Romania
Find mission workers in Romania
Background
The most terrible heritage in Romania is the devastating orphanage system and the mentality behind the way children and youth are treated. To overcome this seems impossible without churches and Christian individuals who share and practice the Good News of Jesus' healing love. The Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) supports Christian witness and service in Romania through partner churches and organizations and our mission personnel, who work closely with these bodies.
Our mission partners in Romania face many subtle but demanding challenges:
- Romania's transition to a market economy and western European structures as a candidate for membership in the European Union
- Recovery from 50 years of Communism and their effect on the Romanians' sense of mission, leadership, lay involvement, international connections and ecumenical cooperation
- Dealing with rapid changes in education, health care, environmental issues and shifting relationships in society, government and politics
- Bridging the gap between a significant Roma (Gypsy) minority and the rest of the population
- Sharing insights into faith gained and kept through years under Communist rule
Partner churches
Reformed Church in Romania
Reformed Church of Transylvania
Partner organizations
Bunici Inimosi — NOROC
NOROC is a Christ-based, nonprofit organization whose mission is to share God’s blessings by providing New Opportunities for Romanian Orphaned Children spiritually, developmentally, socially and medically. (Noroc is a Romanian word meaning “God Bless.”) At this time over 125,000 children are in Romanian orphanages. NOROC was founded to find ways to nurture these abandoned children. Currently the programs are focused in the orphanages of Tulcea County, Romania. NOROC sponsors several programs that specialize attention to children in different ways. One of these, Big Hearted Grannies, provides abandoned children with loving care and gives retired Romanian citizens a chance to make a positive difference in the innocent lives of God's children.
Christmas Greetings from NOROC.
Casuta Noastra
A Christian foundation based in Iasi, Romania, Casuta Noastra is focused on meeting the needs of the orphaned and abandoned children of Romania. It carries out projects in three areas: assisting in the deinstitutionalizing of the state orphanages, assisting in the educational, social, emotional and spiritual development of institutionalized children and assisting the children in the transition from life in an orphanage to life in a family or on their own.
Ecumenical Association of Churches in Romania
Friends of Romanian Orphans
Friends of Romania (FoR) raises funds for sponsorship of social service and environmental nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) as well as educational programs.
United Protestant Theological Institute
The PC(USA) also relates to the Conference of European Churches (CEC), a regional ecumenical organization. The movement that led to the creation of the CEC dates back to the period of the Cold War, when a group of church leaders brought into conversation churches in European countries separated by different political, economic and social systems. CEC has sought to build bridges not only between Eastern and Western Europe but also been between minority and majority churches and between Christians of different confessional traditions.
Presbytery partnerships
Flint River Presbytery
Lehigh Presbytery
Resources
Ten Days of Prayer and Thanksgiving for Roma, 2011
Ten Days of Prayer and Thanksgiving for Roma, 2012
Prayer and Thanksgiving for Roma 2013
Learn more about Romania
Visit the BBC country profile.
