REV. CERCHEZ BRINGS THE REALITY OF JESUS TO LIGHT
Reverend Marin Cerchez of St. John Lutheran Church of Jenison, Michigan.
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REV. MARIN CERCHEV IS 'FINDING JESUS' EVERYWHEREFinding Jesus is a new ministry series produced and distributed Creative Motion Network. The short videos, featuring Rev. Marin Cerchez, pastor at St. John Lutheran Church, in Jenison, MI, tackles current topics from a Biblical viewpoint. In Message One: Discovering Jesus, Rev. Cerchez talks about coming to the LORD and his mission in America to spread the truth of Jesus Christ. A highly educated apologist, Rev. Marin studied the History of Christianity at the University of Oxford, Medieval Studies at Central European University, the Middle Ages at The Catholic University of America, Religious Studies and History at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and Theology at Concordia Theological Seminary, in Fort Wayne, IN. Along with being included in programming on the CMN Roku channel, Finding Jesus will become a Roku channel CMN the networks is developing for Pastor Marin. April launch expected. Follow the Finding Jesus Facebook page.
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CLICK ON IMDb TO CHECK OUT "FINDING JESUS" OFFICIAL LISTING
WORSHIP AT ST. JOHN LUTHERAN CHURCH OF JENISON, MICHIGAN
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Marin Cerchez, Reverend
9628 48th Ave, Jenison, MI 49428 (616) 895-4826 Connecting People to Jesus Worship Sundays/10AM Men's Bible Study Saturday/8AM Adult Bible Study Mondays/6-8PM |
CLICK ON BUTTON ABOVE TO VISIT THE "FINDING JESUS" YOUTUBE CHANNEL
REVEREND MARIN CERCHEZ' STORY BY CAROL CLAYBAKER
Pictured: Reverend Marin Cerchez with his wife Tatiana and children.
Vicar Marin Cerchez (pronounced like “marine”) comes to St Paul’s from Concordia Theological Seminary in Fort Wayne, Indiana, along with his wife, Tatiana, and their children, Anna, 8, and Daniel, 4. At St Paul’s School, he assists with confirmation and post-confirmation classes, chapel services, Bible studies, small groups and devotions. He will complete his seminary studies with the end of this vicarage year, and will receive a call in April. When he completes this school year, he will have the following degrees: M.D., B.A., M.A., Ph.D., M.Div. He has a working knowledge of Romanian/Moldovan, Russian, Ukrainian, English, French, and German, in addition to the classical languages of Hebrew, Greek, and Latin.
Vicar Marin was born in 1977 and grew up in Chișinău, the capital and largest city of the Republic of Moldova, while it was under the communist control of the USSR. Moldova is bordered on the west by Romania, and the other three sides by the Ukraine. Owning a Bible or worshipping God at that time, was forbidden. Throughout the history of the Soviet Union, government policy controlled, suppressed, and eliminated religious beliefs. Common tactics included confiscating church property, ridiculing religion and harassing believers. If you were caught preaching the Gospel or teaching kids the Bible, the minimum sentence was three years of prison. However, Vicar Marin’s grandparents would tell him about Jesus secretly.
The break-up of the Soviet Union occurred in December 1991, and Moldova declared its independence, giving the people religious freedom. Prior to this, rebellion started already in 1987 with protests, first in the Baltic republics, and then in Moldova and other republics in 1988. The Romanian language was reinstated in Moldova in 1989, with the Latin script replacing the Cyrillic script of the Russian language. Moldovan became the official language in 1994, but it is essentially the same as Romanian.
Bibles became available about 1992, enabling Vicar Marin to start reading and studying Scripture. The Holy Spirit started working in his heart and brought him to faith. Among other books, he also received a copy of Luther’s Large Catechism which he liked and used a lot. Unfortunately, the Lutheran Church in Moldova had been destroyed by the Soviets by that time. It was only in 2011 when Vicar Marin joined the LCMS.
