A Year of Music

Jay & Sheri Hartzler

Music has the ability to bring people together in unique ways. That’s been the case for Jay and Sheri Hartzler, who are spending a year as Nazarene Mission Corps volunteers in Romania. They have brought the joy of music to children, youth, and adults, and have led both experienced musicians and beginners in worshipping God through song.

Music played a vital role in bringing the Hartzlers to Sighisoara. Five years ago, the Hartzlers, who are active members in the Mennonite Church, were leading the Eastern Mennonite High School choir’s tour through Eastern Europe. While in Sighisoara, Romania, they met Nazarene missionaries who arranged for the choir to sing in Tigmandru, a predominantly Roma village where the Church of the Nazarene ministers. After seeing how the people, especially the children, in Tigmandru had few opportunities to learn music, they began to consider the possibility of returning to Romania to teach music. There is not participatory music teaching in the public schools, so people growing up in Romania have little opportunity to learn how to sing or play instruments.

“They wanted to teach music to young people,” explained Roberta Bustin, Nazarene missionary who ministers in Sighisoara and Tigmandru. “They recognized the needs for music in the church, and working with young people would benefit the church for many years to come.”

Tigmandru Children's Choir

After leading a second choir trip to Romania in 2012, the Hartzlers decided to return to Romania for a year as Nazarene Mission Corps volunteers, but with the added blessing of the Mennonite Church.

Since their arrival last August, the Hartzlers have found many opportunities to use their musical gifts in both the Sighisoara and Tigmandru Nazarene congregations.

Every week, the Hartzlers go to the Tigmandru church to teach music to children. They have formed a choir of nearly 50 children who have sung in special children’s programs as well as Sunday services.

Jay teaching guitar class

“When we started, there were as many notes being sung as there were children present,” Jay recounted. “But eventually they were not only able to sing on pitch, but to change pitches…. The group sang songs in Romanian, English and Swahili, with great enthusiasm. It was rewarding to hear bits and pieces of songs being hummed or sung during craft time and parents reported the children singing the songs at home.”

Jay has been able to use his experience as choir director to develop the worship leaders in the churches and to introduce the congregations to new songs. He formed and led youth and women’s choirs in Tigmandru. He has also taught guitar classes, preparing musicians for both the Sighisoara and Tigmandru churches. Similarly, Sheri has been teaching private piano lessons to students who will soon be able to accompany congregational singing in the churches.

Sheri teaches a piano lesson

“Teaching piano here is one concrete way I see to leave behind a skill that can be used for personal enjoyment as well as in the churches.” Sheri commented.

The Hartzlers have been active in teaching music outside the context of Nazarene congregations, too, mainly in the context of Veritas, a Nazarene Compassionate Ministries partner organization in Sighisoara that serves the community through social and educational programs.

Each week, Jay directs the Veritas Gospel Choir, made up of approximately 20 people from various church backgrounds and ethnicities. In addition to the choir’s normal Christmas and spring concerts, many from the Gospel Choir joined members of other choirs in the town in a performance of Handel’s Messiah in May. Accompanied by Sheri on the electronic organ and professional musicians from neighboring towns, the concert was attended by over 300 people. It is believed to be the first time in 50 years that the Messiah has been performed in Sighisoara.

Gospel Choir singing in the park

One exceptional opportunity to work in the community came when Jay was asked to teach English-language music to two English classes at one of the largest high schools in Sighisoara. Even though the students had little experience with music (it was English – not music – class, after all), they successfully sang as part of the school’s 90-year celebration talent show in April.

Summing up the year, Sheri remarked, “We came to Romania, expecting to do some work with music, but we did not expect the amount of opportunities we would have to lead in a wide variety of settings with various age groups. We also did not expect the enthusiasm for music – for singing, playing, and listening. We have been truly blessed in the relationships and the musical experiences we have had this year.”

*****

An added bonus to having an online article about music is that you can listen to the various music groups under the Hartzlers' direction:

Over 300 were in attendance when 20 singers from Sighisoara performed Handel's Messiah in May.

The Tigmandru Children's Choir singing "Children Go Where I Send Thee"



Tigmandru guitar students playing "This is the Day"

Teen choir in Tigmandru singing "King of kings and Lord of lords" with the congregation



The Veritas Gospel Choir singing in Sighisoara's ecumenical Christmas concert:

Post by Veritas Sighisoara.

