Thursday, November 27, 2025
Monday, November 17, 2025
30th District Assembly Highlights
On Saturday, November 15, the 30th District Assembly of the Church of the Nazarene was held in Sighișoara. The activities of the day were spread out over 4 sessions.
1. The first session opened with worship, followed by reports from district officers and committees. District Superintendent Jonathan Phillips shared 8 milestones from the past year that have contributed to a healthier district, including new missionaries, new district leaders, new resources, and new initiatives, before identifying intentional discipleship as our emphasis for the coming year.
Wednesday, November 12, 2025
Tuesday, November 11, 2025
‘There Is MORE’: Eurasia Nazarenes Gather in Albania for Regional Conference
Originally published at www.eurasiaregion.org/erc2025
Nearly 800 Nazarenes from across the Eurasia Region gathered in Tirana, Albania, November 4–8, for the first Eurasia Regional Conference since 2019. Under the theme ‘There Is MORE,’ pastors, leaders, missionaries, church members and their families came together for a time of inspirational worship, preaching, teaching, interactive fellowship, collaborative learning, and multicultural celebration of what God is doing across the region.
Participants represented a wide range of contexts, languages, and cultures, reflecting the diversity of the Church of the Nazarene throughout Eurasia.The conference focused on six key Gaps, areas in which the Church seeks to grow in faithfulness and ministry effectiveness. These included: Engaging the Next Generation, Developing Leaders of Christian Character: Integrity and Anti-Corruption, Doing Church and Discipleship in a Digital Age, People on the Move: Caring for Immigrants and Refugees, Caring for Creation and the Vulnerable, and Responding to Secularism.
Plenary session speakers addressing these Gap topics included General Superintendents Filimão Chambo and Carla Sunberg; Global Missions Director Jim Ritchie; Eurasia Regional Director Mark Louw; Principal of Nazarene Theological College Deirdre Brower; Central Europe Field Strategy Coordinator Cezi Glendenning, and Eurasia Regional Discipleship Coordinator Chad Gibbons. Insights from several of these sessions are available now on the Everyday Eurasia Podcast.
Attendees also participated in collaborative breakout sessions designed to foster open discussion, cross-cultural collaboration, and the development of practical strategies for ministry in their local contexts.
A special Theology Day event on November 4 served as a stepping stone into the Gap discussions. Papers on each topic were presented, followed by panel conversations encouraging thoughtful engagement with the issues facing the church today.
Other highlights of the week include the ordination of one elder, prayers for those on the region unable to attend, the sharing of the Lord’s Supper, and celebrating the creativity, cultures, and community on the region through events hosted by Nazarene Youth International. These included Albania Night, the Eurasia World Market, a quiz night, and a talent show, all emphasizing the creativity, culture, and community of the Eurasia Region.
Following the conference, some participants remained in Tirana for Mission Experience Albania, a hands-on opportunity to serve alongside local pastors and church members through acts of service, compassion, and love in the community.
For many, the conference was a deeply spiritual time of renewal, reflection, and connection. The transforming work of the Holy Spirit was not only preached, but experienced. “It was a time of renewal and confirmation of the call of God, and to see old friends,” said Jennifer Lima, a participant from Portugal.
Regional Director, Dr. Mark Louw reflected, “It has surpassed our wildest expectations and our desire to experience the manifest presence of the Holy Spirit was realized. It was awesome worship, awesome fellowship, and awesome fun!”
He also concluded the conference by challenging participants to carry the momentum, learning, and inspiration from the gathering back to their local churches and ministries across the region.
Monday, October 13, 2025
Serving with Compassion in Romania: Andre and Brenda Berkhout
Originally published at eurasiaregion.org
Andre and Brenda Berkhout are currently serving as Nazarene Compassionate Ministries (NCM) coordinators in Romania. In this role, they are supporting local churches and organizations across the Romania District in their efforts to develop sustainable, compassionate ministries in their communities. The Berkhouts’ work involves everything from building partnerships to strengthening ministry efforts to facilitating communication between the regional NCM office and local ministries – all while integrating to the Romanian culture by learning the language and deepening their understanding of culture and history.
In Sighișoara, they are working closely with the Veritas Foundation, a NCM partner organization and Child Development Center with social services for children, teenagers, special needs adults, and the elderly. Alongside Veritas director Petra Popa, they’re addressing practical challenges like outdated systems, training for staff, and funding needs. Andre is using his background in music to help with Bible lessons for children, while Brenda is using her background as a mental healthcare professional to develop training materials and exploring how Veritas and the local Church of the Nazarene can work more closely together in mission.
