This February many church members, along with myself and others from the General Conference, had the privilege of taking part in the Total Member Involvement (TMI) initiative that is occuring across Europe this year. My assignment was the Cuza Voda Seventh-day Adventist Church in Bucharest, Romania. Here I saw first hand the power of a praying church.
The Cuza Voda Seventh-day Adventist church has been around for nearly twenty years. However, about two years ago, members recognized that God’s blessing was desperately needed if the church was going to grow. Not only was Cuza Voda one of the smaller churches in Bucharest at the time, but the members who did come were mostly elderly, with not many young people in attendance.
Eager to see God work, a group of about fifteen individuals began meeting every morning at 5 a.m. to pray for their own spiritual growth, for the Holy Spirit to be poured out upon the Cuza Voda church, and for all the seats in the church to become filled. Within two months of starting these early morning prayer meetings, they had the first baptism they’d had for awhile. It was for ten individuals, all young adults in their early twenties, who made the decision to follow Christ.
The group continued praying each morning for nearly a year, and God continued to bless. Now, a year and a half later, the church is bursting at the seams with attendance of 200+ each weekend. In fact, on Sabbath the church is often so packed that if you come late, you might just be standing in the back. Every seat is taken. And who makes up the majority of the congregation now? It is young adults—students and young professionals that are passionate about serving Christ. I praise the Lord that even more made the decision to be baptized during our February meetings.
However, this church is not the only church who has been praying. I could share about the Floresti church, on the outskirts of Bucharest, which saw 55 people come forward in the call to baptism, given by Elder Ted N.C. Wilson during our time there. This was an answer to prayer!
I could also share about the special miracle that happened with Gina Wahlen, another General Conference teammate, was speaking at the Bucharest Adventist Theological Institute, a high school of about 400 students in Bucharest. Initially students didn’t seem that receptive, and our team members prayed earnestly together with Gina that God would work mightily. And work He did. At the end of Gina’s series, 41 teens responded to her call to baptism.
While numbers have not been released yet, estimates indicate that thousands of people will be baptized all over Romania from the many different evangelism meetings that have taken place.
It was exciting to be part of this Total Member Involvement initiative, but I have to say that the biggest blessing for me has been seeing how God is working all over Romania in answer to many fervent prayers that have been prayed…not just this month, but for years. It’s because many people have already taken the call to Total Member Involvement seriously that we are now seeing a revival taking place across Romania. Truly God hears the prayers of His church!
Melody Mason is coordinator of United in Prayer for the World Church. To read a more full report on God’s blessing in Romania, click here: https://www.adventistmission.org/inspired-by-romania-church-leaders-to-take-tmi-evangelism-across-europe
Note: To view this week’s world church prayer requests, click here!