Video: 30 Years of Nazarene Ministry in Romania

Ordinations in Romania

From Eurasia Region Snapshots, November 4:

 

We celebrate with our brothers and sisters who were ordained in Romania on Saturday 29th October.

The District Assembly took place in Brasov and saw 3 men and 2 women be ordained -- of which 3 were members of the same family!

We praise God for his faithfulness and pray for our newly ordained elders, their lives, families and ministries.

-- photo shared by Dr. Busic, General Superintendent

Celebrating Women in Ministry in Romania

F

From Eurasia Region Snapshots, November 4:

Reflecting on the recent ordination service in Romania, Rev. Teanna Sunberg celebrates women in ministry in Romania, across the Central Europe Field and across the Church of the Nazarene as a denomination.

It was a grand privilege to be one of the ordained elders that laid hands on Magda Cini and Roxana Cini as they were ordained this past weekend.

I want to center the powerful message of this photo. It is a photo of 3 women in Romania -- 3 wonderful women who each reflects the character of God. 3 ordained women who have been called and equipped for pastoral ministry. 3 women who lead and live cross culturally.

But, what has it cost for the 2 women on each side to stand at the apex of ordained ministry? Roberta, the woman in the middle followed God’s call to Romania 25 years ago. She served the church as missionary, as pastor, and as District Superintendent. Magda, the one on the right, birthed a ministry and a church in her village of Tigmandru that feeds and nurtures the kids of that community. Roxana, the one on the left ministers to the children and mothers in that community.

This passing on of influence and prayer and teaching from one generation of woman to the next is so key for us as a church that supports, fosters a call, and ordains women.

Without a Roberta in the pulpit -- as pastor or in the board room as DS or in the community as missionary -- the path for women is not clear.

We need to see women represented in every level of our denominational structure. And, like we see here, there must be more than just a representative 1 or 2. There must be many women -- beautiful in their very different personalities and skill sets and callings.

So very thankful for who these 3 women are in my life -- for how they lead, how they live, and how they reflect Jesus.

I am also thankful to serve on a field with an Field Strategy Coordinator (Jay Sunberg) who has frequently and courageously assigned women to roles of pastor and District Superintendent, as well as other roles of leadership and ministry. The Central Europe Field has a distinct history as a field that places people in leadership, not because of gender, by virtue of call, character, and commitment.

- shared by Rev. Teanna Sunberg (FSC Team Central Europe)

Latest news on Ukrainian refugees

Originally published in Veritas View, Fall 2022 Newsletter

As we wrote in our last newsletter, we accommodated four Ukrainian refugees, one man, two women and a child in the Historical Building of Veritas Foundation. In June, Vlodimir returned to Ukraine. Because one of the refugee women was expecting a baby in August and we wanted to provide a more homey environment for them, they have moved into an apartment provided by the Church of the Nazarene in Sighisoara.

Following a request from PATRIR, the Romanian Peace Institute and UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency in Romania, represented by Bethany Serengheu, UNHCR project manager, Veritas has rented PATRIR a historic building on the Veritas Center campus. This space will be used as a support hub for the protection of the Ukrainian community in Sighisoara. We hope for a good and long-lasting collaboration.

House on the Rock

In past issues of this newsletter, we wrote about the opening of a museum on the top three floors of the House on the Rock building. Because of the Covid pandemic and the huge drop in tourist traffic to the citadel in the past two years the museum has closed. We are very disappointed, as it fit so well with the original goals of the House on the Rock to provide educational opportunities to the community

Now, in partnership with Nazarene Compassionate Ministries we are providing two classrooms and a dining room at House of the Rock for Ukrainian children to help them integrate into the community.

District Assembly Videos

On Saturday, October 29, five Romanians were ordained as elders in the Church of the Nazarene as part of the Romania District Assembly. The ordination service can be watched here:

The Sunday morning Communion service, led by General Superintendent David Busic, was streamed live from the Bucharest Blessing Church while the churches in Sighisoara and Tigmandru participated.

