Winckles Family Update

Winckles Family Update: Thanksgiving 2019

Praise the Lord, all nations! Extol him, all peoples!
For great is his steadfast love toward us,
    and the faithfulness of the Lord endures forever.
Praise the Lord! 

Psalm 117:1-2

Greetings once again from Budapest, Hungary! As we approach Thanksgiving we thank God for how he is working in lives in Hungary and throughout Europe. We’d like to share with you some highlights from 2019 in thanks for your ongoing partnership in ministry.

“Redemption” by János

Many of you may remember the story of János, the homeless man who has led a tragic life damaged by his alcoholism. He is now participating in a residential rehabilitation program and has been alcohol free for almost three years! He credits his turn around to the transformation that Christ has made in his life, and his painting (at right) represents his life before and after Christ. Prints of his painting are available to order at www.zazzle.com Search for “redemption hungary”. We are thankful for the continued transformation of János’ life.

The Budapest Ministry Center

The Budapest Ministry Center is home to the Budapest Free Methodist Church and also hosts a number of community-related programs and outreach events. In the spring we found it necessary to replace the roof of this 125-year-old building. This was a costly undertaking that necessitated raising additional funds in order to complete the work. We are thankful that this was accomplished.

Family

This summer we received the good news that our youngest son, Peter, is engaged to be married! We really love his fiancée, Rachel, and we look forward to celebrating with them next June in Madison, Wisconsin. Our oldest son, Andrew, and his wife Christy are kept busy with our grandchildren, Goldie and William. Goldie is active in dance, choir, and drama whereas William plays the cello and is active in sports. It is always a joy to be able to visit with them in Adrian, Michigan.

 General Conference 2019

One of the highlights of the summer was attending General Conference in Orlando, Florida. While there we were able to connect with many friends and share about the ministries in Europe. We were happy that Pastor Péter was able to attend as well and meet in person many people who contribute to his support and to the ministries in Hungary through the Hungary CPD account. It was also at General Conference that the Free Methodist Timeline game that Larry developed premiered. Enclosed with this letter is one of the cards from the game, showing a particular person, place, or event from Free Methodist or Methodist history. The game is available for purchase at www.freemethodistbooks.com  Scroll down on the page and you will find a link to the game.

Other Events

Many guests passed through Hungary in September and October. It was a blessing to show them the Budapest Ministry Center and to tell them about the work here in Hungary. We are grateful that Pastor Eric Perry from Michigan and Dr. Mitch and Lynn Sue Pierce from New York were able to help with two very special events in September.

Gulyás cookout: First, we hosted a gulyás bean soup cookout at the homeless shelter where János lives. At the cookout János organized other men from the shelter to help with the cooking, Pastors Péter and Eric played the mandolin and guitar and sang, and they both gave short testimonies. About 30 people from the shelter participated.

Installation Service: On September 22 we held an installation service for the new leaders of the Budapest Free Methodist Church, led by Mitch Pierce. Péter Tóth was installed as the pastor and Zsuzsa Mecséri-McNamara was installed as the part-time assistant pastor. It was a privilege to turn over the leadership of the church to Hungarians who are called and well-prepared to serve.

Pastor Péter continues to use his musical talents to reach out to the community around the Budapest Ministry Center. This fall he not only is teaching three faith classes at a local pre-school, but he is also leading a weekly folk music class for mothers and their young children. Now when these children see him somewhere around town they all run up to him and greet him as Péter bácsi (Uncle Péter)! Péter is supported through the Hungary CPD fund. Donations to this fund may be made at https://give.fmcusa.org/hungary

Pastor Zsuzsa is working to complete her degree in social work, as well as coordinating the Set Free Movement in Hungary. In September we traveled together to Bulgaria for the dedication of the St. John’s Home, a safe house for young women who are at risk of being trafficked. The home is part of the Set Free – Bulgaria ministries. Zsuzsa is supported through gifts made to the Hungary Set Free Coordinator EMP. Donations may be made at https://give.fmcusa.org/donation/hungary-set-free-coordinator

Hungary Church Retreat: In early October we hosted a Hungary Church Retreat at Lake Balaton. People from the Budapest and Győr churches gathered together for this weekend of teaching, fellowship, relaxation, and fun. We’re thankful that Pastor Keith Simpson from the Holland, Ohio Free Methodist Church and Marcie and Clive Potts from England served with us.

