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Far Away But Not Alone: A Story from Hungary
Szabina Sztojka and Rev. Balázs Ódor
Members of the Hungarian Reformed community extend well beyond the boundaries of Hungary. However, the distance does nothing to lessen the historic and ethnic ties that bind these reformed people to their homeland. The Hungarian Reformed Church (HRC), the unified church of Hungarian communities in the Carpathian Basin, is "mother" to many Hungarian reformed congregations that were formed all over the world following the massive migration of Hungarians at the end of the 19th and into the 20th century.
But how does today’s HRC remain connected with these diaspora communities in Western Europe, America, Canada and Australia?
In 2008, the Reformed Church in Hungary first organized a meeting with the diaspora from all across the world to discuss ways of cultivating relations. The situation is unique in every location, but one main way of support and continued relation is through the "Pastor-Sending" Program to Western Europe, a joint project between the member churches within the Carpathian Basin that was started in 2009. Within the framework of the program, pastors from congregations throughout the Carpathian Basin apply and are sent to fill pulpits in Hungarian reformed communities in Luxemburg, Brussels, Paris, Geneva and Munich. Since the program began, over 40 pastors have made 58 trips to these communities.
"We are responsible for each other within and outside the Carpathian Basin, so we must carry each other’s burdens," said Gergely Márton Kis, pastor in Tokaj who traveled to serve the congregation in Paris.
This reflection comes from two members of the Reformed Church of Hungary.
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Szabina Sztojka works for the Mission Department of the Synod office of the Reformed Church in Hungary. She is actively involved in Roma mission and began studies at the Reformed Theology School in September in the hope of becoming a pastor.
The Rev. Balázs Ódor serves as Ecumenical Officer for the Reformed Church in Hungary.
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