Training Sparks New Youth Group in Romania

During a youth leader training weekend, a young Romanian woman recognizes God’s call to start a youth group in her church.

Nazarene Theological College in Manchester, England, has helped Eurasia Region NYI develop training for youth leaders by allowing Rev Louise Kenyon to design and tailor a training tool called Nexūs. Nexūs is an intensive course over a minimum of two-weekends in which people are invited to prepare themselves better for youth leadership. 

Our most recent Nexūs was held in Manchester. Alexandra Marinescu, from the Bucharest Blessing Church of the Nazarene in Romania took part. She says that this training opened her eyes to God’s calling to youth ministry, while also providing her with the tools to answer His call. The following is her story.

A call to youth ministry
By Alexandra Marinescu

Nexūs was a wonderful and unique experience. It was the main reason why I understood the importance of the youth group, so, after the course; I started a youth group in Romania.

Not only Nexūs helped me make this decision, but it taught me to appreciate and give more importance to young people. I have learned that they also have problems and they face difficult situations, despite being young. I have learned that they need someone to be there for them to encourage them, to tell them: Don’t worry. Jesus is in control of your situation!

We live in a tumultuous and hurried world and I know that today’s youngsters are running for the values of this world and not the values of God. That is why they need guidance. I was not convinced, however, that I, a still growing Christian, may be a youth leader and can lead these children to God.

But God spoke to me first through a youth leader at Nexūs. Then, when I was on my way back to Romania, God spoke to my heart in such an overwhelming way that my only reaction was to cry for two hours continuously and to write down what God was telling me.

After experiencing God’s presence, and in light of the course I attended, suddenly my life made sense. I do not mean to say I suddenly became the best youth leader, but my life made sense in that I discovered myself.

Questions such as: How can God put someone like me at the head of the youth group? Am I worthy to serve this important ministry? How does God speak to us? How can I make a spiritual awakening and stay awake?

The Lord spoke to me, and oooh…how my heart was listening to His answers! There would be a lot to write about my confession, but in short, God told me that by His will He is preparing me to serve.

So, I have returned to Romania, full of the Holy Spirit like I have never been before, and I proposed to my church to have a special room for our young people. I found some donations and bought everything they needed. I wanted young people to feel like they’re coming to their second home, so we decorated the room until it felt like a comfortable living room. The young people liked it! They said they feel comfortable and happy.

We started the youth group for a month. I asked God to send 40 young people to the youth group. I now have seven; 33 more to go! I trust the 33 are on their way. I love those kids who come to youth meetings. I don’t know how, but I also love the other 33 I haven’t met yet! I look forward to see them on Friday evenings, to eat together and discuss social issues and how God sees them.

God was the one who really put my desire in my heart.

republished from Where Worlds Meet, May 2018


Pray for the new youth group in Romania, that God blesses and increases it.

Video: Veritas Kids Club

Alina Drăgan, social worker for Veritas Kids' Club, shares about the program and its impact on children.

Veritas is a Nazarene Compassionate Ministries (NCM) partner organization in Sighișoara, Romania, a recognized NCM Child Development Center, and a participant in the NCM Child Sponsorship program.

February Missionary Prayer Focus

NMI Prayer Mobilization Line

March 7, 2018

Josh and Shannon Herndon, serving in Romania

(part of the February Missionary Prayer Focus)

• PRAISE: The Herndons are now serving in Romania, and it has quickly become home for all of them, especially the children. Josh and Shannon feel accepted as members of the missionary and pastoral team, and have been embraced by the national church in Romania.
• REQUEST: Pray that the Herndons would continue to build relationships with people in the community.
• REQUEST: Pray that Shannon and Josh would thrive in their new roles (Josh as district superintendent beginning in November, and Shannon as Compassionate Ministries facilitator in Romania).
• REQUEST: Pray for the teams that are scheduled to serve in Romania in the next 12 months.
• REQUEST: Pray for the vision of church planting in the Herndons’ city of Brasov, Romania.

NMI Prayer Mobilization Line

February 21, 2018

Josh and Shannon Herndon, serving in Romania

• PRAISE: Josh just returned from Portugal where he attended a European Nazarene College Faculty Assembly. He reports that it was a great time to gather together with other professors, pastors, and missionaries.
• REQUEST: Pray that Josh and Shannon would continue to make progress as they learn the language.
• REQUEST: Pray that the Herndons’ children would continue to do well in their new school.

Thank you for Praying!

Theological Education Meetings & New Learning Centre Personnel

Selections from European Nazarene College's December 2017 In-Touch Newsletter

Theological Education Meetings of Central Europe Field in Macedonia

Leaders from Central Europe (Albania-Kosova, Bulgaria, Romania, and Scandinavia), together with the Regional Education Coordinator (Stéphane Tibi) and leaders from European Nazarene College (Klaus Arnold, Fernando Almeida, and Raquel Pereira) met from 7 November until 9 November in the wonderful city of Ohrid, Macedonia, to discuss the future of theological education in ministerial preparation on that field. Besides the important discussions we also worked on syllabus templates to find out how the accredited and validated programmes of EuNC can be adapted to the different cultures and learning styles of the countries in Central Europe. It was felt that it is important to have both an accredited programme (so that students can continue their education after graduation) and a curriculum that is flexible and adaptable to the different situations faced by the churches in the various districts. Not everything was finalised but a good foundation has been laid and the next years will be times of experimenting and adjusting to help people fulfil their call to the ministry and support the churches as they participate in the mission of God to make Christlike disciples in the nations.

