Today began with a morning session at the Association office of this region of Romania. Pastors from 17 churches were gathered for a special session of the leadership conference that was specifially for those who are serving from the pulpit. We were able to share some of the things that we are doing to keep our eyes on Jesus at Parkwood. We shared how we emphasize that every member of the church is an important part of the body of Christ no matter how young or old. We challenged them to invite their congregations into the process of discovering God’s will for their churches. It was a blessing as we talked and shared the challenges of living for Christ in Romania and in the US. One pastor shared that his heart breaks for the US because he sees the freedoms that were once celebrated slowly being challenged and taken away. We prayed with them and they prayed for us and we fellowshipped together as one body!
The evening session was the third and final session of our leadership training in the Arad area. It was the largest group gathered yet. Our entire team was there for tonight’s session. Each of us was able to share our final thoughts with our new friends. Our theme tonight was working together in the church and…enjoying it! At the end of the session we told the group that our Parkwood family had blessed us before we left and now we wanted to pass along that blessing. So, we had them stand and we lifted our hands (in Parkwood fashion) and blessed them with a prayer. Then Adam and Matt sang a praise song that everyone joined in singing. I was overcome with emotion as I looked around the room and observed our team and the Romanian leaders worshipping together.
The Pastor closed the time by saying something in Romanian to the crowd and they all lifted their hands and turned toward us. He then told us that they were sending a greeting and a blessing with us to take back to our church family.
We have been honored to be here representing our Lord Jesus Christ and our Parkwood family. We will see you soon and look forward to delivering the many blessings sent to you from our Romanian brothers and sisters.
Blessings!
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