Thanks to the generosity and prayers of supporters, a recent outreach mission to Romania and Serbia has seen lives touched and transformed. During their time the team experienced prison ministry, church services, radio broadcasts and fellowship events.
Colin Pownall, alongside John Rowley from Warrington, Colin Wilson from Stoke and Brian Evans from Shropshire, spent 12 days ministering across Romania and Serbia. They had a demanding programme organised by Daniel Nemteanu of FGB Romania.
Although the report records the events, it does not fully capture the prayer, preparation, joy and challenges experienced by the team both during and after the trip.
Twelve Days of Ministry
During the mission, the team spoke in:
- Five prisons
- Two churches
- An international radio broadcast
- Two Full Gospel Businessmen’s dinners
The schedule involved extensive travel and often multiple meetings each day, but the team embraced every opportunity to share the Gospel.
Encouragement Behind Prison Walls
Four adult maximum-security prisons opened their doors to the team. It was difficult to count the number of men who responded to the message of Christ. One of the greatest encouragements was seeing prisoners from previous visits, still faithfully following the Lord and bringing their well-used Bibles to the meetings.
In one prison, affectionately renamed “Grace Prison” following an earlier visit, a man suffering from cancer received prayer for healing. Christian inmates gathered around him, joined by two prison guards who also laid hands on the man in prayer.
The team also revisited a young offenders’ institution, where every young man present expressed a desire to give his life to Christ. Such was the atmosphere in the meeting that members of staff responsible for the young people were moved to tears.
Answered Prayer on the Airwaves
The team was invited to participate in a live international radio programme that reaches listeners around the world.
Initially, the planned interview focused heavily on prison life in the UK. However, after prayer, the agenda changed dramatically. Instead of discussing past experiences, the team spent almost two hours sharing their faith and only a few minutes speaking about prison.
Ministry Across Different Churches
Two very different church services provided opportunities for ministry.
In one church, attended by around 250 people, extended times of prayer, worship and ministry led to many responding for healing, salvation and prayer.
Later that same day, the team ministered in a strict Baptist church with a carefully structured programme. Despite the contrasting setting, men and women came forward for prayer at the end of the service. Something local believers described as a first in the church’s history.
Sunday morning Pentecost service
God's Plans Despite Unexpected Challenges
The trip faced an unexpected setback when Daniel Nemteanu, who also served as translator, was involved in a car accident and required hospital treatment. What initially appeared to threaten the remainder of the mission did not prevent the work from continuing. We are delighted to report that Daniel has since undergone surgery on two discs in his spine and is now recovering at home, walking with the aid of a stick.
Through phone calls and careful coordination from his hospital bed, Daniel helped ensure that two of the planned Full Gospel Businessmen’s dinners still went ahead.
At the first dinner in Arad, attended by around twenty people, two men experienced healing and subsequently placed their faith in Christ.
At the second gathering, attended largely by students, two elderly ladies gave their hearts to the Lord. The owner of the venue, captivated by what he was hearing, invited everyone to stay beyond the scheduled finishing time. The evening concluded with young and old alike enjoying ice cream together.
Looking to the Next Generation
Among the many memorable moments of the trip, one question stood out:
“Don’t you have any young people in your ministry that would join you?”
It was a searching challenge and a reminder of the importance of raising up and encouraging the next generation of Christian leaders and evangelists.
Continuing to Pray
We are grateful that FGB UK & IE has been able to contribute financially towards this mission and thank all those whose donate generosity. This allows us to give towards trips like this one to Romania and Serbia, and supporting the wider FGB family.
More importantly prayers made this trip possible!
As Colin reflected afterwards:
“This is only a brief report and nowhere near covers the joy of the experience.”
Please continue to pray for those who responded to the Gospel and for the churches and prison ministries involved. Also pray for the ongoing recovery of our FGB brother in Christ Daniel as the seeds planted during these twelve days continue to bear fruit.