Partnership building in Ireland
Kathy and I are planning on visiting Ireland April 28th to May 9th. We are hoping to visit churches for partnership building.
If you and your church are interested in having us speak, we currently have availability on the following dates (although I expect this to fill up quickly):
Updated on Wednesday, February 22nd
April 30th – evening only (Limerick in the morning at Mallow Street Christian Fellowship).
May 1st and 2nd is currently free.
May 3rd – morning only, Grovesnor Baptist Church, Dublin in the evening at the 8pm prayer meeting.
May 4th, 5th and 6th is currently free.
May 7th evening only (Monaghan in the morning at Hope Christian Fellowship).
May 8th is currently open.
Our main focus will be on ministry in Hungary and Ukraine but we will also touch on our ministry in Romania and Russia.
We would love to speak at your church, Bible study, youth group etc. Let us know so we can connect!
Ukraine – how do Christians respond?
Broken-hearted. That is how I feel. My friends have had to leave their homes in the city to go to nearby villages to find a small measure of safety and security. Air raid sirens, mixed in with the sounds of artillery fire, fighter jets flying overhead, the distinct sound of helicopter blades, small arms fire and children crying are the new normal for families all across Ukraine.
I live in Hungary, we border Ukraine and I travel there regularly to serve in my role as a Christian minister with the Free Methodist Church. I love the country, the people, rhe culture, the cuisine. Kiev, Rivne, Lviv, Ivano-Frankivsk are all beautiful cities I have had the pleasure of travelling to on numerous occasions. Now those cities are facing destruction at the hands of Russian military forces.
Russian forces invaded in 2014, and took control of several areas of Ukraine at that time. Since then the fighting has gone on and about 14000 lives have been lost. In my role as a Mental Health professional in PTSD, I have travelled to Ukraine to work with soldiers who have endured so much because of the horrors of war. Yet, not only do soldiers suffer, but their loved ones who struggle to comprehend the changes that PTSD brings about. Anger, anxiety, depression, hallucinations, panic attacks, irrational fear and so much more are commonplace with PTSD.
Our church leaders in Ukraine have been caring for these soldiers and their families. They also care for alcohol and drug addicts and the elderly. They have been and continue to be the hands and feet of Christ, bringing love and care to the unloved and disenfranchised of Ukraine.
Now as the invasion of Ukraine by Russian forces has fully begun, as the bombs rain down, these men and women continue to serve. They are the Church. They respond by caring, they responding by putting others first, they respond by providing help wherever they can. They respond in love. So should we. Get on your knees and send a ‘knee mail’, ask God to protect and bring peace. Pray for those mourning tonight. Pray for those soldiers who must do the unthinkable. Pray for the defenceless.
You can also help practically. Give financially to churches and trustworthy relief agencies. Welcome refugees with love and help them settle into a new home (Jesus was a refugee also!). Give your time and expertise and come to Ukraine when the war is finished. Help on a medical team or with reconstruction or in any one of a number of ways.
Respond in prayer. Respond in love. Respond. Don’t be silent. Your response is incredibly important.
New support information
We want to thank those of you who continue to support Kingdom work in Hungary and across Europe. Your prayers, notes of encouragement and financial support are incredibly important. Thank you!!!
Unfortunately, we have had significant issues with our bank in Ireland. The bank have been very problematic and not understanding of the fact that international travel and international post have both been significantly effected due to Covid-19. Basically, we cannot access our funds in Ireland at the moment and are asking our Irish and EU supporters to make alternative arrangements for support giving. Please feel free to contact me for the details you need (I’m not comfortable posting such details here). The support we get from you in Ireland is an incredible blessing and I feel very blessed to have to have such generous supporters from home.
Support the Hungarian church!
Many of you are aware of the wonderful ministry taking place in Hungary that we are involved in, With two church groups (one in Budapest and the other in Győr), I (Gerry) am honoured to lead this ministry. However, it all takes money and that means we need your support! We are not asking for you to support us but rather to support the church itself.
