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For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.

Member Churches News

Pentecost Message

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. (Galatians 5:22-23)

 

Those who work dream of fruit(s). When farmers plough the land and sow the seed, they already think about the crop. While raising their children, parents already see mature adults in them who would cope with different situations in life. Pastors’ spiritual eyes see those whom God brings into the kingdom of heaven through their sermons when preaching the Word of God. 

No one wants to run unnecessary circles or walk roads that lead to nowhere; no one intends to live a fruitless life. Furthermore, we want instant results! Our fast-paced, profit-oriented, result-seeking world urges us to bear fruits immediately. Our contemporary world is pressing us to squeeze out of ourselves all – even things we do not have. If you cannot get results, what is the point of your life?!

Pentecost speaks of a different kind of fruit. Pentecost proclaims that true, precious fruits are produced through the Holy Spirit. Where the Spirit is poured out and working, blessed fruits will appear, as enumerated in the cited verse above. 

The Spirit provides where and when He wills. Humans do not have the power to bear fruit. Unfortunately, we often forget about this and we think that human effort, ambition, action, and will can replace the work of the Spirit. 

May the Holy Day ahead of us be about rebelieving that only the Holy Spirit of God can bear fruits in our lives. Obviously, this does not mean that we should stop working or become superficial about the duties God has entrusted to us – but it means freedom. We become free, under the rule of the Holy Spirit, to serve God!

 

“Come, Holy Spirit, God and Lord! Let all your graces be outpoured…” 

 

May the Lord grant everyone a blessed Pentecost, abundant in spiritual fruits!

 

Bogdán Szabolcs János · Bishop


There is no just war

"Indeed, the Lord brings a charge against the people who live in the land — for there is no truth and no gracious love or knowledge of God in the land." (Hosea 4:1)


The horrors of war are constantly around us: they are sometimes manifested via news from distant countries, in the form of cold war tensions, through the silence of secret preparations, or by noisy threats and sophisticated intimidations. These days, just after the Russian-Ukrainian war broke out in the immediate vicinity of the European Union, people seem to experience extreme spiritual reactions, from "not my war" to "everything is lost" …


> read more > PDF-document from Bishop István Csűry

Joint conference with Communion of Protestant Churches in Europe and Protestant Church Switzerland

The CPCE is conducting its deliberations and activities addressing the corona pandemic under the banner: God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and consideration (2 Timothy 1:7).


The text “Being Church Together in a Pandemic – Reflections from a Protestant Perspective” offers guidance from a Protestant perspective on ethical issues arising from the corona pandemic or accentuated under these conditions..


> read more in english: Conference report from the online consultation (PDF)


> lire la suite en français: Rapport de la conférence en ligne (PDF)


> mehr lesen in deutsch: Tagungsbericht der Online-Konsultation (PDF)

Freedom and legality, humanity and human rights in Belarus!

We ask you to pray for freedom and legality in Belarus, for humanity and human rights in our country.


Members of the Reformed community also took part in the protests against the election fraud, against the arbitrariness and violence of the Lukashenko dictatorship. Several members of the community were arrested and fined. Now, a spokesman for the community, whom we met at our councils and who had to flee abroad, wrote to us: “We ask you to pray for freedom and legality in Belarus, for humanity and human rights in our country. (...) At the moment, more than 30,000 best people of Belarus of all professions and ages (from underage schoolchildren to even 89 years old!) have gone, through the courts and prisons (…)”


> read more > PDF-document from WCRC-Europe-President 



The Synodal Council of the ECCB Calls For Solidarity With the Oppressed in Belarus


We have been following the tense situation in Belarus with deep concern. The protests against the dictatorial regime of President Lukashenko have been going on for seven months. Although the August presidential election was obviously rigged, the regime is not willing to back down. Opposition protesters face permanent threats and persecution.


> read more > PDF-document from The Evangelical Church of Czech



Intercession for Belarus

Eternal and merciful God!
Before you, we think of the people of Belarus today.


More people than ever took to the streets last year demonstrated peacefully and happily against the falsification of the election, against the arbitrariness and violence of the regime. They were forcibly dispersed and many thousands arrested.But they didn't let themselves be intimidated and kept going.


> read more > PDF-document from Reformierte Kirche Germany and WCRC-Europe

One way to look at the pandemic

Meditation from István Csűry
Bishop, Kiralyhagomelleki Reformatus Egyhazkeruelet (Oradea), Romania


The book of Prophet Isaiah clearly states that the penalty came from God, because He ‘had seen our ways…’ (Isaiah, 57:18). This new pandemic brings diverse reactions to the surface: some simply do not believe in the spreading of the virus in our Pan-European community, some others are hiding with an end-of-world fear. There are milder and stricter approaches between the two extremes.


