Missionary profile: Michael and Tamara Hudson

The following missionary profile was published in Engage Magazine on April 10, 2012. 


Michael and Tamara Hudson, missionaries in the Romania District, are serving through youth mentoring, church planting and church development. Michael is the theological education coordinator, and also assists with finance, literature development and church planting. In November 2011, Tamara was appointed the district superintendent -- the first woman in Europe to hold this position in the denomination. Hailing from Canada, both are ordained elders in the Church of the Nazarene.

They previously co-pastored the Nazarene church in Brampton, Ontario, Canada (2007 - 2009); before that, they served as missionaries in Albania for nine years (1996 - 2005) and Romania for two years (2005 - 2007.) They returned to Romania in 2009. They have three daughters: Julia, 16; Emily, 14; Elena, 10.

Engage: How did you first recognize God’s call to be involved in missions?

Tamara: I was called to be a missionary at age 9 when a missionary visited my home church.  I clearly felt the Lord was telling me, “You are going to be a missionary when you grow up.” I was able to be involved in various ministry and mission experiences including youth teams and Youth in Mission. These experiences confirmed the call of God to cross cultural ministry.

Engage: Please share a story of a significant event or moment that has happened in your current assignment.

Tamara: Last fall 13 people were baptized in the Blessing Church in Bucharest, including our own daughter, Elena. What a joy it was to participate in that occasion and to baptize our youngest daughter.

Engage: What is your favorite aspect of what you do in your present assignment?

Tamara: Our ministry is about investing in people. We love to spend time teaching and equipping others for ministry. We love to spend time praying, worshipping and serving together with our Romanian brothers and sisters. The most significant moments in ministry often occur around a dinner table or over a cup of coffee.

Engage: What are some of the challenges that you face in carrying out your work?

Tamara: The work load is sometimes difficult to handle and finding balance in life and ministry can be challenge.

Engage: How do you maintain a close relationship with God and your family in the midst of the demands of missionary service?

Tamara: Personal prayer and devotions is essential. We have developed family traditions (dinner table prayer and activities) which help us learn and grow together. We take time to play and have fun together on a regular basis.

Engage: What are the rewards of what you do?

Tamara: Seeing young people called and equipped to answer the call of God in their lives.

Engage: What are some aspects of the culture where you live that you have come to love or embrace?

Tamara: We have learned to love Romanian food and all the time it takes to prepare it together with friends. We also love the history of the country and love to visit old castles and fortified churches. 

Engage: What do you like to do for fun?

Tamara: We enjoy outdoor activities, especially hiking in the mountains.

Engage: What is something people would be surprised to learn about you?

Tamara: One of my first student jobs was handing out rain coats at Niagara Falls in Canada.

Engage: What advice would you have for others exploring a possible call to missions, or embarking on their first missionary assignment?

Tamara: The call of God is what keeps us firm when challenges come. Be sure of His call and stay close to Him. Apart from Him we can do nothing!

EuNC - Central Europe Field

In the early 1990's, the world saw the church enter multiple new countries in the heart of Europe and in the CIS within a short period of years. Today, Central Europe is beginning to reap the harvest of the seeds that were planted here more than a decade ago. Beginning in 2009, men and women called to ministry and committed to remain in their home country throughout the course of their study have begun to celebrate the fruition of their years of theological preparation. Graduations and ordinations are starting to be a consistent part of district assemblies across the field.

In October, Elke Kaci was ordained. She is the second EuNC graduate and elder for the Albanian-Kosova District. Elke is the mother of two and deeply involved in ministry as the pastor of the Lushnje church. At the Albania-Kosova assembly, her husband Ilir Kaci, who is a physical education teacher, received the CM certificate for his years of study.

In Romania, Cristi Boseff, pastor of the Bucharest Blessings church and district licensed minister, Dan Cristea, were honored for their continuing commitment to theological preparation. The Romania district celebrated with them as Antonie Holleman recognized the years and the progress both of these men have invested in their studies.

In Hungary, the Wesleyan partnership has coordinated efforts to be a well organized and effective Learning Center that serves a wide range of students from several sister denominations. The Hungary Learning Center is a convincing example of the academic levels that can be reached in theological education and pastoral preparation with a commitment to excellence.

The Bulgaria district has several students close to completion of their course of study. The 2011 assembly celebrated the graduation of three Bulgarian students and the 2012 assembly anticipates more graduation celebration.

