Wednesday, January 28, 2009

"The Coming Evangelical Collapse"?

In this article, the "Internet Monk" gives a chilling prediction (but also heartening, in an odd way) of the collapse of what we have come to know as evangelicalism in America. Before you reject his conclusion, read his reasons carefully.

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Sunday, January 18, 2009

Faith strengthens sports heroes

Mark Kriegel, a national columnist for FOX Sports, is no fan of athletes touting their Christian (or other) faith in the context of their sports achievements. But in this article, he's forced to show grudging respect to sports heroes like Kurt Warner whose faith has given them something to live for—and to play for.

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Monday, January 12, 2009

The Hungarian Reformed Evangelical Mission

In October 2007, a young Hungarian named Attila Hajdú came to the United States and visited the CREC Presbytery meetings in Moscow, Idaho, and Cary, North Carolina. He was appealing for a man to go and lead a mission church in his hometown of Diósd, just outside the Hungarian capital city, Budapest.

Over the course of the next year, Attila reached the conviction that he himself was called to lead this mission work in Hungary. He came under the oversight of the Evangelical Reformed Church (CREC) in Wrocław, Poland, which organized a program of pastoral training for him and commissioned him to preach and administer the Sacraments. In November 2008, under Attila's leadership, the Hungarian Reformed Evangelical Mission began holding worship services in Diósd.

Please pray for Attila, his wife Kati, and their two small children as they form the core of this infant church. Pray that the Lord would bring other people to join them, in a town where less than 2% of the people attend church services regularly. Pray for wisdom for the Polish elders who are overseeing the mission, and for Pastor Jack Phelps of Alaska (currently the presiding minister of the CREC Council) who has visited the church in Hungary and is also lending his support. Pray for the theological conference to be held in Budapest later this year, with speakers including James Jordan and Jack Phelps. And please pray for me. I spent a week with Attila in Hungary over New Year's, and I'm now preparing to move to the Budapest area to serve the church through preaching, teaching, and evangelism.

You can find more information about the Hungarian mission work at their website, www.reformalt.hu (in Hungarian and English). For pictures and stories from the Polish elders' visit to this church and another mission in Bulgaria, see Bulgaria2008.

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Jan. 20: Public presentation about Hungary trip

I returned to Moscow (Idaho) last Monday after spending a week in Hungary. I was visiting the CREC mission work near Budapest and considering whether I should go to live and help plant a church there over the next few years. After this visit, much prayer, and talking with a number of people, I've decided that I will be moving to Hungary later this year.

Next Tuesday (January 20) at 7 PM, I'll be giving a presentation at the Nuart Theater about my Hungary trip. I'll show pictures from the trip, talk about the church that is being started there, and explain what I hope my role in all this is going to be. If you're interested, please put the date on your calendar and come with any questions you might have – I'll be looking forward to seeing you there!

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