Nearly 200 friends, donors, volunteers, staff members, and beneficiaries gathered on June 18 to celebrate the 30th anniversary of Veritas, a partner ministry of the Church of the Nazarene in Sighisoara, Romania. The event recognized three decades of social and community services provided by Veritas to local residents.
Mihai Șerengheu, Veritas board president, said during the celebration, “Behind the number 30 are the hundreds of employees, hundreds of volunteers, thousands of volunteer hours, thousands of people and lives that have been changed. It’s more than a number.”
The origins of Veritas date back to 1995 when Professor Dorothy Tarrant moved to Sighișoara with students from Eastern Nazarene College for cultural immersion experiences. Tarrant said, “More importantly, students learned how to put their Christian faith in practice by serving some of the most disadvantaged people in Sighișoara.” Students initially worked with abandoned children at a municipal hospital and with socially isolated elderly individuals. As Romanian team members joined and needs grew for formal organization and funding support, Veritas Sighișoara Foundation was established in 2001.
Over time, Veritas expanded its offerings to include programs addressing domestic violence prevention; English camps for high schoolers; cultural events such as craft fairs and concerts; as well as a gospel choir and café serving as community connection points. Executive Director Petra Popa said that today Veritas provides accredited social services for children and teenagers, senior adults, individuals with special needs—alongside operating a soup kitchen—and benefits from partnerships with local government agencies like Sighișoara city hall and organizations including Princess Margareta of Romania Foundation.
Veritas is also involved with Nazarene Compassionate Ministries (NCM) child sponsorship programs. Local mayor Iulian Sîrbu thanked Veritas for "three decades in which you have stood by children, the elderly, families in need... Your work is often unassuming but it makes a real difference in people’s lives.”
The anniversary event featured tributes from those connected to Veritas over its history—a performance by its Gospel Choir—and artistic presentations from current program participants. Reflecting on her role founding the organization after thirty years’ impact on many lives, Tarrant remarked, “For me it was a great privilege to be used by God to establish an organization that has had such an impact on so many lives.”