While students from the earliest cohorts progress toward completion, three districts are watching a new influx of Nazarene students. The Albania-Kosova district has 18 very motivated learners who have completed a record 6 classes in the 2011/12 academic year. Romanian Nazarenes are excited to see God calling many youth to ministry - youth who are now answering their calls both by taking classes and by becoming actively involved in leadership. In Bulgaria and in Romania, church growth and development in Romani communities is creating opportunities to provide contextualized theological education as Roma men and women deepen their faith foundations. It is probable that in those earliest years, the seed planters had hopes for what God would faithfully do. They could not have definitively known how He would accomplish the spread of His gospel nor could they have written a more beautiful story. Over these two decades, men and women have sacrificed time, energy, and resources in order to immerse themselves in study and preparation for ministry. Most often, they did this in conjunction with the faithful fulfillment of their roles as parents, spouses, professionals, and ministers. Their dedication is inspiring. Their celebration is earned. Most importantly, their testimony speaks clearly of a faithful Gardener who provides the resources necessary for a kingdom harvest. Today, the Central Europe field is praising the Lord of the harvest for His goodness even as we labour to plant more seeds in anticipation for the future.

Cezarina Cufaj, EuNC alumni 2011 and administrator of the Albania learning centre writes: “Coming back to Albania after 10 years and working on education was easy and amazingly challenging for me. The quality education I received at EuNC changed my life and equipped me for ministry. I want the same for the people of Albania. When I came to Albania I found a fertile ground for education and this made my work fruitful. My role was to be a facilitator because the students of Albania are hungry for knowledge and very committed to their studies. Their sacrifices for education have motivated my sleepless nights to prepare classes for them. So far, this journey has been transformational for the students and for me. God is doing great things in Albania, and I feel so privileged to be a part of it!”


This article was originally published in European Nazarene College's "In Touch" newsletter, April 2012 edition.

Just Three: Men’s Discipleship in Țigmandru, Romania

At first glance, a discipleship group with only three participants may seem insignificant and almost pointless. When we look deeper, we recognize that the success of discipleship does not rest solely on the number of participants, but rather in the way they allow themselves to be transformed by God’s Spirit.

When I was asked to lead the men’s group in the Church of the Nazarene in the Romanian village of Țigmandru, Romania, I prayed that there would be at least one person who would make a serious commitment to grow as Christ’s disciple as part of the group. Instead of one, God entrusted me with the discipleship of three men, each being young in their Christian walk.

I recognized that they needed to be better grounded in the Bible. So, for the past year, I have met weekly with these three men (often for more than three hours at a time!), as we studied the major passages, events, and people in the Old Testament.

On Sunday evening, February 19, these three men were presented with certificates from Continuing Lay Training after they shared with the congregation the overarching Old Testament story from beginning to end.

Our discipleship group has always been about more than simply imparting knowledge about the Bible; it is the means through which they have been transformed by the Bible. I prayed from the beginning that they would become leaders in the church, in their families, and in their community.

God is answering that prayer in ways I never imagined. God is taking these three men and using them to do things that I as a missionary could never do. They’re growing as lay leaders by becoming more involved in the day-to-day life of their local church. They’ve taken the initiative to start an outreach ministry in their homes to share their faith with their extended families and neighbors who aren’t yet willing to step into a church building. Additionally, they’re now leading a children’s ministry in a neighboring village.

Just because we’ve finished studying the Old Testament doesn’t mean discipleship in Țigmandru is coming to an end. These young men recognize that this is only the beginning of their spiritual formation. We have plans for future discipleship courses – for them and others in the Țigmandru Church – in the areas of the New Testament, spiritual disciplines, and Christian beliefs.

It has been wonderful to see God work in the lives of these young men throughout the past year, especially as they have recently become involved in leading two new outreach ministries. Even though there were "just three" in the discipleship group, God is working through them, so "just three" is becoming the "first three."

written by Jonathan Phillips

Reprinted in Where Worlds Meet, April 2012 and Engage Magazine.

God’s Perfect Timing

Sighisoara, Romania – On Tuesday, January 31, Veritas director Petra Popa was looking for a miracle. It was the day payment was due on the new Veritas ministry center, but there wasn't enough money in the bank.