ENC's 2022 Lifetime Service Award

Eastern Nazarene College has announced that Dorothy Tarrant, professor emerita and honorary alumna, will be the recipient of this year's Lifetime Service Award. She and other award recipients will be honored at ENC's 2022 reENCcounter Homecoming Celebration Dinner on Friday, October 14.

October 1, 2022 Update:

Lifetime Service Awards are awarded to alumni who graduated more than 50 years ago and have evidenced a lifelong commitment to God and Alma Mater through service to Christ and the Kingdom while embodying the ENC Ideal.

Dorothy Tarrant has always had a passion for serving, using her capacity to teach language. Whether it be her first job out of college working at the European Nazarene Bible College as an office manager or her 30 years as faculty at Eastern Nazarene College teaching modern languages.

In her years at ENC, she wore many hats, serving as an advisor to international students, helping form what would become the Brickley Center at ENC, providing counseling to students, and teaching ESL students. In 1993, she traveled to Romania to start the Romanian Studies Program.

This was initially a pilot program to give students and faculty the experience of teaching abroad in impoverished areas. Due to her love for teaching and her passion for education, she ended up staying in Romania for the next 23 years.

During her time in Romania, she also started the Veritas Sighisoara, an ecumenical Christian organization providing educational and social services to bring about positive change in the lives of people in Sighisoara. Because of her years of dedicated volunteer service, she was honored by the Queen of England in January 2022, receiving the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire, a British honor of chivalry rewarding contributions to the arts, sciences, charitable work, and public service outside of civil service.

Video of ENC's Alumni Awards Celebration, October 14, 2022:

VBS - Vacation Bible School at Tigmandru Church of the Nazarene

By Paula Creely
Originally posted at paulacreely.blogspot.com

The VBS began with shopping for supplies. I praise God for the NMI Philadelphia District and Hershey Church of the Nazarene for giving $500 towards this 5 day camp.

Pastor Roxana Cini, who is my sister-in-law is the children pastors at Tigmandru Church of the Nazarene, Romania. God has given her a true gift with children. She not only loves the children in the village but she cares so much that they know about God and His love for them. Along side of her, we organized in detail the VBS.

We began on Wednesday morning at Tigmandru Church of the Nazarene and ended on Sunday morning after the service. Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, the program started at 10 am- 12 noon. We had four stations: Story lead by Pastor Magda ( Lead Pastor of the Tigmandru Church), Crafts lead by Pastor Roxana, Games lead by me and Food served by four lay ladies in the church. The food was amazing, each day Pastor Roxana and Pastor Magda made delicious soup that the kids love. It was hot meal which means, for some children this was the only hot meal they received that day.

We had 105 children during the week and around 60 on Sunday morning during the service.

Each morning we began with songs, prayer and scripture and 7 teens from youth group help each day being crew leaders for the groups of kids.
We focus teaching the kids about Jesus. His love for children, His sacrifice on the cross for us and how to continue to stay near Him each day.
Saturday all the children came back for a picnic, games and practice for Sunday morning service songs. They had a blast.

 
We had 105 children during the week and around 60 on Sunday morning during the service. On Sunday morning, the parents where invited to attend the service and see their children sing 3 songs, after we had balloon games and giant bubbles. I thank God for Child Sponsorship Funds for buying goodies to give each child at the end. It was a fun, exciting and spirit filled VBS.

The special thing about this years VBS was that it was in partnership with the Philadelphia District and for the first time the parents and the kids attended Sunday morning service. The following Sunday some of the same parents came back to church.

