Worldwide connections: Romania

In the early 1990's a couple from the Church Centre (now Christ Church), Bob and Christina, made three trips to Romania to take clothing and medicine and to do dental work in orphanages. They made friends with a Hungarian pastor, István, and his wife Melinda, and have kept in touch ever since. On a return visit, István preached a sermon in the Church Centre.

Bob and Christina went to stay again in 2001 and 2004, and another family from our church have also visited twice.

The link was strengthened in 2005 when, together with another church in Germany, members of Christ Church helped to buy a desperately-needed minibus to transport children from the village to school.

István is the pastor of the Hungarian Reformed Church in a village in the north-west of Romania.

Melinda is a community nurse. She uses her kitchen as a consulting room.

István and Melinda have chosen to stay in Romania to minister to the people there rather than enjoy a higher standard of living in neighbouring Hungary, which has a much more successful economy.

They have two children, Boglárka and Dávid.

István's church

Romania is one of the poorest countries in Europe, and there is particular hardship in rural areas. Despite this, visitors are welcomed with great generosity.

The Hungarian minority in Romania has a strong and distinct culture which was maintained throughout the years of Communist persecution. The church acts as a focus for cultural life as well as Christian faith, and the village has a strong community spirit.

Inside the church

 The church building is maintained with great care. Outside, the wooden doors are beautifully carved.

Inside, the church is decorated with embroidery, a craft practised with much skill in the area.

The straw centrepiece hanging from the ceiling is made as part of the annual Harvest celebration.

Rush hour: the cows come home for milking

Agriculture is the mainstay of the local economy. Most villagers work in the surrounding fields and keep livestock. A lot of work is done by hand, with horses and carts used for transport.

An ambitious plan has been drawn up to replace the present unmetalled road, upgrade the water supply and install workshops in a disused local factory. It now looks unlikely that the hoped-for EU funding can be obtained. The only progress so far has been to tarmac part of the road within the village. This will bring little benefit, since the nearest main road is still 2 kilometres away.