My Brother's Keeper Dinner Reservation Deadline This Sunday

“My Brother’s Keeper”(MBK) will hold a promotional dinner in Fellowship Hall of Martinsburg Brethren in Christ Church, on Thursday, March 23, 2023, at 6 p.m. The church is located at 334 Son Rise Drive, on Cross Cove Road, just outside of Martinsburg, on the hill above Ritchey’s Dairy. Access to the Fellowship Hall is at the far end of the church, down the wheelchair ramp.

There is no charge for the dinner but reservations are required and can be made by emailing: mbkreservations@yahoo.com. Or by texting Rachel at (717) 658-9711. Those interested could also call (814) 614-4471 ask for Earl or Sharon. The registration deadline is Sunday, March 19, 2023.

The speaker for this promotional dinner is Melissa Ghitun. Ghitun was born in South Carolina. She went to Romania as a volunteer for MBK, met and married Bogden Ghitun, an orphaned Romanian National who was helped by MBK. They, as a couple, are on Romanian MBK staff.

More about MBK

MBK ministers to Romanian people in a number of ways. There is a Christmas Shoe Box project, where shoe boxes are packed with school, health, and gift supplies, sent to Romania and distributed to children by MBK staff.

The group also has a Baby Bottle Project. Funds raised from this project are used to provide infant formula, diapers, and infant health supplies for mothers who cannot afford them. Baby bottles are placed in cooperating churches, taken home by congregants, filled with loose change and dedicated monies, gathered on Father’s Day, sent to MBK and passed on to Romania.

There is also a summer camping program that provides a Christian camping experience for orphan and underprivileged youth. This experience is spread over a three-week period, ministering to more than 300 young people.

MBK also ministers to women in crisis pregnancies, providing counseling, infant and maternity supplies and other assistance to prevent abortions and save the lives of at-risk children.

The group has a number of Purity Presenters. These are young ladies who are trained to go into the schools and speak to junior and senior high students about the need to maintain sexual purity until they are married. For the last number of years, these Purity Presenters have been welcomed in the school system of Romania. Admittedly, there is opposition, but school administration and government have resisted these entities and continue support the purity program and welcome the presenters. Purity classes are well attended and seem to be appreciated by the students themselves.

MBK worked with Precious Life, another U.S. based ministry, to construct three community playgrounds and donate them to local churches, who maintain them.

The year before COVID struck, the Martinsburg Brethren in Christ congregation sent a team to Romania to work with MBK there. The team was able to construct a house for a needy family, lead and teach one week of the summer Christian camping program, and some members also went to the orphans’ hospital to hold, rock, cuddle, and generally care for the orphan babies. Team members wanted to visit Romania again, but the pandemic prevented their immediate return. Plans to return and do it again are in limbo but not forgotten.