Prayer Opportunities

The three biggest challenges that we have faced this year are with our family, personnel, finances.

Family: Our aging parents have come to the point where they need some extra assistance. Pray that we might have wisdom as we try to encourage, counsel, and support from afar.

Personnel: We need people to help with children’s ministries, outreach and evangelism, English ministries, web and technical development, and more! Pray for people called to serve alongside us in Budapest.

Finances: Contributions to both the Winckles Missionary Support Account (Winckles MSA) and the Hungary Church Planting and Development account (Hungary CPD) are in decline. This is due to several of our supporting churches having been closed and other churches redirecting their giving. The Hungary CPD, in particular, is experiencing a funding crisis! We are thankful that our home church in Holland, Ohio shares this concern with us and has issued a challenge grant to other churches. They will match dollar for dollar donations made to the Hungary CPD made by other churches, up to an overall total of $7500!  If your church would like to take up this offer, please contact Pastor Keith Simpson at keithsimpson@hollandfmc.org or at 419-865-4640. You can make your donation online at https://give.fmcusa.org/hungary  Pray that many churches would accept this challenge grant and that the need would be met in full.

Our partners

We are grateful for the many people who prayer regularly for us and for the ministries in Hungary. Prayer is essential! We are also grateful for those who partner with us financially, and for those who come and help serve. We look forward to our partnership with you continuing in the coming year. Our support page is https://give.fmcusa.org/winckles

May you have a blessed Thanksgiving, a hope-filled Advent season, and a joyous Christmas! May you sense God’s presence and guidance each day!

With thankful hearts,

Larry and Katie Winckles

Serving in Europe with Free Methodist World Missions

winckles@gmail.com

 

Write kwinckles@gmail.com and ask to be added to our weekly prayer email list.

 

An Urgent Appeal

URGENT APPEAL FROM THE WINCKLES IN HUNGARY

Dear friends and faithful supporters,

We are happy to announce the next step in the development of the Free Methodist Church in Budapest! On Sunday, September 22 Péter Tóth will be installed as pastor of the Budapest Free Methodist Church and Zsuzsa Mecséri-McNamara will be installed as the assistant pastor. Péter was ordained in 2015 and Zsuzsa became a Conference Ministerial Candidate in 2017. This is cause for great rejoicing, as we see Hungarians, who are trained and prepared, step into leadership of the church. This has been our dream from the beginning.

In addition to their pastoral responsibilities, both Péter and Zsuzsa have responsibilities on a Hungary-wide level. Péter serves as the administrator of the Bread of Life Foundation, which is the Free Methodist Mission’s legal identity in Hungary. Zsuzsa serves as the coordinator of the Hungarian Set Free Movement. They are both committed to using their gifts in serving God and advancing His Kingdom.

We want to see the Free Methodist work in Hungary continue to grow and flourish.

But we are facing a potential crisis. 

Support for the Hungary Church Planting and Development account (Hungary CPD, formerly known as the Hungary CSA) has dropped off to the point that we are anticipating a $15,000 shortfall by the end of this year. There are several reasons for this.

1. Some churches that faithfully supported us and the work in Hungary were closed during the past year.
2. Some individuals who were faithful supporters of us and the work in Hungary passed away during the past year.
3. Some churches have had financial difficulties of their own and have not been able to meet their pledges of support.
4. Some churches have revised their missions priorities and have eliminated their support of us and the work in Hungary.

We want to see the following vital ministries continue:

• The day to day operation of the Budapest Ministry Center, which includes community-based ministries for all age levels as well as providing space for the Budapest Free Methodist Church.
• The operation of the Bread of Life Foundation, which provides legal cover for our work in Budapest, Győr, and throughout Hungary. This includes support for Péter.
• The continued operation and growth of the Hungarian Set Free Movement. This includes support for Zsuzsa’s part-time employment as coordinator.

We are sending out this Hungary SOS because we need your help!

If you don’t yet support the Hungary CPD (CSA), would you consider making a pledge of support?

If you do support the Hungary CPD (CSA), would you consider increasing your support or making a special gift/offering to help meet the funding need?

Whether or not you support the Hungary CPD (CSA), would you join with us in prayer that this funding need would be met? And would you perhaps encourage other individuals and churches to join in supporting the work of the Free Methodist Church in Hungary?

