Nicu Bragadireanu, a local bank manager, serves as the senior elder and pastor of the Betel church in the city. By God’s grace, the church has grown, and is multiplying congregations in the villages that radiate out from the city along the river highway. He has trained elders to serve as ministers in each of those churches.

In 2025, a dream of Pastor Nicu’s came to fruition: a Bible college was opened in one of the outlying village churches. It is primarily staffed by local pastors, with visiting teachers from a seminary in Bucharest. The two year program will reward a diploma that is officially recognized by the Romanian government and the Brethren Church authorities. Hoping to see 6-8 students in their first year, God has moved in a dramatic way, and their first class consists of 41 students!

As the Giurgiu “mother church” has grown, a search was begun for a new building. Nicu met with city officials, and they GAVE the church a building. The abandoned single-story building needed work, and extensive additions, but it is in a prime location – surrounded on all sides by apartment complexes housing dozens of family in each building. Renovations are proceeding, and outreach to the local community has already begun. The new “Smile Caravan” (“Caravana Zâmbete”) initiative is a great example. In recent weeks, six outreach events have taken place in three different villages. Each time, more than 50 children attended — that does not include the parents and grandparents who also joined. In simple terms, the Gospel has been shared with hundreds of people in just a short time through VBS-style programs, children’s activities, and special moments for families. The goal is to spread the message of Jesus far and wide. They have received invitations from many other villages in southern Romania, and want to honor each of these opportunities as God opens the doors.

Support for this Southern Romanian evangelical movement can be given through short-term teams, coaching and encouraging pastors and church planters, and financial partnership with the ministry including support for the college, sponsoring a student at the school, supporting a new church plant, helping with the renovation of the Betel building, or helping fund outreach efforts to families in villages along the Danube highway.