Please pray for the Hartzlers and their music ministry in Romania. Ask God to bless their efforts, and for the light of God’s love to become even more transformative in the lives of those who are learning music.

Reprinted in Where Worlds Meet - July 2014 and NCN News.

June Missionary Prayer Focus

NMI Prayer Mobilization Line

June 18, 2014

Thank you for keeping Nazarene missionaries in your prayers. The following requests have been received from missionaries who are part of the June Prayer Focus:

Jonathan Phillips, Romania

• Pray for pastors, church planters and lay leaders in the Church of the Nazarene in Romania, as they balance ministry, theological studies, and their families.
• Pray that the first official translation of the Nazarene Manual in Romanian will be completed and ready for distribution at district assembly in November. Pray that it will help in the organization and development of the Church of the Nazarene in Romania.
• Pray that the construction of an addition to the Sighisoara church will be completed after many administrative and legal delays. Pray for those who will be ministered to in the new space.
• Please pray for me as I share with churches in the US later this summer (August-September) about how God is working through the Church of the Nazarene in Romania.

Click here to read more about Jonathan and his ministry in the Engage magazine article. 

Romanian Nazarene Receives U.S. State Department Hero Distinction

by Gina Grate Pottenger
Where Worlds Meet - June 2014

Bucharest, Romania – 21 May, Monica Boseff, the Nazarene who founded and leads The Open Door Foundation, the only emergency shelter for sex trafficking victims in Romania, was honored with the U.S. Department of State’s Trafficking in Persons Hero distinction, an annual award that recognizes only 10 people worldwide who are committed to the fight against human trafficking.

The honor was presented to Boseff at the Romanian-American Foundation in Bucharest by Dr. Jill Biden, the wife of the U.S. vice president Joe Biden, in a short ceremony. Boseff will travel in mid-June to the United States to officially receive the Hero distinction in Washington, D.C. when the U.S. Department of State releases its annual report on global human trafficking.

Boseff told the media who were present that the distinction represented not just her own efforts, but also the work of the shelter’s residents and the staff who are dedicated to supporting them.

“Not for a split second have we done anything for any kind of award or recognition,” she said. “We’re giving our best. That’s everything we learned from Christ.”

Prior to the ceremony, Mrs. Biden and her team held an intimate 40-minute meeting with the shelter’s staff and the seven current female residents in a private location. The guests listened to the women’s stories before presenting the residents with personalized gifts, including signed notebooks and silver angel necklaces.

“It was just an exceptional time, very emotional,” Boseff said. “I wanted them [Mrs. Biden and her team] to know it’s them [the survivors] you need to focus on, they’re the real heroes.”

Boseff said that Biden was very gentle with the women at the shelter. “Our girls were thrilled, they felt like princesses.”

When the U.S. Department of State flies Boseff to the U.S. for two weeks in June, they will also send her to Cincinnati and Los Angeles to meet with government officials, journalists and directors and representatives of other similar shelters. The complete schedule is not yet available.

Monica Boseff of The Open Door Foundation and her staff and residents met with U.S. vice president Joe Biden’s wife, Jill Biden, in May. Pictured from left to right: Vicentiu Patrascan (guard), Betty Chirila (psychologist), Loredana Stanciu (social worker), Kim Vranceanu (board member and volunteer), Monica Boseff, Silvia Tabusca (law professor and advocate for human rights), Simi Cristea (administrator), Cristiana Stanciu (house management), Dan Cristea (guard) and Mirela Podoiu (lawyer).  Photo courtesy Vicentiu Patrascan

The Open Door Foundation began operations in 2013 and has so far supported 25 survivors. The majority of employees are Nazarene young people who attend the Bucharest Blessings Church of the Nazarene, where Boseff is the pastor’s wife. Today, they fill the roles of psychologist, administrator and security. And some of the survivors from the shelter have been integrated into the life of the church, participating in youth activities or singing in the worship team.

