Reformatus.hu

Suffering Gave Us Purpose

2018. október 19., tags: joseph kassab, national evangleical synod of syria and lebanon (nessl), union of armenian evangelical churches in the near east (uaecne), harout selimian, middle east, interview, Middle East, syria

Does a pastor think about running away when war breaks out? Does your religion matter at the market in Aleppo? How did suffering and the past change the members of the Reformed Churches in Syria and how do they see their future? Among others these were the topics Rev. Joseph Kassab, General Secretary of the National Evangelical Synod of Syria and Lebanon, and Rev. Haroutune Selimian, President of the Armenian Evangelical Community in Syria talked about during their visit to Hungary. This time, their reporters were Rev. Aaron Stevens and the participants of the panel discussion of the Scottish Mission in Budapest on Tuesday 11^th October.

You cannot say “I’m not a racist but Roma people…”

2018. szeptember 20., tags: heks, HEKS, interview, roma ministry

Over the past three and a half years, Ágnes Nyeső has become the face of the National Roma Ministry of RCH as its mission coordinator, but at the beginning of September she took on a new role as school chaplain at three institutions of Bocskai István Reformed Education Centre in the cities of Dunaújváros and Csepel. In the present interview she shares her experiences within the mission, as well as some of her fondest memories.

Is Europe giving up its Values?

2018. szeptember 05., tags: refugee, reformed intellectuals, migration, interview

What can we learn from research studies on immigration? In this day and age, is any and all movement of people happening to the detriment of the Christian world? What religious and cultural differences exist between Europe and the Islamic world? It is such questions that Hanga Horváth-Sántha, senior researcher at the Migration Research Institute, and Nikoletta Incze, researcher at the Center for the Study of Political Islam deal with during their work. They were present at the Conference of Reformed Intellectuals in Szárszó, where we talked to them about the current situation regarding Islam and Western culture.

Strengthening Our Youth Leaders

2018. augusztus 13., tags: konfi+, interview, youth mission

“Give attention to yourself and your teaching” (1 Timothy 4:16) – Organizers chose this verse to be the motto of this year’s Konfi+ Conference. This year Oradea (Nagyvárad) in Romania hosted the Konfi + Conference from 5 to 8 August. We talked with Rev. Péter Bedekovics, Reformed pastor and the new leader of the RCH Youth Office, about the themes and preparations for the conference.

Support and Solidarity within and beyond Carpathian Basin

2018. június 27., tags: hungarian reformed church (hrc), middle east, Hungarian Reformed Church (hrc), Middle East, interview

This year the Reformed Educational Fund supported various educational institutions in the Carpathian Basin and the Scholarship Program for the Church Schools in Syria.

Bridge of Love

2018. május 14., tags: hungarian reformed church aid (hrca), interview, hungarian reformed church aid (HRCA), Hungarian Reformed Church Aid (hrca), Hungarian Reformed Church Aid (HRCA), volunteering

Park clean ups, visiting the elderly, sharing sweets, charity runs, walking dogs that are living in shelters - just a few of the options among the programs of the Bridge of Love Reformed Volunteering Day organized in the Carpathian Basin. The aim of the event that is organized for the 10^th time is to show that the Reformed people can work together and help others. We asked Réka Kőrösi-Gilicze the head of Communications of the Hungarian Reformed Church Aid (HRCA) about the details of the program.

Healing Wounds

2018. április 27., tags: middle east, partnership, Middle East, interview, national evangelical synod in lebanon and syria (nessl)

“By sharing our resources to help people achieve their own better lives, we are showing them how much we love them.” During her visit to Hungary, Rev. Najla Kassab, President of the WCRC, shared her thoughts and experiences on the life of the Hungarian Reformed community, the current situation in Syria, and the cooperation within the Communion, especially between RCH and NESSL.

The Widow’s Offering

2018. február 13., tags: middle east, interview, Middle East, reformed church in subcarpathia, refugee

“We are doing everything in our power to ensure that Christianity does not disappear from its cradle of two thousand years,” said Tristan Azbej, Deputy State Secretary for the Aid of Persecuted Christians, when interviewed by reformatus.hu, adding that they are also seeking ways to enable Syrian Protestants to stay in their homeland.

The Broken but Repaired Mug

2018. január 26., tags: reformation, interview, reformation jubilee

A seemingly ordinary couple, but there is something extraordinary about them. They both belong to two different realms: natural sciences and theology. The guests of the ‘Faces of Reformation’ series were Tamás Kodácsy and his wife, Eszter Kodácsy-Simon.

To Give a Year of Your Life

2017. december 21., tags: voluntary diaconal year centre, volunteering, interview

The time that young people spend in European countries or in Hungarian communities beyond Hungarian borders transforms them. With their experience not just the young people but their congregations and even the whole Reformed Church is enriched. Twenty years ago the Diaconal Year program started with eleven people in Hungary, and now there are 1300 young people taking part. We asked Rev. Emese Závodi, the program coordinator and a reformed pastor about the details.