Back in the summer, the advisory board for Veritas, the Nazarene Compassionate Ministries (NCM) organization in Sighisoara, Romania, had realized the organization needed a new building. The compassionate ministries for children, teenagers, the disabled, the elderly, and against domestic violence had long outgrown the former fur coat factory that had served as the Veritas “Family Center” since 1998.

Within a week of their June 2011 meeting, board members found a property for sale that was within walking distance of the Family Center. It would take a miracle for Veritas to be able to buy the new property and to sell the old Family Center. Amazingly, by the end of the summer, both had been accomplished.

The owner of the new property, which consists of several buildings on over an acre of land, gave Veritas the option to pay for the property in three installments over the course of a year rather than securing a bank mortgage. Additionally, the owner accepted the former Family Center as part of the payment, significantly reducing the sale price of the new center.

The first of the three installments was paid at the signing at the end of the summer. The second would be due at the end of January, and the final would be due June 2012.

On the morning of January 31, all the money for the payment had still not arrived in the Veritas bank account. Petra knew that as the director of a Christian organization, she needed to respect her financial commitments without delays. Monetary gifts from various donors in the United States and Great Britain had been deposited, but a large amount already transferred from the NCM office in Bucharest had not yet been received in the Veritas bank account.

Since the funds coming from NCM are processed in dollars, and Petra had to pay in Euros, she was hoping for a favorable (low) exchange rate. She was quite discouraged on the morning of January 31 to see that the dollar was weaker than it had been the day before. It would now cost $1.36 for each Euro. Petra decided to wait until all the money was in the bank before she would exchange it.

In her office at the new Veritas Community Center, while waiting for news that the money from the NCM office had been received, Petra prayed that the money would arrive in time and that they would get a favorable exchange rate.

Throughout the afternoon, Petra kept checking the exchange rate, and it kept getting better – first to $1.33, then to $1.28. Finally, at 4:30 pm, just a half hour before the bank closed, the money arrived from Bucharest. By this point in time, Petra was able to secure an exchange rate of $1.25 – saving Veritas over $1,500 from what would have been received at the earlier exchange rate!

In God’s perfect timing, Veritas was presented with an incredible opportunity to purchase a new center for compassionate ministries.

In God’s perfect timing, Veritas was able to pay its second installment in full on January 31.

In God’s perfect timing, the last money to be transferred was received at a time when the exchange rate was best.

“Wait on the Lord; be of good courage, and He shall strengthen your heart; Wait, I say, on the Lord!” (Psalm 27:14)

Republished in Where Worlds Meet and NCN News 

‘In Germany there are people that love me!’

by Dorli Geschwandtner, Helping Hands
As posted on www.eurasianazarene.org, January 13, 2012

Gelnhausen, Germany - "I'm so happy! Miss Monica, I didn't know there are people in Germany that love me! Can you tell them 'thank you' for me?"

Albert, 9 years old, doesn't know if it's too good to be true. In his arms he's holding a Christmas parcel; it's so heavy that he can barely hold it.

"He was heavily traumatized when we met him," Monica Boseff, local Nazarene Compassionate Ministries (NCM) coordinator in Bucharest, explains. "His parents are divorced; when his mother remarried, she didn't want him anymore. Now he lives with his father, stepmother and grandmother in a small house. His father's salary is barely enough for basic necessities."

Albert is among many people in Bulgaria and Romania who are thrilled to receive boxes of donated clothes, shoes, linens, food and toys from Nazarene churches across Germany each year. Helping Hands Germany organizes an annual Christmas shipment that is divided among Nazarene churches, who distribute the aid goods to church attenders and needy people in their communities.

The Helping Hands Christmas transport that left Gelnhausen at the beginning of December 2011 included 9,000 kg or 61.5 m3 of aid goods (clothes, shoes, linen etc.) and Christmas parcels (food and toiletries) – more than 100 boxes above what was donated the previous year.

About two days later the shipment reached Bucharest where local church volunteers unloaded the boxes. NCM and Church of the Nazarene Romania distributed 200 Christmas boxes and relief supplies to elderly ladies and families with children in Bucharest as well as needy families in six surrounding villages. The other parcels and relief boxes were sent on to Sighisoara, Tigmandru, Viscri [in Romania] and Vidrare in Bulgaria, where they were given to children in a boarding school.

Standing next to Albert are Denisa and Sabrina. The sisters have come alone to pick up the parcels. Their mother has to work late hours to feed her family and also has to protect her children from the abusive father. The constant violence has left deep scars in the children's hearts. What an amazing difference the gifts from the Christmas transport make!

