Reformatus.hu

With One Touch

2014. augusztus 05., tags: church revision, interview, andrás harmathy

"I do not believe in the Church, but I do believe that God's Spirit works among us. And I love the Church" - We talked to pastor András Harmathy, convener of the Church Revision Committee.

When we go into the circus

2014. július 24., tags: istván szabó, interview

Is there democracy in the Church? Are politicians allowed to talk about God? Why are we lamenting when a “bearded lady” becomes the example to be followed in Europe? On Wednesdays in our interview series, we talk about Christianity and democracy with well-known public figures. This time István Bogárdi Szabó, the bishop of the Danubian Reformed Church District shared his thoughts before Zsuzsa Fekete’s microphone.

Fact-finding Not Only About Informers

2014. július 15., tags: interview, fact-finding

The Fact-finding Historian Committee (TTB) is about to finish its assignment. István Szabadi, secretary of the committee and director of the Transtibiscan Reformed Church District’s archive gave an account of its results during the April Synod session.

A Learning Leader

2014. július 04., tags: interview, scholarship

Teachers have to gain experience at schools, medical residents at hospitals and theologians in congregations before they start their life-long professional careers. Hunor Attila Koncz - spending his fourth year at university, studying theology - decided to spend his internship in Geneva, the cradle of Calvinism. In the city of businessmen, babysitters, diplomats, and Hungarians that immigrated there in 1956, his mouth became parched during his first sermon but he stayed for another year. The Hungarian Protestant Church of Geneva’s resigning pastor spoke about the pastor’s role, the mission and the inspiring heritage.

Word of Greetings

2014. június 13., tags: interview, gusztáv bölcskei, greetings

On behalf of the Reformed Church in Hungary, I welcome you to our new website acquainting you with our life and ministry. We offer regular news updates to inform you about events and issues within our community. Please, journey together with us by signing up for our electronic newsletter. I firmly hope that our effort will affect a deeper fellowship with you and give you an insight into the life of an ever reforming community which, moved by the Spirit, seeks to fulfill its mission in proclaiming the Gospel in word and deed. I also invite you to share your comments, questions and thoughts. Please, challenge us. I greatly appreciate your interest in our life.
Yours in our Lord, Jesus Christ, Gusztáv Bölcskei, Presiding Bishop of the RCH

Something New

2014. május 15., tags: ágnes, interview, 1 percent

Ágnes studied at vocational school, worked in a factory for 17 years and then they sent her away. Without a degree, nobody wanted to employ her. Her dreams did not come true, but she was able to stand up and start a new life. She found her place in a reformed congregation and now works with people as one of the most active members of her congregation. We talked with her as a participant of the 1% campaign of this year.

We Need a Forced March

2014. május 15., tags: levente kovács, church revision, interview

New urban congregations, a flatter church structure and placing greater emphasis on the role of donations – among many other things, elder Levente Kovács considers these changes crucial regarding the future of the Reformed Church in Hungary. We talked to the general secretary of the Hungarian Banking Association in connection with the revision process in the Reformed Church, since he is a reformed person who can simultaneously see the community from the inside and the outside.

A Celebration of Unity

2014. május 15., tags: interview, hungarian reformed church (hrc), zoltán tarr, unity day

The 24^th-25th of May will be a festival weekend in the Hungarian Reformed Church (HRC). In Budapest we celebrate the reformed unity with the traditional 3-day long music festival, while in Debrecen a full-day reunion will commemorate the fifth anniversary of the HRC’s Constituting Synod in 2009. We asked Zoltán Tarr, the general secretary of the Reformed Church in Hungary about the latter.

“I’m not a foster parent, I’m a parent”

2014. május 08., tags: 1 percent, interview

Edit and her husband, László, are foster parents. They raise two young children in addition to their own. We interviewed the faces behind the Reformed Church in Hungary’s one percent campaign.