So what do our churches in Hungary do? Bible studies, counselling, ministry to children, high schoolers, University students and families, church services in prisons and work with the homeless are just some of the areas we serve in. We are seeing communities and lives transformed by the love of Christ. Although we currently have two churches in Hungary, we connect to a number of ministries across both Hungary and Romania. For a relatively small group, the Lord has given us a huge territory and blessed us with many connections into ministry. Actually, we struggle to meet the demand. We struggle to finance everything the Lord is calling us to be involved in.
Our vehicles are old, yet we need to drive a couple of hours each way to hold services at the largest prison for women in Hungary. What a blessing to be able to reach those who are currently imprisoned! We desire to offer good quality training for those in pastoral development but hosting teachers requires finances as does the paying of bills for the facilities we use. We reach women who have been abused and have left their homes, prevent children from being forced into prostitution and human trafficking, yet to do all this we need to ensure that staff are paid. We need you! The smallest of gifts will make a difference and enable us to reach more and more people with the Gospel. Perhaps consider skipping one meal this month and using the time of fasting
Photo by Wendy van Zyl on Pexels.com
to pray for the church in Hungary and give the money you would have paid for the meal to support this minstry.
See the following video if you would like more information. The end of the video contains a link where you can give. I urge you to consider giving to the development of the church in Hungary. https://vimeo.com/371887075
It was not the nails that held Christ to the cross, rather it was His love for us! As I looked out over the beautiful city of Győr this week, I was reminded how much God loves this city and all the people who live here.
Having served here for many years I can honestly say that although the city is magnificent, the need for Christ is beyond belief. Behind the amazing architecture we see the homeless, along with the Audi cars we see the children who are trafficked, drugs flood the streets and alcohol holds so many in its evil grasp. Sometimes I lose hope, I feel powerless against the flood of evil. Yet, I have a God who rose from the dead, gave sight to the blind and made the lame to walk! Won’t you join us in praying for this great city? For every single person, man, woman and child, to come to faith?
We too are held to Győr by love, not by nails. We love the children at the orphanage, the refugees at the detention centre, the Hungarians and foreigners who live here and worship with us. We love to preach, teach, counsel and help. We have rescued women who were trafficked, counseled men and women with PTSD, visited the ill in hospital and comforted those who mourn. Will you now consider supporting us both prayerfully and financially? We have only 46% of our support needs for 2019 raised and/or pledged. Unless significant support is raised, we will be struggling to make ends meet and will have to consider our future in ministry. We lost support from a couple of churches at the end of 2018. Perhaps your church, your home group or you yourself would like to partner in Kingdom work?
Please help us by sharing this post in your churches and amongst your Christian friends.
Will you support us?
Those of you who regularly follow our ministry will know much of what we do. Church planting in Győr. Discipleship. Leading Bible studies. Preaching. MOPS (mothers of pre-schoolers). Marriage counselling. PTSD counselling. Helping to further develop ministry across Europe, particularly in Hungary, Romania and Ukraine but also to a lesser extent in Belgium, France and Spain. Raising support for those in need. Anti-trafficking. Ministry to children in orphanages. I genuinely believe it would be nearly impossible for us to do more.
Sadly, our support has dropped significantly in 2019. Two churches who were supporting us have dropped their support for us (not because of any issues with us but because of their own church financial situations). We are hoping that other churches who have been supporting us will renew their commitments to us.
At the moment we are currently at 32% of our yearly needs. I believe that this will increase significantly as churches renew their commitments to us, however we still need new supporters. Would you and/or your church consider supporting us?
So what do we use this support for? It is used to pay for all our ministry related costs (travel, food, support to the needy, phone bills, items such as Bibles etc). Without your partnership, we struggle to minister. This is truly a partnership. Your prayers and support enable us to serve God in Győr, Hungary and across Europe. Not all are called to go to the mission field, but all are called to be involved in reaching the lost and supporting us allows you to partner in spreading the Good News!
If you are in America, you can give by using the following link: https://give.fmcusa.org/donation/mcnamara_missionary_support (you may need to copy and paste the link into your browser). If you are in Ireland, then you can give through Imap.ie by using the following link: http://imap.ie/forms/standing_orders/so_hfc.pdf
(you may need to copy and paste the link into your browser). Alternatively, feel free to contact me on how to give or use the Paypal button (yellow with Donate written on it) found on this site. Thank you for your continued support of this ministry,
McNamara Christmas 2018 newsletter
Please not that this newsletter has been sent to a number of churches that support us. The newsletter itself has been slightly modified for the internet.