Matter of Existence

2017. október 05., tags: reformation, interview

“We need to build new fortresses and new fortifications to protect The Hungarian Reformed Church. Our main focus is on the rebuilding of the church in Transylvania. The question is, will we be able to renew ourselves and maintain the Hungarian Reformed Church in Transylvania?” We talked with bishop Béla Kató of the Transylvanian Reformed Church District which hosted the Presidium of the General Convent of the Hungarian Reformed Church in Cluj (Kolozsvár) on September 29th.

Voices from the Middle East

2017. szeptember 14., tags: youth ministry, youth festival, Starpoint, middle east, interview, starpoint, Middle East, fmeec, FMEEC

As part of a developing partnership of solidarity with churches in the Middle East, four young people from the region attended this year’s Starpoint Youth Festival in Debrecen, Hungary. During their time in Hungary, the delegates sat down with the RCH to discuss their experiences of church in their homeland and what it was like experiencing a Christian festival of this scale in Europe.

Saying Yes to Life

2017. augusztus 29., tags: Conference of Reformed Intellectuals, interview

At the Conference of Reformed Intellectuals in Szárszó, Zoltán Balog, a Reformed Pastor and the Minister of Human Capacities, engaged in a dialogue about professional ethics and the future of Hungary. Balog says that the government welcomes every child, whether born as a result of natural or assisted conception and he gave an interview to Parókia web portal to discuss this more in-depth.

Indispensable Help for Refugees

2017. augusztus 28., tags: refugee, Hungarian Reformed Church Aid (HRCA), hungarian reformed church aid (hrca), interview, hungarian reformed church aid (HRCA), refugee ministry

The Hungarian Reformed Church Aid (HRCA) helps refugees in Hungary by paying regular visits to the transit zones in Röszke and Tompa and also the refugee camp in Nyírbátor. They not only help with supplying food, but they have also enlarged the library, organized sports events and provided spiritual support. Christian refugees are arriving in Hungary in increasing numbers – the opportunity to talk to fellow Christians, or even pastors, is a relief for them. We asked Márton Juhász, the managing director (CEO) of HRCA, to tell us more about their services for refugees.

More Than Just a Game

2017. május 15., tags: accessible church, interview

The Rácz siblings have been volunteering at the Immanuel Home, a ministry to people with disabilities, in Debrecen since they can remember. For the children, their peers at the home are just that – peers. The Rácz siblings help the kids in the home with games, learning activities, and even events at summer camp. Kindness and a sense of open curiosity come naturally to them.

Closing the Gap

2017. április 18., tags: roma ministry, interview

Schools with a reformed religious tradition can be found throughout the country, where people help especially disadvantaged students close the educational gap with their peers. The pastors and elders of the congregations take part in the work too, and there are also schools where reformed Roma students help. We talked to the leader of the closing the gap program of the RCH, Krisztina Nagy.

They’re Not From Mars

2016. december 13., tags: statement on inclusion, interview

A statement regarding the acceptance of our disabled brothers and sisters in the church was adopted at the recent November Synod meeting. The statement was prepared by experts from the Transtibiscan region and it was suggested that institutions and congregations should implement it in their missions. Coinciding with the International Day of Persons with Disabilities, the RCH talked to Ms. Zsófia Győri, Director of the Immanuel House of the Reformed Great Church in Debrecen.

The Church of Scotland Made Me

2016. szeptember 13., tags: rch, Scottish Mission, anniversary, interview, 175, scottish mission

In celebration of the 175^th Anniversary of the Scottish Mission in Budapest, the RCH talks with Rev Bertalan Tamás, former Minister at the Mission, to hear about his time in the congregation. Rev Tamás was the Minister at the Mission from 1976 until 2005, a time filled with uncertainty, community building, and interfaith relations.

The Tool for Retaining Young People

2016. szeptember 07., tags: youth mission, interview

European Protestant churches from nine countries participated in an international research on confirmation work from autumn 2012 to spring 2013, which was a combined effort of the Hungarian Reformed Church together with Hungarian Lutheran and Methodist churches. We recently talked with Ádám Hámori, sociologist and a Hungarian member of the research team, about his thoughts on the confirmation ceremony, the confirmation education leading up to it, and the young people who participate in this education. This research was then also discussed in detail with attendees of the Konfi+ conference, recently held in Debrecen.

This is a Holy Place

2016. augusztus 16., tags: Scottish Mission, anniversary, interview, horvath, 175, scottish mission

In an effort to learn more about the Scottish Mission in the lives of Hungarian citizens during the 175^th Jubilee year, the RCH recently spoke with János Horváth about his emotional and trying times as a political prisoner in the Mission School. Horváth had attended services in the congregation as a child and then, later in life, was held prisoner in the basement of the school during the Nazi regime. He speaks poetically and with conviction about the vital work that the Mission has done in Budapest during his lifetime, and how dear the place is to his heart.