Centenary of Reformed Church in Transcarpathia

Bishop Károly Fekete, head of the Transtibiscan Reformed Church District (Debrecen), and Bishop Dániel Pásztor, leader of the Cistibiscan Reformed Church District (Miskolc), represented the Reformed Church in Hungary (RCH). After the solemn entry of the pastors of the RCT and the invited guests, Ferenc Taracközi, senior pastor of the reformed congregation in Berehove, greeted the community with the words of Psalm 103.

Bishop Károly Fekete conducted the opening service. On the occasion of the centenary, the sermon was based on a psalm of thanksgiving (Psalm 100:1-3). According to the Bishop, when we think about our problems and the difficulties of our loved ones, it is not so easy to rejoice, so we should encourage each other along with the psalmist: “Shout for joy to the Lord.” He added that the Reformed Church in Transcarpathia has reason to rejoice because it has a history that covers more than a hundred years. Before the eyes of the Lord were all the events, protagonists, and side characters. The Bishop stressed that he considers it vital to keep the memory of blessings in our minds, not to let it fade, to keep it alive. When there is no other support and hope, the memory of previous miracles becomes a source of strength.

Gábor Danku, Lay President of the Reformed Church in Transcarpathia (RCT), presented to the assembly a historical overview. He also offered key facts about the life of the church, which represents a minority in Ukraine, both in terms of nationality and religion. Seventy-six pastors are serving in 108 congregations of RCT, and nearly 600 students study in four high schools maintained by the church, employing 81 teachers. He also emphasised that two hundred children are being prepared for school in a Reformed environment in thirteen kindergartens operated by congregations. At the same time, 6165 students have started the current school year. Eighty-four children are cared for in the children's home in Nagydobrony, nearly 100 children have been living in foster families supported by the Samuel Foundation, and seventy children with special needs receive professional support in rehabilitation centres. The home care service supports 340 elderly people in need. There are 23 soup kitchens across the congregations, and the Diaconal Coordination Office of the RCT distributes almost 30,000 meals a year to the needy. Since 2010, the Gospel has been broadcast in Transcarpathia through the church-owned Pulzus Radio, which operates on the premises of the local congregation in Berhove.

The letter of greeting of Bishop Zoltán Balog, Ministerial President of the Synod of the RCH, was read by Dávid Baksa, minister of the Csapi Reformed Parish. “You represent a role model for us,” wrote the Bishop. “Faithfulness, courage, humility - these are the Christian virtues we can learn from you. The way you, relying on God's grace alone, have embraced the reviving power of the Spirit is an embarrassment for us.' We have been building our Church in much better circumstances, with less faith, for the last thirty years. But whenever we experience the fellowship with you, we are strengthened by you, time and time again. We do not yet see the end of our troubles; we are still searching for God's will. But you can be sure that we weep with you when you weep, we rejoice when you rejoice - and we always pray for you,” stated the message of Bishop Balog. "For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous and his ears are attentive to their prayer...” (1 Pt 3:12)

In his prayer, Bishop Sándor Zán Fábián, head of the Reformed Church in Transcarpathia, expressed his gratitude for the church leaders, pastors, and elders who set an example a hundred years ago, for the parents who looked upon their children as a blessing even in those harsh times, and for the fall of the communism in 1990. He expressed his gratitude for the power of God, which he had shown to his people through the fact that after the closure of churches and schools, their reopening was made possible in the 1990s.

Zsolt Orosz, pastor of the congregation in Zápszony, then remembered the first bishop of the RCT, Béla Bertók, by presenting his life and ministry. In his speech, he emphasised that the work of the church leader was characterised by prudence and perseverance. Together with his contemporaries, they not only founded the church, separated from the ‘mother church’ as a consequence of the peace treaties in Paris but also did their utmost to strengthen it, promoting genuine spiritual renewal. During his episcopal ministry, Béla Bertók had to act as a minority leader in a newly formed state, Czechoslovakia. The new political regime banned the import of printed media products from Hungary, so the Bishop founded the Berehovo-based Calvin Printing House and launched a series of publications.

In conclusion, Zsolt Orosz explained that if we were to look at Béla Bertók's life through the eyes of a historian, we would see nothing but troubles, trials, misery, and misfortune for most of it. “In hindsight, we can see that the Lord shaped everything in such a way that it later had meaning and a role in his life and ministry,” said the pastor of Zápszony.

After the presentation, Bishop Dániel Pásztor offered a sermon based on the continuation of Psalm 100 (Psalm 100:4-5), which was at the heart of the reflection at the opening address. According to the Bishop from Hungary, something is perplexing about how people in Transcarpathia still look to their future and embrace their situation from God in hope. Encouraging those present to praise and glorify the Lord, he stressed that hope begins with thanksgiving. He added that the historical retrospection that was given also shows that God has faithfully stood behind the people of Transcarpathia under challenging times, whether it was the forced labour camps of the soviet Gulag system, war, or famine. Pastor Daniel spoke of God's love and faithfulness at the end of his sermon, which endures from generation to generation.

Róbert Géresi, bishop of the Reformed Christian Church in Slovakia, greeted the assembly. He said that he was grateful not only for the events and happenings of the past 100 years that have brought together the Reformed people of Transcarpathia and Hungarian highlands (today part of Slovakia) but also for the grace that God's love in Christ has brought.

In his closing speech, Bishop Zán Fábián called the synod a “small national assembly” of the Hungarian minority living in Transcarpathia, Ukraine. He said that more than a decade ago, God gave him the idea that the Reformed people of Transcarpathia should gather together to confess their faith and sins and to ask for forgiveness and blessing. The idea of the family retreats was born then, and the programme is regularly organised in Transcarpathia. At the commemorative event for the church's centenary, Bishop Zán Fábián called on those present to follow the example of their ancestors. The bishop emphasised that if those in their homeland remain faithful to the Word of God, life will flourish in Transcarpathia, and those who have left will long to return to where they once left.

Following the confession of faith, Bishop Zán Fábián presented to the guests of the festive worship a special publication to the memory of the 100th anniversary.