Donations and pledges of support for the Hungary Church Planting and Development Account (Hungary CPD) may be made online at https://fmwm.org/hungary/ 

Donations may be mailed to Free Methodist World Missions, 770 N. High School Rd., Indianapolis, IN 46214. Be sure to specify Hungary CPD.

If you are currently supporting us through the Winckles Missionary Support Account, thanks so much! We are also facing challenges in meeting our annual funding goal, due to the same reasons as listed above. We need your continued support!

Thank you for your prayerful consideration.

In His Service,

Larry and Katie Winckles

Free Methodist World Missions

Budapest, Hungary

ZSUZSA McNAMARA JOINS THE BREAD OF LIFE FOUNDATION

We are pleased to announce that on May 13 Zsuzsa McNamara will begin part-time employment with the Hungarian Bread of Life Foundation. She will serve as an Assistant Pastor of the Budapest Free Methodist Church and as the Coordinator of the Set Free Movement in Hungary. Zsuzsi has a special interest in developing children’s ministries, both within the church and with at-risk children who have been institutionalized.

Zsuzsa’s life is already a very busy one. She is currently completing a degree in Social Work at the Széchenyi István University in Győr, Hungary and is working on a degree in Theology from Calvary Chapel Bible College – Europe. She is also a conference ministerial candidate with the Free Methodist Church.

Zsuzsa is the daughter of Gerry and Kati McNamara, Free Methodist International Missionaries who have served for many years in Hungary. She is soon to be married to Zsolt Mecséri in Győr, Hungary where her father will be one of the officiants at the wedding. The newlyweds will establish their home in Budapest. We wish Zsuzsa and Zsolt God’s richest blessings!

The Free Methodist Mission in Hungary, the Hungarian Bread of Life Foundation (Élet Kenyere Alapítvány), and the Hungarian Set Free Movement would all appreciate your prayers as we go through this time of transition. Your ongoing support for this work is essential.

Personnel Change - Set Free Hungary

**** FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE ****

Budapest, Hungary

ILDIKÓ KÓBER TAKES NEW POSITION

 

Ildikó Kóber, the Coordinator of the Set Free Movement in Hungary, has recently taken a new, full-time position as the International Coordinator of the Pentecostal Charitable Services (Pünkösdi Szeretetszolgálat), headquartered in Budapest, Hungary. She completed her full-time work for the Set Free Movement in Hungary on December 31, 2018.

 

We are thankful for the almost three years of leadership that Ildikó has given to the development of Set Free networks, not only in Hungary but also in other parts of Europe. Fortunately, Ildikó has agreed to stay on in an advisory capacity as a new Coordinator for the Set Free Movement is being raised up. She will continue to maintain connections in the Set Free network and will continue to speak, as opportunities arise, on behalf of the movement against human trafficking and forced labor.

 

Please be assured that we are committed to the mission and vision of the Set Free Movement. We are in the process of finalizing arrangements for a new Set Free Movement Coordinator, and we hope to be able to make an announcement regarding this in the near future.

 

The Free Methodist Mission in Hungary, the Hungarian Bread of Life Foundation (Élet Kenyere Alapítvány), and the Hungarian Set Free Movement would all appreciate your prayers as we go through this time of transition. Your ongoing support for this work is essential.

 

Please direct any questions to: 

Larry Winckles

Europe Area Administrator

Free Methodist World Missions

Budapest, Hungary

2018 So Far...

Thanksgiving 2018

Praise the LORD. Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures forever.  Psalm 106:1

Perhaps you’ve seen the cartoon that supposedly depicts a heavenly prayer sorting department. There are two incoming trays on a desk, one labeled “please” that is stacked high with papers and the other labeled “thank-you” containing only a few papers. Why is it that it seems harder to thank God for his many blessing and easier to make requests of God?

In this update we’d like to focus on thanking God for how he has worked in our lives and in the ministries in Hungary and Europe over the past year. We are thankful for your partnership and invite you to rejoice with us! (NOTE: You may download this entire report in pdf format by clicking the following link:  Download our Thanksgiving Letter 2018.)

40 years and counting!

This year we celebrate our 40th wedding anniversary. It was on a snowy December day in 1978 that family and friends gathered at the Spring Arbor Free Methodist Church for our wedding celebration. We feel blessed that our love for one another has grown stronger each year and that we are able to serve together in ministry. It seems unbelievable that 40 years have passed by so quickly.