 

The Pre-K and Kindergarten Group

Craft time

Game time

Raising their hand to tell scripture

Pastor Roxana Cini

Delicious homemade soup

Practice for Sunday Morning service

Intro of each VBS day

Our Teens are leading the children into songs

Waiting to go to another station

Games

Leaving the church with a sweet snack at the end of the day

Ukranian refugees arrive at Veritas

Originally Published in Veritas View Newsletter, Spring 2022

On April 13 four refugees from Ukraine arrived at the Veritas Family Center. Casey Bloom, Nazarene missionary who is coordinating Veritas’ involvement with refugees, welcomed our guests. Staff had just finished preparing rooms in the historic building for this purpose when the call came that a man and three women would be arriving the next day. Two bedrooms, a kitchen, a large living/dining room and office spaces are available for the refugees. At the time of writing this newsletter, our experience with hosting refugees is brand new. We don’t know if guests will stay a week or a month, or how many we may host. Check our Facebook page and monthly emails for updates.

Pictured: Jan Hockensmith Laun and George Laun, visitors from the US, helped make the refugees feel welcome.

Veritas Board President Announces Retirement

Sheri Hartzler (with her husband Jay) came to Veritas for the first time in 2013 to spend one year. Nine years later, after living in Sighisoara nine months of most of these years, they are retiring and returning home to Virginia in June. Now in their early 70s, Sheri and Jay say they have been privileged to live and work in the Sighisoara and Tigmandru communities during the first years of their retirement. 

At Veritas Sheri was involved in a myriad of activities: writing newsletters, emails and Facebook posts; managing the Veritas website; organizing clothing donations and distribution; organizing schedules for visiting work teams; working closely with Petra and the Leadership Team in making decisions for the Foundation and serving as President of the Veritas board for the past three years. 

“Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.” (Colossians 3:23-24) Petra Popa says this verse came to mind as she thought about Sheri's time at Veritas over the years. 

She commented, “Sheri was a great example of serving others in many different ways: teaching, carrying boxes, singing, encouraging people, preparing special devotional and celebration times, organizing cabinets, rooms, and even buildings, offering professional advice, being the engine for any action, and coming up with more than one solution for any problem. For all of these, I am so grateful. I feel privileged to have a friend like Sheri and a coworker in building God’s kingdom.” 

Sheri recalled, “I've received more than I've given during my time here in Romania and will always treasure the friendships and memories I have made.”

With Sheri's retirement, Jonathan Phillips has been elected as the new Veritas Board Chair. Jonathan has been involved in Romanian culture since his early days as a student in the Romanian Studies Program in 2001. He is a district superintendent for the Church of the Nazarene in Romania, fluent in Romanian and enthusiastic about serving the community in his new position.

This article was originally published in the Spring 2022 edition of the "Veritas View" newsletter, available at this link.

Dorothy Tarrant honored by British Government

Dorothy Tarrant, founder of Veritas, has been awarded an MBE (Member of the Order of the British Empire) from her Majesty Queen Elizabeth for her work developing the Veritas Foundation and the Romanian Studies Program. The MBE is awarded for an outstanding achievement or service to the community which has had a long-term, significant impact.

In 1993 Lynn Powers, an experienced social worker, came to Romania to help supervise students in the Romanian Studies Program (RSP) who were caring for toddlers in Bucharest’s Orphanage Number 1. During her time here Lynn was moved to begin the lengthy procedures for adopting a little boy from the orphanage. She named him Joshua. Now a grown man, Josh wanted to recognize Dorothy’s work because of the huge influence it had on his life. In 2018 he asked others to join him in writing letters of recommendation and he sent these to the British government.

Four years later, Dorothy received a letter saying she was selected to receive this honor. At some point Dorothy will be invited to one of the royal palaces to receive her MBE Medal from either Queen Elizabeth, Prince Charles or another member of the royal family. 

Congratulations, Dorothy! We are grateful for the vision and the work that went into creating RSP and the Veritas Foundation. Hundreds of students have been impacted by the Romanian Studies Program, and Veritas continues the work that Dorothy began. Her actions created a legacy that inspired others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more. Thank you!

This article was originally published in the Spring 2022 edition of the "Veritas View" newsletter, available at this link.

Gerald "Jerry" Manker (1936-2022)

Jerry Manker served as district superintendent of Romania from 2002-2005. 