> read more > PDF-document

Report from Sándor Zán Fábián
Bishop, Reformed Church in Transcarpathia


The armed conflict in eastern Ukraine between the Ukrainian government and Russia-backed
armed groups entered its fifth year. It is still a great problem and challenge of the country.
Hungary always tried to fight and to protect the hungarian minority in Tarnscarpathia.
Tensions have worsened between Budapest and Kyiv over a Ukrainian language law, which Hungary considers hostile to its minority population in the Transcarpathia region.


> read more > PDF-document

Visit to Beirut – 21-26 September 2020

Report from the Protestant Church in Switzerland

about the visit in Beirut in September 2020


From 21-26. September 2020, Serge Fornerod, Director of External Relations of the Protestant Church in Switzerland (PCS), traveled to Beirut on behalf of the Council together with Tabea Stalder, who is in charge of the church cooperation program of HEKS/EPER, the aid organization of the Protestant Churches in Switzerland. The PCS wished to express its tangible solidarity and sympathy with its partner churches in the area after the Beirut port explosion in early August. Lebanon has been experiencing a series of political and economic shocks over the past year that has put the coexistence of the various communities at risk.



> read more > PDF-document

United 4Rescue

on youtube.com
Die Sea-Watch 4 läuft aus, um Flüchtlinge auf dem Mittelmeer zu retten.

Die Lippische Landeskirche ist Mitglied des Bündnisses United4Rescue, das dies möglich gemacht hat.

Hier eine Video-Grußbotschaft von Landessuperintendent Dietmar Arends an die Aktiven des Rettungsschiffs.

News from Ukraine

Here are some new informations about the current CORONA virus in Ukraine, and our Transcarpathia region.

Today 71 new infected people were registered in Transcarpathia. From the beginning of the world epidemic there were 6080 active cases registered in Transcarpathia, from this 768 medical workers and 333 children.
Till this time 2645 people were recovered from the illness. It is very bad news that the proper quarter classifies Transcarpathia one of the most endangered region.
 

Report about the situation on Chios/Greece

It was obvious that the EU Hotspot is unprepared for a COVID-19-outbreak.

It was a question of time when the first case occurs. The authorities in Vial on Chios encouraged protection seekers to wear masks. But didn’t distribute any. Even more: in Vial barely any staff member of any authority was wearing masks or any other type of protection.

Some days ago, it was the day: it was reported that a woman is tested positive.

Today it was confirmed that an employee of the European Asylum Support Office - EASO is positive on the virus. After the person was on vacation. The answer of the authorities is: to lock the camp and to close the services inside until at least 25 August. Close the camp?
Effectively this means, letting the virus spread inside. Among extremely vulnerable persons, that have no option to socially distance or to even wash their hands on a regular basis. They sleep in tents on the bare ground. And now they are terrified of getting seriously ill and suffer or die. And they are terrified for a good reason. ItNew is the foreseeable catastrophe. And shows more than a simple failure. It shows the sheer indifference for the lives of human beings.

Reference: Newspaper article from POLITISCHIOS - Translation: Alexandra Nikolara



Report from Dimitris Boukis

about the visit in MORIA REFUGEE CAMP, 17 February 2020, Lesvos, GREECE.


On Monday, February 17, 2020 Martina Waterloos, Kerstin Kosh and Dimitris Boukis visited the «refugee camp» in Moria on the Greek Island of Lesvos. Lesvos is the third biggest island in Greece with a coastline of 370km. It is home to approximately 100,000 residents and is only a few miles away from the SW coast of Turkey, making it the main “refugee gate” to Europe in the SE Mediterranean sea.


> read more > PDF-Document




Bericht über die Reise nach Lesbos und Chios

von Martina Wasserloos-Strunk


… Mein Reisebericht vom Besuch in zwei der großen griechischen Flüchtlingslager ist möglicherweise nicht ganz objektiv. Nein – er ist ganz sicher nicht objektiv. Er ist sauwütend. Ich bin erschüttert und wütend darüber, dass so etwas in meinem Europa möglich ist. Mehr noch als manche andere Reise hat mir diese vor Augen geführt, wie privilegiert wir sind und wie viel Energie von uns darauf verwendet wird, diese Privilegien abzusichern.


> read more > PDF-Document

The Evangelical Church of Greece expresses its sorrows for the conversion of Hagia Sophias

Hagia Sophia is the most historic Christian monument in the East

While Europe enjoys religious freedom, peaceful coexistence and celebrates cultural diversity, Turkey disregards these basic human values. The conversion of Hagia Sophia is one of a series of Turkish acts in South Eastern Mediterranean, which causes unrest with unpredictable consequences for world peace.
 
(original letter from the Evangelical Church of Greece)


United Kingdom will no longer be a member of the European Union

An open letter from Churches in Britain to Churches in member states of the European Union

At 11pm GMT on Friday the 31 st of January 2020, the United Kingdom will no longer be a member of the European Union. The UK is leaving the EU, but we are not leaving Europe.
Our Churches have contributed to and been enriched by the Christian tradition in Europe for centuries.

> read more > PDF-Document
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