Heidi Longworth Newsletter December 2025

Highlights of 2025

After several years of dreaming, praying and planning, along with the last year of fundraising and renovation, Deo Gloria Church moved into our new church building in the centre of Hunedoara town in March. The official inauguration service was in April, and although we still have things to finish, we are so blessed to have such a great resource to be a blessing to the wider community and to have space for all the church ministries that we have and would like to do.

In March, Joey Hancock, the pastor of my sending church, New Life Crewe, came out to visit with my mum. It was a fabulous weekend which included as much Romanian food as possible and a visit to the castle, as well as generally just catching up and having my two worlds collide as Joey met my church here.

I had a trip to the UK in May. It was great to be at the Elim Missions and Global Conference at Kensington Temple, meeting up with the other Elim Missionaries, and then also going to ELS in Harrogate with a group from my sending church. I also had a week holiday and time to see family and friends.

In July, we took the youth to camp. It was a fun and powerful week, with American and Romanian themed evenings, water games, workshops, and small group devotionals, all in the theme of ‘Real Life’ looking at the example of the apostle Paul and ending with a prayer labyrinth presenting the gospel and offering opportunity for the young people to give their lives to Christ. It was exciting to see the young people growing closer to God and good spending time with them. For a generation with so many challenges, it is clear there is a real curiosity about the things of God. We have done Youth Alpha through the autumn term and it’s been great to have new faces nearly every week.

I have finished my Masters in Intercultural Leadership at All Nations Christian College. It has been 5 long years, but I have loved all the learning, and gained a lot of insight into missions and Romanian culture in particular. My dissertation was research based on Deo Gloria Church and will helpfully be a useful resource for Deo Gloria, but also other Romanian churches wanting to develop lay leaders.

My mum came to visit for a whole month. We visited Brasov, the ‘Best Road in the World’, and various castles. She also helped me with jobs around my flat, including loads of sewing, and we cooked a British roast dinner for some of my Romanian friends.

In November I was supposed to go to a conference in France with Lainey and Roy, another missionary couple who are serving in Hungary. Sadly the conference was cancelled so I took the opportunity to visit them in Hungary and we had a great time visiting local places, including Vienna and Budapest.

Prayer Requests

• For Deo Gloria church as we seek to reach out to those in the community, and make the most of our new building in the centre of town
• For the youth - both for the discipleship of those who have made commitments, and for those who don’t yet know Jesus to come to know him. Please also pray for us as youth leaders - for wisdom, creativity and perseverance.
• For the youth camp over New Year and in the Summer - these events are often pivotal moments for the young people in their faith journey.
• For my health which hasn’t been great over the year - that things would settle and that God would bring healing.

I am staying in Romania for Christmas again this year. I have already put up my decorations and am looking forward to the Christmas services at church. I’ll then be in the UK in January for my graduation ceremony and to meet my new little niece and spend time with family.

Thank you, as always, for your support and prayers. Hope you all have a wonderful Christmas and a blessed 2026

With much love,

Heidi