Opportunities Wednesday: Wood Shop Manager in Romania

Is God calling you to use your woodworking skills to serve in holistic community ministry in Romania?

The church in Romania is committed to serving in a holistic ways to meet physical as well as spiritual needs. In the small community of Tigmandru, the Church of the Nazarene has served as a beacon of hope and learning for more than 10 years in an area with few opportunities. The way the church extends itself to meet the needs of the community has served as a powerful witness to the God who cares about meeting our daily needs.

The woodshop is an established outreach to provide job training and small business work opportunities those who would like to learn wood-working skills. However, there is a current need for a full-time manager to offer technical training and oversight for the woodshop.

Responsibilities:

• Train those interested in learning wood-working skills
• Provide daily oversight of the woodshop
• Participate in the evangelism and outreach ministry of the Tigmandru church

Requirements:

• Experience and skill in carpentry and furniture making
• Micro enterprise skills
• Good relational skills
• Teaching abilities
• Evangelism and outreach experience
• Administration and organizational skill

Click here for more information and to get started in the application process.

NMI Central

Originally Posted at NMI Central (formerly "Prayer Mobilization Line") - 23 March 2022

Romania

The Church of the Nazarene began work in Romania in 1992. There are compassionate ministry projects, including partnerships with educational and social work to children, small businesses providing jobs, and partnership with ministry to trafficking survivors. One challenge the church in Romania faces is ministering in a traditional culture where Protestants generally are not viewed positively. The official language of Romania is Romanian with a very diverse age range within its population.

Prayer

• Pray for the churches responding in the midst of the Ukraine crisis.
• Pray for our established Nazarene churches in Romania as they continue to minister in their local communities.
• Pray for our national pastors, their families, and our mission team members as they disciple new leaders, plant churches, and share Christ with passion and conviction.
• Pray for strength and resources for compassionate ministry workers serving marginalized groups: survivors of human trafficking, neglected children, those with special needs, the elderly, and the poor.

Praise

• We thank God for the missionaries serving in Romania and the work they continue to do.
• We thank God for a global church that comes together to support each other in crisis.
• We thank God for the 5 Romanians who have been approved for ordination as elders at our next district assembly.

NMI Snapshot

Nazarenes Partner with Businesses and Organizations to Support Refugees in Romania: A Firsthand Report from Romania: Click here to read this story.

Could you serve in Romania?
Is God calling you to use your woodworking skills to serve in holistic community ministry in Romania? Click here to learn more.

A Precious Gift in a Small Plastic Bag

Casey Bloom serves as a missionary with the Church of the Nazarene in Romania. She writes about offering hospitality to people from Ukraine in the shadow of war.

For two nights, we had the immense privilege of hosting five brave men who were returning to their home country of Ukraine.

Bucharest is one of many Eastern European cities that lies along the path of refugees fleeing the invasion of Ukraine. Many people are stopping to rest in our city, and we have been providing them shelter and meals to set them on their continued journey.

At the same time, many Ukrainians were abroad when the invasion began. Some, like these five men who were working in other parts of Europe, are traveling back home. Our new friends had decided they needed to return to support their families. On their way, they found shelter with us in Bucharest.

These men expressed such gratitude for the space provided for them. They even asked how much the accommodations would cost when they first arrived. We assured them it was our absolute pleasure to host them (for free, of course) during this difficult time, and that we were here to help with whatever they needed during their stay and beyond.

Even though we may not see them ever again, the men said they intended to send their families to us (from Ukraine) to experience the same love and care that we were offered to them.

“I’ve worked in Turkey, Uzbekistan and Denmark, but I’ve never been treated like this – with so much love and care,” one of them said.

The Bucharest Blessing Church of the Nazarene and Open Door Foundation are working together to provide housing, with Open Door being the only emergency shelter for trafficking victims in Romania. When it started, the founders of Open Door, could not have guessed that someday it would provide shelter for people experiencing another kind of emergency – war.

