A historic conference in Hungary

The 92nd session of the Hungarian Annual Conference took place in Budapest from April 11 to 14, 2024. It was the last in this series, as the integration of The United Methodist Church (UMC) in Romania means it will have a new name in future.
 
In 2023, delegates from the UMC in Romania (three pastors and three lay) took part in the meeting of the Annual Conference in Hungary as extraordinary members for the first time. A year earlier, the structural connection between the Romanian Methodist congregations and the UMC in Bulgaria had been dissolved following the latter's disaffiliation from the worldwide United Methodist Church. Several helpful and valuable encounters have now taken place over the past twelve months: dedication of the church building and community center in Comsesti (Romania), joint meeting of the pastors and other visits. These strengthened the impression that they "were part of doing ministry together and supporting one another," as Superintendent Rares Calugar from Romania said, adding: "We in Romania feel really affirmed in our decision to join this annual conference." And what would have been unthinkable just a few years ago became reality in a historic step: the proposal drawn up by the district councils to form a joint Hungary-Romania Annual Conference was unanimously approved. Bishop Stefan Zürcher was very pleased with this decision and added: "Once again it became clear that relationships and shared experiences are key, which takes time. The past year was therefore very important for the maturation of this decision."
 
This connection opens new doors of hope. The leaders of the UMC in Romania have been in contact with three independent congregations near the Romanian-Hungarian border for eight years. Now the time seems ripe to integrate these congregations into the UMC in Romania - and as the people belonging to them are Hungarian-speaking, the UMC in Hungary has the unique opportunity to promote this integration and strengthen the work on the other side of the border.
 
There are many similarities between the UMC in Romania and the UMC in Hungary. Both countries border on Ukraine, and so individuals and congregations are very committed to helping people from and in this war-torn country. In both countries, there is also an extremely wide-ranging social and diaconal commitment to people of different generations. In Hungary, this service also includes running two schools and two retirement homes, thus serving several hundreds of people. In both countries, the UMC has been working with members of the Roma minority for years, in some cases even decades, providing support in the present and opening up new prospects for the future. And in both countries, the question of how the Christian faith can be passed on in today's world is an important concern. It was therefore no coincidence that Saturday morning was entirely dedicated to the topic of mission with a presentation and group discussions - an inspiring and successful work on an important topic that could have lasted a little longer, as Bishop Stefan Zürcher noted. The importance of the topic of mission is also underlined by the fact that the UMC in Romania, which has so far been organized as an association with a social focus, is planning to develop a new structure and form a religious association. The diaconal commitment will remain important, but the new structure should make the spiritual character more visible.
 
As a sign of the new journey, it was finally decided to hold the next meeting of the Annual Conference, taking place in May 2025, for the first time in Romania.
 
Author: Urs Schweizer, Assistant to Bishop Stefan Zürcher, Zurich (Switzerland)
Photo: fltr. Supt. Rares Calugar (Romania), Bishop Stefan Zürcher, Supt. László Khaled (Hungary)