Together in Mission | Spreading the gospel locally, globally and virtually

January – June 2026 Ministry Update

Together for Mission — Fri, 03 Jul 2026 08:10:43 +0000

During the first six months of 2026, we have seen God at work in changed lives, new discipleship opportunities, missionary training, short-term teams, and expanding ministry in Craiova, Greece, and Africa. We are grateful for every door He has opened and for every life He continues to transform.

Andreas’s Baptism

One of the greatest joys of this year was the baptism of Andreas in January.

Andreas first connected with our church through a short-term mission team. A group of young Americans met him on the street, invited him to an event, and gave him a New Testament with our church address on the back. He later came to Hope Church, began studying Scripture, and entered a discipleship process. At his baptism, Andreas said: “Jesus still forgives. Jesus still waits. Jesus still saves.”

Today, he is serving full-time in ministry and is also part of the E2E missionary training program. His story reminds us that even a simple invitation can have a lasting impact.

E2E – 9th Generation

We began the 9th generation of E2E, our six-month missionary training program, with 11 students. They are studying discipleship, evangelism, church planting, servant leadership, fundraising, expository preaching, missionary profile, partnerships, and other practical ministry subjects.

Each student is also developing a missionary project. Our desire is not only for them to gain knowledge, but to practice what they are learning and grow in character, discipline, and faithfulness.

Hope for Africa

I had the opportunity to teach our course, “Discipleship According to the Model of Jesus,” to students from Kenya, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Tanzania who came to Craiova through a university exchange program. Several of them expressed a desire to return home and begin discipling others in their churches and communities. These relationships have helped shape a new ministry called Hope for Africa.

Hope for Africa exists to strengthen believers, ministry workers, pastors, and churches through biblical teaching, personal discipleship, and practical training. Translation is one of the tools we use, but the goal is deeper: to help people understand Scripture faithfully, live out the Gospel, and disciple others. Some pastors in Kenya have also asked about receiving training through Zoom.

Please pray for wisdom, faithful local leaders, interested churches, and the resources needed to continue.

Short-Term Mission Team

We were grateful to receive a team of five students from Sterling College for two weeks. They served in children’s ministry, English Club, and two Roma communities. During one English Club event, ten children joined us for songs, games, crafts, and a Bible story.

Short-term teams continue to encourage our church and help us reach people who might otherwise never enter a church building. Andreas’s story is one example of the long-term fruit that can begin through a short-term team.

Please pray that God will continue to send teams to serve alongside us.

Church Planting in Greece

We also spent two weeks in Greece with a team from the United States and members of our church. We continued building relationships and sharing the Gospel as part of our church-planting efforts in Thessaloniki.

One meaningful conversation was with a young man named Dimitrie. Since Saint Dimitrie is considered the patron saint of Thessaloniki, I asked him whether he would rather be protected by Jesus or by Saint Dimitrie. He answered, “Of course, Jesus.” That opened the door to a deeper conversation about knowing Christ personally and receiving salvation through faith.

Please pray for clear direction, long-term missionaries, local relationships, and financial provision as we continue this work.

Food Bank

In March, we participated in the national Easter food collection. Our volunteers served in local stores, encouraged people to donate, collected the food, sorted it, and prepared packages for families in need. Through this effort, we were able to help more than 100 families. We are thankful for every volunteer and every person who donated.

Prayer Requests

The 11 E2E students
Wisdom and resources for Hope for Africa
The church-planting work in Thessaloniki, Greece
More short-term mission teams
Biblically qualified elders for Hope Church Craiova
Growth, volunteers, and leadership for the children’s ministry
Financial provision for the church and our missionary projects

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June 2026 Mission Update – Ciudesnic Family

Together for Mission — Mon, 29 Jun 2026 14:49:13 +0000

The first months of the year have been filled with challenges, blessings, and opportunities to witness God’s hand at work. In this video, we share a brief update on our mission ministry so far, along with our reasons for gratitude and our current prayer requests. Thank you for standing with us through your prayers and support!

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Grace brings light in people’s lives!

Together for Mission — Mon, 29 Jun 2026 13:25:57 +0000

It is my joy to share some thoughts with you from our ministry during the holidays. The ministry began with quite a challenging experience. The experiences I went through helped me see the goodness of the Lord Jesus in Darius’s life when he was healed

It was on my heart to first visit Alexandra and Darius, but when I arrived at their place, I saw something that was painful for me. Alexandra took the shopping bag I had taken for them and went straight to Darius, her brother, to whom she kept telling to wake up and eat sweets, but there was absolutely no reaction from him. Alexandra did that a few times, with no result.

