Inspire, Summer 2000

Alumni Profile: Gordon '65, Bess(Murphy)'65, and Lorena Finley'95) Romania:A Ministry of Love T he commitment of Gordon '65 and Bess Murphy Finley '65 to the education and spiritual development of the mentally handicapped resulted in the founding of Bethesda Exceptional Education Ministries in Winston-Salem, North Carolina,and that ministry has now been extended to Romania. While working as program administrator at Shepherds in Union Grove, Wisconsin,Gordon became interested in training special education teachers. This program,in conjunction with his experiences at Cedarville College and Faith Baptist Bible College, eventually led the family to Winston-Salem where Gordon taught at Piedmont Bible College. Working together with Shepherds and a friend, Frank Hartwig, Gordon and Bess began the Bethesda ministry in 1983 and assumed the leadership of what is now Bethesda Christian Academy(BCA).BCA continues to serve learning disabled, autistic, and mentally handicapped students in Winston-Salem. In the fall of 1991,as Gordon watched TV programs regarding the orphanages in Romania,he became burdened for the orphans and the mentally handicapped children in that country. He made a commitment to share the Word ofGod with those children. Through a survey trip, Gordon and his son,Nathan(now with the Lord),saw the many spiritual, material, and physical needs of the children. They also had the opportunity to meet Come! lova,a pastor from Emanuel Baptist Church of Oradea, who shared their burden and who continues to serve as a consultant and advisor to the ministry. With the approval of the board of Bethesda, Gordon and Bess, daughter,Lorena'95,and son,Sam,went to Romania in the summer of 1993, where they ministered to adults and children in churches, orphanages,and even in a park. The Finleys and a Romanian-American steering committee have established the Bethesda Foundation of Romania in spite of changing Romanian laws.The Foundation was officially recognized as a ministry in Romania on March 2, 1998. In the summer of 1997 Gordon arranged for a Cedarville College MIS team,led by Lorena, to minister in two orphanages in Romania:one Christian and one run by the state. The state-run orphanage had been known as the"House of Death" during the Communist regime, but the Cedarville team was able to minister with love,individual attention, and Bible lessons. During the 1998-99 school year,Lorena returned to Romania to teach English and Bible in a Christian kindergarten. The school, housed in a building formerly used by Communist dictator Nicolae Ceausescu, is presently being remodeled by the ministry and will be used as a school for mentally handicapped children starting in September 2000. Through their various visits to Romania the Finleys have seen many adults and children come to know the Lord."The Romanian children's favorite things to learn were Bible verses and songs, and their favorite verse was John 3:16 which they would quote to anyone who might be passing by," Lorena said. In addition to serving churches and schools,Bethesda Ministries seeks to minister to children and families, but especially to exceptional children and their families. Their vision includes a residential home in North Carolina and expanded ministries in Romania. Inspire 19