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More than publicizing a special church, our aim is to give you an insight into one of the hosting Churches, and through that into the challenges of the Hungarian society that is still in basic transformation more than 20 years after the political changes.
Part of this “going beyond” is hosting the CEC Assembly and offering , as much as we can for a successful meeting, full of discussions and decisions. It is an inspiring journey for us and we are thankful for each and every participant, that they have also joined in this European Ecumenical Journey. We are happy to sit at one table with all of you – and let our trust and capacity be mutually challenged.
We understand ourselves as a "border-crossing" community in every sense of the word: crossing political borders for expressing church unity and communion with other Hungarian-speaking Reformed Churches. Similarly, we move beyond the walls of the church in mission and social ministry in order to transform the church into a welcoming community that reaches out to youth, and transforms society by taking responsibility in social life and by standing on the side of the needy and vulnerable. "Going beyond borders" affects our community; it challenges old and traditional forms of being a congregation and living out the church. Going beyond – on the basis of still limited resources is an extremely exciting challenge, which we hope changes our community for the better – also means for us "going far beyond our own capacities." The Reformed Church is an ever-reforming church.
We as Christians have a responsibility not only to like-minded people, but also to those who differ from us to a great extent. We also have a responsibility to ourselves to create the possibility of being enriched by learning about differences.
For us, Reformed people in today’s Hungarian society, the primary task is to enable everybody within our church – regardless of their origin or social status – to experience the power of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, which is open, healing and revitalizing. The medium for this is the Reformed congregation. This is what Rev. Levente Sohajda from Göncruszka, interviewed in the film, talks about: “What we have is children, names, families. It is totally irrelevant whether you are Roma, Hungarian or Chinese.”
Which is more difficult: creating a home, a church building for an existing congregation, or filling an empty building with a congregation? This was the dilemma over ten years ago in a housing complex area of Szigetszentmiklós.
Where there is typically a lack of nice surroundings and a sense of community: in the “red” Csepel Island, where “the fact that we announce the time of church service and the pastor puts on the black robe does not mean anyone will actually bother to come to church.” Where we must create a community or even a family for people who went to church “hungry and freezing,” where the Word of God was heard.
A prison is a tool of social justice. A world where one of the most important needs of human existence is taken from those behind bars: freedom. This punishment, although appropriate in terms of justice, is not the final word from the point of view of Christian hope.
A basic experience of Christian life is redemption; man is freed from the shackles of sin, the lonely and miserable sinner is lifted by the Lord, receiving the gift of community. Standing before God, even a free man is a prisoner, but Christ could mean freedom even for a prisoner. Therefore “the house of crime” is a mission area that is of special importance to the Christian community, a challenge they must never turn their backs on because of what Jesus has taught: for “I was in prison and you came to visit me” (Matthew 25:36), says Jesus to his disciples. What this mission means in practice can only be understood by those who are capable and willing to follow others into this sad and seemingly unbearable world. The protagonist of the film, Zsolt, guides us: he returns to the prison as a free man, because Redemption makes him belong here in a way.
„A hit hallásból van, a hallás pedig Isten Igéje által.” (Róm 10:17) De ki áll azok mellé, akik fülükkel nem hallanak? Református keresztyénként nem feledkezhetünk meg a hallássérült testvérekről sem, segíteni kell őket, hogy ők is bekapcsolódhassanak az egyházi, gyülekezeti életbe.
“Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word about Christ” (Romans 10:17). But who will stand by those who are incapable of hearing with their ears? We, Reformed Christians must not forget about our hearing-impaired brothers and sisters. We must help them become integrated into the life of the church and the congregation.
It is a challenge that only an expert interpreter is able to fulfil such a task, who has detailed knowledge not only of the Bible, but also of sign language and the hearing-impaired community. Joyful togetherness – this is what we can offer to hearing-impaired children, which they can rarely experience otherwise. Disabled people are helped in a variety of ways through official channels, but what they really lack is social life, opportunities to be with others in a relaxed environment. With this aim in mind, the Reformed Mission for the Hearing-impaired has organized several events within the framework of the project called ‘After-school and Recreational Programmes for the Hearing-impaired.’ One such programme features in the film.
Since 2006, the Reformed Refugee Mission in Hungary has been helping those who were forced to leave their homes, fleeing from a war conflict or ethnic, religious or political persecution, and who were placed under international protection. In their new surroundings, these people have to face countless linguistic and cultural difficulties as well as prejudices, and in most cases they also have to cope with the traumatic experiences resulting from their flight.
Every year about 130 people are granted refugee status in Hungary, the majority of them coming from Afghanistan, Somalia, Iran and Iraq. The Christian service among refugees means the creation of a quality of life that every human being deserves: apart from providing housing, employment and education, the Reformed Refugee Mission also undertakes the task of community building.