Then the Holy Spirit encouraged me to get other believers to pray together for Darius, and the Lord touched him and he was healed. When I visited them a second time, I was really glad to see that Jesus had had mercy on him by giving him health and joy – Darius was happy about the teddy bear and the sweets I had taken to him. I was able to talk to them about the birth of Jesus and about the gift we can have in Him.

Another experience that teaches me depend on the Lord in ministry is the following. In one of the visits in the villages I went to see Mr Aurel (photo), to offer him a bag of food items and to share the Gospel with him, that he may know how he could be saved. I had the joy of seeing how the Lord’s truth brings much needed light in people’s lives, so that they may know the way to salvation. The Word of the Lord is a lamp for those who need to discover the truth and to be saved, and we are the bearers of that lamp.

On one of my street mission outings, I had the joy of experiencing this truth that brought much hope in people’s lives. In one of the conversations, I got to know Mr Patru. He seemed quite distant and indifferent to the Word in the beginning, but as I was talking to him, he started to think of the message and to be more involved in the discussion. We talked about the fact that life is passing, that there will be a judgement day when we stand before Jesus, and that we need to repent. I encouraged him to see life from the perspective God gives in the Scriptures, and to consider the promise made to those who choose salvation through Jesus.

In another conversation I approached a young lady and, at the very beginning, I asked her ifshe knew why Jesus came to earth. She answered honestly that she didn’tknow. I immediately thought, “Wow, there still are people in 2026 whoneed to hear the fundamental truth of the Gospel.” I understood that thewords in Romans 10:17 still apply today, “Faith comes from hearing, andhearing through the Word of Christ.”

On my return from ministry, I looked for statistics about Craiova, to better understand the need for sowing the Word of God. There are only 0.66% evangelical Christians, meaning about 2,000 believers out of the 300,000 inhabitants.

Another joy I experience is one on one discipleship. I met Alin a few months ago, in a simple but providential context. We started talking about life, struggles and real questions. I saw in him a sincere desire to understand and accept the biblical perspective, and the Lord has opened a door for discipleship since then. Every time we meet, I am encouraged by his openness and the questions he asks. What remains is for us to pray that truth grows in his life: “I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth.” (1 Corinthians 3:6).

And every step is worth it.

Prayer requests:

1. For the Lord to make his Word grow in the lives of those who heard the Gospel.
2. For those who have accepted one-on-one discipleship, to be ready to follow the Lord with dedication.

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April 2026 Newsletter

Together for Mission — Thu, 18 Jun 2026 13:28:15 +0000

One-on-One Discipleship

Up to today, the Lord has added three more new people with whom I can do one-on-one discipleship. In March, there were three people, and now there are six. I am so grateful to the Lord and amazed at how He has provided the right people with whom we can build life through relationship and the Word of God.

One of them is a girl from Timor-Leste whom I met for the first time on March 8 at the mini event for Women’s Day. She truly has the desire to study the Bible together, and I have watched her journey and how the Lord has been working in our lives.

At the same time, I see the value of having mini events to bring in new people, build new relationships, and share the Gospel with unbelievers.

The six people I am now doing discipleship with are from Zambia, America, Romania, Timor-Leste, Indonesia, and India. I meet with four of them face-to-face in Craiova and with two of them online through Zoom. They are currently in Germany and Bosnia.

Easter Ministry

For Easter ministry, I felt called to serve the Lord in two ways.

First, I invited some international students to an “Easter Lunch” at my place. Seven people came for lunch. One of my Romanian partners was so kind and generous to offer homemade pască, cozonac, bread, and Easter eggs. For some of them, it was their first Romanian Easter.

I also printed Easter bookmarks to give to people, with the message of Jesus’ death. It was encouraging to see several nations represented at this gathering: Indian, Zambian, Indonesian, Kenyan, and Sierra Leonean.

Second, I visited Anca’s ministry with the Roma children in Romanescu. For seven years, Anca has been teaching these children. They come from very poor and marginalized families. She built a small school trailer and has been teaching there.