About 95% of the population of Moldova claim to be Christian, with most of them identifying with the Eastern (Moldavan or Russian) Orthodox Church, but for many of them, this is a cultural view, not based on personal beliefs and practices. Many of these people grew up under Communism and continued a secular lifestyle. Religion did not play a role in their life. Even self-professed atheists would celebrate religious holidays and customs.
Vicar Marin graduated from a STEM type high school in 1994 and enrolled in the State Medical University that fall at age 17. Medical school was a six year program. During the first three years of coursework, he also attended business school at Moldova State University. Everything was run by the state under Communism, so he wanted to learn how a free enterprise system operated. The second three years required more time in clinical training, plus his mother passed away in 1996, so he was looking after his sister, who was almost 13 years of age at the time. During these years he became increasingly interested in studying the history of religions, the Bible, and Christian apologetics.
Following graduation in 2000, he spent a year in his internship, and continued to practice medicine until the fall of 2003, but at the same time studied languages, history, and archeology at High Anthropological School, where he obtained his B. A. degree in Cultural Anthropology in 2003. He was married to Tatiana, also talented in languages, in 2003, and that fall (with a full scholarship) enrolled in Central European University in Budapest, a graduate-level ‘cross-roads’, English-language university, founded in 1991, accredited in the U.S. and Hungary. Here he studied history, and obtained his M. A. in Medieval Studies in 2004.
They then returned to Moldova for 2004-2005, where he taught the history of Christianity and related subjects at a master’s level at Moldova State University, and also practiced some medicine. Also, Vicar Marin was involved in campus ministry at that time.
From 2005 he was a Ph. D. student in history at the University of Oxford, in Oxford, England, but when funding ran out, he returned to Moldova in 2006 and continued to teach, develop curricula, and write texts, including a textbook on the history of Christianity. In addition to Moldova State University, he also taught at Pedagogical State University. (Moldova was the center for higher education in the former USSR, with 18 public and 10 private universities or schools in a country slightly larger than the state of Maryland.)
Vicar Marin continued to pursue funding sources to continue his education. At the time, funds were available from the Open Society Foundation for people from Eastern Europe to study in the United States, with no strings attached, but these scholarships were very competitive. When he was granted a scholarship, he saw God's hand in it, as he had at other points in his life. This award came in 2008, but he was allowed to postpone it a year due to the poor health of his father, who passed away in 2008 from cancer, sooner than expected. Their daughter was born in Moldova in 2009, the same year he started his Ph.D. program at Catholic University in Washington D.C. She was 2 months old when she arrived in the United States.
In the meantime, his major professor accepted a position at the University of Wisconsin – Madison, starting in 2010. He was able to go with her, where he completed his Ph. D., including his dissertation, in 2014 with a major in history and minor in comparative literature. When they arrived in Madison, they looked for a church, and walked into Calvary Lutheran Chapel and Student Center for a service, which was Pastor Robert Degner’s last service as interim pastor. They talked extensively afterward and Vicar Marin found a good fit with his beliefs, so they remained active there and at the Lutheran Church of the Living Christ on the west side of town, on N. Gammon Road, where they became members. Pastor Degner, and the church and student center, continued to be helpful and supportive of him during his time in Madison.
While in Madison, Marin was an active member in his congregation (Living Christ, Pastor Daniel Kowert) and was actively involved in an outreach to Russian-speaking immigrants in Madison and Milwaukee (Luther Memorial, Pastor Kenneth Wieting). When Vicar Marin felt called to serve the Lord and expressed this interest, Pastor Degner initiated contacts in Synod that led to additional contacts.
Vicar Marin returned to Moldova for the 2014-2015 school year, where he and his sister’s husband opened a private language school, using the knowledge he gained in business school. After funding came through, he and his family returned to the United States in 2015, where he began his studies at the seminary, which he is completing in two years plus vicarage. He tested out of all the classical languages and was given ‘advanced standing’ because of his previous education, which then eliminated the 4th year, after vicarage.
