TEN Connect Magazine - July 2021

CONNECT July – September 2021

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THE NETWORK

rowing G IS

Help raise £10,000 with our virtual walks challenge Connect with church partnerships Building churches Quarterly Prayer Diary Harvest for the Hungry Appeal

EDITORIAL

Networking It’s almost four years since we adopted Transform Europe Network as our official name to represent the charity, Eurovangelism. What has never changed is our vision to see lives transformed as a result of the Gospel proclamation in Europe.

The call of Christ to the very first disciples in Galilee was to leave their fishing nets and to become fishers of men and women. They soon understood that their task was to become a new network.

Starting with just twelve disciples, many other followers ultimately became disciples. Scores of men and women were joined to the network held together

by Jesus, their Messiah.

The challenges of the past 18 months arising from the global pandemic have tested us as individuals, as families, as churches and as mission organisations.

The TEN network has felt the strain as we have sought to support partners facing great challenges. The restrictions on normal travel, the economic impact on churches, the dire struggle of Roma communities, the recovery from the viral impacts of Covid-19 and most sadly the passing of friends and family members.

Like never before, TEN has proved to be a close-knit family. We have cried together, sometimes laughed together

and often prayed together. We have joined webinars and had precious times of prayer, giving mutual encouragement.

Support for our partners by individuals and UK churches has been wonderful.

We have been overwhelmed by generous giving. Visits to partners have been exchanged for online meetings to give testimony and to share God’s word.

Going forward we see our network growing. In this issue you will read about some of the new relationships that TEN is creating to bring added value to the work of our partners.

TRANSFORM EUROPE NETWORK Registered office: 23 Apex Court, Woodlands, Bradley Stoke, Bristol BS32 4JT Tel: +44 (0)117 961 5161

Email: info@ten-uk.org

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Web: ten-uk.org

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TEN Magazine written and produced by the TEN team. Design by Simon Petherick Graphic and Web Design.

Transform Europe Network (TEN) is the operating name for Eurovangelism.

Registered in England and Wales as a charity (no. 1140592) and company limited by guarantee (no. 7507682).

Contents

Welcome How are you? I wonder if like me you feel a sense of anticipation of the new normal as well as some uncertainty about what it means in practice? We want to thank you for standing with TEN and our partners and thank God for his guiding and faithfulness during a challenging year.

As we look ahead, we see the importance of networks. They are everywhere. We have virtual networks, Wi-Fi networks, friendship networks and church networks to name a few. TEN is a network and in my two years at TEN (where has the time gone?) I have seen the power of a network.

A fundamental principle of a network is that it is a group of interconnected people. All have a part to play and the impact is increased by the presence of the different participants. Without working in networks, the impact would be less and some things would not even be possible. There is a humility in a network; it says, “we cannot do this on our own”.

In scripture God repeatedly uses a group of interconnected people to bring about his plans. Think how prophets, priests and kings worked together. In the book of Nehemiah, the words of Hanani, the vision and networking skills of Nehemiah, the funds of the King of Babylon and the hard work of the people meant the walls of Jerusalem were built. In the early church we see Paul encouraging the churches to support each other (2 Corinthians 8–9). It is possible to see the Trinity itself as a divine network. Father, Son and Spirit; one God, three persons with distinct ‘roles’ all bringing about God’s redemptive plan. A network into which we are invited to participate.

At TEN we see networks not as simply a pragmatic tool but an integral way of outworking our call in God’s plans for Eastern Europe.

Please always feel free to get in touch with me at james.vaughton@ten-uk.org. I love hearing from you.

Thank you for playing your part.

James Vaughton, CEO, TEN

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4 Emanuel Hospice: How it all began Romania 6 TENteach takes off 6 A tribute to Dr John Blanchard 7 Help raise £10,000 with our virtual Balkan walk 8 Church partnerships are a great way to connect 9 Red Tulip Appeal update 10 A personal tribute to Mirco Andreev 11 Heart Cry Prayer Diary July – September 18 Answers to prayer Romania 20 Helping our partners to build churches 22 News snippets 23 Harvest for the Hungry 2020 — you made a difference 24 Hunger every day

Emanuel Hospice: How it all began 25 years ago

by Marinela Rotariu, CEO Emanuel Hospice

Looking back in time 25 years, to February 1996. Emanuel Hospice was not yet registered as an organisation. We did not have a building, staff, or payroll.

What we did have was a special calling from God and the insatiable conviction that we should do whatever was necessary to assist the cancer patients that had been discharged from the hospital oncology department.

