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Remarkable Romania!

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NOTE: On your phone/tablet this page appears best in landscape rather than portrait. (Turn the phone on its side!)   The highlight of May was a wonderful visit to Romania. It was such an encouragement to my soul to see how God is at work in that lovely nation. I spent my time in Giurgiu, in south-eastern Romania (pop. 60,000). Giurgiu is a county seat, situated along the Danube River, just across from Ruse, Bulgaria.   I’m excited to share highlights with you! With Nicu at the People's Palace, Bucharest I was first introduced to Nicu Bragadireanu, our ministry partner in the city of Giurgiu, in 2022. The introductions were made by a trio of New Jersey ministry leaders who have known and worked the Romanian church for more than 20 years. Joe Faraldi, Jim Minutella, and Nick Daleo are involved in church planting, church strengthening, and music ministries, and they have a great heart for the Romanian people. I was blessed to join them on this trip and the opportunity to get to...

Ministry Trip to Europe: REVISED SCHEDULE

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  Ministry Trip to Europe: REVISED SCHEDULE Below is the revised schedule for Bob's trip to Europe. We were able to re-book our flights, train passages, and lodging for the second week of the Ukraine trip - and retain the Germany & Estonia trips in totality! By God's grace, there was a very small financial hit to our expenses. Sadly, Carol will not be going. Instead, she will remain home and provide care to Bob's mom. Our normal fill-in caregiver has some serious health issues that prohibit her from coming at this time. (Please pray for Alice!) Thank you for your love, prayers, and financial support for our ministry to Europe & the Mediterranean Region. We simply cannot do it without you as our partners!

Europe Ministry Trip April-May 2024

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  Join Us In European Ministry! "Come over...and help us." Acts 16:9 Paul's invitation to take the gospel to Europe was a simple one. "Come and help us!" Bringing the love of God and the truth of the gospel is the greatest help we can give! On Friday, April 5 we will leave for a visit to our brothers and sisters who are faithfully leading and serving the church in Ukraine, Germany, and Estonia. In Ukraine we will meet with local and national leaders of the Ukrainian Baptist Union. We will also participate in ministry and training to Church Planter couples from more than 20 Ukrainian oblasts, and regional leaders of Church Planting movements across the country. We plan to be there for two weeks. On April 24-26 we will make our way to Munich, Germany, where we will spend a day with our dear friends and fellow laborers, Kyle and Matilda Tromanhauser. The Tromanhauser family has been faithfully working at planting an International congregation in this strate...

Mission Catalyst Team Updates

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Bob serves as the Mission Catalyst Team Leader for Converge Euro-Med. Which implies that he provides leadership to a team - and what a team it is! Here are a few updates from our colleagues. Drew & Sarah Robertson are the newest members of our team. Drew serves as Ministry Catalyst for our region's Great Sea Initiative. In that role he connects with ministry leaders in the 20 nations that surround the Mediterranean Sea. He and Sarah served for nearly a decade in Lebanon with their three children.  Drew is c urrently   traveling within the region - first to Lebanon to connect with ministry partners in Tyre and Sidon. From there he'll be headed to Malta, where he's been invited to a gathering of movement leaders from all across area. Please pray for the Lord's annointing upon this trip - and on Sarah as she holds down the fort while Drew is away.  Here's a link to a video introducing Drew and one of his ministry partners to provide Arabic language resources ...

Ukraine Week in DC 2024

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For the third year Bob had the opportunity and blessing to attend the annual Ukraine Week in DC event. It serves as a connecting opportunity for ministry, government, business, and humanitarian leaders. Several friends from Ukraine were able to come with special diplomatic permission from their government. Even with those permits, it was a challenging journey across the borders to Poland, then flights to the USA.  Distinguished Guests. In addition to Ukrainian leaders, this year's gathering saw a large delegation from South Korea. Bob was able to meet with Former South Korean Ambassador to Ukraine Lee; Pastor Jung-Hyun Oh, the senior pastor of the 80,000 member SaRang Community Church in Seoul; Valery Antonyuk, president of the Ukraine Baptist Union; Anatoly Kosachok, president of the Assembly of God in Ukraine; Stanislov Kosov, Secretary General of the Ukrainian Association of Churches, and other leaders from Europe, Asia, and the USA.  Inspiring Gathering. Pavel Unguryun, f...

A Ministry Visit to War-torn Ukraine

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Tania, Bob, and Dennis at Salvation Church in Rivne In September, three staff members of Converge International Ministries traveled to Ukraine. Tania Martin, Director of Mobilization (who spent 11 years ministering there), went in late August to minister alongside the congregation of Salvation Church in Rivne and encourage them. Dennis McMains, Regional Director of the Europe and Mediterranean Region, and Bob Marsh, Impact Team Leader, arrived in the capitol city of Kyiv on August 31.  Converge has a long history of working in Ukraine. More than 30 years ago, when the nation was experiencing its first days of independence from the Soviet Union, Converge congregations from across the USA participated in Love Lift Ukraine. The bonds formed between sister churches in those days have resulted in a strong and multiplying presence of the Body of Christ that remains to this day. Converge International Ministries’ presence began in 2009, when Tania arrived as a deployed global worker. Her ...

Winter 2023: USA Ministry

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USA Ministry Update  Summit for the Nations On March 10 & 11, Bob attended a Summit for the Nations, hosted by Converge International Ministries in suburban Green Bay, Wisconsin. Summit for the Nations is a gathering of US church leaders to help introduce and update their awareness of the global work of Converge. The event was held at Journey Community Church in De Pere. Pastor Mark Schmechel is a long-time friend, and our church plant in Mayville, Wisconsin was an early supporter of pastor Mark when he and his family were church planting their 20+ years ago! It was great to be able to see how God has blessed that work, and to gather with many old friends - pastors and missions team members from churches all across the Great Lakes District of Converge.  Bob gave an overview of the Europe and Mediterranean Region - the four initiatives (Great Sea, Nordic/Baltic/ Slavic West/ UK & Ireland) that are part of the Region, as well as our own Impact Team ministry. He was bless...