Dear Friends,
A big Hello! from Győr, Hungary. After an unusually warm Autumn, the weather has recently turned very cold and we expect to see snow soon. We have really enjoyed this wonderful weather and are already looking forward to Spring 2019.
We are so pleased to report that ministry in Győr has grown incredibly well this last year and we are seeing so much fruit! Our many years of faithfulness and hardwork are being blessed by the Lord! Our local church has grown, as have all the related ministry programs. We have more and more people coming to worship regularly and they are also bringing friends and family with them. MOPS (mothers of pre-schoolers) is growing significantly, with up to ten young mums present on each occassion. The ladies coffee morning has had as many as twelve women present when they meet and is helping to bring women closer to God and to have a place where they can discuss significant issues in their lives. We now have two Bible study groups, one in English and one in Hungarian and are grateful that God is raising up local leaders who are taking responsibility to lead. Our high school program has as many as twenty five teenagers coming together! We also continue our ministry in the orphanage and had a great VBS there in July. We also continue to offer counselling for those experiencing marriage difficulties and for others who are struggling with problems, such as mental health issues. I am pleased to report that one couple I counselled with this year have experienced the healing power of Christ and are living in marriage together rather than in divorce! God is good! Please pray for wisdom and strenght as we meet and counsel people who are stuggling in life.
I was blessed to travel this year. Although I didn’t make it to Ireland (which I am sad about), I did make it to England. I was pleased to play a part in encouraging a partnership between Garstang Free Methodist Church and our work in Ukraine. The church in Garstang is helping to financially and prayerfully support this ministry in Rivne, Ukraine, which involves alcohol and drug rehabilitation. Contact me if you would like to know more!
I also traveled to Romania with a mission team from the Győr church we lead. Five of us worked with the homeless and the poorest of the poor. We peeled vegetables, played games with kids, did handcrafts and offered medical care. Our church raised money and we were able to stock the shelves and freezer of the ministry centre for a whole month. We also saw the need for a new washing machine (the old one was falling apart) and our local church (along with a sister church in Spain), have raised the funds to buy a new washing machine. Other travels included preaching and teaching in Belgium, studying church planting in Greece and education and leadership meetings in Spain.
We also continue to be very involved in figthing human-traffiking. We were involved in rescusing a young woman we know from a dangerous situation in Greece back in April. It was complex, with numerous people involved, including the Greek police, the Hungarian embassy in Greece and others. After a short stay in hospital in Greece she was returned to Hungary, where both Kathy and I visited her and her infant child. We prayed with her, gave her advice and promised to help her as we could. She promptly went back into a former dangerous and unhealthy relationship. Much of ministry is discouraging and frustrating. Pray with us for this young woman ‘L’.
Support is becoming an issue for us. Unfortunately I just received an e-mail from a wonderful pastor who is leading a church that has been one of our main supporting contributors. The church has run into a difficult financial situation and therefore has decided to stop supporting us. We absolutely understand that finances are often a difficult area for many churches, however, without your support this work will struggle to carry on. Don’t misunderstand, we are in no immediate danger of stopping this ministry, but if we lost another large supporter it would have a significant impact on our ability to serve. Would you or your church be willing to commit to us? Perhaps you know of someone seeking a way of supporting God’s work? If so, let them know about our ministry.
Our three daughters are all well. All three are in University now. Csilla is studying social education and is due to receieve her degree in May of 2019. Zsuzsi is also studying social education and separately she is studying theology for a second degree. Katica started studying physiotherapy in September. Both Csilla and Zsuzsi live at home but Katica has moved to Pécs in the south of Hungary (about a four hour drive) and we miss seeing her every day! Zsuzsi is engaged and her wedding is scheduled for April 13th of 2019. She is engaged to Zsolt Mecséri, a wonderful young man who came to Christ through our ministry in Győr. Zsolt recently finished his University degree and is an engineer.
We are grateful that you are our partners in this ministry and without your prayer and financial support, none of this would be possible. Please feel free to write to us, ask us more questions and send us encouraging notes We enjoy hearing from you!
