History
Hungary's inhabitants are descended from the Magyars. The centuries old
Magyar language is still the official tongue spoken there. Hungary was a
large, powerful country through most of the 1400s and into the early 1500s.
But it began to change hands from one outside ruling government to another
through the 1600s. The Hapsburg dynasty from central Europe reigned in most
of Hungary until the end of World War I in 1918. Hungary enjoyed brief independence
until Communist armies took over in the early 1940s. The Communists adopted
a constitution similar to that of the Soviet Union, and began to restrict
people's freedom. The people revolted against the Communists in 1956, but
were quickly crushed. The Soviet Union made reforms in the late 1980s, giving
the people more freedom. In 1990, the first multiparty elections since 1949
were held in Hungary, marking the end of Communist rule.
Church
History
The initial development of the Evangelical Pentecostal Fellowship of Hungary
came from the labors of one woman who was called by God to preach the Good
News to her people. Her ministry spread and bore fruit in many places. Churches
were started, others were called to preach, and a small but significant
revival strengthened the Fellowship.
During Communist rule, the church was closely watched and restricted by
the government. Assemblies of God missionary to Eastern Europe, Bob Mackish
frequently visited Hungary to encourage the leadership and plant spiritual
seeds among the people. When the Iron Curtain fell in 1989, Pentecostal
believers were free to share the Gospel openly. The first resident Assemblies
of God missionaries to Hungary were appointed in 1990.
The
Movement Today
Rather than establishing a new network of believers, the Assemblies of God
labors alongside the Evangelical Pentecostal Fellowship. in Hungary for
evangelism. The national Pentecostal church reports the following statistics:
146 Churches and outstations, over 10,000 members and adherents, 138 ministers,
one Bible school with 85 students enrolled, and other programs training
100 students.
Additional
Facts About Hungary
Capital:
Budapest
Area:
35,920 square miles
Population:
9,956,000
Agriculture:
Poultry, corn, grapes, hogs, dairy, potatoes, sugar beets, and wheat.
Industry: Transportation equipment, electrical products, food products,
medical/scientific equipment, pharmaceuticals, steel, textiles, and bauxite
mining. |