The oncology doctors had sent them home to die. They had been told, “There is nothing more we can do for you. Your condition is beyond the scope of medical science.”

"We just had a stethoscope, a bag of medical supplies…and a list of about thirty terminal cancer patients" There we were, two enthusiastic young women; one a medical intern and the other a nurse with six years of experience at the County Hospital working with haematology patients.

We just had a stethoscope, a bag of medical supplies—syringes, needles, bandages—and a list of about thirty terminal cancer patients.

We also had God’s assurance that this was what He wanted us to do with our lives. We established a meeting place at the tram station from which we travelled by public transportation to the patients' homes (once we were able to establish the routes we could take to most efficiently get to the places we needed to be each day).

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prepared to listen and offer support and emotional or spiritual counselling.

From the very beginning, we always asked God to be with us in this work.

We knew that without Him, we could not be effective. We relied upon Him to provide the necessary resources— financial, emotional and spiritual— without which there was no possibility of fulfilling what we knew was our mission. His goodness, generosity, faithfulness and blessings have constantly overwhelmed us over these past 25 years. Words are inadequate to express how grateful we are for the way He has protected, cared for and provided for us over these twenty five years and we unconditionally trust that we will have His support for so long as we continue to serve Him.

The purpose of the visits was very precise: we were to alleviate the suffering of the sick and comfort the relatives that were maintaining a bedside vigil, using as our care model what we had observed and practiced in Brasov, by our colleagues from House of Hope Hospice.

On the physical side our concern was to recognise, assess, evaluate and identify their worst type of pain and relieve it. When they were in severe physical pain, we typically could control it by adjusting their morphine dosage.

In some instances, their severe pain was psychological and/or emotional and/or spiritual. Think of the pain a mother experiences, knowing she will be leaving her children motherless, or of a young man stressed over the thought of his young wife being alone to raise their child without the anticipated income for their support.

And there would be the unsaved who had no comfort on their prospects for eternity. While we did not have painkillers for this pain, we were 5

TENteach takes off on test run

By Melanie Griffiths, Supporter Relations

TENteach is an exciting new venture which arose from a suggestion put forward by TEN Ambassador, Nick Clarke.

We are delighted to announce that we now have two partners in Moldova and two more in North Macedonia who are each keen for us to try out the online Teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL) with their communities. So the test run will go ahead this summer!

So far, churches in Gotesti and Dancu in Moldova and in Resen and Bitola in North Macedonia are eager to take part.

The plan is to firm up the number of participants by the end of June and assess the students for their language level. Once we know what level of English the students have, they can

be divided into classes and dates will be set to test it out.

There is now a team of seven people who are already TEFL trained and ready to test out online teaching with TEN. The test run will take place between midAugust and mid-September 2021.

Each class will have up to ten students and will run for 1.5 hours.

The material will include some Bible stories, as well as general teaching materials, so that there is an outreach element to the course.

If all goes well, the team hopes to run the online TEFL classes once a week from the end September.

Thank you for your prayers.

A tribute to Dr John Blanchard We are saddened to announce the sudden passing of Dr. John Blanchard on Friday 14th May. John and his wife Pam had a real heart for Eastern Europe. Pam fulfilled a most significant role with TEN for many years as chair of trustees and remains an active supporter. John spoke at several supporter conferences over the years and also shared at the 2017 TEN Partners' Conference in Sofia, Bulgaria.

John and Pam made six visits to Eastern European nations in the three years before Covid.

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Help raise £10,000 with our 2021 virtual walks challenge: Via Egnatia A message from James, TEN CEO

“I would love to encourage everyone to get involved in our sponsored virtual walk of the Via Egnatia. My family are aiming to walk the full equivalent miles from Durrës in Albania to Thessaloniki in Greece. TEN aims to raise £10,000 to support our partners as they bring hope to people in Eastern Europe. Our approach will be a mix of dog walks, hill walks, jogs and even some swimming! I would love you to join me.”

What is a virtual walk? Instead of travelling thousands of miles to faraway places, like Mount Everest in Nepal or Mount Kilimanjaro in Kenya and even the modest mountains of the Balkans, the idea is that you cover the distance by walking (running, cycling or swimming) in your local area or region.

TEN is partnering with Enthuse, an online fundraising platform that will make it very easy to share your challenge on social media and secure those vital donations.

