Pastor Victor Kozakov, ministerial secretary of Euro-Asia Division (ESD), and I met at the World Field School of Evangelism in 2013, which was sponsored by the Ministerial Association of the General Conference. At that time, Pastor Kozakov invited me to speak for a series of evangelistic meetings in Chisinau, Moldova. This plan was finally actualized, and I led an evangelistic series there from November 3 to 13, 2016.
Moldova is a small country with 3.4 million people, located between Ukraine and Romania, landlocked although it is very close to the Black Sea. Protestants make up less than two percent of the population with 94% of the people Orthodox Christians. Once there were more than 10,000 SDA members with two Conferences and a Union Conference, but due to the national economic situation, members have been leaving the country to seek better living. As of now, the two Conferences have merged into one and the churches in Moldova are organized as a union with 9,300 members.
The Moldovan Union asked me to bring a medical team of Korean doctors. I asked Dr. Park U-Hyun, a doctor of Korean medicine and neurosurgeon in Vienna, Austria, to join us, and he brought two medical doctors from his hospital and four physical therapists. These seven members treated 600 patients on the first and second day of the meetings. Many of the patients examined by Dr. Park and his team members attended the evangelistic series. The evangelistic meetings were held at the Palace of Railroad Culture in Chisinau, the capital city of Moldova. I preached sermons on prophecy for nine evenings. The people responded not only by saying amen, but every evening they brought flowers, bread, nuts, and fruits to the speaker to express their gratitude.
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Two Sabbath morning meetings were held in two local churches, Betel Church, aka Number One Church, and Ephesus Church, aka Number Four Church, a Romanian-speaking and the largest church in the country. Churches in ESD are named according to the order of their establishment. They were very beautiful. Betel Church was like a botanic garden. The main floor and balcony were decorated with various beautiful plants. The members were warm and cheerful. There was no projector to display a visual presentation, so Dr. Park U-Hyun donated media equipment, including a good quality projector, a screen, two video cameras and a microphone for the church.
During the evangelistic meetings, I was honored to be visited by two friends of mine from ESD. Pastor and Mrs. Pavel Liberanskiy flew from Moscow to Chisinau to encourage me. Pastor Pavel Liberanskiy is currently the publishing ministries director and former stewardship ministries director of the ESD (His mission story “Angel in a KGB Uniform” was introduced in the latest Adventist World.), and his wife Aksenia Liberanskaya is director of family ministries. Pastor Oleg Khalamov, stewardship ministries director of ESD, joined the meetings several evenings and organized a full day stewardship seminar after the evangelistic meetings for the Moldovan pastors.
The evangelism was extended to the last Saturday evening. There were not enough seats, and many of the attendees sat on the floor. When the last sermon was over, Elder Grubii, president of Moldovan Union of Churches Conference, expressed thanks to the speaker and made an immediate announcement that the union would start a new church with the new members the following Sabbath. He asked me to help find funds for six months’ rental for the new congregation. Hearing that more than forty people had come to the first meeting, I made a nine-minute promotional video and posted it on YouTube. The Holy Spirit touched the hearts of viewers, and enough money was given within a week through the hands of those who have Mission First spirit in their hearts. Brothers in second grade and in kindergarten watched the video and gave their savings from their New Year’s cash gift. A 70-year-old disabled elder who lives alone and depends on his disability pension donated more than half of his monthly income. Two ex-Adventists also participated in giving to the fund. A retired non-Adventist pastor donated about 850 USD, requesting to remain anonymous.
The new church will be the eighth church in Chisinau. It will grow by the prayer and support of the members of NSD families and the evangelistic enthusiasm of Moldovan brethren under the grace of the Lord.
Kwon JohngHaeng, NSD Stewardship Ministries Director