Look-out for the Left-out | Ploiesti, Romania
Harvest-Metanoia Ploiesti: a Romanian inner-city church
In December Harvest-Metanoia Ploiesti in Romania had as their aim to give bring Christ to the neediest and most isolated people in their city. Led by Senior Pastor Cristi Pana, children, youth and adults from the church made decisions to give rather than receive this Christmas season, and to lift their eyes to see the fields around them are truly white to harvest.
Here are just a few of the multi-faceted outreach initiatives this young church leaned into in the past month...
READ YOUR BIBLE FOR CHRISTMAS
It began on December
11, and a challenge for the city to get their hands on the Word of Life. They had a
booth in the middle of the city advertising Bible reading and offering to read the Bible to any passerby. Six teams also went into nearby apartment buildings reading God's Word and distributing Bibles. It was cold day and they faced a lot of opposition, but
the church was encouraged!
The procedure was to ask about reading the Bible
through a survey, to offer Bibles to those who didn’t have one, and to give a Gospel tract. In three hours, 120 Bibles were distributed and 193 surveys were completed, of which 150 people gave their contact information and some even wanting to have the Bible read with them on the spot. The church is now committed to following up with everyone, bringing them to a weekend service at the church and inviting them to small groups.
STUDENT + YOUTH CHRISTMAS EVENTS
December 16, this Harvest held a Student Christmas Event at the University of Ploiesti to reach students for Christ. It resulted in the forming of a mixed group
of unbelievers and believers who agreed to an evangelistic small group using the material named “Glad You Asked”, prepared in association with Campus Crusade.
December 18 brought a Harvest-Metanoia's Youth Christmas Event, designed to bring youth closer to one another and to God.
COUNTY HOSPITAL
Next was a medical tour on December 23, as they visited hospitals in Ploiesti and sang to the people suffering
there. Those at the County Hospital enjoyed the singing and received customized
calendars and a Gospel Tract. When the caroling
was halted by a person experiencing a heart attack, they prayed for him to receive help. The medical personnel were so
impressed they asked the church to come back next year and minister again.
PEDIATRIC HOSPITAL
The church also visited the pediatric hospital, caroled and gave gifts. The church bought some sweets with the money
obtained from donating blood. In this way they saved some lives and brought a
smile to others.
EVENTIDE CHRISTMAS EVENT
The church had an
Eventide Christmas Celebration where children from the church had a Christmas presentation. Then the children went to homes of under-resourced families and visited other families with foster children. Sharing carols and shoe boxes filled with goodies. Taking the Samaritan’s Purse model, they made these shoe boxes from their own money, and named it The Magi‘s Gift.
HOMELESS SHELTER
There are 44 beds in
this Ploiesti shelter and every night the capacity is full; men, hurting and alone on Christmas. No other visitors found their way into the shelter but the church, who sang carols and handed out cakes. The gospel was presented and the men were moved and filled with joy at having been visited for Christmas.
ALL TO THE GLORY OF GOD
...And to bring the message of hope in Christ to those neglected or overlooked.
This Romanian Harvest-Metanoia church is truly on mission to "look-out for the left-out" and to make disciples of those who might otherwise never step into a church or hear the good news of Jesus Christ and His free gift of eternal life. As they do we are seeing the Gospel advance in this heavily Orthodox city.
Pray this body remains fixed on fulfilling the Great Commandment and that through their ministry many will embrace Jesus Christ by faith and be saved!
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