In Bucharest, the Berkhouts are assisting the Open Door Foundation. This NCM partner organization ministers to survivors of human trafficking and is closely connected to the Blessing Church of the Nazarene. Andre and Brenda are focusing on updating the organization’s website, looking for new fundraising opportunities, and developing a newsletter to keep supporters updated.
“Since arriving in Romania just a few months ago, Andre and Brenda are been filling several gaps in the area of NCM. Their unique skill set is exactly what we need right now,” noted Romania District Superintendent Jonathan Phillips.
In addition to their work with NCM partner organizations, the Berkhouts have been involved in the local Nazarene congregations in both Sighișoara and Bucharest.
Andre is stepping into preaching opportunities in both congregations and has joined the team of musicians leading worship in Sighișoara. As NCM coordinators, they have been working on community assessments and interviews to get a clearer picture of the realities people are facing, and where the church can respond in meaningful, sustainable ways.
Brenda has also begun coaching several people who need help, offering her time freely to help them grow into the person God created them to be.
Together, Andre and Brenda have become aware of many young women on the streets of Romania who are caught in difficult and vulnerable circumstances. With support from their church in the Netherlands, they have started reaching out personally by giving small care bags that include a Romanian Bible, a snack, a soft toy, toiletries, and a flyer with helpful information for those seeking a new start. Through this simple act of kindness, they want these young women to know that they are seen, valued, and deeply loved by God.
“Giving is not about the gift, but about the love of Christ that lies behind it.” the Berkhouts commented.
Join us in prayer for Andre and Brenda as they continue learning, listening, and serving in Romania. Pray for wisdom and discernment as they navigate complex needs and long-term ministry hopes.
Thursday, September 18, 2025
Romania - Local Church Sustainability Project
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| 5 Romanians were ordained at the 2022 District Assembly |
The support begins by helping churches cover essential costs such as utilities and pastoral salary while they build their own resources. Over time, project funding decreases as local income grows—empowering churches to take greater responsibility year by year. In addition, project funds provide critical coverage for health insurance, income tax, and pension contributions, which otherwise place a heavy burden on pastors and their families.
Quarterly reporting ensures accountability and steady progress toward sustainability. By the end of the five-year period, each church will be equipped either to fully support a pastor or to establish a planned, part-time bi-vocational ministry model. Both outcomes strengthen the church’s stability and ability to minister effectively in its community.
Your gift invests in a thoughtful, practical strategy that provides immediate security for pastors and paves the way for healthy, self-sustaining churches in Romania for years to come.
Thursday, June 19, 2025
Beauty From Brokenness: New Beginnings for Survivors
Originally published in NCM Magazine 2025 Issue 1
Photos provided by Open Door Romania
At the Open Door Foundation in Romania, survivors of human trafficking find more than shelter — they find community, healing, and the space to dream again.
WHAT IS YOUR GREATEST DREAM?
When survivors of human trafficking are welcomed into the shelter of the Open Door Foundation in Bucharest, Romania, the staff often ask, “What is your greatest dream?”
The women who enter Open Door are greeted by the aroma of delicious homemade meals and the assurance of a safe place to sleep. The hospitality of current residents, the laughter of young children playing, and the care of an incredible team of social workers, guards, lawyers, and psychologists who comprise the ministry’s staff inspire hope in the women. When team members hear each survivor's dreams, they earnestly look for answers God provides to fulfill these dreams. One answer is a promise to each survivor that Open Door will do two things: throw them a graduation party when they complete their schooling and buy their wedding dress if they decide to get married in the future.
Since 2012, the Open Door Foundation has worked with survivors of human trafficking in Romania by providing the one and only emergency shelter in the country, in addition to long-term care and transitional programming for men, women, and children. Residents of the shelter are provided with holistic services that are contextualized to help them recover and heal from being trafficked.Human trafficking is a form of modern-day slavery that enables perpetrators to profit from the control and exploitation of others, and it is often perpetuated through emotional, physical, and psychological manipulation. Currently, an estimated 50 million men, women, and children are trafficked around the world. Many of the survivors at Open Door were trafficked and enslaved through faked relationships (often called the “lover boy” scheme, where traffickers gain trust through a false romantic pretense) or by threats of violence to family members. Such tactics make modern-day slavery harder to identify since individuals are enslaved through fear and manipulation rather than with chains.
The Open Door Foundation began serving human trafficking survivors because of this specific reality of modern-day slavery. Without an emergency shelter in Romania, law enforcement officials lacked a safe place to house women and children who were attempting to escape trafficking, which significantly increased the chances of being trafficked again. By providing a safe and stable home, Open Door has helped reduce the instances of being trafficked again, as well as increasing the number of criminal convictions of traffickers with Open Door’s incredible team of lawyers.