A full-time pastor

In April Péter Tóth began working full-time as co-pastor of the Budapest Free Methodist Church and Office Manager of the Bread of Life Foundation. He had previously served as Assistant Pastor while working full-time at a secular job. Now he is able to engage fully in the  ministries of the church and foundation, and has more time to devote to his family as well. He has particularly excelled in pastoral care and is always looking for new ways to engage with our community. Donations made to the Hungary Country Support Account help make this possible. https://give.fmcusa.org/hungary

 

The Budapest Ministry Center

The Budapest Ministry Center is home to the Budapest Free Methodist Church and also hosts a number of community-related programs and outreach events. This year the church celebrated Éva’s baptism, gave thanks for János’ successful participation in a rehabilitation program, and enjoyed a weekend retreat hosted jointly with the Győr FMC. The Ministry Center is in use every day of the week with community programs that include a ladies’ discussion group, a German language discussion group, kindergarten readiness classes, a folk music class, an English class, reading groups, and a 12-step recovery group.

The growth of the Set Free Movement

As a follow-up to last November’s successful Freedom Forum, a concentrated training for people interested in becoming active in the abolitionist movement was held in cooperation with Hope 61. Ildikó Kóber, our Hungarian Set Free Coordinator, has received many new speaking opportunities. This year she has provided in-service training for school teachers, awareness training for a family association, meetings with at-risk youth, developed connections with state-run children’s homes, and more. Another Freedom Forum is scheduled to take place on November 24, this time with a focus on children at risk. In order for Ildikó to be able to continue this important work, she also needs ministry partners. You can make a pledge of support for Ildikó at https://give.fmcusa.org/donation/hungary-set-free-coordinator

Visitors from abroad

We’ve also been blessed by a number of visitors who have come to either serve on a short-term basis or explore the possibility of serving longer-term in Hungary. We are thankful for the ministries of Pastor Drew Price from Oregon, Pastor Eric and Kari Perry from Michigan, and Angelo Dispenza from New York. We are also grateful that Chadwick and Sarah Anderson from Illinois have responded to the call to serve in Hungary and are in the process of seeking funding support and prayer partners for their ministry, which will hopefully begin sometime in mid-2019. You can find out more about their journey of faith at https://andersonfamily6.com/

Ministry abroad

As a part of Larry’s role as Europe Area Administrator he often travels to other European countries where the Free Methodist Church is working. This year’s travels included trips to Greece, Bulgaria, Spain, Portugal, and the United Kingdom and involved pastoral education planning, an ordination service, community church planting training, affiliation meetings, leadership meetings, and more. We are thankful for the way that men and women throughout the continent are responding to God’s call to ministry, and for your partnership with us that makes this important equipping and leadership development work possible. Our support page is https://give.fmcusa.org/winckles

Our partners

We are grateful for the many people who prayer regularly for us and for the ministries in Hungary. Prayer is essential! We are also grateful for those who partner with us financially, and for those who come and help serve. We look forward to our partnership with you continuing in the coming year.

May you have a blessed Thanksgiving, a hope-filled Advent season, and a joyous Christmas! May you sense God’s presence and guidance each day!

With thankful hearts,

Larry and Katie Winckles

Serving in Budapest, Hungary

with Free Methodist World Missions

It's been a long time...

Sadly, over the past year this blog has been neglected. We've gone through some difficult times and there have been a number of changes that have required our attention. That's an explanation, not an excuse.

We'll try and be better at updating the Winckles Family Update from now own. How can it be an update, if it isn't updated?

 

International Celebration at Living Hope

Last weekend we visited the Living Hope Free Methodist Church in Columbus, Ohio. The church has undergone major demographic changes over the past few years and now has three distinct congregations -- one American, one African, and one Nepali. They normally meet at different times on Sundays, but they gather together for a combined celebration service from time to time. Such a celebration service took place this past Sunday. It was a wild and exuberant service!

We were given 15 minutes to share near the beginning of the service, which included a lot of singing and dancing and messages from Pastor Charles (USA) and Pastor Durgu (Nepal). We also met Pastor Makechi (Congo). We discovered that Pastor Makechi is a cousin to Pastor Abwe, our Congolese pastor in the Republic of Ireland! So Larry was able to reconnect the two cousins, who had gone their separate ways from the refugee camp in Tanzania, with one another.

We also had a reunion, of sorts, with several friends from our university days. It was great to see Wes Rohrer, Ken Rohly, and Bill Rohly again!