The Via Egnatia is one of Europe’s earliest Roman roads built in the 2nd century BC by the Roman Proconsul of Macedonia, Gnaeus Egnatius. The route starts from Durrës, Albania, winding through North Macedonia and on to Thessaloniki, Greece. Known and walked by the Apostle Paul on his missionary travels, the route became a highway for soldiers, tradesmen, shepherds and migrants.

Today, some of TEN’s partners are serving communities found along the Via Egnatia and bringing the Gospel to unreached communities.

If you would like to register and join others in the TEN family to walk and fundraise, please contact us at fundraising@viaegnatia.co.uk or to simply find out more visit our website: www.viaegnatia.co.uk.

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Church Partnerships

by Melanie Griffiths, Supporter Relations

Church partnerships are a great way to connect with a partner church in Europe, build a two-way relationship and develop enthusiasm for world mission.

Steve Cowie, Pastor at New Life Baptist Church (NLBC) in Northallerton, talks to TEN about how their partnership with Agape Christian Centre in Năvodari (ACCN), Constanta, Romania, got started.

NLBC is a charismatic evangelical Baptist Church of about 250 members, that has always had a great sense of world mission as well as local mission. They commit to a lot of community work and overseas mission, particularly in Ghana and Romania.

NLBC had been involved in mission in Romania for over 20 years, working in Transylvania, mainly supporting individuals. But this was coming to a natural end and they wanted to partner with a church or church group so the ministry would continue when the key individuals moved on.

They wanted to support a ministry which balanced practical help and spiritual growth. A mutual contact mentioned TEN, which led to an initial meeting with former CEO Gerry Partridge and Country Champion, Terry Wood, who suggested Pastor Beni and Ancuta Micle and the ministry of Agape Christian Centre.

Terry, Steve and Richard Cutting from NLBC went to visit ACCN in 2017.

The connection was instant.

“As soon as we got there,” says Steve, “it was obvious pretty quickly that our hearts were knitted together.

Their ministry was exactly what we were looking for, a church ministering to their practical needs but also on kingdom work.”

Steve invited Beni and Ancuta across to the UK. Steve says, “It was important that the rest of the church got to meet them; Beni preached at the church, and we put on a lunch so they could have some social time with people.

“NLBC would thoroughly recommend TEN as a mission’s partner. Our relationship with TEN has been fundamental to the partnership we have developed with ACCM and their ministry in Constanta, Romania.”

Steve Cowie 8

Red Tulip Appeal update This year’s Red Tulip Appeal was a direct response to the unforeseen needs of our partners amid the coronavirus pandemic.

We wanted to grow hope in Eastern Europe and the Balkans through your prayers and giving. The Red Tulip Appeal logo was designed by one of our new trustees, Nicoleta Mezei and in-house we created a profile picture frame for Facebook to help raise further awareness.

Our partners’ stories were all too familiar. Lockdowns directly impacted businesses and jobs. Church members couldn’t meet, and services had to move online. Church income dropped dramatically. The pandemic spread throughout communities. More than 20 of our partners were infected by the virus and some are still recovering.

We lost two dear friends and partners, Lucian Tabac and Mirco Andreev and we’re still coming to terms with the devastating loss of their presence.

In March, along with the Connect magazine, we mailed out 2,000 red tulip postcards to our supporters which featured a painting of a red tulip, donated by Pam Sharples. We included a prayer of hope for our partners as we approached Easter. We also held an online prayer gathering and were joined by Andrew Saxton of

Life 2 Romania. Andrew works closely with our partner, Gavril Covaci and highlighted the needs of the Roma communities they serve.

“The cramped conditions of many homes mean that if one person contracts coronavirus, the rest of the household contracts it too. Quarantines mean that people can’t leave to work and without state support, many families are going hungry.”

We have raised just over £6,000 through our Red Tulip Appeal, and TEN has added a further £5,000 to support our partners as they come through the coronavirus crisis.

Your donations have been sent as urgent relief grants to support our partners and their communities.

Thank you for your prayers and kind donations—we really appreciate them.

We know that God is at work through every prayer offered.

Find out more and donate at ten-uk.org/redtulip 9

A personal tribute to Mirco Andreev

a television crew from BBC Wales.

This had got stuck at the border with customs and most of the day was spent with Mirco, as he did everything that he could to make things happen.

We discovered another of his remarkable skills—diplomacy. Once he had got the lorry through and on to the warehouse, it had to be unloaded.

We all got stuck in and under Mirco’s skills of encouragement, we worked late into the night, unloading, stacking, and taking all the labels off the clothes.

