IMM at work in Romania

In 1989 during the dying days of the communist regime of Nicolae Ceaucescu, the coal miners of Jiu Valley, located in Southwest Romania, were bussed into Bucharest in a vain effort to support the tottering rule of the Romanian dictator. Coal and oil have always been important to the Romanian economy and the miners were relatively well paid. Shortly after this time God laid on the heart of Cornel Hudulin, a Baptist evangelist and pastor, the need to reach these men and their families with the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Based in the town of Targu Jiu (meaning "The market of the River Jiu") Cornel started visiting the many coal mines round about. He began preaching the Gospel news to men as they came off their shifts. During the 1990s Cornel carried out this work almost single-handedly. But miners and members of their families came to Christ in numbers and churches began to be established in the mining villages.
The International Miners' Mission heard of this vibrant ministry work through their long-standing friend and supporter, the late Rev. Dr. Eric Hayden, himself an ex-Bevan boy working in the mines in the 1940s. As a result, some 10 years ago tentative contacts were made and the IMM decided to support two ex-miner evangelists, Vasile Popescu and Nicu Traistaru. The ministry developed throughout the mining area with Cornel Hudulin overseeing the work. Subsequently a Volkswagen van was donated by IMM supporters in the UK to facilitate the work.
The ministry has developed and several church groups have been established in quite a wide area. As a result, IMM now supports four Romanian evangelists either full-time or part-time. Although the number of miners has reduced significantly since the Ceaucescu days as uneconomic and old-fashioned mines have been closed, there are still many men to be reached. Many are caught up with problems of drinking, gambling and other social ills. If a miner loses his job, the chances of finding alternative employment are remote. Romania’s mining communities are struggling for work and money. Many of the young people are leaving the area in search of work in the West, so the churches lose a lot of their best members. Please pray that the Lord of all Hope be brought to the miners of Romania through this vital ministry supported by the International Miners' Mission.