Roma and Non-Roma People Apologized to Each Other In Balatonszárszó

Between the 25^th and the 28^th of February, nearly sixty people attended the conference called “Rapprochement Among Nations”, which provided an opportunity to experience the healing and reconciliation among Christians of different origins. Roma brothers and sisters arrived in a large numbers for the event, from around the country and across borders, but representatives of other nations were involved as well. One night prayers in Romani, Welsh, Hungarian, English, Korean, Romanian and Ukrainian  were said, in which they begged for the healing of the wounds from the hit of the ethnical conflicts.

Roma Ministry: Frequently Asked Questions

The Village Without a Washing Machine

The Biztos Kezdet Kid’s Center was opened in the village known as the fresco-village, Bódvalenke on 29 May. The program is a lifesaver for the inhabitants where more than half of the population are children and 28 of their mothers are younger than 18.  

Steps Toward Social Inclusion

The Swiss Interchurch Aid (HEKS) Regional Partner Meeting of Eastern Europe and Western Balkans was organised in Kosovo and Serbia on inclusion of Roma, Ashkali and Egyptians at the beginning of June 2014. The Reformed Church in Hungary, as a partner organization of HEKS since September 2013, was represented by the Roma Mission Office of the General Synod's Mission Department.

Honey Can Move Mountains

How Hungarian congregations struggle with hopelessness and misery   Christians never fight for causes which are completely lost, since with their faith in God they can change the world. This story is about the creativity of a community surrounded by hopelessness in Northeastern Hungary.

Roma Mission Hosts National Gathering and Day of Prayer

Focusing on “Reconciliation – Wholeness – and Hope,” several hundred people gathered from across Hungary and from Subcarpathia for a national Roma mission Day of Prayer and sharing. Most of the attendees were Roma, with some non-Roma Hungarians and a few foreign volunteers present. The daylong event was held at the Káposztásmegyeri Reformed Church, Budapest. The Reformed Church in Hungary (RCH) Roma Mission team hosted it.

What's a day worth?

A woman stabbed in the back by her own husband. Another who asked for an EKG exam just to have something happen to her. A third who has had more than 40 abortions. A little boy whose eye was shot, but who tells lies about it claiming it was an accident. In only a few minutes, volunteers of the “A way toward life” program – doctors and nurses of the Bethesda Hospital and co-workers of the Reformed Mission Centre – experienced these fragments of lives during their mission, when they examined more than 1,000 people in 14 disadvantaged towns within the framework of a free check-up program.

Supporting Roma Mission

In September 2013, the aid organisation of the Protestant Churches of Switzerland, Swiss Interchurch Aid (HEKS), and the Reformed Church in Hungary signed an agreement entitled “Country Programme 2014-2016,” which focuses on the support and nourishment of Roma youth in Hungary through the “strengthening of congregations to foster and to cooperate with Roma children and young persons.” Since then, the official contract has been drafted and signed by both the RCH and HEKS. Congregations are able to send proposals for support regarding Roma mission activities that aim to catch children and youth up to academic standards, improve life skills or provide school programme activities. To understand a bit more about the collaboration, we spoke with the RCH’s project coordinator, Petra Dienes, about the details.

Spotlight on Partnership

Partnership is an invaluable asset for today’s global church, but it is also a broad term that encompasses many different forms of agreement and cooperation. Never is this more evident than the partnership between the Reformed Church in Hungary and Global Ministries in the USA.

Fall Synod Report 2013

The fall meeting of the General Synod of the Reformed Church in Hungary began on 14 November in Budapest. Several topics were on the docket for the meeting, including the Roma action plan, the findings of the Church Revision Committee and a discussion concerning the implication of the Leuenberg Agreement on church legal documents. In addition, Rev. Seon Koo, a mission coworker from the Presbyterian Church in the Republic of Korea (PROK), gave his greetings at the beginning of the Synod session. He highlighted the 18-year history between the RCH and PROK, and also provided his sincere wish that the partnership can be improved through the churchs' work and activities.

Learning from Roma Integration Initiatives in Hungary and Serbia

Migration within Europe is a complex issue that is affecting a number of countries in the EU. As the EU continues to expand toward the East, large numbers of Roma are arriving in Germany, especially Northrhine-Westphalia for asylum and poverty-related reasons. Several cities are facing major integration challenges, in spite of the European decade of Roma Integration initiative, which began in 2005.

Reflections on Mission

Rev. Keith Kraft, a United Church of Christ pastor from Mobridge, South Dakota (USA), alongside his wife Debbie served for a month this summer at a summer camp for Roma children at the Reformed Roma Center in Csonkapapi, Ukraine. The camp provides weeklong programs from June through July for nearly 400 youth from several surrounding communities. Below, Rev. Kraft has presented us with some reflections from his mission in Ukraine.

A New Swiss-Hungarian Cooperation Is Born

It is an exciting time for the Reformed Church in Hungary (RCH) and the Swiss Interchurch Aid (HEKS). On Thursday, the two organizations took another step together strengthening their partnership with an agreement that focuses on Roma ministry in Hungary.

A Step Toward Reconciliation

It is fitting that the Roma Council of the Reformed Church in Hungary is meeting to debate its Roma Concept today, 8 April, because it coincides with the International Roma Day. It is a day to celebrate Roma people and culture but also draw attention to continued discrimination that the Roma community faces.

Ministry among the Roma - Interview with Attila Landauer, Gypsy Studies Specialist

Attila Landauer is a minority researcher. He started his academic studies in Gypsy culture in the mid 90s, and since August 2010 has been working as the coordinator of Roma minisry of the Reformed Church in Hungary. In the following interview, Mr. Landauer discusses history of Gypsy culture, their connection to Reformed church and the role of István Wáli Reformed Roma Collegium.

Gypsies in Europe

In spite of what the public thinks, Gypsies have never really been a uniform group. What is more, they are not even likely to have been one people in the past – states Szilveszter Póczik, a historian-criminologist and the senior scientific representative of the Hungarian National Institute of Crimonology (OKRI). In the following interview Mr Póczik attempts to throw light on the differences and similarities between Gypsies living in Eastern and Western Europe. He will also summarize the history of Gypsies on the European continent, looking at the previous centuries. Szilveszter Póczik does not believe that the Gypsy issue can be solved during a single government cycle. On the contrary, it might take about 50-100 years to find a lasting solution.

Roma are by far not a Homogeneous Group

This article contains some of the most thought provoking excerpts from a two-part interview with Pál Nagy, historian and scientific consultant at Szent István University in Gödöllő, Hungary.

A New Reformed Collegium for Roma Students in Debrecen

The István Wáli Reformed Roma Collegium, which currently hosts 16 students, officially started its operation in September 2011. The Collegium was established as part of the Christian Roma Collegium Network to provide Roma students participating in higher education with accommodation, mentoring and additional courses to complement their school studies.