Our History

The History of Grace Romanian Church

“If it had not been the Lord who was on our side, Let now Israel say. Our help is in the name of the Lord who made heaven and earth.” Psalm 124:1,8

Grace Romanian Baptist Church (GRBC) was founded on December 25th, 1990, at the initiative of a group of Romanian Baptists who wanted to worship God and faithfully serve Him. Under the guidance of a Godly leader of the Romanian community in the US Diaspora, pastor Pitt Popovici, and directed by God’s grace, this group of Christians formed a church open to anyone who truthfully and faithfully wanted to worship God.

At first, the church met in an annex of a Nazarene church on Arden Way. In February 1991, the church invited Pastor Nelu Cintean who served as pastor of the church for a period of 6 months, after which he moved to San Leandro for a new ministry opportunity. Pastor Nelu continued to be a member of GRBC and helped the local ministry whenever necessary, collaborating with pastor Pitt Popovici who was serving as senior pastor at the time. God blessed the church under Pastor Pitt’s ministry and the church grew through the addition of several families from the Sacramento area, as well as some families who moved from Los Angeles and the Bay Area.

Soon after the church began its ministry to the Romanian community in the Sacramento area, a new building was bought in West Sacramento. Pastor Pitt continued to serve until the summer of 1996, when he moved to Atlanta, GA. After his departure, Pastor Tiberiu Rata took over while he was still attending Golden Gate Seminary. During this time, the church also bought a new sanctuary, located at its current address, 3832 Whitney Ave. Sacramento, Ca 95821. Under Pastor Tibi’s guidance, the youth ministry expanded considerably and a wonderful youth choir was formed. Pastor Tibi served the church for a total of two years, and in 1998 he moved to Alabama to continue his theological studies. Pastor Nelu Cintean once again stepped up and filled in the transitional period that the church was going through at the time.

In January 1999, Pastor Mircea Filip arrived from Arizona to serve at GRBC. He served the church for one year, during which decisions were made that the sanctuary was in great need of major repairs. The building was over fifty years old, and severe damage was already present. Due to some personal problems, Pastor Filip returned to Arizona in January 2000.

Pastor Claudiu Valcu began serving in June 2000. He was a young and promising graduate of the Baptist Theological Institute in Bucharest, Romania. Pastor Claudiu and his wife, Sanda, had immigrated to the US just two months prior. In August 2000, the new sanctuary construction work began. On January 20th, 2001, Pastor Claudiu was ordained as pastor of Grace Romanian Baptist Church. Pastor Claudiu has continued to serve as the senior pastor ever since, in close collaboration with Pastor Nelu Cintean who has served as the assistant pastor.  In September 2008, Pastor Stefan Ghinescu joined the pastoral team and served as the youth pastor until November, 2011, while he was also attending Master courses at Western seminary.

Even though the year 2001 was a difficult one for GRBC, as several families decided to form another church, Hope Romanian Baptist Church. God blessed GRBC, and in August 2001, the new sanctuary was dedicated. The new building has a seating capacity of 300. We are grateful for the great sacrifice of many of the church members who contributed to the construction project.

Some of the families who left in 2001 later returned and became part of the church once more. The Lord blessed our church abundantly, and over a period of 12 years, the church grew from 74 to over 186 active members and over 250 with children and youth.

A state-of-the-art educational building was added to the church property between 2005 and 2007, including a 180-seat multi-purpose room, four Sunday school rooms, a commercial grade kitchen, and brand new restrooms. The dedicated and consistent sacrifice of the many families in our church have made all the construction projects possible, and it has also contributed to the exponential growth our church has experienced.

Currently, GRBC enjoys a time of peace and growth serving its members and the greater Romanian community in the Sacramento area. We collaborate with the other Romanian churches in Sacramento, as well as with the churches in the Romanian Baptist Association in the US and Canada. GRBC is also a member of Northern Baptist Association. Looking back over the years at the way God has blessed his people we can only thank and praise Him, and declare EBEN-EZER, “Thus far the Lord has helped us!” 1 Samuel 7:12

Pastor Claudiu Valcu