Three years ago, we were given a tour of a potential ministry site.  It was a dream of the Hungarian Baptists that someday this would be a church. We took a photo of the empty room believing that God would do something amazing. The second picture is the birth of a new church called the International Baptist Church of Debrecen on its first Sunday.

What happened? 

For the past two months, we have been meeting for prayer with a small group of Christians who have been sensing that the Lord was ready to act in an incredible way. This was not a surprise for us because the English Bible Study has been growing along with the need for an English speaking church here in Debrecen. The surprise was in how fast God moved!

Two weeks ago, we met with church leaders to share what was on our hearts. The pastor and the entire leadership team overwhelmingly supported the creation of a new English speaking church in our city. Not only that, they invited us to tour a space they had in mind as a possibility. It was freshly renovated and ready to use. This was the same empty space we saw three years ago. 

What was keeping us from starting? Nothing! The Lord quickly put together a leadership team and this past Sunday the first worship service took place. It was a beautiful birthday celebration and we have not stopped marveling at how the Lord also provided teams of people to run technology, children’s ministry, hospitality, and music as well as financial resources and necessary audio-visual equipment. The work of Christ is so obvious. We are encouraged by Paul’s words in Philippians 4:19, “And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus.”

Thank you for your generous support and prayer! God is doing great things here in Debrecen through your partnership in the gospel. We believe that with the birth of this new church many people will hear and claim the hope of Christ in their lives.

Please continue to pray for us and this new ministry.