The Mission Service of the Reformed Church in Hungary has published an appeal in connection with the war in Ukraine and the refugees fleeing forced to leave their home due to the atrocities. They encourage Hungarian congregations to gather regularly for prayer and to sing the "hymn" of the Reformed Church in Transcarpathia. Read and join the call.
“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God." (Mt 5:9).
The words of Jesus Christ are a living message for all of us today.
Since unabated war, violence, and persecution is raging in neighbouring Ukraine, and more and more Ukrainian, Ruthenian and Russian-speaking refugees arrive in our country alongside our Hungarian brothers and sisters fleeing from Transcarpathia, we often ask, as people of faith, "What can we do for peace?" Our answer, based on our confession, is that we believe that the God of Peace has the power and will to lead humankind to be in peace with each other. And he wants us to participate in this as his current disciples, actively! Therefore, we encourage congregations of the Reformed Church in Hungary to seek with one heart, as members of a prayerful community, the way of God's peace, crying to the Lord for all those who are experiencing pain, loss, persecution in the war (see 1 Timothy 2:1-2 and Romans 6:13).
We encourage to follow the practice, already in place in several communities, to organise prayer groups in our congregations on a weekly basis, even if in connection with other events, until the end of the war, where church members can pray together for peace in Transcarpathia, Ukraine and Russia! Our Reformed brothers and sisters in Transcarpathia are facing a particularly great trial right now, whether they have left their homes or remained in their homeland.
In 2009, the Hungarian Reformed Churches of the region, called Carpathian Basin, declared their belonging together and their ecclesiastical, constitutional unity. We celebrate this every year on the Sunday closest to 22 May. Let us now express this unity by singing (as a closing hymn) in our services the song 799 of the New Hymnal ("Always with me, Lord, always with me..."), which is sung by our Hungarian Reformed brothers and sisters in Transcarpathia as their anthem in their home congregations! Let us express with our prayerful communities and with this song the unity in God, which goes beyond any human fellowship and unites us with the God of providence and with our brothers and sisters in Christ in this historically probing situation!
Praying for God’s peace for the war-torn regions, and the whole of creation, with brotherly love in Christ:
Issued by András László Gér, General Secretary, Acting Head of the Mission Service and Zoltán Levente Hajdú, Deputy Director General of the Mission Service. Translated by Anna Derencsényi.