As we said our goodbyes, one of the men presented Open Door’s director, Monica Boseff, with a small plastic bag. He said that this precious gift was a piece of their home in Ukraine, and he wanted to share it with us because we had made them feel at home here in Bucharest.

Inside this small, rolled up plastic bag was a piece of bacon from Ukraine.

This type of bacon (Romanian: slănină) is a traditional Slavic food that is a coveted part of the pig. If you are familiar with Eastern European culture, you understand just how deeply moved we were by this gesture. Monica said it is one of the most precious gifts she’s ever received. She even put it in her freezer to forever remind her of the blessings we have been given and the blessings we have to share.

*********

Donations to the NCM Ukraine Crisis Response Fund can be made at ncm.org/ukraine.

Serving Ukrainian Refugees in Bucharest

Originally published at ncm.org

Since February 27, leaders and volunteers from Blessings Church of the Nazarene in Bucharest, Romania, have been working tirelessly to welcome and accommodate Ukrainian refugees fleeing from war. In the church building and at a second property, there has been a constant flow of people both coming and going. Some stay for a night or two, while others have been with us for a whole week.

Aside from offering accommodations, the church has been able to provide rides to and from the train/bus station and airport, warm meals, phone cards, medical supplies, hugs, and spiritual and emotional support. We’ve been incredibly blessed by donations from individuals, nongovernment organizations, and businesses like IKEA: beds and mattresses, food, dishes, water, refrigerators, bedding, clothes, toiletries, cleaning supplies, toys, and more. You name it, God has provided it. It’s been humbling to see how so many people have come together to make sure that our Ukrainian neighbors, and now friends, are taken care of during this difficult time.

Church leaders have connected individuals with people who work at various embassies. Train and plane tickets have been purchased for people moving on to other countries. One couple has decided to stay in Romania and they already have an interview scheduled for the visa process.

God is good. He provides. Thank you for all of the ways that so many of you have supported this work through prayer, financial support, and material donations. Your constant support is giving us the resources we need, and also the stamina to continue serving our Ukrainian friends traveling to and through Romania.

Report from Casey Bloom, living and serving in Romania.

Donations to the NCM Ukraine Crisis Response Fund can be made at ncm.org/ukraine. 

There and back again with “Prof” Ed Mann

On his legacy of service learning in Romania
Memorial Service | Jan 2022

By Andrea (Scott) Popa

In January 1992 — 30 years ago this month and just 24 months after the revolution and political uprising against dictator Nicolae Ceaușescu — a clean-shaven college math professor by the name of Dr. Edward Mann took 7 college students, including me at age 19 and Melissa Greer (now Mann), on what would be an epic service learning trip to Nicorești and Sasca Mică, Romania.

This was not your typical study abroad experience to visit museums and cultural attractions, and dine on epicurean delights in world cities. This journey was much more like a great Tolkien adventure, an impossible quest to unknown worlds.

The idea for this trip was student-proposed, but we needed a faculty lead for the trip to be approved for academic credit. When asked if he would be interested in teaching the travel course, Prof Mann responded with an immediate, “Yes” - even before checking in at home!

So it was that, under the auspices of the Cambridge-based Free Romania Foundation, and approved for Cultural Anthropology credit through Eastern Nazarene College, we spent three weeks engaged in humanitarian service at two homes for “irrecuperable” children in rural villages.

The work in the children’s home — known as the “spital” (or hospital) — was difficult. Conditions were wretched, cold and dirty, with few supplies and minimally-trained personnel. The children were under-fed, under-stimulated, and suffered from a variety of serious physical disabilities and mental conditions that we were in no way equipped to handle. We struggled with the fact that our three-week stint was unlikely to produce necessary long-term changes to the system of care.

“Prof” as we called him was the perfect guide for our band of wayward pilgrims. With no prior experience in Eastern Europe, and no real knowledge of what we were walking into, he journeyed along with us.

Instead of trying to curate, interpret or sanitize the experience we were having, he recognized that this time in this place would be a catalyst for learning and growth, and that we would walk through moments of honesty like few others we would encounter in our college studies or our lives.

