Love Builds Up
THE World
HUNGARY MINISTRY TEAM
Our Mission
We strive for spiritual growth for members and staff of the two churches by sharing our faith, providing opportunities for service to others and seeking to be the hands of God within our churches and the world.
Our Partners
The Debrecen Reformed Great Church
Historic Reformed church in Eastern Hungary. Serves residents of Debrecen and surrounding towns, and acts as the parent church to Reformed churches in smaller towns in Hungary and the Ukraine. Has outreach ministries supporting special needs children and adults, those experiencing homelessness, senior citizens and Roma college students.
The Immanuel Home
Education and day care center for special needs children and young adults from Debrecen and the surrounding area, where specially trained staff members foster learning and communication and provide day care services while parents work. The new facility completed in 2021 is an education center for children under age 18; the older building is being renovated to house their day program for special needs adults.
The Hungarian Reformed Church of the Carolinas
Hungarian Reformed congregation with members in North and South Carolina. Has met at MPPC for a Hungarian-language service 4 times a year for about 10 years pre-Covid. Typically, about 50 members of all ages gather for worship, lunch and traditional Hungarian activities.
How Love Builds Up
Myers Park Presbyterian’s relationship with the Great Church began in 1999 when Rev. Zsigmond Vad, the Great Church senior pastor, came to MPPC as part of our International Minister program. Initial visits included leaders from both churches, and the initial focus was on sharing faith traditions and on the Great Church learning about congregational life and outreach activities at MPPC as they tried to rebuild their church after 40 years of Communist rule.
During the following 23 years, visits have alternated and have included pastoral and music staff and adult and youth members from both congregations as well as staff members from the Immanuel Home and the Great Church’s senior and homeless ministries. More recently we have taken advantage of technology to meet face to face and now do that monthly with virtual Bible studies led and attended by people from both churches. Our focus has shifted from sharing MPPC’s leadership and outreach practices to collaboration and mutual support as we discuss our joys, the impact of current events and our challenges with topics like social issues and declining church membership.
Partnership Highlights
- Monthly virtual Bible studies led by pastors and attended by members of both churches
- Over 100 MPPC adult and youth members have traveled to Debrecen to visit the Great Church and surrounding ministries since the relationship began in 1999
- MPPC provided financial support for the Immanuel Home to expand its facility
- MPPC provided financial support for the Great Church and their partner church in Csongor, Ukraine as they have dealt with the refugee crisis and other unexpected consquences of the Ukraine War.
If you would like more information, you may reach out to lay leader Barbara Atkins.