Enjoy some photos from ministry this past year$
Needs
Being in ministry is a great privilege. We love to serve God and his people. Whether through Bible study, youth work, hospitality or teaching we are blessed to be part of the Kingdom work in Hungary and throughout Europe. It does bring various challenges though… one of those being that equipment wears out faster than we would like.
Currently we are dealing with two old laptops and we could really do with a new laptop that is in good condition. Why do we need one? Correspondence, sermon and Bible study preparation, for working with the kids at the orphanage and for our church services. If you feel called would you be willing to donate a laptop?
We also need a good bluetooth speaker. The one we use is small. The sound is surprisingly good but not enough when we do outside ministry at the orphanage. Are you able and willing to bless this ministry with a decent bluetooth speaker?
Some English language Bibles would also be a wonderful blessing. We continue to give Bibles away but could do with more! If you feel led to give them we will gladly accept!
USA financial support
Occasionally we have requests for information from people in America wondering how they can financially support us. Well there are two ways to do so now. Firstly you can pay via PayPal using the ‘Donate’ button located on this page. Secondly you can also now donate (either as a one time gift or as a recurring payment) via the following page:
https://give.fmcusa.org/donation/csa-hungary—mcnamara-imsa (you need to look at the left hand side of the pages, click on countries and then click on ‘Hungary – McNamara IMSA’).
Donations are how we live. It is not fun to ask but without asking you may not know of the need. All the work we do needs financing. Whether it is taking orphans to the zoo, bringing food and clothes to the needy, traveling to a church to preach or providing a hot meal to the homeless we need support. We cannot do this work alone. We want you to be our partner. We understand that many people are requesting support, charities are in constant need. Prayer is the greatest support you can give us. After that we are grateful for your kind words of encouragement via snail mail or e-mail. if you feel led then we are grateful for your financial support.
Soon I (Gerry) will be taking a trip to America. I will be in Florida, Ohio, New York State and Pennsylvania. In an upcoming post I will gives dates, times and places of where I will be presenting about both the work in Hungary and in the Middle-East. Send me an e-mail or leave a comment here if you would like more information.
Blessing children
Today we had the privilege of working with 12 kids at a local orphanage. Kathy, Zsuzsi and Katica along with four others taught the kids a Bible verse, played games and spoke to them about their need for a personal relationship with Christ.
This is a regular monthly event. Please be in prayer for these kids and for all those who faithfully serve.
Also would you consider supporting this work? We provide hand craft materials (pictured above), snacks and Bibles. You can partner with us in this ministry by clicking on the donate button on this page.
Hungary to Madagascar!
We were blessed to have our good friend Kóber Ildikó come to Győr and present about her recent mission trip to Madagascar. She presented twice, once at the Friday night youth group and a second time at our home. The Friday evening presentation was well attended with about 15 people. Saturday had a much lower attendance, however people stayed for a couple of hours afterwards so as to enjoy fellowship and refreshments. Everybody loved hearing Ildikó speak. Ildikó has a powerful testimony and she is being used by the Lord in a mighty way as an evangelist and Bible teacher. Having come to know Christ as her Saviour, she felt a strong need to improve her biblical knowledge and therefore travelled to Switzerland to undertake further studies. Whilst in Switzerland she had the opportunity to travel to Madagascar on a mission trip. You can find more information on her blog: http://growinthelord.blogspot.hu/ Please feel free to visit her blog and learn more about her and her ministry.
Ildikó will now continue to serve in Budapest. She is on fire for the Lord, passionate about reaching the lost and an excellent speaker. She does however need support. if you have been looking for a worthy ministry to support on a one off or regular basis then the work Ildikó is doing is most deserving of your help and prayers.
Financial support
One of the greatest challenges in ministry is the need to raise support. First and foremost we need your prayer support! Without your prayers our ministry will not be as effective. praying for us is a commitment in time and spiritual energy. However we also need financial support. Without adequate finances we will not be able to carry on ministry work in Táp, in Győr, in Hungary and indeed in Europe. Would you be willing to support us? I have just created a PayPal donate button which you can use safely to support our ministry if you so wish.
Thank you in advance for your prayers, love and generosity to us and this ministry!
Hungary for Christ 