Prof held open the portal for us, allowing us to grapple with frustrations and feelings of inadequacy, and look our doubt squarely in the eyes. He created and held space for our own self-reflection.

He was a consummate educator. His eyes danced when we hit on moments of cosmic connection and clarity. With a raised eyebrow, cocked head, pointed finger and knowing look he would respond, “I understand” often followed by his own story or witty analogy.

Prof looked the part of a wise not-so-very old wizard. On one weekend trip to a local market, we all purchased those rabbit skin hats with the side flaps that were ubiquitous in Easten Europe in the early 90’s. Mine was white. Another was black. Prof’s, fittingly, was a large salt-and-pepper gray hat that, along with his tall stature and his Romania-grown beard, cemented his look as our own Gandalf the Grey.

On another Sunday during our trip, we traveled to an Orthodox monastery in the neighboring village of Buciumeni. The domed church ceiling was covered in colored icons depicting the life of Christ and the saints. The air was thick with the incense, waxed candles, and the must and smoke smell that permeated all things in rural Romania. We stayed into the afternoon, sharing a meal that included pork piftie (aspic), mamaliga (polenta), bread and wine.

On the monastery grounds, villagers in wool coats and rabbit-skinned hats had lined up their cars for a New Year's blessing. After the service, the priest blessed each car, along with each person and animal in sight - using basil sprigs to douse each object with holy water as he made the sign of the cross.

As someone who has now made my spiritual home in the Orthodox Church for the past 20+ years, I recognize this blessing of the waters as something that happens during Epiphany — the “winter pascha” — in early January each year.

The Feast of Epiphany, celebrates that lightbulb or “aha” moment when God is revealed to us in everyday things. In his humanity, Jesus did not become the Christ when he was baptized by John in the waters of the River Jordan but was revealed to us in his divine nature. So too, there is nothing magical that takes place for water to become holy, but it is our eyes that are opened to see God in all things around us as we participate in and acknowledge the sacred in the current space and the present moment.

While Prof mentored our growth, he also allowed himself to be changed by his time in Romania. In the years following he carried with him some of that epiphany spark. He read extensively from Romanian philosophers and theologians - including Father Dumitru Stăniloae, and appreciated the mystery, hospitality, and grace espoused by the Eastern church.

…


Our epic three-week trip to Nicorești and Sasca Mică was the start of several future ventures and Prof Mann’s legacy of service continued in the years that followed.

Our group was the first Nazarene-affiliated group to travel to post-Communist Romania.

In the spring of 1992, Prof returned to Romania along with my father Jon Scott preparing for the Church of the Nazarene to open in Romania that August. Over the coming decade, over 800 volunteers would travel to Romania with Nazarene Compassionate Ministries to work in humanitarian and educational service in Bucharest, Sighisoara and other cities. Among the volunteers were Prof Mann’s brother Merritt and his nephew Doug Mann, who served there as a Nazarene missionary from 1998-2003.

In Fall 1993, in part due to Prof’s advocacy, Eastern Nazarene College ran a pilot semester which became the Romanian Studies Program. Under the leadership of ENC Professor Dorothy Tarrant, the RSP continued for 25 years, involving over 500 students from more than 21 different colleges. Prof Mann himself - in his beard and rabbit hat - led subsequent student trips in January 1993 and January 1995.

Back home in the shire in Quincy, MA, Prof and Carol championed the study program and service trips to Romania, encouraging reluctant travelers to take the leap and mentoring Romania program returnees, helping us process and debrief from what we had seen and experienced.

…

As we gather today to celebrate the life and legacy of Prof Ed Mann, I would challenge you to say “yes” when an opportunity for great adventure comes your way. And I would urge you to open yourself to “aha” moments where the sacred is revealed to us — in the person before you, in your current situation, and in the present moment.

It is these moments of epiphany that would make Prof’s eyes sparkle as he remarked, “I understand,” followed, of course, by a tale of his own.

