Roberta took us to see her second church in the village of Tigmandru, about 30 minutes through the beautiful from Romanian countryside from Sighisoara. It's a typical village of 2 streets with tile-roofed houses, but I was really surprised when we drove up to a beautiful brand-new building.
But first, there's a story about how this church started. Several years ago, three people from Roberta's church in Sighisoara drove out to Tigmandru to pick up some turkeys for an American Thanksgiving celebration that they have each year. Just as they left the village, they were in a bad car accident and the van they were driving was totalled. But the three people in the van only received minor injuries.
When the car was towed back into the village, people said there absolutely must have been three people killed. They couldn't believe that anybody had walked out of the accident, and began to ask, "How could this have happened?" A couple from there who had already started to attend church in Sighisoara said they believed that God had looked after them, and that started conversations that led to more questions that led to several people becoming Christians.
Today, this church is a ministry centre for the entire village. There is a big bright worship area, but that's just the beginning. On the main floor there is an office/meeting room that is used by a doctor for a clinic. On the second floor there is a wood shop with power tools, and something called an "ecology lab." Roberta is a former chemistry professor and one of her tools for outreach has been to start an ecology club. Young people from the village learn about science, learn how to test the water in the local creek and how to use a microscope. Through the club, they build relationships that have been life-changing.
On the third floor is a large room set up for sewing. Magda, the main congregational leader, has taught many local women how to sew and they have begun a project making souvenir dolls in traditional Romanian dress that they can sell to raise funds.
It's more than just sewing, though. Magda leads them in a devotional time and talks to them about their spiritual lives as well.
Across the hall is a "baby room" where up to 30 mothers meet with their infants to build community and learn parenting skills. Many of the Roma families in the village do not have running water, so one thing that they are able to do is give their babies a bath. On top of one of the cupboards are a whole stack of baby baths.
This Nazarene church in a small village in the hills of Romania is making an incalculable difference to people's lives in every way -- materially, socially and spiritually. It's all come about simply because people were faithful. Roberta speaks quite matter-of-factly about the difference it makes in the lives of many of these families when the parents become Christians. They really do stop drinking. The incidence of domestic abuse really does fall. Others begin to notice a difference in them. It's kind of fallen out of fashion in North America to argue that it's good for people to come to faith, but what's happening in Tigmandru shows that we shouldn't be too glib about dismissing that reality.