As a part of the ministry’s 18-month residential program, women are provided with therapy, medical care, legal assistance, and support in learning how to engage in everyday life activities such as parenting, conflict resolution, cooking, and laundry. They are also provided with a weekly allowance to support their growth in independence and the time and space to heal before finding a job. Additionally, each woman is supported in pursuing her “greatest dreams” through enrollment in programs such as flight attendant school, public speaking, hair styling, photography, and the culinary arts.
Monica Boseff, executive director of the Open Door Foundation, describes the ministry as an embodiment of the Japanese art of kintsugi, where liquid gold is used to repair broken pottery. Just as the gold brings beauty from the brokenness of the teapot or cup in kintsugi, God has been at work bringing beauty from brokenness in each of the over 1,240 women, men, and children that have been served by Open Door since 2012.
“At the end of the program,” said Monica, “we want each survivor to walk out that front door knowing who she is in Christ, how beautiful she is, and with her dignity and independence restored. We want survivors to remember that they are loved for who they are.”
A beautiful example of the life change that happens at Open Door is exemplified in how new survivors are welcomed into the shelter. Along with a welcome pack of essential toiletries and clothes, a new resident is welcomed with a gift of three items from every other resident—a gift for the body, one for the mind, and one for the soul. The goal? To empower each woman in her independence and generosity as she selects three of her own belongings with which to bless the new resident.
Susan* was a recipient of this hospitality when she entered the emergency shelter, and she initially found it difficult to accept such radical generosity from the staff and residents. She experienced this generosity further when, at Christmas, she was gifted a beautiful new set of pajamas. Susan quickly fell in love with this Christmas gift, so much so that she barely wore this treasured gift in order to keep it in pristine condition. Because of her meticulous care for her pajamas, Susan surprised everyone a few months later when she gifted them as part of her welcome gift to a new survivor entering Open Door. When asked why she would give away one of her most treasured belongings, Susan explained to the others, “Do you remember how I was when I got here? I had nothing, and you all gave me so much. I want to do the same.”
Inside their shelter sits a basket filled with river stones. Each features a message written by a resident or staff member to represent an answered prayer or miracle. Open Door is a ministry built firmly on a foundation of prayer. God has proven his faithfulness through the life transformation of individual survivors and in the amazing ways he has tangibly answered prayers at the ministry throughout the years. One of those answered prayers has a well-known name: IKEA.
When Ukraine was invaded by Russia in 2022, Open Door immediately responded by helping house 66 at-risk refugees from Ukraine in a local Nazarene church in Bucharest. The women in the ministry’s residential shelter offered up their own beds to help the Ukrainians fleeing war. God showed up unexpectedly when the leadership team at IKEA offered to support their refugee response.
“From napkins to the beds,” remembered Monica, “IKEA provided everything we needed to house these refugees, including a washer, dryer, and refrigerator.”
Answered prayers also include the 19 babies born to mothers in Open Door’s programming and the numerous salvations and baptisms they have witnessed as survivors . . .“embrace God and God’s love so fiercely,” said Monica. “Those who have been rescued from the pit of hell by God’s grace and mercy know how to shout at their baptisms, ‘I’m no longer a slave to fear, I am a child of God.’”
SURVIVORS RECEIVING NEW LIFE IN CHRISTNew babies are born outside the cycle of human trafficking.
Refugees find a safe community of support in a foreign country.
This is the “kintsugi” work of God’s kingdom, as beauty is forged out of brokenness, and the Holy Spirit breathes new life and healing into the women, men, and children who participate in Open Door’s residential and non-residential programming every day.
A farm would allow their future residents to grow and raise their own food while also providing sustainability for the compassionate ministry. Other hopes and dreams for the ministry include solar panels to decrease utility costs for their residential and transitional housing and partnerships with new Nazarene Missions Teams in the coming years. Each of these would help solidify the future of their ministry and the survivors they serve.
They are focused on the future as Open Door guides individuals, families, and communities beyond their past toward a new and beautiful future.
“From the moment they enter Open Door, we tell each person that the days of calling yourself a victim are over,” Monica said. “Here, you are a survivor. And you are tomorrow’s fighter.”
GET INVOLVED
Interested in learning more and partnering with anti-human trafficking efforts?
- Journey with your church small group through this new Bible study on Human Trafficking from The Foundry Publishing: https://www.thefoundrypublishing.com/human-trafficking-9780834143203.html
- Memorize and share the National Human Trafficking Hotline phone number in your country.
- Learn more about human trafficking at: ncm.org/antitrafficking
- Become a monthly donor of Open Door Foundation or support their efforts in purchasing solar panels or new playground equipment for the children at the residential shelter: ncm.org/opendoor
