Pastor Dugulescu, founder and president of the Evangelistic and Charitable Association Jesus the Hope of Romania has passed away on the 3rd of January 2008, at the County Hospital in Timisoara, as a result of a heart attack. Peter Dugulescu was born on the 18th of November 1945 in Chelmac, Arad county, in a family of evangelic Christians. He was baptized and accepted Jesus Christ as his Saviour in 1965 and on the 3rd of August 1969 he was married and was blessed with 4 children. He served as a Baptist pastor in the communist regime. His first services as a pastor were held at the Baptist Church in Hateg in the years 1974-1986 and starting with the 1st of March 1986 until 2002 he was a pastor at the Bethel Baptist Church in Timisoara. In the year 2004 he started the missionary work in Calea Sagului, where he opened the gates to the Baptist Church Ecclesia.

He was appreciated as a fighter of the Revolution, a hero of freedom and on December 1989 he prayed with Our Heavenly Father, together with the crowd that was gathered in front of the Opera House, being recognized as a true spiritual leader. After the revolution he was one of the founder of the "Jesus March." A march organized every year in Christian and ecumenical spirit and which finishes in the park in Timisoara where a big ecumenical event takes place to promote to follow Jesus Christ as personal Saviour.   

For his love of people who were in need, Peter Dugulescu founded the Association „Jesus the Hope of Romania”. The faith and love he had for the people motivated him to keep looking for financial resources to support the projects of the association. The orphan children have been close to his heart and a big part of his life, as in 1992 he founded Onesimus Brothers House that has soon celebrated 15 years of existence. „Daddy Dugu”, as the Onesimus boys call him, opened a house for old people and handicapped girls in Hateg, also insuring the daily manna through a meals-on-wheels program for over 40 elders in Timisoara.

Petru Dugulescu was the first Baptist pastor that was elected as a Member of the Romanian Parliament for two consecutive mandates, starting with the year 1992 until 2000. He tried to make God known as much as he could, being the founder of the Romanian National Prayer Group and Breakfast. During the years of pastoral and social serving he was awarded many national and international awards, the most important being the title “Ambassador of Peace” awarded by the Interreligious and International Peace Council, he was a laureate of the “Freedom Fighter Award”, declared a citizen of honor in 4 American states, and his name recently appeared in the Encyclopedia of Romanian Personalities. Also he joined the Prayer Group in Washington and the European Prayer Breakfast in the European Parliament in Brussels.

He was also one of the active supporters for the ideas of the ECPM and collaborated actively in the meetings and discussions during the conference: "The role of Christians on the Romanian political scene" organized in Moieciu in October 2007. He contributed as moderator, shared his experience in lectures and motivated the people with his beautiful self-written poems that showed his faith on all areas of life. He was a motivator, a Barnabas for many people but also a fighter against corruption and unrighteousness.

A part of his life experiences during his serving as a pastor are found in his two autobiographical volumes, They scheduled my death (Repenters) and Democracy and persecution. As he was trying to define his own serving in front of God, Peter Dugulescu laid his thoughts on paper and transposed in the wonderful volumes of poetry Enigmatic travelers and Millennium sunset. All his writings express in words his faith, love and devotion for the God. His books will be transferred into a movie that intend to be launched in 2010.

The funeral took place on 7 January on the Hero's graveyard in Timisoara. During the funeral service the ecumenical character was shown by different representatives from the Baptist, Pentecostal, Orthodox, Romana and Greek Catholic, Seventh Days' Adventists, Brethern Churches, and Messianic Jews expressed their condolences. Also the prefect and mayor of Timisoara expressed the importance Petru Dugulesc had not only for the community of Timisoara but as ambassador for whole .

The ECPM wishes family Dugulescu (his wife Mrs. Marioara, his children Ligia, Cristina, Cristi and Eunice) Gods Presence and strength and comfort during this difficult time.

On behalf of the ECPM staff:

Leo van Doesburg

(Representative South East Europe ECPM)