Welcome to World Wide Wednesday. Today we pray for R – Romania, won’t you join us?
Romania has a special place in my heart and ministry. During the years Pastor Paul was director of the college and young adult ministry at Calvary Bible Church, we lead teams of students to visit orphanages in Bucharest, Romania. Our work there was to encourage the orphans, staff and the local church. These were the years soon after the fall of Communism in Romania. I am thankful for a vibrant Bible teaching and God believing church in Romania. Let’s check out a few more details about how we might pray for Romania. Thank you so much for your prayers!
Romania: Europe
Balkan state on the lower Danube River, a mix of mountains, hills and plains.
Official language: Romanian Languages: 23 All languages
Religion
Largest Religion: Christian
Religion Pop % Ann Gr
Christians 20,545,973 96.96 -0.2
Evangelicals 1,149,647 5.4 2.3
Challenges for Prayer
A legacy of brokenness endures from the days of Ceausescu’s regime, a moral vacuum being filled with every kind of social evil. Substance abuse, prostitution, pornography, human trafficking and challenges to child welfare are widespread. Romania has one of the highest abortion rates in the world,
Poverty is still common, with widespread unemployment and economic instability, caused to a large degree by rampant and entrenched corruption. Divisions in government reduce its effectiveness; major strides forward are needed in its legal, education and health care systems as well as police and local administrations. Pray for leadership that has the wisdom to chart the right path and the integrity to implement the right policies.
Christian media ministries.
a) Pray for the Christian publishing houses and for the distribution networks to establish a viable, indigenously funded literature ministry. Pray that more locally written material might become available. Few pastors have a theological library. Pray that the recent inter-confessional NT will be a blessing and a useful tool for all Bible-minded Christians.
b) Radio ministry continues to develop despite difficulties with permission and licences. It is a powerful tool in Romania. RMS and HCJB collaborate with the EA on the Voice of the Gospel radio network, which includes eight FM stations, all uplinked to satellite. Pray for both local commercial Christian stations and transmissions from abroad. Alfa Omega TV and Credo are interdenominational stations available on cable, satellite and the Internet with immense potential impact in evangelism, discipleship and promoting Christian values.
http://www.operationworld.org/roma
ROMANIA
PRAYER POINTS
Pray for revival among nominal Orthodox Christians.
Pray for Christian world view to replace believers’ old Communist thought.
Pray for the Church of Jesus Christ to be unified in love.
SUMMARY
Even decades after the fall of communism, Romania in eastern Europe is still working to overcome the physical, economic, and emotional damages brought about by 42 years of oppressive totalitarian rule. At the north end of the Balkan Peninsula, the Carpathian Mountains and 600 miles (965 km) of the Danube River offer scenic beauty as well as provide many resources for the nation’s economy. Rich in cultural traditions, including the folk arts of dance, music, wood-carving, weaving, and embroidery, Romania is also unique in its latin-based Romance language resulting from Roman occupation centuries ago.
Romania’s communist rule ended in 1989 with the overthrow and execution of Nicolae Ceausescu. A parliamentarian government was instituted, but much-needed economic reforms were slow to be implemented. Motivation to join the European Union (EU) accelerated many changes, and Romania was officially made part of the EU in 2007. With naval bases on its Black Sea shoreline, Romania is also a strategic asset to Europe. Corruption and economic problems persist and have left many frustrated. An estimated 25 percent of Romania’s almost 22 million people live below the poverty line.
Even though most Romanians claim to be Christian, little evidence is seen in their lifestyles.
, and difficulties from drug abuse, prostitution, and pornography reflect the emotional state of many. The largest church influence in Romania is Eastern Orthodox, which, though it survived communism, has since replaced the government in discriminating against other Christian churches. Despite this,
An increase in materialism, devotion to tradition, and lack of unity in denominations and churches has not stopped a growing receptivity to Jesus Christ in Romania.
http://prayercast.com/romania.html
Father, we come to you on behalf of Romania. Thank you that our prayers do make a difference. Thank you for being a father to the fatherless. Thank you for putting the lonely, the orphan and the widow in families. Help us to share with our Romanian brothers and sisters. Remind us to pray for them throughout this week. We commit their triumphs and trials to you. Protect them from the evil one. In Jesus’ name, amen.