Church Planting in Bals, Romania

by  Hayden M. Furrow, WSBC                                                                                       Vol. IV, No. 10, Nov/Dec 1996

“I continue to look for a good place for a house and land for church. We pray for it, and we believe God put it in our heart this wish to build a church here. We are here alike in the days of creation; God said in Bals must be a church and it will be. Praise the Lord!!” This is how Brother Nicolae Maior Church Planter Missionary with the Romania Home Mission Board, expressed his enthusiasm about planting a church in Bals, Romania.

In early 1996 Green Ridge Baptist, Roanoke, along with West Salem Baptist, Salem, formed a partnership with the Romanian Home Mission Board to plant a church in Bals. Brother Nic is totally supported by these two churches. Original plans were to send a joint team from both churches to build a chapel in Bals in 1997. However, Brother Nic reported in October that he had found a house and land that is suitable for a church in Bals. The cost for the house and land is $17,000 which is being provided: $3,000 by Green Ridge Baptist, $8,000 by West Salem Baptist, and $6,000 by the SBCV.

The Baptist Church of Bals is a small but active body with ten members and 10-20 in attendance each Sunday. So far this year there are six decisions for Christ and 8-10 in regular Bible study. Their first baptism will be this month, December 1996. This marks a significant milestone for the church because the concept of baptism is foreign to the Romanian culture.

PRAISE THE LORD!

As Brother Nic expressed, “God said in Bals must be a church and it will be.” Plans are developing for medical and evangelistic teams from Green Ridge and West Salem to minister in Bals in August of 1997.