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A New Year of great developments in Ruma…

We are living in Ruma and our work and ministry is mostly based in the city and its surroundings. Our most important work from which flow all of our other activities is the foundation of a church in Ruma. 

Successfully completed Alpha course!  

At the end of December we completed Alpha course, which lasted for 12 weeks. Four people were able to hear the gospel of Jesus Christ. Two of them want to continue studying the Bible with us. 

Christmas gifts for children! 

In cooperation with the local council and others, we distributed 850 Christmas gifts (Samaritan’s Purse) for children in Ruma, with Christmas programs and locally produced Christmas Cartons.

Children from families receiving social assistance and children orphaned were the priority of this event. We are grateful for this opportunity to be socially engaged in the environment where we live, where this kind of engagement is at a very low level.

Through these activities, we try to implement in practice the call of the Lord Jesus Christ:

You are the salt of the earth and light of the world.

 

Plans for this year:

Raising the leaders within the church. 

For more than three years we are in the project of the church planting. We are very encouraged to see over this period of time many new people who are ready and willing to take responsibility in work and life of the church. We believe that it was time to make this big step and invest in equipping of new leaders, which we believe is one of the prerequisites for further progress of the church. 

 

Finding space for the church 

As I mentioned earlier, we are looking for the space for the church to be rented for a minimum period of five years or more. That space should be in accordance with the needs we currently have, but also in accordance with our future needs, because we are the church which is continuously growing. 

We continue to spread the good news of Jesus Christ! 

We understand that this task is the most important part of the mission. As a church we do not not believe that the dissemination of the news of Jesus Christ is an isolated event that happens once or twice a year. We want this to become the lifestyle of every believer. Our plans are to work at the individual level of each believer, but also through group classes and events

Thank you for praying, 

– Drago and Jaroslava

 

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News from Drago and Jaroslava…

We are grateful for the opportunity to share with you the events from our life and ministry that has been trusted to us by our Lord Jesus Christ.

We have wonderful news!

On 3rd July Jaroslava gave birth to a baby boy. His name is Boris. We are thankful to God for such a great blessing. Also, we are very grateful to all those who encouraged us and pray for Jaroslava and me. 

Serving in the church in Sremska Mitrovica and Establishing a new church in Ruma:

Over this last months I preached many times in Ruma and Sremska Mitrovica and prepared 12 people for baptism through a set of  lectures.   

On 18. July 14 new believers from Sremska Mitrovica, Ruma and Belgrade have been baptized in river Sava in Sremska Mitrovica. We are encouraged by seeing how Christ transformed the lives of our brothers and sisters in Christ and hove He multiplies our Christian family.

Milan, one of the people who have been baptized said: “I am happy to leave behind my old life and all bad things. I trust that my future will be filled with good things!”

 

I’ve also been leading prayer meetings on Tuesdays in Sremska Mitrovica and helped the new believers from Ruma to become regular part of our prayer  meetings.

Of course there is also a lot of work individual time spent with new believers – for example meeting with and spiritual counselling a lad who has been for five months in the process of drug rehabilitation.

A new Church building?

Unfortunately we could not reach the agreement with the owner of  the  house about renting the house for our church. However, not long after that we have been encouraged by the municipality officials to submit a request in which we ask city to provide space for the church. Right now, we are prayng while waiting to hear back about our request.

A Christian Concert:

On 2.May we organized evangelization evening in Sremska Mitrovica. Between 40 and 50 people from Sremska Mitrovica, Ruma and Sid came to this event. We organized concert of Christian music, and shared the good news about Jesus Christ with the visitors.

Over these next weeks…

…we will continue with our regular church activities and our work with people.  In September we will start with Alpha course in Ruma and Sremska Mitrovica on which we will invite our friends and their families.  August will be the month of preparation and prayer for this coming event.

We would like to thank for the support you have shown to us and all your prayers. Please keep us in your prayers as we continue our work.

Prayer requests:

  • Please pray that God strengthen and spread His Word and establish His church in Ruma.
  • Please pray for a church building.
  • Please pray for people to be changed and touched by God in Alpha course in Ruma and Sremska Mitrovica.

 We are thankful to our God Jesus Christ for the privilege to be part of His great work.

                     Yours in Christ.

                                                   Drago and Jaroslava

 “ Now this is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.” John 17:3

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Drago and Jaroslava – Graduates of the Belgrade Bible School, now church planting…

Since graduating for the Bible School in Belgrade, Drago and Jaroslava have been planting a church in their town.  They are supported primarily by their sister church in the next town about seven miles away but also through Oak Hall in Serbia.

 

“Hello! 

We are very glad that we can share with you what is happening as we work on church-planting in our town of Ruma.

We consider it a big privilege, to be a part of what the Lord is doing here.  Our desire is for all of us to be encouraged as we look at how Jesus Christ builds His church.”

A Story of one of the first to turn to Christ in our town…

My name is Nikola, and I am 72 years old. I am from Ruma. My mother and my parents in law used to go to church, but her and I didn’t. All of my life I wanted to turn to God but I kept putting the decision aside. And since I hadn’t made that decision, I gave in to the sinful life. When I grew old I couldn’t believe that God would forgive me the years of sinful life. In the beginning of 2009 I became seriously ill and spent two months in the hospital. The doctors weren’t optimistic regarding my recovery. Since my relatives were attending a church, the church regularly  prayed for my salvation and physical recovery. While I was in the hospital the leader of the Church visited me and prayed for me. After several such visits and confession I felt God was calling me to pray and give Him my whole life. After this prayer everything became different. I felt immensely relieved and felt God’s care and forgiveness. Shortly afterwards my health became better and I came home. Through everything I had exsperienced I realised that the Lord Jesus Christ cared form my life and that it wasn’t the end. Six month later I decided to be baptized and become a member of the Church. I live my life in a completely different way, now. I enjoy going to church on Sundays and listening the Word of God that teaches, shapes and changes me. I am grateful to the Lord Jesus Christ for forgiving me the 72 years of my sinful life.

Jaroslava teaching children in Ruma

Before Drago and Jaroslava were married, Jaroslava worked for a number of years with Romi children in central Serbia with the excellent team of “Dete i Svet”.  Now based in Ruma, a large element of her work is with children from some of the poorer communities around her.  At a recent Christmas programme, 1000 attended an event they ran in the local sports stadium where they heard the Message of Jesus clearly shared…

Here in this photograph she is running one of the classes for these children.

Vision and the plans for the coming period:

  • Strengthening the church and building up the believers
  • Actively sharing the Message of Jesus in Ruma
  • Looking for a bigger meeting place for the church