There were 15 children who attended that day, and I prepared small packages of sweets and bookmarks with the message of Jesus’ resurrection. I was blessed to see them all smiling and happy because Anca said this small gift meant a lot to them.

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March 2026 Newsletter

Together for Mission — Thu, 18 Jun 2026 13:20:02 +0000

Women’s Day

For the 8th of March, International Women’s Day, I felt called to make a mini event with some international students I already had relationships with. I invited them to this event and asked them to bring new friends.

I prepared bookmarks with Bible verses and rose petal soaps for each of them as mini souvenirs, and it was a great time of encouragement and building relationships.

There, I met Luna for the first time. She is from Timor-Leste. It was encouraging to see Zambian, Indian, Timor-Leste, Indonesian, and Romanian women together.

Thank you, Jesus, for making this beautiful day.

One-on-One Discipleship

One-on-one discipleship has been an amazing journey, and I have seen how the Lord has worked through this discipleship. It has grown me personally in ways that only He can do. He has also brought the right people into my life so that we can grow in the Word of God together, encourage and pray for one another, and build authentic relationships as families in Christ.

I am currently doing one-on-one discipleship with three people from different nationalities: Zambian, American, and Romanian. I meet with two of them face-to-face and one of them online through Zoom.

We have been studying different materials, including Psalm 23 and Philippians.

Food Bank

Another ministry that I was involved in was the Food Bank. The church received food donations for poor people.

From March 22–24, together with some people from the church, we helped by calculating the donations and preparing them into packages to be given away to poor people.

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March 2026 Newsletter

Together for Mission — Tue, 28 Apr 2026 07:53:58 +0000

Evangelism

We redeemed the days of March 1st and 8th for the Gospel. On March 1st, I helped a young man from our church with evangelism by preparing 35 tulips with Bible verses for his classmates and teachers. Together with the team in the picture, we handed out over 90 flowers on the street, each containing a verse and the contact details of Hope Church.

Together with a sister, I wrote March 8th letters, sharing the message of the Gospel with women in Craiova.
I also began dedicating two hours each week to “Waffle Wednesday” (where we offer free waffles to high school and university students in Craiova). The goal is to build relationships with them with the intention of sharing the Gospel.

One-on-One Discipleship

I have been actively investing in discipleship through Bible study with five individuals. I can see how God is working in their lives and transforming them through His Word.
With Laura, from Craiova, we completed a study of the Book of Ruth—a message of restoration. At our first meeting, she told me she wanted to become a new creation. Before our second meeting, I asked her what her greatest need was. After initially giving an answer related to personal development, she changed her mind and said, “I need Christ.” After our second meeting, she shared a testimony in front of the church, with the message: “God has made me a new creation, and I now live differently.”

April 2026 Newsletter

Evangelism

Craiova Easter Market gathered over 100,000 visitors. We invited young people to a cultural exchange on the topic of Easter, and through our conversations we were able to proclaim the Savior: why do we celebrate His death and resurrection? Glory to the Lord! In the midst of the “Fairy Tale Festival,” 24 souls in the park heard about salvation through Christ.

On Easter, I joined a team and visited the nursing home in the Popoveni neighborhood, in Craiova. We shared the Gospel through songs and letters with 24 elderly women who are cared for there. We pray that the seeds planted will bear fruit!

Romanian for International Students in Craiova

I am a student at the University of Craiova. An intercultural project brings together 150 students from 30 nations. I started a free Romanian language course at Hope Church. God gives me the opportunity to build relationships with foreigners in Craiova, so that they can connect with members of the church and hear about Christ. Fellow students and volunteers from Kenya, India, Cambodia, Algeria, and France have enrolled in my course. A Muslim student from Algeria has already attended church and a volunteer from India came to the Jesus movie.

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The Fruit of Your Investment and the Next Steps

Together for Mission — Thu, 22 Jan 2026 11:50:46 +0000

You may sometimes wonder whether your prayers are making a difference.

You may wonder what happens with the financial support you give.

You may ask yourself whether this investment is truly worth it.

And you may wonder whether it makes sense to stay committed to our vision over the long term.

Only God sees the full picture, beyond what numbers and reports can show. Still, I want to give you a clear picture of what has happened in recent months, the fruit we are seeing, and why your investment matters. Below are three main areas of our ministry.