Edward Mann (1933-2021)

Published at https://keohane.com/services/edward-f-mann

MEMORIAL SERVICE: 

Sunday, January 16, 2022 1 PM
Marsh Chapel at Boston University
735 Commonwealth Avenue
Boston, MA

Edward Floyd Mann of Weymouth, Massachusetts passed away peacefully due to natural causes on June 18, 2021.

He was born in Boston, Massachusetts to Edward Stebbins Mann and Cora Herrshaft Mann on September 29, 1933. Edward graduated from North Quincy High School and went on to earn a Bachelor’s degree from Eastern Nazarene College and a Master’s degree from Boston College; both in Mathematics. He married Carol May Hobson from Halifax, Nova Scotia in 1961 and remained her devoted husband for 57 years until her death in 2018.

January 1992: First ENC Group to Romania

Edward began his career teaching Mathematics at Hanover High School and then worked in academic computing at the Rochester Institute of Technology and Carnegie-Mellon University. Inspired by the writings of Dietrich Bonhoeffer, he devoted the next 29 years of his career to the cause of Christian higher education. He served as a Professor of Mathematics and Computer Science and in a variety of administrative positions at Mid-America Nazarene College in Olathe, Kansas; Mt. Vernon Nazarene College in Mt. Vernon, Ohio; and Eastern Nazarene College in Quincy, Massachusetts. “Prof Mann” was passionate about social-justice and learning through direct service. While at Eastern Nazarene College, he helped establish their study abroad program, in which students volunteered in Romania orphanages and nursing homes while completing their course work. His door was open to all students and colleagues. His tremendous empathy guaranteed a response of “I understand” and heartfelt spiritual advice.

Romanian Studies Program Students: January 1995 

Ed had a beautiful baritone voice. In college, he sang in several gospel quartets, including with his three brothers. He regularly sang in church and community choirs well into his 80s performing in works by Bach, Mendelssohn, and Handel. In his retirement, he was a devoted grandfather to his five grandchildren; eager to pass on his love of nature, Boston sports teams, and British humor. He also remained academically active, working for the University of Michigan’s Institute for Social Research.

He is survived by his son David Mann and his wife Ruthanne Smith-Mann of Weymouth, Massachusetts; his daughter Laurie Strenge-Mann and her husband David Karl Strenge of Marshfield, Massachusetts; his brothers, Merritt Mann of Weymouth, Massachusetts, Richard Mann of Quincy, Massachusetts, and Robert Mann of Mansfield, Texas; his step-brothers and sister Gordon Angell of New London, Connecticut, Gary Angell of Sonoma, California, and Kathy Angell of Quincy, Massachusetts; and his grandchildren, Margaret Mann, Isaac Mann, Garrit Strenge, Annelore Strenge, and Katharina Strenge and Beate Luethje of Korschenbroich, Germany who joined the family as an exchange student in 1981.

A memorial service in honor will be held on Sunday, January 16 at 1pm at Marsh Chapel on the campus of Boston University.

The address is: 735 Commonwealth Avenue, Boston, MA.

2018 Romanian Studies Program Reunion

More detailed directions are here: https://www.bu.edu/chapel/about/directions/

Important notes associated with COVID:
Please understand that there is possibility that this service could be canceled by Boston University! The COVID numbers in Massachusetts are rising and this service will be subject to the rules of the university, which could change at any time. We will send out an update if there are any changes.
Per policy at Marsh Chapel and Boston University: MASKS AND FULL VACCINATIONS ARE REQUIRED.

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to the Eastern Nazarene College George Floyd Memorial Scholarship Fund. To give by check, please make your check out to Eastern Nazarene College with George Floyd Memorial Scholarship in the memo line and send to 23 E Elm Avenue, Quincy, MA 02170.

The family wishes to extend their deepest gratitude to the nurses, aides and staff of Pope Nursing Home in Weymouth, Massachusetts, who loved and cared for our father as their own “Poppa”. We are eternally grateful for the grace and dignity you bestowed upon our father, and for your heroism during the COVID crisis.

