“But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of great joy which will be for all the people; for today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord” (Luke 2:10–11).
When writing this short message, we were about 60 hours from remembering and celebrating the incarnation of God as a man here in Moldova. It is difficult to conceive that the Creator Himself transcends from the glory and holiness of heaven to be bound for about thirty-three years in this world of darkness – and yet He did. The only way that any of us could be saved was for Him to become a man – the Second Adam – and give His life for the sins of the world. Indeed, the angel was bringing “good news of great joy for all the people.”
Please allow us to proclaim more good news because of what Christ did on the cross and continues to do through His Spirit. Your faithful prayers and care for us are essential in making this report such good news.
Good News from the Christian University (UDG)
Jo Ann and I have completed the courses we have taught all semester. Jo Ann’s English students have grown in their abilities to use English, and my students have grown in their understanding of the gospel and how to communicate it in Islamic and non-Islamic countries.
We had a “divine encounter” with the cashier at the grocery store, who quickly realized that we were Americans. She told us how she desired to learn English, and Jo Ann immediately offered to help. Along with other tutoring opportunities, the Lord is giving Jo Ann the opening to share the gospel of Christ with a lovely young lady who needs the Lord. Please pray for Magdalena’s salvation.
Good News from the Institute of Church Planting (ICP)
The Lord graciously allowed us to complete another phase of training church planters before the usual Christmas activities began in the established churches and the newer church plants. At this point, we calculate that we are helping fifteen established and new church plants with about fifty leaders being trained. Our ABWE co-worker, Bill Braun, is team teaching with me in two of our ICP locations. However, on two Saturdays of the month, Bill teaches in Russian in one location, while I am teaching Romanian speakers in another town.
The most exciting news is that a fifth location with about twenty-five leaders is scheduled to open in Balţi, the second-largest city in Moldova. This means we will be training close to 75 Moldovan church planting leaders in the new year. Fitting a new group of church planters in the schedule will be a challenge, but this project has become our primary ministry. We will do whatever it takes to accommodate these people who desire to win others to Christ and saturate Moldova and beyond with churches. Along with the church planting training manuals, I have taught the Good Soil evangelism and discipleship material in two of our locations. I am scheduling that training in the third location.
By God’s grace, the first four groups taking the ICP course will complete their training by Christmas of 2025. The new group, starting in Balţi, will take longer, but we look forward to graduating our first wave of prepared church planters in two years. Another challenge concerning the ICP is that the Braun family will take their regular furlough next summer, leaving me (Rich) to cover the five training locations and the Christian University (UDG) teaching responsibilities. The Lord can and will provide help as this project grows. We would ask that you pray with us for His provision.
We will be celebrating Christmas Eve day and Christmas Eve with our Imago Dei church family. Then, Rich is scheduled to preach the morning service on New Year's Eve Day. As we enter the year-end celebrations, we want to thank each of you for your faithful prayers and generous care for us. We are all reflecting on what the Lord has done this past year and contemplating what He will do in and through us in the coming year. May this Christmas season be a wonderful time of reflection on the incarnation of our Savior with much peace and joy.