"They were so happy about everything they received," Boseff says, "about the food, the clothes and toys, the school supplies and shoes."

In their gift bags they found two pretty dresses and put them on right away. Now they are simply glowing with happiness. "No one at home is going to give us anything for Christmas," they say. "We want to thank all the good people that made us and our mom happy!"

In Romania and Bulgaria the Christmas boxes, household goods and school supplies cause great joy around Christmastime, but also meet a variety of urgent needs and relieve suffering.

"All these things – the food, the clothes, toys, shoes, toiletries and school supplies – those are things that many people here urgently need, but cannot buy for themselves. They would have not had them had it not been for you to send them!" Boseff writes. "A big ‘thank you’ to everybody involved in this for loving these kids, these elderly ladies and all the people they've helped so much by sending this container!"

Helping Hands Germany is a nonprofit compassionate ministry organization founded and operated by Nazarenes in Gelnhausen. The organization works closely with NCM International in holistic development projects and disaster relief, reaching more than 40 countries since it launched in 1992.

Although Helping Hands participates in various emergency relief efforts, the organization emphasizes long-term development projects, as “the mere distribution of relief items forces people into dependency,” according to its website, www.helpinghandsev.org/eng.

Those who want to get involved with Helping Hands can visit the website, which is in both German and English, send donations – both monetary and requested goods, stay informed about the ministry’s projects, and volunteer.

To learn more, visit www.helpinghandsev.org.

Women In Leadership - Tamara Hudson

By Gina Pottenger, Eurasia Region Communications
Published in Where Worlds Meet, December 2011

Rev. Tamara Hudson, a missionary serving in Romania with her husband, Michael, was appointed as the superintendent of the Romania District on 20 November, 2011. Prior to this new role, Hudson has been offering her experience and gifts to theological education, mentoring the district’s youth council and assisting with literature development.

She previously co-pastored the Nazarene church in Brampton, in Ontario, Canada, with Michael (2007 - 2009); before that, they served as missionaries in Albania for nine years (1996 - 2005) and Romania for two years (2005 - 2007.) They returned to Romania in 2009.

We talked with Rev. Hudson about her experience as a woman in ministry, both in her home culture and in the Eurasia Region.

Eurasia Communications:  Talk with us about God’s call on your life.

Hudson: When I was young, I grew up in a Christian family in a Nazarene family. My grandfather was my pastor growing up. We had missionaries coming to our house to stay with us and our whole life really was the church when I was young.

And then when I was 8, I realized that I wasn’t a Christian just because my family was a Christian, but I recognized that I needed to ask Jesus to be my personal Savior. When I was about 9, I felt like God was speaking to me, saying, “When you grow up you’re going to be a missionary.”

As I continued to grow older, the Lord continued to strengthen that call. And when I was a teenager, I had an experience of entire sanctification and just gave my life to the Lord; I felt like he was calling me to preach when I was 16. And so, just step by step, the Lord has been faithful to lead and to guide.

EC: As a 16-year old and being a woman called to preach, did you ever question that?

Hudson: Yes, definitely. As a teenager in the 1980s, feeling this call to preach … one leader I talked to said, “You know, that’s great. But maybe you should find a nice pastor to marry. You’ll make a good pastor’s wife.” That was devastating. I was kind of a shy teenager and not really outgoing and didn’t think that I could really do it. And then to have a leader say, “Well, maybe you should just become a pastor’s wife,” was pretty discouraging. So through the years I feel like the Lord has really had to make it clear to me that it was His call to preach and to become ordained. But I praise the Lord for the people in my life who have been encouraging influences.

When I went to university, I knew I was called to be a missionary. So I continued to follow the call to missions. I’m a registered nurse. I felt that it was important to have a skill, especially not being accepted [as a preacher]. I felt … if I did have a skill [beyond ministry] that I could go to some country [and] it would help to open doors.

EC: So as a missionary, what have your roles and responsibilities been?

Hudson: As missionaries we don’t pastor churches. We understand our call to be more like the equipping of Ephesians chapter 4. We do preach, but more than that we want to be training preachers and evangelists and missionaries.

EC: Do you anticipate any challenges in being a D.S.?

