Meeting in Rimavský seniorate to the 500th anniversary of the Reformation

Meeting in Rimavský seniorate to the 500th anniversary of the Reformation

In sunny but freezing Sunday morning, the January 8, 2017 were gathered Evangelicals from the Rimavská Sobota, in order at the 4th missionary event, which is prepared in connection with 500th anniversary of the Reformation.
Rimavská Sobota is a town in southern Slovakia, in the Banská Bystrica Region, on the Rimava river, and it is address of the Rimavský seniorate. In the Rimavský seniorate they have more than 50 churches and an amount of evangelical personalities came from this seniorate. The church was built between 1784-1790. In the church are placed valuable liturgical objects and gifts, which was given by King of Sweden Gustav III.

At the solemn Worship service, the people gathered in church were cordially welcomed by seniorate inspector Jaroslav Bagačka as well as senior of the seniorate Viktória Lisáková.

As a solemn preacher at the Worship service was invited the Diocese Bishop Eva Nordung Byström, Church of Sweden – from our partner diocese in Härnösand. She preached on the text from the Roman 10,9: “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved”. Following the Martin Luthera, who said that “the Chapters 9-11, are like a strong wine”, therefore we should study the first eight chapters in Romans first. The first eight chapters he compared with it, as “when a baby drinks the milk of his or her mother”. In the end she pointed out on the righteousness that “there are no works and words made by man able to gives us righteousness, this can only be done by the faith that is based in God's perspective. Faith alone. Sola fide. And that is what we shall have in our mouths and harts and that is not a performance, that is a gift offered to us – by grace.”

The intercession to the Lord´s Supper had a seniorate assistant Iveta Korenková. She spoke on the text from Gospel of John 1, 1-2. She gave us an opportunity to think about, what or who is our goal in our lives. „Can we see our Lord Jesus Christ in our neighbour, who hurt us? Are we able to pray with love for the person, who hurt us? We are not able to do it alone ... We need a help, power of Holy Spirit. We need to depersonalized from our own interests and find our goal in God“.

The afternoon program started at 2.00pm. A short opening devotion had a senior Viktória Lisáková. She addressed the people with words „What does the church mean for you? What are you willing to sacrifice for the church? The Church is like a family, everyone is a part of the family.“ Also Diocese Bishop Eva Nordung Byström greeted and addressed the audience. During the afternoon program were handed a commemorative medals of the ECAC.

After the afternoon program we moved to the space of the Evangelical Primary School. The exhibitions „500 year of the Reformation in the ECAC in Slovakia“, and „Embroidered history of the ECAC“, which is prepared by Women Fellowship, were installed in the space of school.

You are very welcome at our next meeting in Lučenec, the 29th January 2017!

Photos: Edita Škodová

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