A Memorial for God in a Changing World
Dear friends and partners in ministry,
As we look toward a new year, our hearts hold two strong convictions at once: “Even so, come, Lord Jesus!” (Rev.22:20) and “Occupy till I come” (Luke 19:13). In a season when events feel overwhelming, we are reminded that Adventist sanitariums are “memorials for God” and “memorials for the Sabbath.” A memorial must honor the One it represents—faithfully, excellently, and with a servant’s heart. That is our prayer and our purpose for 2026: to lift up Christ through competent, compassionate, lifestyle-centered care—and to train others to do the same.
Below you’ll find recent highlights, and the key opportunities and challenges before us. We share these with gratitude and humbleness, inviting your partnership in prayer and support as we continue this work.
Looking Back with Gratitude: Highlights since Summer 2025
- Filming a new micro-credential at Loma Linda University. At the suggestion of Dr. Richard Hart (President, LLU), we filmed a series on “How to Establish a 21st-Century Adventist Sanitarium.” This joint project with GC Health Ministries is overseen by Dr. Zeno Charles-Marcel, who also contributed several sessions—along with Dr. Richard Hart, Steven Dickman (President, OCI), and others. This content will equip leaders around the world to build faithful, modern sanitarium ministries.
- Third ASSA training completed. In September we held the third two-week Adventist Sanitarium System Accelerator (ASSA): “How to Start, Develop, and Manage a 21st-Century Sanitarium.” Pioneering teams joined us from Brazil, the US, Canada, the UK, and Romania. For the first time, we offered a dedicated physician track—two physicians from Brazil, one from Canada, one from the UK, and one from Romania. Dr. George Guthrie (recently retired from AdventHealth Florida) spearheaded the physician component, helping participants integrate Lifestyle Medicine into current practice.
Save the date: The next ASSA international training will be May 17–31, 2026. If you know a team that needs this training but doesn’t yet know it exists, please tell them! We encourage any team planning a Lifestyle Center to send at least one physician or health professional and one future Sanitarium administrator/manager.
- Building bridges in Lifestyle Medicine. We participated in the inaugural Lifestyle Medicine Society conferences in Abu Dhabi (Emirates Lifestyle Medicine Society) and in the Czech Republic, where Dr. Dan was one of the speakers. In the Emirates, we are exploring promising collaborations with those preparing to open a medical office dedicated to Lifestyle Medicine.
- Strengthening standards in Romania. The Romanian Society of Lifestyle Medicine has designated the Herghelia Lifestyle Center as its clinical accreditation body—tasked with establishing standards and providing training for Romanian physicians and health institutions seeking Lifestyle Medicine Center of Excellence status. The first such center is the Techirghiol Sanatorium and Rehabilitation Hospital, in collaboration with Ovidius Medical University of Constanța. This is a meaningful step forward for quality and credibility in regional Lifestyle Medicine.
2026: Opportunities and Challenges That Shape Our Mission
1) Build the New Wing at Herghelia : Same Mission, Right-Sized Plan
What changed: over the last 4-5 months we realized that we need to upgrade treatment facilities and patient accommodation. Patients feedback made it clear to us: either improve or go down. We couldn’t wait another 5-6 years (to have a new center) but had to act NOW. That’s why we decided to build a smaller new wing with spaces for treatment and 12 patients’ rooms.
- Footprint: 1,000 square meters (about 10,764 sq ft) to accommodate essential treatment rooms, 12 patient rooms, training space, accessibility, and mechanical systems.
- Total project budget: USD 1.5 million (about USD 1,500/m² or USD 139/sq ft), based on current estimates and required code upgrades.
Why this is good stewardship:
- Serves the needs of patients for privacy.
- Reduces costly rework later.
- We will focus first on finishing the treatment rooms
- Phased the project to begin in Summer 2026 and complete the floors with additional rooms as funds come in
- Meets accessibility, energy, and durability standards.