Chelsea Free Methodist Church

Our church visits officially began yesterday at the Chelsea Free Methodist Church. We are thankful for the long-term partnership that we have enjoyed with this congregation. The church meets in a community center near downtown Chelsea, but it also owns 80 acres of property where they hope some day to build a facility of their own. The church's website, which can be found here, appears to be under construction but does contain a lot of information about the congregation.

The church's mission coordinator, Susan Bowen, and her husband Mike served as our hosts for the visit, along with Pastor Jeff Ford and his wife, Tamra. We immediately felt welcomed and appreciated. Following the service we enjoyed having lunch with them at a local restaurant, along with Joyce Bradley and a young man named Martin.

The worship service takes place in an auditorium in the community center. The church has a wonderful worship team, and we enjoyed the selection of songs that were sung. "Oceans (Where Feet May Fail)" particularly spoke to us.

The theme of our church visits is "Healing our disordered souls" and the inspiration for this title came from a sermon that John Wesley preached in 1733. The quote from that sermon is, "This is indeed the design of his dwelling in us to heal our disordered souls and to restore that image of his upon our nature." This healing and restoration is really another way of speaking about salvation, for salvation means creation healed. During the course of our presentation we discuss three fundamental questions that most people have, and which often serve as entry points into discussions about a life of faith. 

1. Who is God?
2. Who am I?
3. Who are we together?

We've created a brochure to go along with our presentation. You can download a pdf copy of it here. We are told that a recording of our presentation will appear on the church's website in the near future.

 

Europe Prayer Journey - April 27 to May 8, 2018

You are invited to join Mitch and Lynn Sue Pierce, Larry Winckles, and Gerry McNamara on a multi-city European prayer journey to see what the Lord is doing through the Free Methodist Church in Europe. The pre-tour begins in London with the opportunity to visit Wesley Chapel, the Museum of Methodism, Bunhills Cemetery, Central Methodist Hall, and St. Paul’s Cathedral. The main tour begins in Belgium, where we will see the work in the churches in Brussels and Oostende, as well as sightseeing in the attractive medieval city of Bruges.  In France you will visit John Calvin’s home in Noyon, fellowship with French believers in Soissons, and meet with Haitian church leaders in Cergy. The final destination is Hungary, where you will have the opportunity to visit both the Budapest and Győr churches. This tour is a unique opportunity to see the range of the Free Methodist World Missions ministries, fellowship with fellow believers, and become better informed to be able to pray with more insight and understanding.

Bishop David and Yvonne Roller will also be accompanying the group while it is in Belgium.

Find out more about the prayer journey and sign up to take part here, or scan the QR code below. Click here to download the promotional brochure.

Summer Speaking Schedule

We arrived in the USA on July 11 and will be here until September 28. We'll be spending some time with our families as well as visiting partner churches. Here is our schedule.

July 16 – lunch with Ambassadors Class at Spring Arbor FMC

July 23 and 30 - with family

August 6 - Chelsea FMC

August 13 - Columbus FMC

August 20 - Ferndale FMC

August 27 - Holland FMC (Ohio)

September 3 – Jamestown, North Dakota

September 10 - Jackson FMC

September 13 - Hillsdale FMC 7:00 p.m.

September 16 - Battle Creek Freedom Forum

September 17 - am Battle Creek Cornerstone FMC

September 17 - pm Spring Arbor FMC

September 23 - Freedom Forum at Northgate FMC (New York)

September 24 - Brockport FMC (New York)

Garden Concert

Our second annual garden concert took place at the Budapest Ministry Center on Saturday. We were happy to welcome the SzeRBuSz zenekar (band) back as the sole performing group. Péter is an occasional member of the group, as his busy schedule permits. We welcomed many friends to the concert and enjoyed the excellent music and great fellowship.

 

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Introduction to Wesleyan Theology

We welcomed six local ministerial candidates back to Budapest this week for them to take another required course. This time we offered "An Introduction to Wesleyan Theology" taught by Free Methodist elder and OMS missionary John Fraser. Participating in the class were Arthur Laws, who ministers in Murcia, Spain; Spencer Ball, who ministers in Arad, Romania; Ildikó Kóber and Zsuzsi McNamara, who minister in Hungary; and Gillian Myers and Fevronia Tsagkalidou, who minister in Thessaloniki, Greece. Also attending were Arthur's wife, Marge and Gillian's husband, Peter. The group was very happy to be back together again, and they all were challenged by John's teaching. 