Hudson: No more so than if I were a man. There will be challenges for sure! I’ve just received nothing but positive affirmation from the other pastors and the people in the churches. I feel like the people in the Romanian Nazarene churches respect me as their servant. I would like my time in ministry here to be one of servanthood and just leading in love and humility.

EC: As a woman in leadership, how do you fit in with the surrounding societies you’ve been ministering in?

Hudson: When we lived in Albania it was a lot different. It’s interesting because during the Communist years, men and women were treated equally. They all did military service; they could have university education; they were government officials.

But then after Communism, going back to some of their traditional religions having a big influence in Albanian society, women weren’t so encouraged to take places of leadership, especially in the religious sphere of things. We just really feel that that’s one reason why the Church of the Nazarene maybe was in Albania -- to be that voice. There are several young women in Albania, and I really feel like the Lord was able to use me to encourage them in their call to ministry. Praise the Lord for that!

EC: Are those women now in ministry?

Hudson: Actually two of them; we were at Albania’s district assembly just two weekends ago, and two of them received their district licenses. One just finished the Spiritual Formation Certificate at EuNC and is continuing on with her studies. So they’re continuing to follow the call that God has put on their life. Really exciting that we got to go back after a few years and see that they’re continuing and they’re faithful.

EC: What are some important milestones on the Romania District?

Hudson: In 2006, we had one of the young women ordained as a deacon on our district, Magdalena Balaban. She is right now the only ordained Romanian on our district, and she’s also the district secretary.

[Relu Cristurean also answered a call to preach and is currently leading in the Sighişoara church.] That was such an answer to prayer, and I think that’s one of the milestones of our district that God is continuing to call a new generation of ministers for Him. And the restart of the theological education program here in Romania, again that’s just amazing. We need that. We need to put all our efforts and energies into it.

EC: What is your vision for the future of the Romania District?

Hudson: Well, this year I feel like we need to really focus on the basics of what it means to be a healthy church – our mission is to make Christlike disciples. Our role here in Romania is to tell others about Jesus and to help them grow in their relationship with Him. And so that carries over into everything that we do in our local churches, any of the district things that we do – it’s all with this focus of telling others about the Lord and then helping people to grow as disciples in Him.

This article was republished in NCN News.

District Assembly Highlights

The annual Romania District Assembly was held Saturday, November 19, 2011, in at the Țigmandru Church of the Nazarene. If you think a district assembly is just about listening to reports and voting for church officers, then you really should have attended this district assembly. Yes, we had our share of official business, but the entire assembly was a celebration of what God has done this past year and what He is leading us to do as a district in the coming year. It was indeed a very special day for all involved.

One of the most important changes at district assembly was installing Rev. Tamara Hudson, Nazarene missionary serving Romania, as the new district superintendent. Jay Sunberg, who serves as field strategy coordinator of the Central Europe field has also been filling the role of Romania district superintendent for the past 3 years. Tamara, her husband Michael, and their 3 daughters live in Bucharest. (Photo: Jay Sunberg, left, prays for Tamara, center, and Michael, right)

Another highlight of the assembly was that Antonie Holleman, dean of European Nazarene College, presented Cristi Boseff and Dan Cristea (pictured right), both district licensed ministers in Romania, with the Certificate of Spiritual Formation. This marks that these two men have reached the final level of their studies in theological education in preparation for ordination in the Church of the Nazarene.

Before the assembly began, Antonie met with all EuNC students in Romania to explain changes taking place at EuNC – most notably the absence of campus students in Buesingen (read more here). With all EuNC learning now happening in learning centers throughout Europe and the former Soviet Union, the administration can take more time to develop consistent quality education for students in these learning centers.

One very special moment during the assembly was a surprise tribute to Dorothy Tarrant, complete with a special slide show and a cake. Tarrant has served full-time in Romania since 1994 as a Nazarene tentmaker missionary, teaching semester-abroad American students in the Romanian Studies Program and as the founding director of Veritas, the NCM organization in Sighisoara. Tarrant, ENC professor emerita, plans in the near future to take the next step of her retirement by returning to Scotland to be close to family.


As we enter a new church year, please pray with us for the development of the Church of the Nazarene in Romania: following:

• For the local churches in Bucharest, Sighisoara, and Tigmandru.
• For planting new churches in the near future.
• For development of discipleship ministries and lay training
• For ongoing development of theological education through EuNC in Romania
• For Veritas, the NCM center in Sighisoara.