"Grace is Also My Share"

What are the priorities of the Roma ministry’s work?

The National Reformed Roma Ministry has been operating in an organised framework since 2013, but even before that many members and pastors of the church had already turned with open hearts to the Roma and had done blissful work among them. The strategy of the ministry among Roma was developed under the leadership of Rev. Eszter Dani, and its ten-year objectives, adopted by the Synod of RCH, were defined and coordinated initially by the Mission Department of the Synod Office. The ministry has been restructured in the department for social inclusion of the Reformed Diaconia under the leadership of Rev. Szabina Sztojka. The various forms of service prioritised still today have been continuously developed, and since September 2024, we have been carrying them out in the organisational unit called the Ministering among Siblings - Roma Mission, with Rev. Róbert Balogh as pastor and myself as operational leader since January this year. In all the programmes of the ministry, we have been intentional about the biblical grounding of our work, have been personally approachable and sensitive, and are committed to developing knowledge and skills that can be used in daily ministry. We believe it is important to communicate publically about our programmes and opportunities for connection through our bi-monthly Roma Mission Inclusion Newsletter, our website and Facebook page, where, in addition to programme recommendations and opportunities for financial support, we also provide occasional professional and cultural and general updates in form of podcasts and videos.

What are the tools of the Roma ministry in evangelisation?

In the Roma ministry – just like in all other social ministries - active pastoral participation, sound teaching of God’s Word, and the communication of the Reformed spirituality are indispensable. The love stemming from the Christian faith, sociability and professionalism of the staff are also important. The greatest blessing, however, is the involvement and active cooperation of our Roma brothers and sisters, who authentically and powerfully represent and communicate the gift of salvation and the gospel in the form of praise, witness and testimony, prayer and ministry.

How can you measure the effectiveness of the mission?

Over the past decade, we have been in direct contact with almost fifty local churches and currently work together with around thirty of them. We are working with nearly twenty educational institutions. In total, we reach around 7,000 people through our ministry, with sixty to seventy brothers and sisters joining our programmes as volunteers each year. The efficacy of our work is not primarily measured in numbers, nor is it the result of our efforts alone. We perform our tasks according to the talents we have been given, to the best of our ability, but growth is given by the Lord.

What are the aims of the ministry?

The Strategy of the Roma ministry, developed by the Strategic Task Force, summarises the vision, overarching and sub-objectives for the period 2024-2030. Our mission is to recognise and share the Gospel, to be reconciled with one another, and to become a community based on real relationships characterised by Christian love. Regardless of origin, social status or any other background, we help to restore trust in the relationship between people and God and human beings, and to live out and manifest the reality of God’s Kingdom here on earth. The specific areas, activities, timetable and resource map needed to achieve the objectives of the strategy, i.e. the action plan, will be the task of a working group to be set up in the coming weeks, and the operational document to be presented to the Synod in autumn this year.

As a leader of the ministry, what is your personal motivation?

I am a Reformed on my mother's side, my grandfather Gábor Mező served as a pastor in the congregation in Kunszentmiklós. My youthful quests led me astray on several occasions, which led me into a too-close and difficult-to-break relationship with alcohol. The way out came in 1995 with the Reformed Addiction Rehabilitation Centre in Dömös. Apart from coming to faith - I understood from the lines of the hymn "O Jesu, thou art standing outside the fast-closed door, in lowly patience waiting to pass the threshold …,” sung during communion that grace was my share, waiting for me, I just had to accept it - I also got a job and accommodation and served as a cook in Dömös for three years. In 1997, I was confirmed in the Reformed congregation of Keszthely. In order to acquire the appropriate professional skills, I enrolled at the Tábita Reformed Diaconal Training Institute, where I graduated in 1999. After my marriage, I moved to the village of Sárszentlőrinc, where I worked as a Roma mission co-worker, and social and development worker at the local, Lutheran foundation. In the meantime, I completed my general social work training at the Károli Gáspár Reformed University in Nagykőrös. Since 1998, I have been involved in the development, management and professional implementation of projects, institutional and organisational strategies. In the course of my work so far, I have typically worked to overcome socially disadvantaged situations, working with many people of Roma origin, and with many of them, I have also made friends. It is clear to me that the basis for any social inclusion and development is individual faith, the knowledge and acceptance of the grace of the Lord Jesus, conversion and being strengthened in service in the community.