Exodus 17:11,12 gives us a crystal clear picture of how vitally important Godly support and counsel are as we seek to serve the Lord in every area of life. As the Israelites battled their enemy, the Amalekites, Moses, the Israelite leader, grew very weary. As long as he held up his hands, the Israelites prevailed. But, doing this alone proved to be an overwhelming task. A loving God sent him two committed helpers to be on either side. His hands were held steady until the going down of the sun.

TITUS International is much like Moses as he faced the Amalekites. We have an overwhelming task to complete. We are so thankful that a loving God has sent us not two, but many committed Christian men and women to steady our hands by giving wise counsel, prayer, and financial support.

In this TITUS Newsletter, we want to honor our Official Board Members and their spouses. These pictures were taken at our last Christmas Banquet. Some of the wives could not attend. Also, three board members were not able to be present. They were Pastor Will Craddock, Mr. Bryant Durham, and Dr. Steve Euler. We want to extend our deepest thanks and appreciation to God and to these who served so faithfully year after year, steadying the hands of Titus.

From Question & Answer Session to Annual Pastor's Conference

About five years ago, one of our board members, Dr. Jim Rhoades, and I were in Moldova for various meetings with Dr. Loreen Ittermann and the TITUS Team members there. The day before we left, eight of the pastors on the team requested that we have a special question and answer session just for them. During that meeting, I became more aware of the many needs of these young pastors. In February 2001, I returned to Moldova for our First Annual Pastors Conference with twelve pastors in attendance. We studied various aspects of Ministry and Church Growth. As we started preparing for the 2002 meeting, other pastors requested that they be included in the conference, bringing our number to 45 that year. We continued with the 2001 theme on Church Growth.

For the 2003 conference, one of the lead pastors, John Miron, requested a study on Stewardship. Initially, I was a little intimidated, since the people there live on such limited incomes. However, I began preparation with the assurance that stewardship is a Biblical truth for all believers. I was also reassured, through the Scriptures, that God will bless any believer who practices good stewardship of his life, possessions, and abilities.

I prepared 60 pages of notes. Our session ran daily from 9:30 in the morning until 4:30 in the afternoon. Services were planned in various villages each evening, so the days were exhausting, yet rewarding! The best reward of the Pastor's Conference was hearing the men give testimonies on the last day of our meetings. Most of the pastors committed to teaching this material soon after they returned to their individual churches. About 25 of them shared that this type of material on stewardship had never been taught in their churches. They explained that there were cultural matters involved under communism. All pastors were required to work full-time jobs away from their church. There was no such thing as a "full-time pastor." Therefore, the people did not think it necessary to give much to the church, since the pastor did not receive a salary.

The conference this year was again planned for the first week of February. Since I had been there several times in February, I thought I knew what to expect, as far as the weather was concerned. Wrong! On February 3, I arrived to find nearly eight inches of snow on the ground. The roads were very dangerous and slick! Quickly, I learned to speak new Russian expressions. My favorite, "Don't drive this car too fast. If you do, I will get out and walk." They seemed to understand. It took us longer than we expected to get to some of the village meetings, (not an unusual occurrence in that culture) but at least we arrived safely!

Following the Pastor's Conference, I spent five days in meetings with two of the pastors, Nickolai and Slava, who both have thriving works in Transnestra. This area has been known as the heart of communism in that part of the world. Yet both of these young pastor have been faithful. Nickolai and his people have purchased property in an excellent location for a camp outside the city of Kamenka. The property has a large building on it that has to be completely remodeled. They plan to have it ready for use this summer. The project looked overwhelming to me. But Nickolai, his young assistant, Victor, and the believers in the church say it is not too much for them. I know with God's help and blessing it can be accomplished.

Perhaps you have read articles I have written in the past about Slava and the seven village churches he pastors in the Gregoriopal area. I did have some interesting experiences with him in several of the villages. We had meetings in five different locations in two days. Due to the road conditions, we had some difficulty getting to the meetings. After each service, the people wanted to stay longer to hear stories of my missionary experiences.

Yes, the Pastor's Conference has already been scheduled for February 2003. Again, the subject has been chosen and it will be on Unity Among Believers. A friend recently asked me why I keep going back. My answer is three-fold: 1. I do love the Lord and want to please Him. 2. Our missionary there, Dr. Loreen Ittermann, reminds me often these pastors, most of whom are very young, need me! 3. It is one of the most rewarding ministry experiences I have each year!

-Dave Marcum