Good EMF day at Welwyn

Andrew Birch

It was good to be at the meetings today organised in Welwyn, marking the sixtieth anniversary of the founding of EMF, the European Mission Fellowship. Steven Bowers chaired to kick us off with a little history from Omri Jenkins' book Five minutes to midnight. Andrew Birch from Malaga then spoke helpfully and stimulatingly on the changing European scene. This was followed by a session featuring Jan Habl from the Czech Republic on video, Leonidas Kollaros from Greece and Vitalii Mariash from Ukraine on skype and there in Welwyn, Xavi Patino and Matt Hill from Spain and Sandor Kelemen from Transylvania.

We were then provided with a simple lunch and in the afternoon we had three seminars - one from Hungarian speakers Isztvan and Tunde Salanki, based in London, with Sandor from Romania; one from the three Spain based brothers and a final one from a couple working in the north of England among Muslims.

The final session was introduced with a piece from Daniel Webber's address on Europe for the Evangelical Library in 1991 Robert Strivens preaching from Hebrews 13 on the things that do not change. A great day. Lovely to meet old friends and one or two new ones. The EMF is a mission well worth supporting.

Trdelnik

According to Wikipedia Trdelník is found in several Central European countries (Austria, Czech Republic, Slovakia and Hungary, etc).

The word trdelník is of either Czech or Slovak origin. Nowadays, it is very popular among tourists as a sweet pastry in the Czech Republic. A modern version, with fillings such as ice cream, has been spreading in popularity from its origin in Prague. We had one filled with fresh fruit and ice cream with a chocolate spread topping.

The version made in the Slovak town of Skalica - Skalický trdelník was registered in December 2007 as PGI (protected geographical indication) in the European Union. The registration application with the detailed description of the product was published in April 2007 in the Official Journal of the European Union. The original recipe was brought to Skalica at the end of the 18th century by the Transylvanian cook József Gvadányi, a retired Hungarian general. The original recipe was later improved by the inhabitants of Skalica to its final form now known as Skalický trdelník.

The civil association Skalický trdelník was founded at the end of 2004 with the goal of keeping the tradition of the original open fire Trdelník production. The name trdelník comes from trdlo (originally a wooden tool for pounding or stamping materials in a stoupa, a hollowed-out log), the wooden stake the cake is wrapped around for cooking which gives it its traditional hollow shape.

10 Hungarian/Romanian words we know

Franz Xaver Zalder (1815–?), Public domain,
via Wikimedia Commons

For obvious reasons

1. Biro - UK word for ball-point pen; named after its Hungarian inventor
(I suppose Rubik Cube could be included here on that basis)
2. Coach - Named after its town of origin
3. Goulash - Herdsman's meat, a type of stew
4. Hussar - Light cavalry soldier
5. Paprika - A spice
6. Sabre - A type of sword

7. Dracula - The snake. Mythical vampire figure from the Transylvanian region of Romania
8. Halvah - Sweet of sesame, honey and flour
9. Pastrami - A cured meat

I could only get 9 so I've added

10. Vampire - Witch. Mythical European blood sucking human; blood sucking South American bat. The word is apparently from Serbian.

Romania 06

Oradea is, of course, in Transylvania, which (thanks to Vlad the Impaler and Bram Stoker) has a certain resonance for English ears. Because Oradea is so close to the Hungarian border it was easiest to come in via Budapest rather than via Bucharest. Oradea does have an airport but it is quite small.

On the way back shortly after the prompt border crossing we were stopped further into Hungary by border guards. This was essentially a non-event but it was a reminder of how different things were just a short while ago. One remembers the story of the sun and the wind trying to get the man's coat off. The winds of persecution largely failed. We pray that the sunshine of freedom will prove equally unable to the armour of God which many there are clearly seeking to wear.

Romania 05

On the final morning we had chance to do a little more sightseeing before heading back to Budapest and home via Amsterdam.

So all in all it was a fine trip and very enjoyable. The churches seem to be in fine fettle though not without their problems. As the days of fierce persecution recede the real challenge is to remain faithful and prophetic and to live for God's glory. The tradtions are okay though not without fault. American money is again a two-edged sword. It was funny to see in the college chapel the cheesy portraits of two (obviously American) couples who presumably paid for it all.

The large Emanuel church with its High School and the Baptist University is very impressive. Editura Faclia is obviously a great asset (see here) too, but again not without its difficulties. God is good adn is hand is clearly at work. It was interesting to talk to Cornel, a student detailed to show us around on that final morning. He has been on several overseas trips with other students to one particualr country. The needs of others are not being forgotten.

Romania 04

On the Lord's Day we each preached in different churches. John preached at a church further out (St Martin's) in the morning and then shared the preaching at Emanuel in the evening. Phil and I alternated at Golgotha and Zion. I was at Golgotha in the morning. Corneliu translated for me. The pastor there is Daniel Tanc (see pic).

Unimpressive from the outside this was a fine building. We entered as all age Sunday School was progressing. All the older members (men one side, women the other) were in the body of the church and the younger members in the 'choir stalls'. They contributed a song and a brass band piece. There was a little congregational singing and the reading - stood, as I now expected - and followed by a prayer from someone in the congregation.

I preached on Solomon and the Queen of Sheba and hopefully got through. Everyone under 166 must have been in Sunday School, which was a pity. I had a nice chat to a young man called Ghitsa.

