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A church for the congregation in Mukachevo
Christian Reformed World Missions has approved a project to help the Christian
Reformed Church in Mukachevo purchase land for
Our congregation desperately needs a church building of its own in order for ministry and outreach to blossom. If you desire to participate in this special project, donations can be sent to Christian Reformed World Missions and designated for the "Mukachevo church project WM-805656" (2850 Kalamazoo Ave. SE, Grand Rapids, MI 49560). Donations can also be made online at www.CRWM.org/donate.
The importance of a church building for church growth in Mukachevo, Ukraine updated February 2007 Statistical information Registration as a church: April 2004 Opening service: July 2004 Number of founding members: 12 Average Sunday attendance in summer 2004: 18 Average Sunday attendance in winter 2006/7: 30
Present facilities
The legal agreement made with the landlord at that time was the right to use the facilities for five years in exchange for renovating the facilities. The property has since changed hands twice yet the agreement is binding regardless of the change of ownership. The present landlord intends to make the entire building into a hotel and restaurant. He has already started major construction to enlarge the back half of the building which we do not have rights to. His construction has violated the legal agreement because it has led to the obstruction of our entry into the premises. He also threatens that he will take the roof off in the spring which would prevent us from being able to use the facilities. Numerous times already we have had to seek legal council and take legal action against the former landlord and the present landlord due to violations of our agreement. If we would be forced out of the building before spring 2009 we would take the matter to court however it would likely be a lengthy process and we do not have another location we could gather in.
Demographics Although exact statistics are not known, it is estimated that nearly 90% of the 80,000 residents of Mukachevo consider themselves Christian. The largest church is Greek Catholic, followed by the Orthodox. Other single congregations in town are Roman Catholic (Hungarian speaking), Reformed (Hungarian speaking), and small protestant congregations such as Evangelical, Baptist, Pentecostal and Charismatic. There is also a congregation of Jehovah Witnesses.
Attendance in the historical churches is relatively low. Membership typically includes all baptized children regardless of their attendance. For example, the Hungarian speaking Reformed church in our town claims 1,200 members. An average of 300 attend Sunday worship services.
The majority of people in Mukachevo consider themselves Orthodox or otherwise religious although they have no strong connection to an individual congregation and rarely, if ever, attend worship services.
The CRCM primarily focuses on reaching youth and young families in the city of Mukachevo who do not have a strong connection to another church and are otherwise "un-churched."
Cultural expectations As our understanding of the culture here deepens, we have become more aware of the expectations and mindset of the people in Mukachevo. According to this mindset, a "church" is only legitimate if it is 1) historical and 2) has a building. Without both of these a church is regarded as a sect. Even the Orthodox in this region will build a large, spectacular church building in a village where only one person claims to be Orthodox. The building itself gives them legitimacy and a "presence" in the village.
Being a reformed congregation, we can claim the first requirement. The second, however, we cannot. When people see where we meet they often say, "Oh, what type of sect is this?" Some cannot even find the building with the address in hand because they are looking for "a church".
Present church facility limitations Our present-day facilities limit opportunities to hold a summer VBS program, youth rallies, conferences for parents with childcare, etc. George's office doubles as a Sunday school room and a nursery during the worship service but not without some complications.
Church building design The CRCM would like to purchase a piece of property in the center of town and build a simple structure consisting of a worship hall, kitchen, bathroom, and a few classrooms.
Projected Costs The price of land and building materials is skyrocketing. Building materials cost four times more this year than last year. We are hoping we can find a plot of land (with an old house on it which will be demolished) for $45,000. A simple church building would presently cost around $150,000 to build.
Financial limitations The average monthly salary for the Transcarpathian region of Ukraine is $120. If we had 100 tithing members each tithing 10% and all of that money only went to a building fund it would take 14 years to accumulate $200,000. The likelihood of a congregation reaching 100 tithing members without a church building is next to impossible. Then, of course, there would be more expenses for the members to cover than simply a building fund plus the issue of inflation.
Contextualization We are unaware of any other congregation or local church denomination that has been able to build its own church building without financial assistance from abroad.
Local ownership Local ownership is a key concern in the idea of a building project. The CRCM members are willing to give what they can financially towards the purchase of land and the building of a church. They are also willing to give of their talents and labor.
Reasons for church building proposal 1) The congregation will be without a meeting place in a little over 2 years 2) Cultural expectation that a legitimate church meets in a church building 3) The congregation is incapable of purchasing land and building a church without assistance 4) Better facilities are necessary in order to hold outreach events and therefore grow numerically
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Mailing address: Ilona Zrini 10/2, Mukachevo 89600, Transcarpathia, Ukraine email: george.devuyst@gmail.com Links to: Christian Reformed Church in N. America - Christian Reformed World Missions |
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a
church. Due to generous contributions from from churches and
individuals, the church has $65,000 with which to purchase land.
Unfortunately, the price of property continues to rise and is presently around
$280,000 an acre.%20framed.jpg)
Since
the summer of 2004 the Christian Reformed Church in Mukachevo (CRCM) has been
gathering in the front half of a building at 72 Dukhnovicha, Mukachevo. This
facility consists of a hallway, a small kitchen, a bathroom, George's office
(also used as a nursery and Sunday school room) and a meeting hall which seats
40 people comfortably.