Inspired by the Pray and Rejoice (P+R) worship in Budapest, the Hungarian reformed congregation in Beregszász (Berehove, Ukraine) organized Sunday worship services in the local Drive-in cinema.
Churches has been closed also in Subcarpathia, Ukraine due to quarantine announced two months ago to control the spread of COVID-19. “We can be in a virtual community with the help of television, radio and the internet, but it’s not the same like meeting in person. We appreciate these opportunities, still we missed the chance of being in real community and enjoy physical encounters. This coronavirus epidemic challenges one of our most important needs, our existence as fellowship," says Ferenc Taracközi, senior pastor of the Reformed congregation in Beregszász.
Three weeks ago the kirk session of the congregation heard about a similar event organized by a reformed congregation in Budapest. This excited their imagination and the consistory started to prepare the special event. On May 3, the congregation organized the first car service in the huge parking lot on Ivan Franko Street. The owner of the parking lot also supported the initiative and made the place available for the community.
The parking lot was filled with a multitude of cars, almost 50 of them, which was a clear proof for the longing of the member for real community. Almost 200 people gathered to worship together. Even if they weren't in direct contact with the others, they could at least see and greet each other by waving from the cars, and say goodbye to each other. They listened to the word of God together, and prayed and sang together.
“It was a liberating and inspiring feeling to experience this. We will continue offering this open air worship each Sunday,” said Rev. Taracközi, also for those who have no car.
The Reformed Church in Sub-Carpathia is the oldest Protestant Church in Ukraine. It was founded in 1921, when the Sub-Carpathian region became a part of the Czech-Slovak Republic. The Church currently has around 70 000 members, most ethnic Hungarians, in nearly 100 parishes. It is a constituting member of the Hungarian Reformed Church, which was established in May 2009 and consists of Hungarian-speaking reformed communities in the Carpathian Basin.