“When thinking about human trafficking, the easy thing is to stay overwhelmed by the magnitude of the issue and by how awful it is, and think that the church cannot make much of a difference,” said Jay Sunberg, field strategy coordinator for the Central Europe Field, of which Romania is a part. “This is not an option for Monica and the Bucharest Nazarenes. They get involved and begin to make a difference in the lives of dozens of people. It is amazing to see how the Bucharest Blessing church has embraced these people and to see how lives are being changed. What Monica and her staff face on a daily basis is not easy and we need to support them in much prayer.”

To learn more about Open Door, read the article about how the Bucharest Blessings Church is integrating trafficking survivors into the life of the church.

Please pray for safety, wisdom, compassion and financial support for the team at The Open Door Foundation in Bucharest, Romania, as they love the survivors of human trafficking who have sought refuge at the emergency shelter. Pray for God to use the Hero distinction to increase the team’s influence and voice against trafficking. Pray also for God’s hand of healing on the survivors.

Nazarenes Connect at Central Europe Field Conference

By Gina Grate Pottenger
Where Worlds Meet May 2014
Reprinted in NCN News

As a new believer for just one year, Adelina* was nervous about attending the Central Europe Field conference 30 April to 4 May. A native of Kosova who speaks Albanian, Adelina now lives in Sweden where she found Christ through friendship with Juliene and Philip Munts. The Munts are American Nazarene tentmaker missionaries pioneering the Church of the Nazarene there. Except for the Munts, Adelina didn't know any other Nazarenes.

When Adelina met the Nazarene group from Kosova and Albania at the conference, everything changed.

"In Sweden, I don't have any Albanians who I can share my faith and belief with," she said. "Then I saw the Kosova-Albanians and it was more beautiful — my faith, my belief — because I had to share it … in my mother language. It sounded like beautiful music when they read the Bible. Meeting those people made me more strong in my faith."

That was exactly the objective of the conference, according to field strategy coordinator Jay Sunberg: to provide time and space for Nazarenes across the field to connect with one another, draw strength from each other and fellowship, along with picking up ministry ideas and tools that they could implement in their own ministry contexts.

The Central Europe Field is made up of Poland, Hungary, Bulgaria, Romania, Denmark, Sweden, Albania, Kosova, Finland, Norway, and Croatia. One hundred and twenty-six Nazarenes attended.

"I think it's been beyond what we hoped it would be," Sunberg said.

Romania District Superintendent Tamara Hudson brought 29 people to the conference, including seven teens and two children.

"I've been watching our people with the spiritual encouragement they've received and the fellowship with people across the field; it's been really beautiful." Hudson said. "Particularly with the Power of One seminars, I feel like some real critical issues came up. We were able to talk about some action steps. We're going home with ideas of next steps."

The Power of One is a region-wide initiative to help local churches become more missional.

Several people said a highlight was a workshop taught by missionary Betsey Scott, who serves in Croatia, about learning one's spiritual life rhythms in order to connect with God more intimately in the unique ways each person has been created.

"Learning how I can express my spirituality in a natural way for me, it brought much freedom into my relationship with God and it made it more enjoyable," said Galin Ivanov from Sofia, Bulgaria.

Other workshops covered topics such as healthy marriages, parenting, anti trafficking ministry, coffee shop ministry, evangelism, and church planting.

Pastor Relu Cristurean, pastor of the Sighisoara, Romania, Church of the Nazarene, said the parenting class opened his eyes to the necessity of helping the next generation have direct, personal experience with God.

The class instructor explained that the first generation of Christians believe because they have first-hand experience with God's love and faithfulness; then the next generation — even if they don't personally experience God — may still believe in God simply because their parents believe. The third generation is twice removed from first-hand experience with God if they don't have personal experiences themselves, and then are at risk of walking away from God.

Regional Director Arthur Snijders and his wife, Annemarie, who is a church planter in the Netherlands, as well as Scandinavia District Superintendent Kaj Ove Bollerup, Cristurean, and Sunberg preached in the worship services, offering encouragement to those in attendance.

During free times, attendees gathered in the conference center café to play games, talk, and relax together. Adelina stayed up until nearly 1 a.m. playing Monopoly with her new friends from the Kosova-Albania District.

"I am born in Kosova and I live in Sweden and I hang out with Americans," she said. "Sometimes I am feeling lost — I don't know who I am, where I belong, but being here with all these people, I realize that I'm not lost. I have a big family. We are one family in Christ."

