For more than a decade, NAB Gateway, as part of of our international mission work, has emphasized and guided churches in pursuing sister-church partnerships. These are long-term, mutual relationships for churches and ministries to partner with another churches and ministries internationally. Earlier this month, an NAB church took part in a short-term mission trip to serve alongside their sister-church partner in Romania. Here is one participant’s experience on this recent trip!
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By Lynn Varney
I recently had the opportunity to travel to Braşov, Romania, with Pastor Drew Steinhart and a group of friends from Disciples Church in Medina, Ohio. Disciples Church had previously entered into a sister-church partnership with the Hungarian Baptist Church of Braşov.Our goal for this mission was to bring our desire to love and serve Jesus and to help, specifically, with their weeklong summer camp in any way possible. The summer camp hosted sixty children, ranging in ages from 6 through 13. One of the highlights of the camp was preparing for a musical at the end of the week. This year’s musical was “Go, Jonah.” The daily schedule included musical practice, games, English lessons, Bible study, and either sports or crafts time. Our Disciples group prepared the games, English lessons, and crafts that were used throughout the week.
The church provided interpreters in the form of some highly dedicated young men and women. With this help, and some use of Google Translate, communication was not a problem. Love and kindness are a universal language. The week ended with an outstanding performance of the musical for the families to enjoy.
What I will carry with me from this experience was the warmth and hospitality of the church members, the graciousness of the host family we stayed with, and the inspiration I gained from being surrounded by such a loving, devoted, and faithful group of followers of Jesus. I will also cherish the new friendships that were formed, both in Braşov and within our group from Disciples Church.
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You can find out more about sister-church partnerships through Gateway by clicking on the link below.
find out more about sister-church partnerships
While we had originally planned to release the final episode of this season of the NAB Stories podcast this week, circumstances and the timing of various things have caused a delay. (See story above for one of those items.) We still plan to release the final episode in the coming weeks. In the meantime, if you have taken the time to listen the podcast this season, would you be kind enough to fill out a survey using the link below? It shouldn’t take more than 3–5 minutes.
The latest edition of MIT Monthly, the Missional Initiatives newsletter, arrived in email inboxes last week, and, as always, it is full of stories, resources, and practices to help and encourage you as you seek what God is up to in your neighborhood and join him on mission.
This most recent newsletter includes an article from David Williams on making the shift from doing for to being with; a reflection from Kristi TenClay, former NAB missionary and member of the 2024/25 Blue Ocean cohort; invitations to two(!) different workshops in October and an upcoming book study; and more than a handful of resources to guide you along your missional/formational journey.
Blue Ocean is a transformative one-year learning experience. You’ll be part of a cohort that journeys together throughout the year, exploring what it means to join God on mission, be formed into the character of Christ, and dwell in your neighborhood – sharing and living out the Gospel. We meet three times a year in three different cities across the United States and Canada for multi-day retreats. Blue Ocean includes pastors, leaders, and regional ministers from across the NAB. Each cohort represents a cross-section of regions, church sizes, and ministry styles. The discussions are both encouraging and challenging.
Module 1
Location: Vancouver, British Columbia
Dates: October 21–24, 2025
Topic: Missional Theology – Joining in with the God of Mission
Module 2
Location: TBD
Dates: February 1–4, 2026
Topic: Missional Formation – Becoming Like Christ
Module 3
Location: Medina, Ohio
Dates: May 5–8, 2026
Topic: A Missional People – Becoming a Sent People
There is no cost for Blue Ocean, though participants are responsible for covering their travel and accommodation costs. All other costs are covered by the NAB.