New Personnel in Learning Centres

We are very thankful for new co-workers in some of our learning centres:

Central Europe Field: Due to personnel changes, we have new leaders in four of the six learning centres in Central Europe. Cezarina Glendenning is the new LC coordinator for all of those four LCs: Bulgaria, Croatia, Romania, Scandinavia. She and her husband Martin and their two sons are missionaries in that field.

In Romania we are thankful that Jonathan Phillips is the new LC administrator. He has served in that country and at the learning centre as missionary for many years and brings a lot of experience into this position.

May God bless each one of these new leaders – and make them a blessing to many!

RSP Students

Originally published in Veritas View newsletter, Fall 2017

Two students from America are in Sighisoara for the Romanian Studies Program (RSP) this semester. They arrived in mid-September and will leave mid-December. Carly Catalanello from Cedarville University, Ohio is working with the special needs program at Veritas. Janelle Roby, Mt. Vernon Nazarene University, Ohio is working with the It Takes Courage programs. Both girls are leading story and craft time with the youngest children at a Kids’ Club which meets twice weekly in the village of Tigmandru. They are pictured here with Casey Bloom (on right), on-site coordinator for RSP.

Meet the Herndons

In August, Joshua and Shannon Herndon moved to Brașov, Romania, where they serve as Nazarene missionaries.

The Herndons bring to Romania their missions experience from serving in other areas around the world.

Before they met, Joshua and Shannon served separately in different world areas: Shannon in Cuba, Mexico, and for almost a year in Kazakhstan, and Joshua with the Jesus Film Ministry in India and multiple times in Venezuela.

The Herndons served for a year as Mission Corps volunteers in Guatemala in 2006, which solidified their call. In 2010 they were called as missionaries to Spain. Their focus for ministry in Spain was on church planting with a focus on indigenous (Spanish) outreach. While in Spain, they were active in their community and utilized baseball as a way to bring Work and Witness teams to teach sports to the children and youth of the community as a form of outreach. Joshua and Shannon provided support to the local Nazarene Churches in the form of preaching and teaching workshops.

Their focus in Greece was to start the work of the Church of the Nazarene, as there has been no Nazarene presence in Greece. They partnered with the Free Methodist Church in Thessaloniki and were also involved in ministry to the refugees stranded in Greece. After multiple failed attempts to secure a residency visa in Greece, the Herndons were asked to consider coming to Romania.

After the completion of Romanian language study, the Herndons' focus will be on district leadership, where Joshua will serve as district superintendent of the Romania District. As there is no current Nazarene presence in the city of Brașov, it is hoped that the Herndons will help initiate a new ministry in this part of the country. Joshua also teaches Theological Education classes through European Nazarene College.

Joshua and Shannon are members of the Indianapolis District Church of the Nazarene.

Shannon is a graduate of Northwest Nazarene University with a degree in Social Work. She recently completed her Masters Degree in Organizational Leadership through Regent University. She has done volunteer work through multiple organizations and has a passion for the needy.

Joshua graduated from Olivet Nazarene University with a degree in Christian Education and a focus in Youth Ministry. He then attended Nazarene Theological Seminary, graduating with a Master of Arts in Intercultural Studies.

While living in Kansas City, Joshua attended a Cross-Cultural Orientation, where he met Shannon. They were married on October 11, 2003. Josh and Shannon have two children. Their daughter, Karis, is 12-years-old and loves spending time with her friends, singing, and dancing traditional Spanish Flamenco. Their son, Kaeden, is an adventurous 10-year-old who loves Legos and superheroes.

Prior to becoming missionaries, Josh served as a youth pastor in Shelbyville, IN, as well as the director of a residential treatment facility for troubled youth. Shannon directed an organization that ministered to homeless families.

Updated and adapted from Nazarene Missionary Profiles.

Meet Casey Bloom

Casey serves as a missionary with the Church of the Nazarene in Sighisoara, Romania. Growing up in the Nazarene church, Casey was exposed to the missions mindset at an early age. She graduated from Olivet Nazarene University in 2010 with a Bachelor of Social Work, and then went on to receive her Master of Social Work from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 2011. Casey worked for 2.5 years as a School Social Worker in a rural area near her hometown. Then, after serving as a teen camp counselor for two summers in a row, Casey knew God was calling her to missions.

In March 2015, Casey came to Romania for the first time. She spent 4.5 months serving the Romanian and Roma people in Sighisoara. The majority of the time, Casey worked with the Kids’ Club program at Veritas, a local non-governmental organization that serves the community of Sighisoara through social and educational programs. Casey spent six weeks back in the States at the end of the summer, and returned to Sighisoara in September 2015.

Since September, Casey has continued to work in the Kids’ Club, taking on more of a leadership role as two new social workers joined the program in the fall. Casey also co-leads an educational program for teens called It Takes Courage, which focuses on building strong character. Additionally, Casey supervises social work students who come to Sighisoara through the Romanian Studies Program to do a social work practicum. Casey attends the local Nazarene church, and hopes to help establish a children’s ministry in the near future.

In March 2016, Casey, along with Dorothy Tarrant, spent a little over one month serving the refugees in Croatia and Serbia. Along with serving tea and soup in a refugee camp, Casey built relationships with a number of the refugees. She spent a lot of time playing with the children as well. Serving the refugees is something that Casey has a passion for, and hopes to be able to do again in the not-so-distant future.

Please keep Casey and her work in Romania in your prayers.

To stay connected, check out Casey’s blog: www.herlifeinbloom.com

Reposted from Nazarene Missionary Profiles.