Bucharest congregation integrates trafficking survivors into the life of the church

By Gina Grate Pottenger
Reprinted from Engage Magazine

Open Door – a shelter for trafficked young women in Romania – opened a year ago, through the leadership of Monica, a Nazarene church leader in Bucharest. The new shelter is currently home to five women in their 20s, all Romanian. The team is also assisting two others who aren’t living at the shelter. Monica would say that she’s learning as she goes along. But so far she’s already learned quite a bit.

We sat down with Monica to find out how the shelter works, what services are offered to the women, and most importantly, how the local Nazarene church is integrating these women into the life and love of the congregation.

Engage: How did you prepare the congregation to receive these women?

Monica: I’ve asked the church to pray for these girls months before we even opened the shelter. I told them the vision I had and I told them that I know that as a church we have so much to give these women. Initially they were very rejecting toward the idea of having them in the church. It wasn’t from everybody, it was from a small group of women. I challenged them but I know God was the one who turned their hearts around. Months later they came to me and said, “What can we do? How can we help?”

When they [the survivors] come to church, I’ll introduce them as, “This is my friend such and such.” And nothing else. There is a very small group of women in church that pray constantly … and [are] very trustworthy and they know these are the girls from the shelter and the main reason they know is they would pray more specifically for them and interact more specifically with them. Some may guess they’re from the shelter.

Engage: How do you invite the women to the church?

Monica: We tell them everybody here goes to church on Sunday and it’s not mandatory for them to go, but we would be more than happy to have them with us. We realize that God had prepared their hearts and minds even before they got to us because they all say the same thing: “Do you think I can come? Is it OK if I come?”

It has to be their own choice.

Engage: What kind of activities do you involve them with at the church?

Monica: When they come to prayer group on Wednesday night, this is when we split in small groups. Men have their own separate group.

Since they’re all in their early 20s we integrate them into the youth group as well. The youth group from our church has been very involved in the work at the shelter. Some are hired at the shelter, some are volunteers. The youth group are [age] 17-24. They take [the women] out to a movie or go eat together after church service on Sunday; they play games, they have a karaoke night.

[One young woman] helps pick music for youth night and sang in church at Christmas, and she wants to sing again.

Engage: What does the local church receive from integrating these women in the life of the church?

Monica: The greatest thing our church receives from them is their need to be loved and by this our church learns how to just love a broken person.  I’ve seen a lack of gossip and more sensibility. They’re much more sensitive to emotions than they used to [be] or feelings. And a lack of judgment. When this gal brought her testimony on Christmas day in church, they were all in pieces crying their eyes out.

Engage: What are some of the challenges you deal with in ministering to these women?

Monica: I told everybody to expect the unexpected. They live the life of lies, terror, manipulation. Are we surprised that they lie, or steal or break the rules?
God does discipline, but it’s still in a loving way, and so that is exactly what we’re trying with them.

They have been hardened by the punishments they got for looking the wrong direction or looking the right way or not guessing what the other person is thinking. I’m talking about physical torture, flogging. This girl, my daughter and I took her to see The Hunger Games [movie]. At some point one of the young guys [who] was up against the system is caught by the law enforcement guys and is being flogged. And just like that, she looked for a nest in me and said “Moni, I can’t look at that because that’s exactly what he was doing to me when he was flogging me.”

Engage: Your team has worked to help the women at your shelter find real jobs. What happened?

Monica: Starbucks agreed to be our partner, and they held up their side by interviewing three of our girls for jobs. When it was their first day to go to work, all three of them flipped out. We still don’t know why. We are trying to figure this out. We know they deal with feelings of failure, they say, “I’m no good, I’m a failure.” But it’s deeper than that and we’re trying to understand what’s going on.

Engage: Would you share the story of one of the young women at your shelter?

Monica: So far most of them -- the vast majority -- come from broken families; probably a higher number from rural areas, but broken dysfunctional families with at least one parent out of the picture.