1. Craiova: Gospel, Church, and Trained Leaders

The work in Craiova has two clear aspects. Growth through evangelism and the strengthening of the local church.

In recent months, new people have come to faith. We had four baptisms. Lives have been changed. I want to share a few short excerpts from the testimonies of those who were baptized.

Last Sunday, I baptized Andreas. His testimony was simple and powerful:
“From the fear of death to eternal life.”

Mihai shared:
“Through exposure to the Gospel, I came to truly understand God’s love and the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. I realized that God forgave all my sins and that His grace is greater than any mistake.”

Andrei shared simply:
“He saved me and made me His.”

David shared:
“One evening, while listening to a preacher talk about the Gospel, I thought I would hear the same message I already knew. But the preacher began by saying, ‘Today you are dealing with Jesus.’ That’s when I understood the message was for me.”

These testimonies are the fruit of your prayers and support.

Alongside this work, we intentionally invest in training leaders and elders. I personally work with them. Our aim is not to produce spiritual consumers, but servants who can shepherd, teach, and carry the work forward.

2. From Craiova to the Balkans: Evangelism and Mission

The second major area is mission work beyond Craiova.

The ministry among the Roma communities continues, both socially and spiritually. We proclaim the Gospel. We support vulnerable communities. We develop local leaders. At the same time, the reality is clear. There is a great need for full-time missionaries among the Roma communities in Craiova.

During the Christmas season, we organized 8 outreach events and distributed over 800 Christmas gifts to children. Most of these events were in Roma communities. At each event, we sang carols and shared a Bible story, clearly presenting the message of Christ’s birth. Each gift gave us the opportunity to talk with families, pray with them, and share the Gospel.

At the same time, the missionary work in Thessaloniki continued. In 2025, we had five mission trips. Hundreds of people heard the Gospel. We distributed biblical materials. We had open conversations on the streets.

A great joy came through our investment in online ministry. A young woman from Greece came to know the Lord through the content we shared. We never met in person, yet the Gospel reached her.

3. E2E: Disciples Who Become Workers

The third major area is E2E, Equipped to Equip. E2E is an intentional training program. The focus is not on diplomas, but on equipping people for service in the church and in mission.

This year, we completed the 8th generation, and five students graduated from the program. The fruit is already visible in their lives.

Two graduates desire to continue theological academic studies and already contribute to the exegetical work behind my sermons. One young woman is serving full-time in youth ministry. One brother is serving as a full-time worker.

What’s Next

In 2026, we are prayerfully pursuing the following clear directions:

To continue mission trips to Greece and, if God allows, to rent a mission house there.
To launch the 9th generation of E2E.
To continue ministry among the Roma communities in Craiova.
To invest strategically in missionary work in Craiova, with a special focus on the children of the city.
To train and strengthen elders.
To develop digital mission work with the goal of reaching one million people with the Gospel.

Today, in a small church like ours, we have speakers of Russian, French, Italian, German, Spanish, and English. So far, we have launched Instagram pages in Italian, French, and Spanish to share the Gospel consistently. Through these pages, people in Italy, France, Spain, and other countries are hearing the message of Christ.

The direction is clear.

The fruit is visible.

The vision is at work.

Thank you for standing with us.
Your prayers matter.
Through your support, the Gospel reaches people and God changes lives.
God uses your faithfulness.

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Activity Report Oct-Dec 2025

Together for Mission — Tue, 13 Jan 2026 10:04:40 +0000

During the months of October and November, the church continued its work in a steady and consistent manner, following the usual rhythm of ministry. Our focus remained on preaching the Gospel, Bible study, and social assistance for those in need. During this period, we were also supported by the Food Bank, through which we were able to provide practical help to vulnerable families, offering not only food but also hope.

The month of December was a special one, marked by a different and more intensive involvement, shaped by the spirit of the celebration of the Lord’s birth. Our brothers and sisters from Spain were a great blessing to the local community, providing help in the form of firewood, medicines, and other essential supplies, especially needed during the cold season.
In addition, the “Hope” Group supported us in organizing a children’s event, where over 50 gifts were distributed, bringing joy to the children and their families.

A meaningful moment was also the Christmas event for the youth, coordinated by Priscila, with support from brother Stoica Marian, through the project: “A Gift in the Hand and Jesus in the Heart.” This simple yet powerful message deeply touched the hearts of the young people.

