work here has moved along rather quickly as there were many things that needed to be done before Easter in our church and all around the city. We have had two great Sundays as we celebrated the Lord's entry into Jerusalem and His resurrection. During these services we have been blessed with many visitors. We had visitors from Belgium, Ghana and even one of the teachers from the public school near us that has chosen to partner with us in community ministry has began to attend worship as well. We are excited and trusting the Lord to continue the work He is doing in our community. Please continue to pray for our relationship with this public school in our community. Pray that God would protect it from outside influences and that God would use it to expose many to the hope they can find in the gospel. Last, please pray that God would work in the hearts of those who have visited who have heard the gospel for the first time over the last few weeks. Pray that He would bring repentance and change to their lives and to our community.

The Children listening to the story of the resurrection

Easter Sunday's Worship Service

A little fun for the children Easter Sunday

We want to thank each of you once again,

the work God has called us too would not be

possible without you, thank you!

Spring Bringing New Opportunities

Recently a local public school in our community came to our church and asked us to partner with them in helping their children. They expressed that they wanted our help in teaching them principles of character. They agreed if we would help them that they would open the door for us to share the gospel with the children regularly. Please pray for this new opportunity in our community. Pray that God will open hearts to the gospel amongst the children and amongst the families the children are from.

Our First Character Training At The School

Recently the church started a special time of worship on the 1st Saturday evening of each month. These special times are hosted by our contemporary worship team and a guest speaker that we invite. The primary purpose of these times is to reach out to the International University Students in our city. We are hoping with the Lord's blessing to open new inroads into this community through this monthly event.

Saturday Night Worship

This past weekend we had the privilege to take the church 100 miles north into the mountains for a church wide weekend retreat. More than 2/3rds of the church came away with us for this great time of fellowship, worship and relaxation. We were thrilled by the spirit of unity that we witnessed the Lord developing amongst the congregation. This was a blessing for all who attended. Many commented about how they were encouraged by this time. We trust with the Lord's help to be able to do this sort of thing again in the future.

The Church Together In The Mountains


The Church Together In The Mountains On Sunday

The View From The Retreat Center

Listen As The Church Worships On The Retreat

Ministry & Family In February

This past month both Naty and I celebrated our birthday's. This past Saturday, many in the church surprised me with a party / luncheon to celebrate my birthday. This was really quite a surprise as the ladies of the church planned this time of fellowship without my knowledge. We both are very encouraged to see how the members of the church do so enjoy spending time together.

Naty With The Birthday Cake

The Church Enjoying The Party

Our small group bible studies have been growing as well. Currently they have just finished a study on fellowship within the church and soon they will move into a new study. Please continue to pray that God will bless this work and that more people will be drawn to it so they to can continue their growth in Christ.

Our Current Small Group Bible Study

The Long Days of Winter

As seems to be the case many places around the world, we are currently receiving one of our most severe winters to date. It has made things rather challenging for the church. As most of you know a year ago the Lord blessed the church with a new building, but we do not have a lot of parking. What parking we do have is public and located on the main roads to and from the church. Therefore, with all the snow we have received it has made parking very difficult. Yet, with all these challenges we are excited to report that God has still been blessing the work as we had 108 in worship on Sunday, our largest attendance in a normal worship service apart from Christmas or Easter. God has continued to show his faithfulness and we are very grateful for His blessings.

The Men of The Church Helping With Snow Removal

We are grateful for the continued growth of our after school program. Over 75% of the families who now have children in our program are unbelievers. As they bring their children to attend each day many parents ask questions about who we are and the nature of the church. This has been opening doors for us to share the love of Christ with those who do not know Him in our community. We are praying that God would continue to bless this as we continue to reach out to these families.

Some of The Children of The After School With Naty