We’ve had a case of a girl, she was a runaway, moved to another town, living on her own. She had a group of friends and they were all going out. She noticed night after night this guy watching her, not saying anything. Suddenly he approached her one night and said, “I’ve been looking at you. You’re so pretty. I got up the guts to come talk to you.” She opened up, they became good friends, they even kissed. He would call her every morning and say, “Did you eat breakfast?” By bedtime, he called and said, “Are you OK? Honey, sleep well. Don’t forget I love you.” For eight months, he bought her little trinkets.

Suddenly he offers her a job prospect as a babysitter. He even brings in a woman who told the girl she lives in the U.K., she has two little kids, here’s a picture. The girl trusts everybody 100 percent. This guy wasn’t even 18. He tells her, go with my friend [to the U.K.] and I’ll turn 18 in a few days, I’ll come after you.

She takes off with this other guy, they get to a hotel and they rent a room. She asks, “Why only one room? I’m expecting to see my boyfriend.” The guy says, “Are you serious? I just bought you for 5,000 Euros. You’re mine. He just sold you to me. He didn’t tell you this?” The entire universe collapsed within seconds. Then he says, “By the way, you start working tonight. Your first client comes in an hour.”

Engage: How can Christians get involved in this fight against slavery?

Monica: In order for us to find out about these cases, we need to build relationships with these people. As part of the church we can’t be spectators. We cannot be just observers. Contact people, make relationships, get involved.

The Open Door

by Teanna Sunberg
Reprinted from Engage Magazine

The house sits quietly on a very normal looking street in the heart of Bucharest where the coming and going of families is a predictable Romanian rhythm. Grandmas with head scarves and aprons sweep away the dust from doorways each morning and then produce the tantalizing smells of onions and carrots frying for a midday soup. Dogs bark, kittens scurry, children with backpacks walk to the city bus. It is simply one of many normal houses producing the normal sights and sounds of an every day sort of household. On the morning we visit, two once-upon-a-time Romanian, Nazarene boys are busily finishing a paint job on the edge of the roof. They roll their eyes when we make them move from their job and then, with nonchalant shrugs and warm hugs, they welcome us to The Open Door.

These boys, who used to greet us with shy smiles and quiet Romanian ‘hellos’ at the prompting of their mothers have grown into young men who show us around the brick and mortar that they are renovating. Just inside the door, a two-year old little boy dashes by with his mother close behind as we admire the careful changes that have already turned this house into a home.

Moving into the living room, the landscape begins to alter and it somehow feels that we may have stepped into a corner of Germany. The furniture is solidly wooden and warm as if there is sanctuary and safety in the simple embrace of cushions. A sense of goodness, security, normality are present in the very air we breathe inside this house and yet, for those living here, this is a very new reality.

The five young Romanian women and one active two-year-old now living in this home have recently been rescued from neighboring countries where they were trafficked for sex.

The statistics are staggering. According to the International Labour Organization's June 2012 Press Release, Central Europe and the CIS (Commonwealth of Independent Statees) have the highest number of trafficking victims per thousand inhabitants globally. These two parts of Europe account for 7 percent of the global trafficking market. In other words, 1.6 million people from Romania and the Eastern European neighborhood are trapped in forced labour situations today. (http://goo.gl/b81rwp)

The Open Door is a powerful example of the potential for rescue and rehabilitation when denominations work together for impact against the human slave trade. The organization's director is Monica Boseff, wife of Pastor Cristi Boseff (Bucharest Blessings Church of the Nazarene), the majority of employees are Nazarene young people who spent their formative years growing up amidst the pioneering work of the Nazarene church after the fall of Communism. Today, they fill the roles of psychologist, assistant director, security and maintenance. Most of the furniture came from a community effort organized by the Gelnhausen Nazarene Church in Germany. People from the community literally donated entire rooms. Funding and leadership come from a variety of sources including but not limited to Nazarenes and that is an important point. In the face of such a global power structure, one organization, one denomination, one non-government organization is a tiny whisper, but the united body of Christ, dependent upon His Holy provision, becomes a voice for transformation, one life at a time.

The Open Door is simply and profoundly a home. According to the in-house psychologist, the vast majority of girls become prey for traffickers when a life change makes them vulnerable. It might be the death of a parent or a sudden economic plunge, but suddenly the walls that once protected are breached.

