2025. december 4., 18:00
Budapest, St. Columba’s Church of Scotland (Budapesti Református Skót Misszió)
1064 Budapest, Vörösmarty utca 51.
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On the occasion of the visit of Rev. Dr. Haroutune Selimian, President of the Armenian Protestant Community in Syria, the Ecumenical Office of the Reformed Church in Hungary and St. Columba’s Church of Scotland invite all brothers, sisters, and friends to an evening of fellowship on 4 December, between 6:00 and 7:30 pm.
Photo: Armenian Evangelical Bethel Church, Aleppo-Syria
Syria has a historic Christian community that has faced numerous challenges over the past two millennia. The civil war that began in 2011 has left deep scars on the Christian community and the regime change in 2024 has not brought them peace either. According to estimates, the proportion of Christians in Syria has fallen to 1% today.
The Reformed Church in Hungary (RCH) established partnerships with Protestant churches in the Middle East in the 2010s. To confirm these newly established relationships, in 2019, the RCH signed a Memorandum of Commitment with both the Union of Armenian Evangelical Churches in the Near East and the National Evangelical Synod of Syria and Lebanon. The Hungarian and Middle Eastern churches committed themselves to support each other and to further develop their cooperation among the different areas of their Church life. We are grateful that as the years have gone by, our partnership has grown stronger and has been reinforced by mutual visits.
Photo: Reformed Church in Hungary
Rev. Dr. Haroutune Selimian is a scholar-pastor who has led the Armenian Evangelical Bethel Church of Aleppo since 1993. He serves as President of the Armenian Protestant Community in Syria and holds a Ph.D. in Historical Sciences from Yerevan State University. His academic work focuses on the 19th-century Armenian Evangelical movement, and he actively engages in interfaith and ecumenical dialogue across the region. He is a graduate of Near East School of Theology and McCormick Theological Seminary, a Moderator of the International Congregational Fellowship, and a key voice for peace building, theological reflection, and bridge-building amid displacement and crisis.
During his upcoming visit to Budapest, Rev. Haroutune will share his reflections on what it means to be a Christian in Syria today at an evening fellowship. He will also share his personal testimony on how one’s faith in Christ can remain a secure anchor amid constant challenges, as well as on the meaning of Christian solidarity and how we can grow in it. Additionally, he will talk about what it means to serve as a pastor and leader of a Christian community, remaining steadfast in one’s calling through years of war, social and economic unrest.
We look forward to welcoming all our brothers and sisters to the fellowship to be held on Thursday, 4 December 2025 at St. Columba’s Church of Scotland (Budapesti Református Skót Misszió, 1064 Budapest, Vörösmarty utca 51) between 6 and 7:30 pm.
Ecumenical Office of the Reformed Church in Hungary,
St. Columba’s Church of Scotland