Post-COVID realities have changed patient expectations and operational needs:
- Single-occupancy rooms are now preferred over shared accommodation.
- There is greater emphasis on the quality, space, and variety of treatment areas.
- Patients compare us with four newer Adventist Lifestyle Centers and with leading wellness providers nationally.
- Consistent feedback affirms our program quality and staff professionalism, while urging enlargement and upgrading of treatment spaces.
- Current space constraints also limit our ability to host and mentor the steady flow of Adventist trainees—physicians, health professionals, and managers—who come for hands-on learning.
Addressing these needs through a new wing, will:
- Improve patient experience, privacy, and treatment flow.
- Expand our capacity to train clinicians and administrators who will replicate this model globally.
- Keep Herghelia prominent in the marketplace and preserve our leadership position among European Lifestyle Medicine centers.
This is not a “nice to have”—it is essential to our operation and survival. To continue serving patients with dignity and excellence, and to mentor the next generation of Adventist health leaders, we must build.
2) Launch the First Clinical Lifestyle Medicine Fellowship in Europe
By God’s grace, we are preparing to offer the first clinical Lifestyle Medicine Fellowship in Europe, in English, aligned with international benchmarks (ACLM, ABLM, and broader medical fellowship standards). Directed by Dr. John Kelly and Dr. George Guthrie, the program is designed with a flexible format to fit the demanding schedules of physicians worldwide.
Built around the six ACGME/ABMS competency domains—Practice-Based Learning and Improvement; Patient Care and Procedural Skills; Systems-Based Practice; Medical Knowledge; Interpersonal and Communication Skills; and Professionalism—the fellowship will provide a structured path toward recognition as a Lifestyle Medicine Intensivist as required by the American and International Boards of Lifestyle Medicine. It is tailored for those already certified by ABLM/IBLM who are engaged in live-in programs or community-based practices and who seek advanced, clinically rigorous training.
We believe this fellowship will become a key multiplier for gospel-centered, evidence-based care—preparing professionals who serve with skill, humbleness, and hope.
How You Can Help Right Now
As “memorials for God,” sanitariums must reflect His character—competence, compassion, and integrity. We cannot do this alone. Your partnership makes the difference.
- Pray
- Pray for wisdom as we finalize plans for the new wing.
- Pray for the upcoming ASSA training (May 17–31, 2026) and for teams God is calling to launch lifestyle centers.
- Pray for the LM fellowship launch, faculty, and first cohort.
- Share and connect
- Tell physicians, health professionals, and administrators about ASSA 2026 and the upcoming fellowship.
- Introduce us to friends, ministries, or foundations interested in Lifestyle Medicine and mission.
- Give
- We are seeking lead gifts and monthly partners to begin building the new wing at Herghelia. Your generosity will directly improve patient care, expand training capacity, and secure our ability to serve in the years ahead.
- If the Lord has placed this work on your heart, please consider a special year-end gift or a multi-year commitment toward construction. Every gift—large or small—moves us forward.
If you would like details about the building plan, naming opportunities, or ways to give (including wire transfer or international gifts), please contact us. We would be honored to share more.
Save the Date
- ASSA International Training: May 17–31, 2026
- “How to Start, Develop, and Manage a 21st-Century Sanitarium”
- Ideal for teams planning a Lifestyle Center: at least one physician or health professional and one manager should attend.
- Please help us spread the word to those who need this training but may not know it exists.
Closing
Friends, thank you for standing with us. As we look for Jesus’ soon return, we want to be found faithful—anchored in the gospel, serving with excellence, and lifting up the healing ministry of Christ. Isaiah 58 calls us to “build up the old waste places” and to be “repairers of the breach.” That is our calling in Lifestyle Medicine: to restore, to equip, and to witness—one patient, one team, one center at a time.
Please help us, especially with the new wing at Herghelia. It is essential for our operation and survival—and for the multiplying impact of training others. Together, let us keep these memorials strong and shining for the glory of God and the blessing of humanity. May our dear Lord bless you abundantly in 2026!
