No Return to Public Worship at Easter

We shall bear prayerful responsibility for each other

Churches shall remain closed during Easter. This is what the Presidency Council of RCH including Bishops and Lay Presidents of the four Church Districts asked from congregations in a Communiqué on 26 March. Due to the outburst of the Covid-19 pandemic and in compliance with the lock-down measure of the authorities, congregations shall not return to in-person gathering in time for Easter. Churches have been closed since 8 March.

We had to make the painful decision to continue suspending in-person worships and community events with a personal presence, as the personal experience of the community is at the heart of our Reformed Christian faith. This personal encounter has become impossible due the virus and made it a source of danger to life. We must now bear the burden of this. We pray to Jesus Christ, who triumphed over death, with the words of our Hymn, “Thou shall protect your little ark! Thy church militant put her trust in you; Thou hast poured out thy holy blood for her; do not let her immerse once you redeemed it”.

We therefore ask our congregations to organize worship services at Easter in using digital platforms as much as possible.

We will decide on a possible date for the re-opening at a later stage, taking into account the development of the pandemic and in accordance with government measures.

We keep praying for all those severely affected by the epidemic. In the hope of seeing you soon, we have made our decision armed with the power of our God's words of peace:

Don't be afraid, for I am with you! (Isaiah 43:5)

In Hungary almost all shops and services have been closed for two weeks now. Shops, with the exception of food stores, pharmacies and petrol stations, are closed and services, with the exception of private health care, suspended. Kindergartens and primary schools have also been closed since March 8 and they are not supposed to re-open before April 19. The government asked employers to ensure that their employees can work from home wherever possible, particularly in the case of those with children. Mask-wearing remains mandatory outdoors. Hungary imposed tighter controls on its borders.