In the kitchen, the women who currently call The Open Door home are busily preparing a midday meal of schnitzel and mashed potatoes. Part of their rehabilitation is a re-learning of the normal routines of healthy lifestyles. Monica Boseff reports that both Starbucks and the Radisson Hotel have offered job training to the women. A variety of local businesses have donated practical supplies, such as washing powder, that power the daily rhythms of a busy family.

As I step outside to breathe the fresh air, I notice that the walls around this home are quite high. A street dog who wandered into the yard months ago now claims it and all of its inhabitants as his. He guards them with a fierce territorial growl. I am profoundly aware that the absolute normality of this every day home on this average Romanian street is the greatest testimony to a miracle in progress.

A long time ago, a young boy wrapped up his very normal Jewish lunch and lived and died in such a way that hope and security and heart transformation and home are realities of a new kingdom. His geneology sounded something like this:

Abraham was the father of Isaac,
Issac the father of Jacob,
Jacob the father of Judah and his borthers,
Judah the father of Perez and Zerah, whose mother was Tamar.
Perez the father of Hezron,
Hezron the father of Ram,
Ram the father of Amminadab,
Amminadab the father of Nahshon,
Nahshon the father of Salmon,
Salmon the father of Boaz, whose mother was Rahab. (Matthew 1:2-5, NIV)

Covenant Discipleship in Romania

By Teanna Sunberg
Reprinted from Where Worlds Meet, Year 11, Issue 10, December 2013


Sighișoara, Romania – Some historians argue that the faith movement birthed by John Wesley actually saved England from experiencing a fate similar to the French Revolution. Yet, today the mention of a Wesleyan discipleship movement generally brings a yawn and a quick exodus from the conversation. It seems that the word “discipleship” fails to convey the radical transformation that snatched souls from the pit of hell and ransomed a bankrupt British society.

“We have not been intentional enough with discipleship training and practices,” says Jay Sunberg, Central Europe Field strategy coordinator.

At the invitation of Rev. Tamara Hudson, district superintendent of Romania, Sunberg led a Discipleship Weekend in Sighișoara for 22 participants from the Romania District. These Romanian Nazarenes make a groundbreaking statement of faith about the Holy Spirit’s power to redeem and transform at both individual and societal levels.

The agenda of the weekend was an interactive dialogue regarding the Biblical call to discipleship, the Wesleyan heritage of discipleship, and the concept of covenant discipleship. At the end of the weekend, the participants broke into four discipleship groups and wrote a covenant statement which they commit to until the end of April.

Sunberg earned a Doctor of Ministry degree with his thesis on using contemporary methods for discipleship accountability. Building upon the theological work of Dr. David Lowes Watson who contemporized Wesley’s approach to discipleship, Sunberg explored the possibility of utilizing social media methods to connect people for discipleship growth.

Out of this study, a new commitment to holiness and the necessity of submitting to lifestyle accountability emerged. According to Sunberg, “The concept of a radical lifestyle powered by heart holiness begins with a rewiring of how we think about discipleship. Conceptually, we must move from an ‘it’s my responsibility’ to a ‘we are responsible for each other’s growth’ mindset. Discipleship is about accountability, responsibility for each other, and the power of community.”

The power of the new discipleship model begins with that rewiring of the discipleship concept. Participants commit to a weekly accountability check-in, but the key to understanding lies in community. The spiritual journey is based upon James 1:27, “Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widow in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.”

The road to mature spiritual formation is sourced out of the intersection of works of piety and works of mercy. It is where they exist in the same place that holiness becomes tangible. The community shares responsibility for this journey instead of thinking of discipleship as an individual process. It becomes a shared, corporate responsibility of accountability, encouragement, mentoring, and prayer.

The Romanian District is using this new discipleship model in conjunction with their mentoring program for ordination and pastoral training. The hope is to build spiritual structures that lead to solid spiritual formation as individuals prepare for ministry. 

To learn more about the growth of the Church in the Central Europe Field, visit www.centraleuropenaz.org. For more information about covenant discipleship, email Jay Sunberg at JSunberg@aol.com.


Please pray for God to produce fruit in the Romanian Nazarenes who are participating in a new covenant discipleship initiative. Pray for the Holy Spirit to empower them and bring them maturity in their faith.