This had been a requirement of the respective designers before giving out the clothes to the refugees.

We will never forget the hours spent with Mirco de-labelling garments and climbing up mountains of clothes, while sharing stories and putting the world to rights. We had to get it finished. The following day was also extremely busy, loading vans and cars with family food parcels.

Whilst we are sad and heartbroken for this remarkable man’s lovely family, we are happy to know that Mirco will have heard his Lord and Saviour say to him: “Well done, good and faithful servant”. We thank you, Jesus, for allowing us the privilege of knowing this man.

1966 – 2020

by Ray and Wendy Watson, long-standing TEN supporters

In April 1999, Gary Cox asked us if we would like to go to Skopje in North Macedonia and visit a church there that was doing all sorts of amazing things, led by Pastor Mirco Andreev.

Gary wanted us to make a report and take photographs. We took Anthony Wingfield with us because he is a good photographer.

So it was that on 25th April we flew to Thessaloniki in Greece, as at that time it wasn’t possible to fly direct to Skopje. We had no idea how we would get from there to Skopje. We needn’t have worried; God was way ahead of us and in the strangest way possible we managed to get a lift in a car.

As with all Eurovangelism (now TEN) trips, we hit the floor running. We were met by Marino Mojtic and given the plan. Then we met Mirco. Instantly all anxieties vanished. He immediately put us at our ease and given the dire situation that this part of the world was in, he even managed to make us laugh. Mirco’s remarkable personality and sense of humour were essential.

We were expecting a lorry-load of fake designer clothes (that’s another story!) that was being trailed by Left to right: Doug Southgate, Ray Watson, Wendy Watson, Mirco Andreev, Marino Mojtic

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HEART Prayer requests from across Europe July – September 2021

ten-uk.org/pray

— JULY 2021 — SINISA STOJKOVIC BOSNIA & HERZEGOVINA 1 Join us in praying that more young people in Banja Luka will come to know Jesus.

2 We are praying that the teams from the US will greatly assist with the English clubs and outreach to students run by Protestant Church Christian Fellowship this summer.

7 Pray that God will enable us to hold our annual summer camp in the aftermath of the pandemic.

8 There are barely 200 evangelical believers in Montenegro. Please pray for revival in this small Balkan nation.

ALEX & MILENA VALKANOVI BULGARIA 9 Volunteers play a vital role in the life of the church. Please pray for the team to grow.

3 Please join us in prayer for more volunteers who are needed to help deliver humanitarian aid.

10 Getting the right construction company to carry out repairs is so important. Do pray for this situation.

DANIEL & IRINKA STRACINSKI MONTENEGRO

11 National elections take place today. Please pray that God will raise up godly leaders in Bulgaria.

4 This summer we plan baptisms in Bar for four new believers who have given their lives to Christ.

Pray for them.

PETRE & DANIELA PETROV NORTH MACEDONIA

5 Daniel and Irinka are expecting the birth of their first child later this month. Please pray for protection and provision for every need.

6 Thank the Lord that we were able to purchase another car to help with our ministry and needs as a family.

12 As mature leaders relocate to plant new churches, please pray that new workers and assistants will be raised up in Shtip.

MARINELA ROTARIU ROMANIA 13 This month Emanuel hospice commences palliative care services in rural areas. Will you pray for the adults and children with life-limiting conditions reached through this initiative?

14 As new staff join us this month, please pray that the two doctors, two nurses, the social worker and psychologist will quickly adapt to their roles.

15 We are looking for a new fundraising coordinator to replace Damaris who has relocated to the US. 16 Pray for our colleague Dr Claudia Pele, who became a hospice patient herself after being diagnosed with advanced cancer with multiple metastasis. Pray for her husband Dacian, and the little girls Oana and Maria to have the strength to pass through this difficult time of trial in their family.

17 Celebrate with us 25 years of God’s provision and blessing that we experienced at Emanuel Hospice ministry from Oradea, day by day, month by month, year by year.

BESA SHAPLLO ALBANIA 18 At Mission Possible Albania we need our financial situation to improve to enable our team to continue to serve through the Hope Centre in Bathore.

19 May God give us wisdom during this troubled time, in the way we speak and the way we treat fear that has gripped many people.

VANCE & TANJA GOLOMEOVI NORTH MACEDONIA 20 After 15 years of service in the Evangelical Church in Shtip, North Macedonia, our family is relocating to Požarevac in Serbia to serve in the church. We value your prayers.

