From 1 December 2023, we have been entrusted with the leadership of the Rákoscsaba Congregation. Helping families and single parents is also a matter of our heart - reports Rozália Macher Nagy.
We were very happy to take on this new service, if only because we always wanted to work together. Ervin started his officer training two and a half years ago and continued his internship in the church in Gyöngyös, while I had been working as a pastoral care worker in the House of Light for almost 10 years.
The new ministry area was not unfamiliar to us, as we have been members of this congregation for several years, I was co-leader of the congregation with the Vecsey couple for two years as a cadet, and Ervin has been serving in the neighboring day care center for some time, so we were almost at home.
We started our ministry with great commitment, and although the congregation is still small, we get a lot of help from our leaders and my parents, who were the founders and first pastors of this congregation.
When we arrived, we had to assess the spiritual condition of the congregation, the condition of the building itself, and learn about church management and administration, all in the middle of the Advent season! So it was not an easy arrival, but it was all the more exhilarating. It was a good feeling that the neighbouring institution welcomed our arrival positively and we have received a lot of help from them since then.
Of course, we immediately started the church programmes: worship, women's hour, youth events and devotions. In addition to these, we also started the external worship. Bible study and prayer time will be added to our weekly programme in the near future.
We have a lot of plans for the future, a calling to serve children, families and the elderly. Recently, a shocking case has drawn our attention to the serious challenges that drugs, alcohol, internet addiction and pornography pose to young people today. It is a much bigger problem than most parents think! This has led us to start praying strongly for young people and to minister to them. Then we were approached by a Christian friend who serves in the field of addiction to seek an office for his ministry. This is how we conceived the possibility of a joint collaboration, which we started a few days ago. Of course, helping families and single parents is also in our hearts.
We plan to continue building our relationships in the district, working with family and child protection services, NGOs, schools and local churches.
Our most important plan is evangelisation, the details of which are still being worked out. In this we also look for God's guidance. We also want to do street evangelism and Alpha courses. We also think it is important to make the church house a beautiful and modern, lively environment in which everyone feels comfortable and at home, as if it were a second home.
It is also important for us to remember the history of the Salvation Army, the faithful brothers and sisters who have gone before us, because their service is our root. And as this year we are celebrating the 100th anniversary of the Salvation Army's work in Hungary, we have created a small exhibition in our church house, which includes bibles, hymnals, sermon outlines of old soldiers and officers, such as my grandparents, along with many relics. This is meant to be a permanent exhibition, and as we can't show all of them at once, we update the items from time to time. So, it's worth visiting more than once! Everyone is welcome!
We have many challenges and plans, so our ministry is based on prayer. We are convinced that our own strength is not enough to save and heal human souls, and although we can be the Lord's instruments, only God can do this wonderful work through us.
Source: Salvation Army Rákoscsaba Congregation | Nagyné Macher Rozália | Communications Department
Date: 02 May 2024.
Source of photos: Salvation Army