“If you know these things, blessed are you if you do them.” – John 13:17

ENC Alumni Update: Jonathan Phillips

The following was published in Eastern Nazarene College's ENCounter ENC Newsletter, December 2021:

Rev. Jonathan Phillips (2003) was appointed as the Romania District Superintendent in November 2021. Since 2009, Jonathan has been serving as a missionary with the Church of the Nazarene in Romania. Jonathan first came to Romania in 2001 as a student in ENC’s Romanian Studies Program led by Professor Dorothy Tarrant.

Romania - Local Church Sustainability Project

Licensed Ministers (pictured at the 2019 district
assembly) are now candidates for ordination

Five Romanians have just completed the course of study for ordination in 2021 and are expected to be ordained at the next district assembly. This is a tremendous milestone since there are no ordained ministers on the Romania District. These three men and two women are equipped and are being empowered to take on new leadership roles in the Romania District, both in existing local churches and in starting new works in neighboring communities.

The Romania District is a small district, consisting of 3 small churches – with many church members coming from disadvantaged communities. Since none of the churches are currently capable of financially supporting a pastor’s full salary, district and field leaders are developing local sources of income to support them, such as developing a carpentry business, selling handcrafts made by church members, and renting out church-owned properties. As these activities increase income, the churches will gain the means to support their pastor and cover other expenses.

With their official theological studies now behind them, these five ministers can invest their time previously spent with their studies in seeking to develop these income generating activities. Change, however, does not happen overnight. It will take time and effort to develop these income-generating activities to a point so that each local church can not only support their pastor, but also cover other expenses (like utilities) and fund the overall mission of the church by contributing to the World Evangelism Fund and to the district. It will involve educating church members to be good stewards of the resources with which they have been entrusted.

Project Description

This project partners with local churches to provide up to 5 years of supplemental funding as they become financially sustainable.

• Prior to the implementation of the project, the pastor and local church board, together with the district superintendent, will determine current and potential sources of income, as well as expected expenses. More than a budget, this financial strategy needs to outline specific ways the church will expand income-generating activities to cover their expenses, including specific actions to be taken and a time frame in which each step need to be accomplished.
• The first step is for each local church to focus on covering all utilities from internal sources.
• Next, the local church board will set the pastor’s salary, based on available local church resources. During the first year of the project, while the church is strategizing how to generate additional income and taking initial steps toward this goal, project funds may be used to supplement the take-home pay of the pastor, as long as the local church is contributing a portion. During the second year, project funds may be used to cover up to half of the take-home pay of the pastor. From the beginning of the third year onwards, project funds will no longer be used for take-home pay of the pastor; the local church will need to cover this from locally-generated income.
• Throughout the duration of the project, project funds will be used to cover the contributions to the state related to pastors’ health insurance, income tax, and pension – which combined total an additional 66% of the net income of a salary in Romania. (In other words: for every $100 received “in hand,” $66 additional needs to be paid to the state.) At this point in time, our churches cannot take on this financial burden, but not covering it puts our pastors and their families at risk. At the end of years 3, 4, and 5, the amount of project funds allocated will decrease by a third (33.3%), as the expectation is that the church will be increasingly generating more income.
• In order to continue receiving funding throughout the duration of the project, the pastor, together with the local church board, needs to submit quarterly status reports that outline the progress made and challenges encountered during that quarter, to ensure that steps are intentionally being made toward financial sustainability.

This gradual decrease of project funds will help the church and the pastor prepare for what comes at the end of the 5 year period of the project – either the church has the resources to pay the pastor a full-time salary, or the church will pay what it can and the pastor will need to seek part-time bi-vocational employment elsewhere. Either outcome is acceptable and can be planned for well in advance. Early in this process, each of the three churches will determine which is the most realistic and appropriate scenario for their local church.

Give now to invest in this careful strategy to establish long-term financial support for ministers in Romania.