Vicar Marin described three defining forces or goals along his path. The first was to study and learn everything he could about Scripture, and the history of Christianity and of other religions. The next was to learn Christian apologetics – being able to defend attacks on the Bible or vindicate divine authority, arguing for Christianity as well as against false claims. In 1 Peter 3:15 believers are told always to be prepared “to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you.” Our youth are bombarded with assaults on the Christian faith from the public classroom to the playground. College students fall prey to professors, friends, and trendy new movements. The question isn’t whether or not we should engage in apologetics as Lutherans, but how? Lutheran apologetics are Christ-centered, always in service to the Gospel. Finally, he sees young adults or youth not as the future church, but as the church’s future. They need to be trained to ‘stand strong’ in an age of doubt, cynicism, and tolerance. Although he enjoys working with all age groups, he sees reaching college-age or young adults as being of primary importance. Vicar Marin is passionate about Christ and the Gospel. His priorities are evangelism and discipleship.
Vicar Marin credits his wife with inspiring him and giving him the courage to reach out to even strangers. Their unique gifts and talents come together to serve as a dynamic force as messengers for Christ. His brother-in-law, who is working with LCMS on plans to become a Lutheran pastor in Europe, still runs the school they opened in 2014, that today has about 250 students.
Vicar Marin was born in 1977 and grew up in Chișinău, the capital and largest city of the Republic of Moldova, while it was under the communist control of the USSR. Moldova is bordered on the west by Romania, and the other three sides by the Ukraine. Owning a Bible or worshipping God at that time, was forbidden. Throughout the history of the Soviet Union, government policy controlled, suppressed, and eliminated religious beliefs. Common tactics included confiscating church property, ridiculing religion and harassing believers. If you were caught preaching the Gospel or teaching kids the Bible, the minimum sentence was three years of prison. However, Vicar Marin’s grandparents would tell him about Jesus secretly.
The break-up of the Soviet Union occurred in December 1991, and Moldova declared its independence, giving the people religious freedom. Prior to this, rebellion started already in 1987 with protests, first in the Baltic republics, and then in Moldova and other republics in 1988. The Romanian language was reinstated in Moldova in 1989, with the Latin script replacing the Cyrillic script of the Russian language. Moldovan became the official language in 1994, but it is essentially the same as Romanian.
Bibles became available about 1992, enabling Vicar Marin to start reading and studying Scripture. The Holy Spirit started working in his heart and brought him to faith. Among other books, he also received a copy of Luther’s Large Catechism which he liked and used a lot. Unfortunately, the Lutheran Church in Moldova had been destroyed by the Soviets by that time. It was only in 2011 when Vicar Marin joined the LCMS.
About 95% of the population of Moldova claim to be Christian, with most of them identifying with the Eastern (Moldavan or Russian) Orthodox Church, but for many of them, this is a cultural view, not based on personal beliefs and practices. Many of these people grew up under Communism and continued a secular lifestyle. Religion did not play a role in their life. Even self-professed atheists would celebrate religious holidays and customs.
Vicar Marin graduated from a STEM type high school in 1994 and enrolled in the State Medical University that fall at age 17. Medical school was a six year program. During the first three years of coursework, he also attended business school at Moldova State University. Everything was run by the state under Communism, so he wanted to learn how a free enterprise system operated. The second three years required more time in clinical training, plus his mother passed away in 1996, so he was looking after his sister, who was almost 13 years of age at the time. During these years he became increasingly interested in studying the history of religions, the Bible, and Christian apologetics.
Following graduation in 2000, he spent a year in his internship, and continued to practice medicine until the fall of 2003, but at the same time studied languages, history, and archeology at High Anthropological School, where he obtained his B. A. degree in Cultural Anthropology in 2003. He was married to Tatiana, also talented in languages, in 2003, and that fall (with a full scholarship) enrolled in Central European University in Budapest, a graduate-level ‘cross-roads’, English-language university, founded in 1991, accredited in the U.S. and Hungary. Here he studied history, and obtained his M. A. in Medieval Studies in 2004.
