CORDOS' UPDATE

Pastor Marcel Cordos c/o Cornel Stef
Address:6340 W. Cornelia Ave.
Chicago, IL 60634
E-Mail: cornelstef@comcast.net
Website: http://www.piei.org

Marcel and Angela Cordos are our missionaries in Eastern Europe with their four children, Naomi, Samy, Teofil, and Teodora. Marcel has been a PIE Borad member from the beginning and is the senior pastor of the "Cetate" Romanian Baptist Church in Alba Iulia. He adopted a different strategy in that he works with two assistants. The vision of PIE in Romania is to challenge and mold the Romanian churches to get involved in missions, after fifty years of communist pressures, by setting an example through the PIE churches, as well as a network of nationals, fully dedicated to evangelism, discipleship, and church planting.

MAY UPDATE:

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,

The past week was a special one for me. Our missionary in Turkey took me and another pastor in Romania on a trip in the past. We visited the old city of Ephesus, one of the metropoles of the antic Asia. As I walked on the very old grec-roman rodes and visited the huge theatre, I imagined the riot happened and the pressures on Paul, Aquila, Priscilla and the other Christians as they spreaded the Gospel two thousand years ago. If then, they changed the spiritual map of Asia of those times and many left the idols for the true God and many churches were planted what about today?

The spiritual context in Turkey today is very similar. The country is more than 99% Islamic and there are very few Christians and churches. Beside this, the pressures and the dangers for those who spread the Gospel are the same. The old devil works today as he worked before.
We felt strongly this reality as we travelled to a a large city in the old Frigia and met a small group of believers under the pressures and sometimes the attacks of their fellow muslim citizens. God gave us the grace to encourage them but they encouraged us more than we could do.

One night, I was already in bed meditating, when I realized that somebody in the room was crying. Soon I realized that it was John, our missionary who was praying with tears for the lost people whom he loves so much. I was so touched and also challenged by his and the similar examples given by the American, Correan, Spanish and Turkish missionaries who risk so much for God and cry for the lost people.

I realized that God is at work today as he was two thousand years ago when Paul decided to live and preach among such people. I realized that, as our missionary often said, He is at work to change the spiritual map of the dark Turkey of our days. God is at work but He expect us to join Him. We answered the call.

We know that He has many more to join in this labour. Our church and the man of God sent on this field is praying and seeking for partners to join in. We invite you to come along side us to work in this important and strategic field among the Islamic world. Brother John, a former PIE National Director LCBC supported, is now is our church s first cross cultural missionary in Turkey.

Yours in His service,

Marcel Cordos, Istanbul, Turkey