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.

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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.