21 Join us in prayer for the city of Požarevac and the surrounding towns where we wish to see small student groups develop into new churches.

TRANSFORM EUROPE NETWORK UK 22 Thank God for the network relationship TEN has with International Cooperating Ministries which helps churches in Eastern Europe build and renovate church facilities.

23 Please pray for the completion of the bunkhouses for the Child Evangelism Fellowship Camp in Serbia. And that the CEF camp will reach more children and young people with the gospel.

24 Join us in prayer for Danijel Reckovic our partner in Lebane, Serbia. With the support of International Cooperating Ministries, TEN is helping Danijel to construct a church building in Brijanje, Serbia. Pray for the safe completion and opening of this new church.

25 Thank God for our network of UK church partnerships which enable our partners to continue in their ministry. Please pray for a strengthening and deepening of these relationships.

26 Thank God for TEN’s newly established Partner Advisory Group. Please pray that God will use the combined experience to powerfully shape the work of TEN to best serve our partners over the coming years.

GAVRIL & AGHI COVACI ROMANIA 27 Please pray for healing for our Roma brothers and sisters with cancer including two members of our church community.

28 Thank God for all those who have come through the coronavirus and for others to be protected from it. We pray that this time of virus illness will be no more.

29 Rejoice in God for the 90+ people who have turned to Christ through the pandemic period and pray for God's peace for those who are preparing for baptism.

30 Please pray for God's blessing and resources for the expansion of the church building in Tinca so that all of those who turned to Christ in this period will be able to worship together.

31 Give thanks that exactly the right amount of money flowed in within hours of the prayer.

Over 230 people received medication and were healed through this time. Many of them turned back to Christ or turned to him for the first time.

— AUGUST 2021 — DUSAN & MIRJANA BEREDI SERBIA 1 Join us in prayer for the Rainbow Rehab Centre in Novi Sad. Currently, 30 guys live 24/7 with us - gamblers, alcoholics, heroin addicts. Pray for their salvation, but also recovery from their addictions.

2 Keep praying for the "Hand for a Friend" service working with the homeless, which is part of our church. We help really broken people. We need wisdom on how to help them. Pray for finances for this project.

3 Do pray for protection over Pastor Dusan Beređi (Bera). We have become involved in environmental activism, and Bera has uncovered several cases of corruption that are also linked to the government.

4 We would appreciate your prayers for the summer camps - "Fathers and Children", children's, teenagers' and youth camps. Also a camp with the guys from the rehab centre.

5 Please pray for the training for leaders of Royal Rangers for Serbia (Christian scouts), which we as a church are organising this year. The camp will be at the end of August. Leaders from North Macedonia and Bosnia and Herzegovina will probably join.

6 Thank God that in the last three months, four guys have successfully completed a rehabilitation programme. In June, 6 guys from the Rehab Centre were baptised, as well as four teenagers.

DRAGAN & SANDRA NEDIC BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA 7 Please pray that Covid vaccine will become widely available across Bosnia and Herzegovina.

By June 2021, less than 10% of the population had received their first jab.

8 We ask for prayer as Kosevsko brdo church meetings resume in Sarajevo after months of closedown. We simply need a restart: new plans, new vision, new energy, new power of the Spirit.

9 We are considering the opening of a soup kitchen to feed the poor. Please pray that we would know God’s guidance.

DANIEL & VERA KURANJI SERBIA 10 Thank God for his faithfulness in providing funds and food each month to meet the needs of the rehab centre.

11 As young addicts join the programme they need your prayers and even when they finally leave they continue to need His mercy and help.

12 Praise God for the provision of a van for the removal business that creates employment for former addicts.

SERGHEI MIHAILOV MOLDOVA 13 We would value your prayers for the summer projects in order to reach out with Good News to 100 teens from the local community.

14 Please pray for the feedback and testimonies that will be shared following the School for Parents academic year.

15 Give thanks for the success of "In the footsteps of Jesus" held during Easter at which 54 teenagers took part. Pray that they may truly experience God on their life journey.

16 We are thankful to God that during the period of quarantine and changing restrictions, we were able to continue the lessons for children and their mothers within the Early Child Education Centre through social distancing and the creation of small subgroups.

NESA & VESNA RADEKA SERBIA

VJEKO MRSIC CROATIA

25 Do pray for the maternity home, A Place for Me that we recently start building at a projected cost close to €300,000.

17 Your prayers for the four Fokus summer camps would be much appreciated. Camps for children, families, youths and an outback weekend for married couples.

