“What advantage does man have in all his work which he does under the sun? A generation goes, and a generation comes, but the earth remains forever” (Eccl 1:3-4).
Solomon was cynical as he looked back over the years of his life. “All is vanity” (Eccl 1:2), according to the third human king of Israel. Evaluating your life and seeing if the Lord has been glorified through you is good. But was Solomon right that all our work is in vain?
There is One who can fact-check Solomon because, as He said, “something greater than Solomon is here” (Matt 12:42b). Jesus IS the wisdom of God (1 Cor 1:24), and He said, “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations” (Matt 28:19a).
Gypsy girls singing at the Easter service Church in the gypsy village
Crossing the Danube River to Tulcea, Romania Pastors and Wives Fellowship
Solomon is still in his grave, but Jesus rose again! Easter was celebrated in Moldova on May 5th, as many in Eastern Europe follow the Orthodox church calendar. We spent Easter Sunday speaking in a couple of churches, one of which was in a gypsy village where students from the Institute of Church Planting (ICP) live.
The following weekend, we drove to Romania to speak on Saturday evening at a Pastor’s and Wives Fellowship Dinner and then to a village church on Sunday morning. Luke 24 was the center of attention as Rich explained how Christ emphasized the importance of recognizing that all Scripture points to Him.
The coming generation
A couple of Jo Ann's 2024 English students Rich teaching with Sasha translating (ICP)
“Even when I am old and gray, do not forsake me, O God, till I declare your power to the next generation, your might to all who are to come” (Psalm 71:18).
The winter/spring semester at the Christian University (UDG) has been fulfilling for us. Jo Ann enjoyed her English classes, and I enjoyed teaching some sharp Romanian-speaking students a course on Discipleship. On June 1, twenty-five students are scheduled to graduate from UDG. These young students will soon be scattered throughout Moldova, Central Asia, and even the United States. Investing in preparing these young believers who are now ready to shine as lights for the Lord in their home countries and beyond is not in vain.
In another discipling ministry, 25 students have completed the next phases of the Institute of Church Planting (ICP). However, many of these church planters are hungry for all the training they can get, so our summer will be filled with “extracurricular” training. We will teach the Good Soil evangelism and discipleship material in a town where our largest ICP training session is held.
After a year and a half, there has been some attrition in the number of students, but the good news is that 12 churches are being planted by the ICP church planters. Another encouraging fact is that the pastors of established churches where our training is located participate in the training. This means that the emphasis on evangelism, discipleship, and church planting also impacts existing churches.
Rich is beginning to prepare a new course on preaching for some of the ICP men to take this summer. Most of the men studying with us are bi-vocational with families. With one or two exceptions, they have not had the benefit of formal training in a Bible College. Now that they are responsible for the spiritual growth of those attending their meetings, they sense the need to build and sharpen their ministry skills.
Our ABWE colleagues, Bill and Denise Braun, are returning to the US to report to their supporting churches shortly. They plan to return to Moldova in June 2025, and we will miss them. Please pray for us as we continue with the ministries while they are away.
We beg to differ with Solomon. Serving the Lord by training men and women actively establishing churches is not in vain. Of course, we are not doing these ministries “under the sun” but under the Son!
The building generation
Our current meeting hall looking back Now looking forward with Pastor Andrei
This is how it looks now with the foundation This is how we hope it will look soon
In chapter two of Ecclesiastes, Solomon enumerates his actions: “I built houses for myself, I planted vineyards for myself, I made gardens and parks for myself . . . I made ponds of water for myself.” Solomon did all these things for himself. His life was all about getting, not giving. Paul teaches us the opposite, “Let no one seek his own good, but that of his neighbor” (1 Cor 10:4).
Jo Ann and I are having a wonderful time working with a team of Moldovan leaders at a new church plant in the town of Criuleni. As you can see above, our current meeting hall is small, so our partner, Eduard, stepped out by faith and had the foundation laid with the frame. He is modeling the new building after one he had previously built for another church.
“For which one of you, when he wants to build a tower, does not first sit down and calculate the cost to see if he has enough to complete it? Otherwise, when he has laid a foundation and is not able to finish, all who observe it begin to ridicule him, ‘This man began to build and was not able to finish.’” (Luke 14:28–30.
By God's grace, we would love to help Eduard and the Criuleni church complete this building by the end of this summer. We are asking the Lord to bless our Moldovan partners' step of faith, and we invite you to participate with us in this effort as the Lord leads. Jo Ann and I were amazed to learn that the cost of completing the building was $50,000.
Please pray that the Lord will do something fantastic and bring all the funds needed for this building by the end of this summer. If more than the minimum amount came in, we would use those funds to continue helping the ICP church planters with vehicle expenses and the cost of materials that we provide for them. Please click on the following link if you would like to help make this building a reality this summer.
We are so grateful for the faithful prayers and also the financial support that is behind us every day. The Lord is blessing in a powerful way here in Moldova, and together with you, He is glorified. Thank You for your faithfulness.