They then returned to Moldova for 2004-2005, where he taught the history of Christianity and related subjects at a master’s level at Moldova State University, and also practiced some medicine. Also, Vicar Marin was involved in campus ministry at that time.
From 2005 he was a Ph. D. student in history at the University of Oxford, in Oxford, England, but when funding ran out, he returned to Moldova in 2006 and continued to teach, develop curricula, and write texts, including a textbook on the history of Christianity. In addition to Moldova State University, he also taught at Pedagogical State University. (Moldova was the center for higher education in the former USSR, with 18 public and 10 private universities or schools in a country slightly larger than the state of Maryland.)
Vicar Marin continued to pursue funding sources to continue his education. At the time, funds were available from the Open Society Foundation for people from Eastern Europe to study in the United States, with no strings attached, but these scholarships were very competitive. When he was granted a scholarship, he saw God's hand in it, as he had at other points in his life. This award came in 2008, but he was allowed to postpone it a year due to the poor health of his father, who passed away in 2008 from cancer, sooner than expected. Their daughter was born in Moldova in 2009, the same year he started his Ph.D. program at Catholic University in Washington D.C. She was 2 months old when she arrived in the United States.
In the meantime, his major professor accepted a position at the University of Wisconsin – Madison, starting in 2010. He was able to go with her, where he completed his Ph. D., including his dissertation, in 2014 with a major in history and minor in comparative literature. When they arrived in Madison, they looked for a church, and walked into Calvary Lutheran Chapel and Student Center for a service, which was Pastor Robert Degner’s last service as interim pastor. They talked extensively afterward and Vicar Marin found a good fit with his beliefs, so they remained active there and at the Lutheran Church of the Living Christ on the west side of town, on N. Gammon Road, where they became members. Pastor Degner, and the church and student center, continued to be helpful and supportive of him during his time in Madison.
While in Madison, Marin was an active member in his congregation (Living Christ, Pastor Daniel Kowert) and was actively involved in an outreach to Russian-speaking immigrants in Madison and Milwaukee (Luther Memorial, Pastor Kenneth Wieting). When Vicar Marin felt called to serve the Lord and expressed this interest, Pastor Degner initiated contacts in Synod that led to additional contacts.
Vicar Marin returned to Moldova for the 2014-2015 school year, where he and his sister’s husband opened a private language school, using the knowledge he gained in business school. After funding came through, he and his family returned to the United States in 2015, where he began his studies at the seminary, which he is completing in two years plus vicarage. He tested out of all the classical languages and was given ‘advanced standing’ because of his previous education, which then eliminated the 4th year, after vicarage.
Vicar Marin described three defining forces or goals along his path. The first was to study and learn everything he could about Scripture, and the history of Christianity and of other religions. The next was to learn Christian apologetics – being able to defend attacks on the Bible or vindicate divine authority, arguing for Christianity as well as against false claims. In 1 Peter 3:15 believers are told always to be prepared “to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you.” Our youth are bombarded with assaults on the Christian faith from the public classroom to the playground. College students fall prey to professors, friends, and trendy new movements. The question isn’t whether or not we should engage in apologetics as Lutherans, but how? Lutheran apologetics are Christ-centered, always in service to the Gospel. Finally, he sees young adults or youth not as the future church, but as the church’s future. They need to be trained to ‘stand strong’ in an age of doubt, cynicism, and tolerance. Although he enjoys working with all age groups, he sees reaching college-age or young adults as being of primary importance. Vicar Marin is passionate about Christ and the Gospel. His priorities are evangelism and discipleship.
Vicar Marin credits his wife with inspiring him and giving him the courage to reach out to even strangers. Their unique gifts and talents come together to serve as a dynamic force as messengers for Christ. His brother-in-law, who is working with LCMS on plans to become a Lutheran pastor in Europe, still runs the school they opened in 2014, that today has about 250 students.
