R omania is a country in the southeastern part of Europe with a rich landscape, which includes plains, hills, woodlands as well as high rocky mountains. It is bordered by the Danube River to the south and has access to the Black Sea to the east.

Due to the beauty of the scenery, this picturesque jewel of a land is still a favorite travel and vacation destination for many tourists.

In our history, Romania is known as a country from which some of the SDARM pioneers went abroad to spread the message of the Reformation.

The church in this country was sorely tried for more than 40 years by the oppression of the Communist regime, and, after the revolution of December 1989, it had to face the even more dangerous temptations of liberty, a privilege to which the people had not been accustomed.

This time of freedom was not easy for the church either, and unfortunately some who had remained firm in the face of the Communist persecution could not withstand the trials of liberty.

Nonetheless, Romania is still one of the largest unions in the Reform Movement and still has a quite considerable human potential.

Being an ex-communist country and a younger member of the European Union, Romania is being confronted with the effects of the global economic crisis which affects most countries in the region.

Yet the gospel continues to be preached, books continue to be canvassed and sold to interested people, sermons and appeals are broadcast over the internet, and a Missionary School with over 30 students is run by the union.

Cooking classes and special evangelistic programs, as well as children and youth camps, are being organized, and the sanitarium staff keeps offering to their patients physical and spiritual assistance, directing them to the Great Physician and the simple healing methods He has provided in our natural environment.

Due to the relatively high number of church members, regional conventions are pretty well attended, and the available facilities are most of the time insufficient to accomodate all the attendants. So, the need to have our own Convention Center became more and more evident year by year.

By the grace of God, an appropriate plot was finally purchased for this purpose in the very center of the country, in a mountain region bordered by a mountain river on one side and by a fir-tree forest on the other side.

Among the other resources of the place is the wonderful fresh air, a beautiful lake and two water springs, with most healthy and refreshing water flowing incessantly.

The access by car is quite easy in all seasons, and there are manifold possibilities and trails for hiking in the neighboring Carpathian mountains, which are highly appreciated by both Romanian and foreign mountain-lovers as well.

It is on this spot that the Romanian Union in agreement with the General Conference decided to build a Convention Center to be able to host the 2011 Delegates Session of the General Conference, as well as any other further Youth Conventions, Children Camps, Classes, Courses and Seminars that might be organized at the local, national or international level, so that our young people may have plenty of chances to get to know one another, to make friends, and have fellowship with peers of their own faith.

The Missionary School as well as manifold counseling sessions are planned to be organized in the same location.

The place is also intended to function as a retreat and vacation center for members and families of believer from all around the world who might choose to spend their holidays in a facility run by our church, where they can enjoy all the instructive, educational, and recreational programs offered by the brethren and sisters.

The kitchen staff will offer healthy vegetarian meals so that the visitors, and especially the mothers in the families, can even be free from the burden of cooking, at least during their holidays.

Since last winter was quite a long one, the actual work at the building site could not be started before the second week of April 2010. But once it started, it went forward rapidly in spite of the magnitude of the very solid foundation structure that had to be made.

A dedicated team of construction workers and of church members have been working intensively to get the building erected on time so that the preparations for the hosting of the 2011 GC session can be finished according to schedule, and the work is going on.

Since it is said that a picture is worth a thousand words, we will let the pictures tell more about this project. More details about the unfolding of the project and updated pictures will be posted on our website:

http://www.campus.azsmr.ro

which has a dedicated page in English as well.