Pastor Vali

I want to introduce you to Pastor Valeriu “Vali” Radu. He is pastor at Emanuel Baptist Church in Berceni, which is sector 4, the south eastern part of Bucuresti. The church has 150 members and is the only Baptist church in sector 4. The population of sector 4 is just over 300,000 people. Pastor Vali also has a full time job at the apartment complex where many of the students from outside Bucuresti live. Besides normal church activities, the church is active in two different mission points outside the city.
Pastor Vali told me that before we came to Emanuel, he had been praying for someone to help him mobilize his church in evangelism. And in late October Teresa and I were asked by our team leader, Richard Clark, to go to the Emanuel Church to see if we could work with them. We have found that they want us as much as we need them. Pastor Vali has even taken time to go with me as we try to lead people to Christ. This week Pastor took Teresa and I to a doctor he knows, also from the Emanuel Church, so that the doctor could give her opinion about Teresa’s arm and shoulder problem.
During a recent conversation with Pastor Vali, he also speaks English; I learned that he is also a college student. He already has the degree he needs to be a pastor under the guidelines of the Romanian Baptist Union, (Paul could be a pastor here but Jesus Christ could not be one). Now he is working on a degree that will allow him to be a licensed counselor under Romanian government’s guidelines. The Romanian government has lots of hoops for you to jump throw, even more then the Romanian Baptist Union. When he completes his degree and becomes licensed by the government, he will be the only licensed Christian counselor in Bucuresti. The city has over 2 million people and there is not 1 Christian counselor in the city.
Pastor Vali is a very busy man about God’s work; please pray for him, his family, and his ministries. Please ask God to bless him so that his cup runs over. Ask the Father to strengthen him as he continues this huge schedule that he has each week. And also thank God for him on our behalf, he is a great encourager and helpful pastor to Teresa and me.
Heb 6:10 For God is not unrighteous to forget your work and labour of love, which ye have shewed toward his name, in that ye have ministered to the saints, and do minister.