18 Answers to prayer. Through the Alpha course, several people came to faith in Christ and four people have expressed their desire to be baptised. Praise God for His work in the lives of these people.

ANATOL DUNAS MOLDOVA 19 We welcome your prayers for this year’s summer camps and especially that many will experience salvation. There are camps for various ages and a special Taekwondo and Bible Study camp 20 Please pray for the successful restoration of the church entrance steps and building façade that became cracked and damaged over time.

TEN TEAM UK 21 We are praying for James Vaughton as he visits Northern Ireland for a series of meetings from 22–26 August..

MIRCEA & RONELA CRISTIAN ROMANIA 22 Thank God for all the people and churches who support the ministry of Rock of Ages.

23 Rejoice to know that many prison inmates hear the Gospel and receive Christ as a result of the ministry.

24 Please pray for successful start of our Nexusplay (soft play) room so we can start profiting as business for the mission.

ANATOLI & DESI YANKOVI BULGARIA 26 Give thanks that the believers in Svishtov who went through Covid are fully restored.

27 We rejoice that the orphaned family, who were separated, live together again and work to restore their marriage. Do pray for them.

28 Please ask God to restore church members who became discouraged during the Covid pandemic.

BENJAMIN & MARIA ROSA MARTIN SPAIN 29 Praise the Lord for having kept and sustained the Evangelism in Action team throughout the pandemic. His faithfulness always amazes us.

30 Do pray for the summer outreach. We plan brief spontaneous musical testimonies in streets and squares, some personal work and distribution of literature.

DARIO & SILVIJA KAPIN BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA 31 Your prayers for our evangelistic outreach into the cities of Zenica and Derventa would be much appreciated.

— SEPTEMBER 2021 — ZOLTAN & TANJA VEGEL SERBIA 1 Thank God for "divine encounters" when our church members meet with unbelievers who are searching God.

MARIAN & IONICA ŞERBAN ROMANIA 2 Thank God for all the children and youths who were able to attend the summer camps. May the Holy Spirit be at work in their young lives.

3 We praise God for a former resident beneficiary of Casa Benjamin, Viorel, who confessed Jesus publicly and has now been baptised in water.

DRAGAN & BILJANA MANEV NORTH MACEDONIA 4 Pray for the success of the TENteach online project that aims to teach English to local children via Zoom.

5 Pray that the building of the second phase of the Hope Centre in our town Resen will be completed.

6 Please pray for Kirche, a new believer in our church, who was recently baptised. May he grow strong in his faith.

ICO & JAGODA MATULIĆ CROATIA 7 Starting in September will be The Turning Point, a two-month series of seminars aimed at the unchurched. Please pray that many would hear the Gospel.

ARBEN BEDULLA ALBANIA 8 Please pray that the Lord would guide us concerning our plans on building a church meeting place in the village of Zvezde.

DARIO & SILVIJA KAPIN BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA 9 The Biblical Protestant Church in Zenica needs a spiritual breakthrough. Please pray that lives will be changed.

10 The bee project is doing very well. We are now praying for funds to install piped water to the site where we harvest the honey.

ELIJAH SORITAU ROMANIA 11 Please pray for the new students at Emanuel University in Oradea who commence their studies this month.

12 Every five years the university undergoes a review of its accreditation. Please pray that the upcoming review will recognise the high standards we currently enjoy.

ANDREI GHIDION MOLDOVA 13 As a result of a special meeting held on International Women’s Day in March, several women have started attending meetings and some have joined the Alpha classes and expressed interest in water baptism.

Please pray for God to move in the lives of more women.

14 Pray for the children and youths who attended the summer camps and especially for those who came to faith.

15 We are thankful to the Lord that there haven't been any more people with Covid-19 illness among the believers.

MIHAIL HIORESCU MOLDOVA 16 For some time a young man called Valentin keeps coming to our church gatherings. He used to have problems with the law and he prayed and saw God's hand at work. He now accepts God's Word. Pray that the Lord would keep him in His grace .

17 Pray that the Lord would be at work among us and that every person who comes to meetings would feel His presence.

VASILE GRIGORITA MOLDOVA 18 We invite you to pray for the congress in September to elect new leaders for the Baptist Union from Moldova. May God give the elected brothers wisdom and a clear vision for leadership for the next four years.

