Exploring Hungary and its Reformation Heritage (Sept. 24, 2014 – Oct. 7, 2014)

by Global Ministries | published on Oct 10, 2014

This tour seeks to combine visits to popular sites with a deepening understanding of the breadth of the Reformed heritage in Europe. In so doing, we’ll spend several days discovering the treasures of Budapest, one of the most beautiful cities in Europe; and we’ll also explore other intriguing Hungarian cities that are usually not on the “beaten path” of American tourism. Throughout the tour, our sightseeing will be enriched by the focus given to aspects of the history of the Hungarian Reformed Church and its contemporary life, witness, and work.

The Hungarian Reformed Church is the largest Protestant denomination in Hungary, being four times as large as the Lutheran Church in Hungary; and it is a little less than half the size of the Hungarian Catholic Church. Despite its minority status in relationship to the Catholic Church, Reformed people have been among the central figures in Hungarian politics and public life.

Because Hungary lost two-thirds of its people and its territory following World War I, the Hungarian Reformed Church now embodies congregations in present-day Ukraine, Croatia, Slovakia, and Romania. Though we will not be able to visit Reformed congregations in all these settings, we will make a foray into the Ukraine, where we will see facets of the life and ministry of the Hungarian Reformed Church among both the Hungarian people and gypsies (Roma) in the region in our endeavor to better understand the workings of the Hungarian Reformed Church today.

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