During the course of the week the group also had opportunities to relax and have a bit of fun together. One highlight for many people was the game night that Larry organized.

English and Ice Cream

One of the highlights of the summer months is the annual English and Ice Cream event. The regular English class takes a break during the summer, but people are still eager to get together for fun, food, fellowship, and of course, to speak English! This year Manna organized the English activity, in which people discussed the characteristics that are important for a friend to have. The general consensus was that a friend should be someone you can count on when things get difficult.

 

Following the English practice Katie served up four flavors of ice cream, with toppings (vanilla, chocolate, strawberry, and blueberry)! Many people thought Larry was crazy for putting both chocolate sauce and salted peanuts on his vanilla ice cream! How can sweet and salty go together? But the people who were brave enough to try it really enjoyed it!

 

 

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Excursion to the Budapest Hills

Each month in the summer we try to plan a special weekend excursion for the church. In June we planned an excursion to the Budapest Hills, including the Erzsébet Lookout Tower and the Normafa recreation area. The weather was gorgeous, and we enjoyed a good time walking and talking together. The excursion ended everyone sampling some delicious rétes (strudel) and lángos (fried dough) with sour cream and grated cheese! According to many, it is the best lángos in the world!

 

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A visit from the Dunns

Scott Dunn and his kids recently spent a week revisiting Romania, where they had served as missionaries for four years. It has been seven years since Stephen and Lydia were last in the country. On this return visit Stephen brought along his wife, Amanda, in order to introduce her to the country that had had such a great impact on his life. On the Dunns' return trip back to the States they were able to spend a day with us in Budapest. It was delightful getting reacquainted with the family!

Spring Arbor Cross Cultural Team

Every second year Rob and Fran Kingsley bring a group of students from Spring Arbor University to Poland and Hungary on a cross-cultural experience. As a part of each trip they visit the Budapest Ministry Center for a cultural and historical presentation and they also attend the Sunday morning worship service of the Budapest Free Methodist Church. This year there was quite a large group -- sixteen students and two leaders.

One highlight of their visit was a retrospective presentation given by Júlia and Ildikó. The ladies spoke about their experiences in growing up in Hungary during the Communist years, one in a Christian home and one not. They also sang some of the old propaganda songs from that era.

Volunteer Appreciation

There is a large number of dedicated volunteers who help to make the programs and ministries of the Bread of Life Foundation (Élet Kenyere Alapítvány) and the Budapest Free Methodist Church successful. Some of these people are "official" volunteers, meaning that they have signed a volunteer contract with the Bread of Life Foundation. Many other volunteer on an occasional basis without a formal contract.

This year we decided that we should acknowledge the significant contribution that these volunteers make. On Saturday morning we hosted a Volunteer Appreciation event to which all of our official volunteers were invited. Júlia presented some impressive statistics about the volunteers and gave an overview of the events from the past year. Larry thanked each volunteer for their service and presented them with a certificate of appreciation and a small gift. The volunteers themselves had the opportunity to give feedback about the past and input for future consideration. It was a blessed time together with wonderful people!

He is Risen! He is Risen, Indeed!

Easter at the Budapest Ministry Center included a wonderful collection of songs about the resurrection and the living Christ, a look at the Biblical Stations of the Cross, and a sermon by Larry about how Easter is the most important holiday, for it changes everything. All of our other holidays commemorate a person, place, or event locked in time somewhere in the past, but Easter is about more than that. Because of Easter we can all be changed. Easter teaches us how to understand the past, how to live in the present, and what our hope is in the future. Easter gives us hope and a future! He is Risen! He is Risen, Indeed!

The service concluded with an Easter blessing penned by our friend Dan Sheffield and translated into Hungarian. Here is the original text:

Easter Sending Blessing (Dan Sheffield)

O Lord Jesus Christ, who upon this day did conquer death and rise from the dead, and who are alive for ever more, help us never to forget your Risen Presence forever with us.

Help us to remember,

That you are with us in every time of perplexity to guide and to direct;

That you are with us in every time of sorrow to comfort and console;

That you are with us in every time of temptation to strengthen and to inspire;

That you are with us in every time of loneliness to cheer and befriend;

That you are with us even in death to bring us to the glory of your side.

We are certain that there is nothing in time or in eternity which can separate us from you;

In your presence we may meet life with courage and death without fear.

You turn our darkness into light.