19 We thank God that He protected us and there have been no more deaths due to Covid-19 in village Brinza. God is good.

RUSLAN TELPIZ MOLDOVA 20 We praise God for his provision for all our ministries; Day Care Centre, Widows ministry, English ministry, Sunday School ministry, etc.

23 Dr Daniela Dic commences employment at Emanuel Hospice this month. Please pray for her as she develops the palliative care services for children with life threatening diseases.

SERGHEI MIHAILOV MOLDOVA 24 The team would value prayer as they complete the design of a special manual of 10 meetings, entitled "Just about the Important" using art therapy. This tool will allow Christian leaders to bring healing and restoration in the lives of many people in trauma and pain.

MIRCEA AND RONELA CRISTIAN ROMANIA 25 Please pray that the Lord would enable us to sell the current office building and relocate to a new place, much smaller and less expensive to maintain 26 We rely on God for our health, strength and wisdom in leading the ministry. Please pray for us.

27 Praise God for his faithfulness in sustaining the Rock of Ages prison ministry for 25 years.

DANIELA ENCHEVA BULGARIA

21 Please pray for the future Taekwondo ministry combined with Bible Studies to be run by Ruslan and Ilie after they have been trained as instructors.

28 Praise God! We saw God's miracles in the lives of 18 women at this year’s Restorational Programme. Do pray for their continuous healing.

MARINELA ROTARIU ROMANIA

29 Forty youths from different denominations attended the Mission Possible summer camp in Bulgaria. Please pray for their increased awareness of God.

22 The management-fundraising team do a great job in raising the needed funds so that we can restart the building works at the new hospice centre. Please pray that they may know God’s wisdom.

30 We praise the Lord for all of the young people who came to the Youth Academy Gathering this month aimed at raising tomorrow’s ministers.

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Answers to prayer in Romania

by Ken Millwood, TEN Partners Officer

The working relationship between TEN and Andrew Saxton, Chair of Trustees, Life 2 Romania Fund (L2R), and his horticulture project was featured in our January Connect magazine.

Andrew is our main point of contact with Pastor Gavril Covaci and the Roma communities in Tinca, Tarcea and Văşad in Western Romania.

The communities have been badly affected in the past few months by Covid-19 (small houses with only two rooms don’t allow for any social distancing so whole families were Covid positive), and movement restrictions requiring whole estates to be quarantined meant the Roma couldn’t go to work, had no funds for food and were hungry.

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”God's provision in this difficult time has been a great witness to the communities in Tinca and Tarcea and many hearts have been turned towards Christ.”

project. Over the past ten years I have helped TEN’s NGO partner, CASA Grace to bring fresh, running water into many homes in Oradea, Romania where previously they only had an outside well. After several detailed conversations with Andrew, we figured out what was needed.

With a combination of his vision, my knowledge and our combined practical abilities, although separated by many miles, we were able to make it all happen. Another answer to prayer!

“From our equipment base at CASA Grace, I was able to arrange for Andrew to utilise our piping and provide him with a specialised well pump. Due to the pandemic, all this kit had remained unused for eighteen months and was gathering dust. I was delighted to facilitate its use again. For me, this engagement clearly demonstrates TENs networking capability. The remarkable result was that two of TEN’s partners were effectively drawn together to complete the project and in doing so joined up all the dots! One team, many parts, one purpose. Nice work TEN!“

Andrew shared Pastor Gavril’s news, “It was a day of joy with tears when I was able to deliver medicines and food, thanks to donations from the UK. We didn’t expect to be allowed into the estate, but I told the police that we wanted to help with medicines and food. They agreed to give permission. What an answer to prayer!“ The funds for medicines were provided by L2R supporters. The funds for food parcels were provided

by TEN. Andrew continues: “God's provision in this difficult time has been a great witness to the communities in Tinca and Tarcea and many hearts have been turned towards Christ. In Tinca alone, there are at least sixty new converts and Gavril is talking about needing to double the size of the church building!“ In a follow-up to our January Connect article about the Roma Community Garden project, Allan Spencer, TEN Trustee, offered to liaise with Andrew and help him install the right equipment to irrigate the large garden plot.

Allan explained, “A few months ago, I was delighted to be asked if I could assist Andrew with setting up an automated irrigation system for his Roma Community Garden 19

How international networking is helping our partners to build churches James Vaughton reports on how networking is enabling churches and ministries in Eastern Europe to reach their communities with the gospel.

In 2019, we embarked on a formal partnership with International Cooperating Ministries (ICM) in the United States. ICM’s vision is to see a local church building within walking distance of every person in the world.

