Faith Facts

• Harvey Starling dedicated over 30 years to evangelism and church planting in Romania, baptizing believers and establishing seven Churches of Christ across the nation.
• Starling preached more than 1,000 gospel meetings throughout his 71-year ministry before passing away at age 93 on September 10 in Fairhope, Alabama.
• Believers in Romania received the World Changer Award in his honor, carrying forward his guiding principle: “Let us do all the good we can for as many as we can as often as we can, and let us do no harm at all.”

When Harvey Starling preached, buildings trembled. Romanian believers still speak with reverence about the American missionary who gave three decades of his life to evangelism and church planting in their homeland.

Maria Ionela met Starling when she was five years old. Today she serves with the Pitesti Church of Christ and recalls his towering presence and booming voice.

“He was more than just a brother,” Ionela said. “He was like a soldier, a soldier in the kingdom.”

Starling, who stood well over six feet tall, was rarely photographed standing upright. He was usually leaning down to embrace his Romanian brothers and sisters.

Starling passed away at his home in Fairhope, Alabama, on September 10 from complications of Parkinson’s disease. Just weeks later, several Romanians he had baptized gathered at the European Vision Workshop to honor his memory.

Marty Knight, director of the Sunset Academy of Leadership Training, noted that Starling preached more than 1,000 gospel meetings across the United States. He also served congregations in Louisiana and Georgia before beginning his work in Romania in 1991.

During the workshop, Sunset president Tim Burow presented the Romanian Christians with the World Changer Award in Starling’s name. The inscription on the award reads: “He has truly changed the world for Christ.”

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Faith Facts

• The European Vision Workshop in Bucharest drew 110 believers praying for New Testament Christianity in post-Christian Europe.
• Wes McAdams taught that the Holy Spirit, the breath of God, can fill and revive a continent that has turned cathedrals into tourist sites.
• Christians from Ukraine, Mongolia, Romania, and beyond testified that the Spirit strengthens the weak and gives courage amid war and cultural decline.

Post-Christian Europe, home to 743 million people, rarely seems like fertile ground for the Gospel. Yet 110 believers gathered in a Bucharest hotel conference room, praying that the Spirit would breathe new life into their homelands.

The small number hardly matters when the Holy Spirit is counted.

Wes McAdams, minister for the McDermott Road Church of Christ in Plano, Texas, opened the ninth European Vision Workshop by describing the Spirit hovering over the lifeless earth in Genesis 1.

“Can we picture what is being painted here?” McAdams asked. “The Spirit of God is hovering over the lifeless earth, and he himself is full of life, full of power, full of potential, full of creative, life-giving energy.”

Using inflated and deflated balloons as a visual aid, he showed how the same Spirit that brought creation to life can fill and restore a continent that appears beyond hope.

The workshop began a decade ago in Athens when missionaries responded to waves of Middle Eastern refugees reporting dreams of Jesus. It has since moved through Italy, Slovakia, Albania, and Poland, with Sunset International Bible Institute, World English Institute, and Healing Hands International sponsoring this year’s gathering.

Claudiu Murtaza of Sibiu, Romania, prayed for the gift of English before addressing the international crowd.

“There is a war going on in each and every one of us, the war between the flesh and the Spirit,” Murtaza said, “and there is no way that we can win this war without the Holy Spirit of God.”

Vasile Iuhos of Oradea reminded listeners that kindness is a command, not an option, and that the Spirit blows away the smoke of the world.

Stas Kuropiatnykov, a Ukrainian minister and military veteran, spoke on gentleness after more than four years of war.

“When there is a lot of cruelty around you, it is very easy to allow that cruelty to settle inside you,” he said. “Gentleness is especially valuable when we have a reason not to be gentle.”

Olha Kolosha, also from western Ukraine, described a support group for those displaced by conflict and warned against minimizing the Holy Spirit’s role in protecting and empowering believers.

Greg Watson, Europe coordinator for Sunset International Bible Institute, noted the shift in language during the workshop.

“I don’t think I’ve heard anybody call the Holy Spirit an ‘it’ while we’ve been here,” Watson said. “I feel like this time together has really helped demystify the Holy Spirit.”

McAdams closed by reminding participants that they are children of God, siblings to the King, temples of the Holy Spirit, and heirs of the world to come.

“You can’t take away what matters,” he said.

Mac and Ashlee Buchanan traveled from Italy with their three children. Ashlee said the fellowship lifted their spirits after discouraging efforts to share the Gospel in Naples.

“When you go out, and you’re trying to teach other people, sometimes it’s very deflating and discouraging … so making contacts and enjoying singing with other saints has been wonderful.”

Erdenedavaa Purvee, known as Eric, and his wife Munkhzaya came from Mongolia, where roughly 40 percent of the population claims no religion.

“God uses weak people,” Purvee said, finding comfort that the Spirit works through human limitations.

He recalled Elijah’s cry that he alone remained faithful, only to learn that thousands had not bowed to false gods. In Romania, 110 believers gathered instead of thousands, yet their songs rose like angels.

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Faith Facts

• Malik Willis, a former Liberty University standout, now plays quarterback for the Miami Dolphins.
• Willis has openly credited his Christian faith for helping him stay grounded in professional football.
• He reminds himself that Jesus endured far greater hardships than any NFL challenge.

Miami Dolphins quarterback Malik Willis is leaning on his Christian faith as he navigates the demands of the NFL.

The former Liberty University standout has spoken about the importance of staying rooted in Christ while facing professional pressure.

“Jesus has it way harder than I do.”

Willis has emphasized that remembering the suffering of Jesus helps him maintain perspective during difficult seasons.

“Jesus has it way harder than I do.”

His comments reflect a growing trend among Christian athletes who publicly tie their identity to faith rather than performance.

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