New ways of spreading the Bible

2014. április 23., tags: translation, interview, hungarian bible society, bible

It is the Churches’ mission to make the Bible available for everyone – said Viktor Kókai Nagy. We asked the communication director of the new revised Bible translation, which was recently finished, about the new means and ways they use to help the Hungarian Bible Society spread the Word of God.

Church, Cemetery, Joy

2014. április 19., tags: interview, easter

Compelling. Perhaps finding an article about graveside services on a youth webpage requires some explanation, especially since last time we discussed that young people are able to see the future of the Church. But maybe there is nothing to explain: the story of Easter is connected to cemeteries, a place of quietness.

Depart Orthodox, Return Reformed

2014. április 10., tags: Romania, romania, interview, heidelberg catechism, transylvania

A book of Reformed doctrines accidentally caught in the hands of Mihai Androne completely changed his life. We spoke with the professor from the Theological Academy of Cluj-Napoca about the jubilee for the 450th anniversary of the Heidelberg Catechism and what Protestantism means for him.

The Good Samaritan’s Pride

2014. március 26., tags: good samaritan children's home, lászló katkó, interview

God does not have ill and healthy, Turkish, Hungarian and Roma children, merely children. – We spoke with László Katkó the head of the Good Samaritan Reformed Children’s Home in Velyka Dobron, Ukraine after being presented the Tamás Dizseri award.

Supporting Roma Mission

2014. március 10., tags: petra dienes, heks, roma ministry, interview, HEKS, agreement

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.

Facing the Past and the Present

2014. március 04., tags: interview, tőkéczki, church revision

The individual and the community are determined by their own past. Whether they like and admit it or not, the past is always with them, in them, that is why it is essential to know it, emphasized historian László Tőkéczki, Lay President of the Danubian Reformed Church District. He is the editor of the public television program called Freedom Square '89, which commemorates the events of the political changes. As the day commemorating the victims of communism approaches, we talked to Tőkéczki about the victims taken by the red dictatorship and about the political changes 25 years ago.

1% support, 99% spirit

2014. február 13., tags: campaign, 1 percent, interview

The personal advertisements of the RCH's 1% campaign would like to show conversion and the inner and outer change that comes with it. We have looked for real life stories with real flesh and blood people behind them, whose life, lifestyle and environment have completely turned around by receiving the gospel and through the service of the Reformed Church. During the ongoing 1% period, until the end of May, we would like to have introduced three stories of change like this. The first chapter of this series is about Zsolt, who lives a pure and hard life after quitting drugs. The motto of the reformed 1% campaign is: '1% support, 99% spirit.'

Over the Border: Interest in Unity

2014. február 06., tags: interview, unity, transylvanian reformed church district, királyhágómellék reformed church district, béla kató, istván csűry, transylvania

Although many people blame communism, and for good reason, we experience godlessness today as well, and our problems stem from this – István Csűry, bishop of the Királyhágómellék Reformed Church District. Among many other things, we spoke with Csűry and Béla Kató, bishop of the Transylvanian Reformed Church District, about why Hungarians need Mohács and how ecumenism comes to fruition in Transylvania.

Spotlight on Partnership

2014. február 04., tags: global ministries, roma ministry, interview, peter makari, partnership, ecumenical

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.

Diversity as a Task

2014. január 23., tags: week of prayer, józsef steinbach, ecumenical, interview, józsef Steinbach

Regarding the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, reformatus.hu interviewed the Reformed Bishop József Steinbach, President of the Ecumenical Council of Churches in Hungary.

Beautiful Diversity

2014. január 08., tags: reformed mission centre (rmc), refugee ministry, interview, refugee, mission to the people

"Our mission is to provide a home to 'newcomers,' to help rebuild their lives in humanity and to give Christ's love to them," said Dóra Kanizsai-Nagy, the head of the Refugee Ministry of the Reformed Mission Center in Hungary who won the Equality Prize on the Day of Social Work. We asked Dóra about her job's attractiveness, its difficulties, and we discussed how Christmas can be celebrated together with others who have different cultural backgrounds.