Written by Ruth Grendell, from the Village Church.
I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation. Philippians 4:12
When I listened to the sermon on “We the Church,” I thought about my experiences in Romania after the assignation of Nicolae Ceausescu and his wife, Elana, on Christmas Day, 1989. During his communist dictator’s reign, cathedrals were shut down, and churches were closely monitored by his secret security force ministers to ensure there was no mention of primarily worshipping God. The people were hostages! However,
Ceausescu had difficulty controlling the people in the northern part of the country where churches continued to exist, and their members secretly worshipped God together. Monasteries were hidden underground but people whose Romanian Orthodox beliefs never wavered were surviving quite well. Several years later, I led a group of student nurses to Romania. In Bucharest, we stayed with families, learning about their beliefs and world views. During this time, we worked with children, adult, and geriatric facilities and taught the patient care providers who had minimal skills. A few weeks later, we were invited to travel to the northern area where we visited with the people, attended their churches, and shared our love of Christ. What a wonderful way to end our trip—knowing their faith gatherings continued to grow. It was difficult to say goodbye, hugs were plentiful, and we all promised to pray for each other. In fact, we continued to connect when the new missionaries arrived! We the Church!
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