WEEK OF PRAYER: DAY 5 To view video, biography, and prayer requests online, click here.
Emanuel & Ioana Grozea
Ridgewood, New York
For All Nations Emanuel Grozea was born in communist Romania to a family of smugglers—Bible smugglers. As a teenager, Emanuel felt God calling him into ministry. He pastored for almost a decade in Romania before God moved him and his family to lead a Romanian Baptist church on the verge of closing in New York City. In the Ridgewood community, about half of the neighborhood speaks a language other than English and once was heavily populated with Romanian immigrants.
“God gave us a burden—a vision for what it needs to be in our generation. Our vision is to replant and transition this church from a struggling Romanian church to a House of Worship for all nations,” says Emanuel.
Leading the Maranatha Baptist Church congregation through such a radical change has been challenging. But now, the church is reaching and welcoming Albanian, Nepali, Polish, Latino, Egyptian, Italian, Turkish and Armenian neighbors, along with Romanians. The language groups meet individually for Sunday school and then come together for corporate worship to joyfully worship as one.
Prayer Requests
Faithfulness in sharing the gospel to all nations in the community.
Maranatha to plant three new churches by 2030.
More supporting churches to partner with Maranatha in prayer and serving.
