On May 22nd 2012 the Central and Eastern European Institute for Mission Studies of the Károli Gáspár University of the Reformed Church hosted for the first time a Roma Mission Research Fellowship Consultation as the first of its kind. The meeting was ecumenical and was low-key, thus students of BA, MA and PhD programs were invited from various theological schools, to share their research on Roma mission in Hungary. Altogether 18 people from various denominations participated, however there were a number of those who were very interested to participate, but were unable to come. The moderator was Rev. Eszter Dani, Reformed Pastor who has been recently awarded the Raoul Wallenberg prize for her work among the Roma. Among the presenters and the auditors were Roma people also. In fact almost half of those present were Roma, so the principle was practiced: “nothing about us without us”. The meeting was characterized by very open and honest discussions!
KRE-CIMS has organised similar Missiological Research Fellowship meetings for MA and PhD students for more than one and a half decade. This event was the first one focusing exclusively on the research area of Roma – Church relations. It is part of the KRE-CIMS Roma – Church Knowledge Centre.
The goal of this fellowship is to provide a platform for mutual learning and research about the Roma mission thus helping the churches in their work. The ecumenical nature of the fellowship is a very important value, as the participants are exposed to different views and approaches than their own church’s, which can give the basis of a fruitful common reflection and study.
In the consultation Attila Landauer, the Roma Mission Co-ordinator of the Reformed Church in Hungary, offered valuable insights into historical facts that are determining how we view each other with the Roma people, and called for a new historical perspective freed from a „history of suffering”. Then a MA thesis was presented by Judit Györfi about the Roma mission in the Lutheran Church in Hungary, including a case study of three congregations that are involved in mission among the Roma. It was followed by the presentation of an in-progress BA Thesis by Richard Márton, Pastor of the Patyamo Roma congregation of Budapest. He himself a Roma, studied the relationship of mission and culture in the Roma missions and identified different attitudes depending on how the mission relates to the Roma culture. Afterwards Dezső Oláh, a Roman Catholic PhD student presented his research on the spirituality of Roma mission. Gellért Gyetvai, staff of the Roma Methodological Institute of the Pentecostal Church of Hungary presented their ongoing research of collecting information first of all about the Roma mission of this Church, but also of others. The last presenter was Péter Kerekes, a MATHEM student of the Institute, who presented the possibilities of voluntary work in the Roma mission, based on his experiences in the Reformed Church of Hungary and Trans-Carpathia (Ukraine).
Overall all participants regarded the meeting as a very important first step of an academic collaboration. We feel that God has blessed this ecumenical fellowship in the spirit of mutual love and respect with the common goal.
23 May 2012
Zoltán Ruzsa Nagy MTh
CIMS staff member
For a picture impression: https://plus.google.com/photos/103258214603072479634/albums/5745453625710041681?authkey=CNLH8fOVus_iMw