With gratitude and hope,
Nick & Valentina Dan
on behalf of the Herghelia Lifestyle Center team
Newsletter XXI Summary
As we look toward a new year, our hearts hold two strong convictions at once: “Even so, come, Lord Jesus!” (Rev.22:20) and “Occupy till I come” (Luke 19:13). In a season when events feel overwhelming, we are reminded that Adventist sanitariums are “memorials for God” and “memorials for the Sabbath.”
I had the privilege of being born into a large, traditional Seventh-day Adventist family—eight children in all. From an early age, our parents instilled two core values in us: a love for God and a respect for work. Those principles have stayed with me all my life.
My time at the Herghelia Health Center was an even greater blessing than I expected. I gained insight from every department in the wellness center, and each trainee also had one-on-one time with leadership.
The training at Herghelia was excellent and genuinely inspirational—an invaluable opportunity for anyone developing or managing a sanitarium. The agenda was thoughtfully structured, each presentation purposeful, and all were led by people with real experience in health and lifestyle centers.
At the OCI International Retreat in Herghelia this May, my brother Kevin heard about the training on how to start and manage a lifestyle center “for such a time as this.” He invited me to join him. It was a difficult season for me—finances among other things—but I don’t regret the investment.
God’s plans are always better than ours, and He leads in ways we don’t expect. I first learned about Herghelia through the OCI International Retreat held there in May, where I heard about “The 21st Century Adventist Sanitarium System Accelerator.”
The course on starting and managing a health center (September 25–October 5) was an amazing opportunity to understand what it really means to live Jesus’ words: “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy” (Matthew 5:7). As part of a group of 12 trainees, we had the privilege of “seeing the unseen”—being welcomed into the “inner circle” of an organization with 30 years of experience in medical missionary work.
In my opinion, this training is essential—crucial for understanding what a Lifestyle Center is today and how it functions. First, I appreciated the complete openness and honesty of the Herghelia instructors in sharing their expertise across every line of work—wisdom gathered over 30 years of operation.
I came to Herghelia when I was 13, when my parents accepted the call to join this ministry. Many things shared in the training were familiar. What I didn’t fully appreciate—and what deeply impressed me—was the long path of challenges, trial and error, and problem-solving that led to Herghelia’s policies and procedures.
As an observer—not currently planning to start a lifestyle center—I found many of the sessions packed with practical information. I especially appreciated Dr. Guthrie’s presentations; they were very informative for the physicians, and he presented strong evidence supporting lifestyle-center approaches. It was helpful to “get into the weeds” on the day-to-day needs that arise in a Lifestyle Center.
Session after session, two of my colleagues—Mihaela and Irinel, our nurse coordinators—help me schedule patients for spiritual counseling, especially those who indicate on the questionnaire at the beginning of each session in Herghelia that they would like to meet.
HERGHELIA – URGENT NEEDS
- New Wing Project: Spring 2026 Milestone
Thanks to the generosity of our friends, we’re making strong progress on the New Wing Project. We’re working toward our Spring 2026 milestone and invite you to help us close the remaining gap.
- Total project budget: $1,500,000
- Spring 2026 milestone goal: $460,000
- Pledged to date: $300,000 (65% of the milestone)
- Balance needed by Spring 2026: $160,000
- Remaining need: $1,200,000
Give: Make tax deductible donations to: OCI earmarked Herghelia New Wing
Pray: That we’ll build wisely and on time.
By God’s grace, we’re building for impact and for the long haul. Thank you for standing with us.
2. Medical Missionary Nursing School – Reframing the Medical Missionary Training Program – $25,000
Contact person: Valentina Dan
Phone: +40-748-118-084
E-mail: valentinadan1964@yahoo.com
Make text deductible donations to:
OCI/Herghelia Projects
5132 Layton Ln, Apison, TN
37302, United States