As every year, the youth from Sebeș, Alba County, were with us in large numbers—approximately 24 young people—contributing to an atmosphere of unity, fellowship, and service. The year concluded in joy and fellowship, as we spent the last evening of the year together with Hope Church from Drăgănești-Olt, in a blessed time of thanksgiving, prayer, and praise to God.

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The Lord Heals the Body and Touches the Hearts of Those We Serve

Together for Mission — Sun, 11 Jan 2026 13:43:14 +0000

I shouted towards him, but he wasn’t answering. A widow was passing by and asked if I was the priest. I told her I wasn’t l, so she asked, “Then who are you?” The Holy Spirit inspired me to say I was going to go visit her as well. When we arrived at her house, I listened to her, I understood that she was by herself and that loneliness was difficult and heavy, that she had a 40-years-old son who didn’t look after her, and I could see how deeply rooted she was in tradition and formalism. That makes it difficult for her to think of the words of the Gospel, because she is bound by formalism and tradition. The good thing is that she was open to hearing the Scriptures and the Holy Spirit can work powerfully in her life.

Let us pray that this results in her being born again. These words are true: “Again, truly I tell you, if two of you agree on earth about anything you ask, it will be done for you by my Father in heaven.” (Matthew 18:19)

Thank you from the bottom of my heart for your prayers and for the love you show toward the Lord’s work.

Your support is a great encouragement to me and to all those I serve in the Name of the Lord Jesus.

With respect and blessings,
Lucian Florin Brînceanu
Missionary

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Victory belongs to the Lord

Together for Mission — Sat, 04 Oct 2025 08:02:15 +0000

Peace, brothers and sisters!
We are grateful to the Lord for each one of you who are together with us, fellow workers in the Lord’s vineyard—through your prayers, moral and spiritual support, physical involvement, and financial help!

We see how good the Lord is and how beautifully He works in different ways, through different people. Glory to Him, for He prepares the ground before we even step on it so that we may walk in victory with Him!

Because we were deeply involved this summer—facing great battles, exhaustion, and intense spiritual warfare in the fight for souls—we can now say, even though it was difficult, that Jesus is good, He is working, and He gives victory. We give Him all the glory! Glory to Him!

Thank you for your prayers and for the love you have shown us and the ministry here!
Thank you for each of your acts of service, through which the Lord strengthens us as we remain here and witness the battles people face—their struggles, addictions, fears, and more. Your support gives us strength, hope, and encouragement to keep pressing on, striving to win them for Christ, through the power and guidance of the Lord alone!

The Lord is working in people’s hearts through the Gospel that has been preached—one-on-one and in gatherings—and continues to work and touch hearts, setting people free from their sinful state.

We had teams from Canada join us, and by the grace of the Lord, we were able to visit homes, evangelize, and hold evening gatherings to study the Scriptures together with people from the village.
We rejoiced to see people respond to the invitation to attend these events, where they heard songs of praise to the Lord, testimonies, and the preaching of the Gospel!

During the visits, we shared with people what repentance truly means, what Christ has done for us, how much He loves them, and what He desires from us—that we give Him our hearts and follow Him fully.
We told them that salvation is not something we can earn through our own efforts, because Christ has already paid the price with His blood on the cross at Golgotha in our place!

We give glory to the Lord for the strength He gave to the brothers—and to us—to share Christ’s love and to answer the many questions people had so they could better understand the Scriptures.

It was a time of grace, during which three souls decided to be baptized—three people who have been attending the church for 6 years and 1 year, respectively. Praise be to the Lord!

My wife and I visited them personally to make sure they clearly understood the Word of God, to answer any remaining questions, and to study the Scriptures together if they desired to grow in knowledge.

We urge you to pray for this victory—for these souls—as well as for all those who heard the Gospel this summer: children, youth, and adults. Pray that they would come to Christ and that the evil one would have no power over them. May the Lord strengthen them and keep them faithful and strong on His path!

May the Lord Jesus bless you, and thank you again for your lifted prayers!

Psalm 92:1-5

1. It is good to praise the Lord and make music to your name, O Most High,

2. proclaiming your love in the morning and your faithfulness at night,

3. to the music of the ten-stringed lyre and the melody of the harp.

4. For you make me glad by your deeds, Lord; I sing for joy at what your hands have done.

5. How great are your works, Lord, how profound your thoughts!

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