We are certain that you are present with us as we leave this place and return to our homes, our families and our labours;

May we live this new life with our spouses, our children, our neighbours and our co-workers.

Lord in your mercy, hear our prayer.

Christ the Lord is risen today!

Following the service everyone enjoyed an Easter lunch together. We had two surprise visitors -- Olga and Sanyi had recently returned from working in England and rejoined the fellowship! It was so good to see them. In addition, Gabi was visiting from England. Everyone was delighted to be able to reconnect with these dear friends.

Life Skills Mini-Training

As a part of the developing Life Skills Program, each month we offer a mini-training as a part of a series called "Escape from the Unescapable." This month's topic was on Establishing Healthy Boundaries. Previous topics have included Dealing with Grief (led by Eric and Kari Perry) and Conflict Resolution. These sessions are usually led by Emőke, a Christian psychologist whose day job is working with students at the Budapest Technical University. Emőke's teaching style is highly interactive and practical and those who have attended her sessions have benefited greatly. We are thankful that Emőke has also been willing to take part in the Life Skills Program, not only as a lecturer but also one time a month she offers psychological consultation services.

 

Ladies Creative Afternoon

A Spring event that the ladies always look forward to is the Ladies Creative Afternoon. This year Manna was to have been the featured speaker, but unfortunately she became ill earlier in the week and was unable to participate. Katie filled in with a devotional message and Judit, Júlia, and Ildikó helped out with the preparations, organization, making sandwiches, and supervision of the day's events. About 25 women and girls turned out for the event, which had Easter cookie decoration as its featured creative project. Katie baked 150 cutout cookies prior to the event and everyone had fun being creative with decorating them. Some people did so quickly, while others took their time and worked on fine details. All in all it was a very enjoyable afternoon for everyone involved.

Here is a small gallery of photos from the event.

 

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Time with Family

Each February we travel back to the United States to have a short visit with our families. Larry needs to be in North Dakota in order to assist his mother with income tax preparation and to meet with social workers responsible for working with his sister, Nancy. We also check in with Katie's parents and, of course, our own children and grandchildren. Here are a few photo highlights.

 

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FM History and Polity Class

This past week we hosted a class for ministerial candidates on Free Methodist History and Polity. Larry and Gerry were the instructors and the students for the class came from Hungary, Greece, Romania, and Spain. They ranged in age from 19 to 73 years old! Not only did we have meaningful lessons and class discussions, but we also were able to get to know one another better during common meals, when touring the city, and in other times of fellowship. Thanks to Spencer, Ildikó, Peter, Gillian, Fevronia, Marjorie, Arthur, and Zsuzsi for being such great students! Thanks to Gerry for being such a wonderful teaching colleague! And thanks go out to Júlia, Katie, and Ildikó for their help with hospitality. We will all meet again in June for a class on An Introduction to Theology.

Here are a few scenes from the week. Click on the thumbnails to view the larger image.

 

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New Year's Brunch

With New Year's Day falling on a Sunday this year, we decided to do something a bit different and have a New Year's Brunch at the church. Larry made buttermilk pancakes, Katie prepared sausage, and everyone else brought fruit and salads. Larry even made some special pancakes -- Mickey Mouse pancakes for the children and banana pancakes for some of the adults. Misi, as usual, was very creative in the way he decorated his plate.

Following the delicious brunch, Larry shared a devotional message appropriate for the new year. Afterwards people stayed on to talk and to play board games. It was a peaceful, relaxing day together.

Clothing Collection

This winter is proving to be an especially cold one, and there are many families in the countryside who lack adequate warm clothing. In response to the need expressed by one of her acquaintances, Ildikó organized a clothing collection to help out families in Szabolcs county. We didn't really know what to expect, but as it turned out many people responded to the need. In all over 30 large garbage bags, boxes, and suitcases were filled with warm clothing and blankets. Thirty families were blessed with these goods just before Christmas. Thanks to everyone who made this possible!

Hungary Mission Christmas

It is our custom each year to gather together as a Hungary Mission team and celebrate Christmas together. This is also our opportunity to express our appreciation one to another. This year we gathered at the Szamos Cukrászda and enjoyed coffee, tea, and cakes together. We were happy to have both Sarolta and Márton join us this year, for the little ones are also important! Our team is comprised of Gerry and Kati from Győr, Ildikó and Júlia, Péter and Judit, and Larry and Katie. We are so thankful for the dedication of these servants of God!