To deepen the partnership and cooperation of the churches, the Reformed Church in Hungary (RCH) has invited church leaders of the Armenian Protestant Community in Syria, President Haroution Selimian, and the National Evangelical Synod of Syria and Lebanon (NESSL), General Secretary Joseph Kassab, for a Partnership Visit on 8-12 October 2018 in Budapest, Hungary.

The visit will provide another opportunity to deepen the sense of fellowship of the churches, sharing and inspiring one another with testimonies of strength amidst the challenges of the world today. The visit will introduce the various ministries, as well as the diaconal and educational institutions of the RCH, including a visit to Debrecen, the City of Reformation and the capital of the Transtibiscan Church District. In addition, St. Columba’s Church of Scotland in Budapest will host a roundtable discussion on the Situation and Life in Syria and the challenges of Evangelical and Presbyterian minorities with Rev. Selimian and Rev. Kassab, moderated by Rev. Aaron Stevens, and followed by fellowship on Tuesday, 9 October.

Rev. Haroution Selimian and Rev. Joseph Kassab 

The present Partnership Visit will be the fifth official visit between the churches. In November 2016, RCH Ecumenical Officer, Rev. Balázs Ódor attended the Fellowship of Middle East Evangelical Churches (FMEEC) International Conference and Assembly, followed by a group of four Syrian young adults attending the RCH Starpoint Youth Festival in the summer of 2017. December 2017, a delegation of the RCH paid a solidarity visit to Lebanon and Syria. More recently, Rev. Ódor attended a partnership consultation in Lebanon in April. Such mutual visitations have offered the chances to share and report of faithful Christian witnesses in difficult and challenging circumstances.

By sharing testimonies, the Hungarian Reformed Church Aid has launched a donation campaigns among the Hungarian Reformed Congregations in support of the Sunday School Program in Syria as well as the General Convent of the Hungarian Reformed Church decided to join in the Scholarship Program for School Kids in Syria, initiated by the HEKS.

Written by Priscilla Yang