It is quite a vision and not one they can accomplish on their own. To date they have helped build or renovated over 10,000 churches across the globe. This work involves ICM and their supporters in the States, TEN and our supporters, and of course our partners.

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Keith Townsend, Director of Partnerships Review for Russia and former Soviet Republics, says, “ICM was founded on the power of partnerships, networks of incountry ministries that have depth and experience in the country’s they minister in.”

That is where TEN and our partners come in as the following examples make clear.

In Kucove, Albania Pastor Turi, trained by the International School of Theology and Leadership (ISTL) got in touch with TEN to see if we could help them purchase the church they were renting. Due to the generosity of a TEN supporter, we were able to match funds from ICM to enable the church to be free from rent to minister in their community. Turi reports that the provision of the church has already seen new people come to the church.

Turi is so thankful: “We are free from the monthly burden of rent, now we can use this money for the ministry.”

In Tarcea, Romania, we have worked with Life 2 Romania’s Andrew Saxton, Gavril Covaci and the local Roma community to complete the church build in the community. The church is a wonderful gathering place for the people to hear the gospel and worship

as they are led by Pastor Gavril. As reported in this edition of Connect, God is at work powerfully among Roma communities and having a building to meet in is part of that.

In Shtip, North Macedonia, ICM and TEN funds have enabled Petre Petrov, now leader of the Evangelical Church in North Macedonia as well as pastor in Shtip, to renovate the church building to make it a 21st century facility that can be used to see God’s kingdom grow. In a recent report they told us of four people coming to faith and being baptised.

TEN has further projects under consideration and it is the power of the network to make these church building projects possible.

Here is Keith again, “We can’t be experts in over 100 countries, so partners like TEN that are on the ground and know the people and see what they need, are the biggest resource for us. The international ministry world would be so much more difficult and so less impactful without these networks.”

The impact Keith talks about are the lives transformed. We can truly say that all the glory goes to God as no one partner in the network could have done it on their own.

Photos left to right: Kucove, Albania; Tarcea, Romania; Shtip, North Macedonia 21

s t e p p i n S TEN

Partner Advisory Group We’ll tell you more in a later edition but just to say that we have now launched a Partner Advisory Group. This is made up of eight partners drawn from across the nations we work in. This group will act as a sounding board for James, our CEO, and the Board of Trustees as we shape the way forward.

Please pray for this group.

We met in May and our next gathering will be in October.

Big response in Albania to Christianity Explored Pastor Erion Cuni who coordinates Christianity Explored in Albania reports that the course has resulted in 250 people accepting Christ and more than 1,000 joining Bible study groups.

Now in its fourth year, 500 leaders in Albania have been trained to use the course materials and 6,000 student workbooks have been distributed.

Please pray for the continued growth of this fruitful ministry.

The Gospel is preached in Romania despite Covid restrictions Pastor Gavril Covaci visited the Roma community in Tarcea. We praise God that he found no further COVID infections and those still suffering with it were isolated at home with their household. The local police allowed Gavril and the team from Tinca to conduct a socially distanced church service in the lane on Sunday, but the community members are still prohibited from leaving the Roma estate and so have no access to work or food.

Youth work grows in Gotesti, Moldova Pastor Ruslan Telpiz reports that up to 80 teenagers are engaging with the weekly programme of talks, drama and Bible study.

Topics include, relationships, pornography, abortion, marriage and Christian living. A few of the young people have already accepted Jesus as their Lord and Saviour.

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Harvest for the Hungry 2020

YOU MADE A

Difference

Food parcels distributed among poor families by partners across Albania Hot lunches once a week for three months in Bulgaria Food parcels delivered to needy families in Bulgaria Boxes of food parcels delivered and hot meals served to the homeless in Kosovo Hundreds of food parcels delivered to the poor in North Macedonia Food purchased and delivered to socially vulnerable families in Mo ldova

Dozens of poor families in Romania received food parcels Hot food and groceries delivered to Roma families in great need in Romania Regular food vouchers given to ten families in Serbia Extra meals provided for residents going through rehab in Serbia

Meals provided to 1100 children and 1000 adults 23

HUNGER DAY

very E

Your donation of £15 will feed a family with hot meals for a week. » Soup kitchens are supplied » Food parcels are distributed » Hot meals are served PLEASE DONATE

Text HUNGEREVERYDAY to 70085 to give £15 and feed a family in Eastern Europe for a week.

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