Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ,
In 2008, the leadership of our Reformed Church in Szeged, Hungary,
thought that the Lord had prepared and brought the long-awaited time of
building a new church. As for us, we have dedicated ourselves to the
work that exceeds our power. We consider this our holy duty, since if
the Lord wants to build a new reformed church in our roman-catholic
dominated town, then we have to take on our part of the work: the
spiritual, financial and physical hardships. We sincerely believe that
we have become God's co-workers in a task (that is) not given to every
generation.
In Europe, church buildings have become empty, and lots of them have
been sold. It is known that our Hungarian nation is also drifting toward
ungodliness, so it may seem unnecessary to build a church. We, however,
believe that the holy Word of God, the gospel of grace of our Jesus will
be spoken out loudly among these walls even in years and in decades to
come. We believe that where the Word of God is proclaimed, there also
will be a church - God through his Word and Spirit gathers the Church!
We believe that in this future building there will be true worship, and
so our 80-year-old congregation will have a future by grace. In today.s
Hungary, building a church is a testimony! It is a testimony about our
faith in the Lord, who will let His word be proclaimed. This is why we
believe that this church will not be empty, nor will it need to be
closed or sold. The gospel will be spread, and there will be a church,
which will worship, adore and serve his Savior and Lord according to the
Word.
Naturally, we have notified the bishop of our district about our
intention. He has assured us of his support. He pointed out that since
only a few reformed churches had been built in the country over the past
years, he would consider the building of a new reformed church in this
big Hungarian town an event with great significance.
The plans have been designed by a renowned architect office in
Szeged, and have been approved by the elders of the Church in January
2009. They can be viewed on the website of our church
(www.ujszeged.ref.hu).
According to the preliminary calculations, the cost of our
construction project will be around 150-160 million Hungarian forint
(HUF (1USD~220HUF; cost~680 000 USD)). We are trying to raise the money
from different sources. One of them is our 200-member congregation. To
date, they have made a pledge of 17 million HUF (~77 000 USD), and have
already started to pay this to the account of our foundation. We have
received pledges for additional financial support from the local
authorities, a neighboring company called Hunguest, and the district of
our congregation. We also expect donations from different churches,
companies and generous supporters from outside the country. We, however,
ultimately rely on the Lord to cover all of our expenses. As we can read
in the Bible, he owns the gold and the silver.
Somebody has warned us that due to the financial crisis, this is
perhaps not the right time to start this kind of a project. We
acknowledge that if we just consider the critical situation in the world
or in our country, we should not get involved in this project. However,
if we look at the Lord, we can start it. We recall that our existing
building was built during the world financial crisis in 1928. It seems
that the financial difficulties were not too big for the Lord then, and
we can be sure they will not be now either. Just like it took one year
to erect the current buildings that time, it may take only this year to
build the new buildings.
This task exceeds our strength, similarly to the enemy, which
significantly outnumbered King Jehoshaphat and his army. He prayed: "For
we are powerless against this great horde that is coming against us. We
do not know what to do, but our eyes are on you." The prophet of the
Lord encouraged him and the people: "Do not be afraid and do not be
dismayed at this great horde, for the battle is not yours but God's.
Tomorrow go against them ... and see the salvation of the Lord on your
behalf." On the next morning the king stood up before his army and said:
"Believe in the Lord your God, and you will be established..." He
appointed the singers to go before the army and bless the Lord even
before they won the battle. After this, God delivered them with a
glorious victory, and they accomplished the impossible mission! We
believe that God is the same triumphant God, and we will reach our goals
with Him. That is why we bless Him for his faithfulness in advance, and
that is how we approach our task at hand.
Dear Sisters and Brother in Jesus Christ, who are far and unknown to
us. We invite you to come and help us if God is leading you: first with
your prayer, and if you can, financially as well!
Praise the LORD! Praise the name of the LORD, give praise, O
servants of the LORD, who stand in the house of the LORD, in the courts
of the house of our God! Praise the LORD, for the LORD is good; sing to
his name, for it is pleasant! For the LORD has chosen Jacob for himself,
Israel as his own possession. For I know that the LORD is great, and
that our Lord is above all gods. Whatever the LORD pleases, he does, in
heaven and on earth, in the seas and all deeps. Psalm 135:1-6
With brotherly blessings,
Pastor Zoltan Sipos Ete
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