In the evening I preached on Solomon's wisdom at Zion. This was a more compact church with a gallery. The place was full but part of the reason for that was that it was one of those Sundays when a village congregation is invited in. This meant an inordinate number of 'items' (brass band instrumentals and choir pieces - at least a dozen) plus 20 minutes from the pastor before I could get to preach. I nearly went mad. It reminded me of Sunday School anniversary in my home church.

Anyway I had a nice time with the pastor there Vlorian Ile and his family, including his lovely little boy Serju (I was really missing my family by then). No pictures as I left my camera behind.

Romania 03

After the conference there was time to relax. We walked into town from the University. Oradea is clearly a developing town with many of the features of any modern European city. We went into a shopping mall for a coffee and to buy some gifts and I could have been in Brent Cross for all the difference. That's what makes buying gifts difficult. Everything is so internationalised. I managed to find some chocolate with suitably Romanian labels and some mugs for the boys celebrating Steaua and Rapid Bucharest (nearly 500 km away!).

At the same time religion is in evidence. Work on the Orthodox Cathedral with its impressive roof continues (John said it had been going on for years). We took the tram back and were then due to join Dinu, Lydia and their son Andrei for our evening meal. They took us out to the rather select Hotel Scorilo (see here). In an attempt to avoid the smoke we ended up in a room themed on the story of Al Capone. Prison uniforms were provided and I managed to get us all into the hats (although Lydia I notice declined to wear hers).

Romania 02

The conference took place in the impressive college chapel of the Baptist University in Oradea. Some 140-150 students and pastors were present. The senior pastor at Emanuel and the President of the University, Paul Negrut, kicked things off with some warm words of welcome. Phil spoke first and I second, after a break. We both spoke twice on the first day then once on the Saturday morning. Phil spoke on verses in Colossians 2. His Welwyn commentary on the book has just appeared (see here). He had the excellent help of professor Dr Corneliu Simut (see here) as translator. Corneliu is a church history specialist who has studied under Carl Trueman and did his PhD on Richard Hooker. I tackled three wisdom books with the help of Dr Dan Boutica (see here page 6). (For the second and longest Dinu stood in as translator as Dan was unable to be present). Things went quite well considering the difficulties involved. Using a translator is not the best way to communicate but it beats not having one at all!

The Romanians love their singing and there was plenty of that as well some prayers and reading of Scripture - both always conducted with the people standing up. The University Dean Dorin Hnatiuc, led the singing with gusto. He also preached the closing sermon - a striking one on the demands of the ministry from Ecclesiastes 10:8, 9.There were two bookstalls but sales were not high. Interaction with attendees present was possible to some extent, although not all (especially the older ones) spoke English. (Romanian is perhaps most like Italian but with dashes of slav. It is phonetic but relies on a vast number of diacritical marks. I at least learned to say Pac(h)-e (Peace) - the accepted greeting among Christians).
On the Saturday we had a question session (a new departure it seems) when four questions were asked, mostly to do with the texts, although one was about baptism and whether entrance to heaven is possible without it. Phil answered very well not downplaying baptism but stressing that it is an act of obedience and we are saved in the end by faith not works. [See Pic 1. Pic 2 shows the chapel and Pic 3 shows Dorin Hnatiuc, Phil, me, Dinu, Corneliu Simut]

Romania 01

So last Thursday I set off nice and early for Heathrow Airport where I caught a KLM flight to Schiphol, Amsterdam [Pic 01]. There to greet me, fresh in from Teesside Durham, was John Rubens, who had arranged this trip on behalf of Evangelical Press and in association with Dinu Moga in Oradea. John is pastor of an FIEC church in Newton Aycliffe but continues to work part-time for EP. We were soon joined by Phil Arthur who had flown to Amsterdam from Manchester. Phil is pastor of the Grace Baptist Church in Lancaster. I knew both John and Phil before this trip but it was good to get to know them better.

After a short stop for lunch we headed on, with Malev, to Budapest (Hungary), an hour and three quarters away. At the airport we were met by Lazslo who took us the 160 miles east, to Oradea, just over the Romanian border. It was soon dark and there was not much to see - on the return journey I realised it is not much different in daylight as Hungary is incredibly flat an we went through no major towns. The road is good but mostly single lane. The church and university in Oradea has a lot of interaction with the west and so Laszlo spends a lot of time driving to and fro.

We came first for a meal to the very tasteful home of Dinu and Lydia Moga [Pic 02 Them with John and Phil]. I have met Dinu several times before. He studied at LTS in the nineties and more recently has completed the MTh with the John Owen Centre. He is on the staff of the large Emanuel Baptist Church and heads up the Editura Faclia publishing house. The office is next door to his home. He was telling us how there are over 40 Christian publishing houses in Romania but still a very small market.

We were accommodated in basic but adequate accommodation on the campus of the Baptist University in Oradea (the only such institution in Europe). (See the Romanian language website here). I shared a suite with Phil and John was down the corridor.

Oradea is Romania's tenth city and lie within the Transylvanian region. There have been Baptists in the city for decades and some 3% in the city would identify themselves as such (there are more Pentecostals with something like 4%). Following fierce persecution before the revolution in 1989, it has been possible to build a large church building (the largest in Europe) [Pic 03] with Christian but state funded schools on site and the Baptist University on the outskirts of town. [Pic 04 shows the view from my bedroom window].