Exciting presentations, a stand-up comedy night and quiz games. These were some of the highlights of the annual meeting of the Youth Committee of the General Convent, an important forum bringing together youth representatives from the Hungarian-speaking Reformed churches of the region. The three-day event in the “House of Reconciliation” reformed conference centre in Berekfürdő took place on 24-26 February with nearly 150 participants representing church communities from Hungary, Slovakia, Ukraine, Romania, Serbia and Croatia. The forum also served as the opening event of the thematic year, as 2025 is dedicated to the youth ministry in the Reformed Church in Hungary.
On Monday morning, we arrived at the House of Reconciliation, the venue of the event, in early spring weather. However, our somewhat melancholic mood disappeared as soon as we entered the auditorium hosting the programmes. Sunlight streamed in through large glass windows into a spacious room with a podium at one end and brightly coloured armchairs at the other. Young people chatted, laughter could be heard - it was immediately clear that these three days would be about community, about finding each other.
The event began with a light-hearted game to get us in the mood for the days ahead. After everyone had chosen a cat meme to match the mood of the day, we got to know better the objectives of the General Convent’s Youth Committee (Gekib) for this year. The central theme, online evangelisation, was not chosen by chance: the digital space is part of young people's everyday lives, and it is therefore also worthwhile for youth leaders to be present on social media platforms, as digital mission is not only an opportunity but also a responsibility that can open up new ways of reaching the young generation.
The forum featured several great presentations on online evangelism, including one by Dániel Kertész. As the youth pastor of the Reformed Church of the city Gödöllő, he is active not only in his congregation but also in the online space. He is present on Facebook, Instagram, X, TikTok and even Discord to connect with young people.
“My real job is to love the people who connect with me," he said, "I don't know the platforms, I know the people. I don't know Instagram, I know my young people," he added. His words confirmed that online mission is not just about producing content but also about authentic presence and human connections.
Monday the 24th ended with the opening of the thematic year, a fitting continuation of the inspiring environment created by the presentations and the discussions that followed. The room was dressed in festive finery, and under the warm glow of the lights, we sang together, liberated, experiencing the power of togetherness.
At the opening ceremony, the new logo for the thematic year was unveiled and we were given gifts: gym bags, canvas bags, pens, notebooks, stickers, and T-shirts - all carefully decorated with designs related to the Year of Youth Ministry. After the ceremony, we were treated to doughnuts in the restaurant, which provided an excellent opportunity for networking and informal conversation.
The General Convent is the consultative body of the Hungarian Reformed Church (HRC), a synodal communion of the Hungarian-speaking reformed churches in the Carpathian Basin, including ten church districts from Hungary, Slovakia, Ukraine, Romania, Serbia, Croatia and Slovenia. The Youth Committee of the General Convent is one of the most active cooperation forums of the HRC, embracing a key role also in the Year of the Youth Ministry program.
These thoughts were confirmed to me by Tamás Fóris. As a pastor and content producer, he has been working for many years to make the Word reach those who are receptive to it. He presented the history of the ‘Vekker’ (alarm clock) Christian Community from its beginnings to the internet takeover during the time of the coronavirus epidemic. At least 100-120 people join their online services every Sunday, many of whom become active participants in the community.
“It is a matter of speaking the language of the average, everyday person, using words and methods that the audience really understands and embraces. Good online mission is not primarily about technology, but about three more important things: love, intention and message," he explained.
This year's first Youth Committee meeting was special not only because of the programmes, but also because it provided a great opportunity for participants to share their experiences and ideas. Antal Balázs, president of the Reformed Youth Association in Transcarpathia, Ukraine (KRISZ) and József Sípos, the organisation's founding member and former president, have been active in youth ministry for years.
“In 2025, an important aspect will be to make our content more interactive and to make even better use of the online space," said Antal Balázs. They have tried using TikTok and Instagram in recent years, but are still looking for the best way to reach young people.
József Sípos spoke about the development of the media activities of the KRISZ. The organisation launched the ‘Tesó’ (Bro) Newspaper in 2002, which was later moved to the online space, creating the ‘Tesó’ online blog, which now has tens of thousands of hits. One of the biggest challenges for the online mission, says Antal Balázs, is finding the right vocabulary: “If we don't pay attention to this, the form of communication can create too much distance between young people and us. They become closed, distant and we can't reach them that way," he warned. József Sípos spoke about the importance of finding a balance between online and offline presence. “Even if all questions are answered on an online platform, it is no substitute for human contact - for a young person crying and someone to hug them. Our goal is still to build community and make real connections," the pastor explained.
As the participants from different regions shared their experiences, it became clear that online mission offers different challenges and opportunities for everyone. This was confirmed by Regina Kovács, who came to the meeting from the Reformed University Congregation of Debrecen and was invited by her pastor to the event. Regina believes that the digital space is playing an increasingly important role in spreading the faith, and she is happy to see that young people are also finding their way through online content. “But I think it is also a place where we need to be present. When I look on Instagram, TikTok or Facebook, I am very happy to see this kind of content. It's a great way to get information about a lot of things because nowadays you don't look at a flyer or a poster, you look at the internet," said Regina Kovács, who said one of the greatest values of the forum was the inter-denominational exchange of experiences. Sharing experiences is a great gift for me," she added.
The evening opened with an exciting quiz game where we played in teams. Finally, we closed the day with a lively stand-up evening, which was entertaining and added to the community experience. The lighter programme was a great way to wind down the day's thought-provoking presentations and discussions.