Csaba & Ilona Veres
Csaba and Ilona have been serving as global mission workers in partnership with the Hungarian Reformed Church in Romania since 2000.
Latest mission report
Csaba and Ilona's mission work
In January 2024 they moved to Hungary to serve in the Transtibiscan district of the Hungarian Reformed church as church planters and gypsy mission workers in an Intercultural church plant in the village of Bodaszőlő, Northeast Hungary. The Bodaszőlő church plant is a ministry of the Kalvin Square Reformed Church in the town of Hajdúböszörmény.
Ilona and Csaba work together with leaders and members of the mother church (Kalvin Square Reformed church, Hajdúböszörmény) and also a small team of local Hungarian Reformed church gypsy mission workers and a part time pastor. The team aim to faithfully preach the gospel of Jesus to the Hungarian and Roma residents of Bodaszőlő, calling them to become disciples of Jesus. There has never been a church in the village of Bodaszőlő before and it is the prayer of the team that God will bless this church plant with a vibrant, living fellowship where future local leaders can be trained, and God’s name is glorified through transformed lives.
In their initial period Csaba and Ilona will focus on building relationships and exploring opportunities for introducing patterns for evangelism, Bible teaching, pastoral care and worship, helping to form the vision and strategy for missional church. Importance is placed on communicating the gospel in such a way that it is understood across cultures and organising programs where all cultures feel welcome and included. As an intercultural church plant working in an area of social deprivation, the ministry calls those who love the Lord to serve the poor and needy in the community through diaconal work.
The church plant currently run activities from a rented house in the centre of the village and Csaba and Ilona are involved in pastoral family visits, bible studies and evangelistic outreaches. Ilona leads a women’s bible study and a women’s service group who find practical ways to help struggling families.
Summer ministry is spent organising and leading Bible camps, football outreach, evangelistic youth events and programmes with children and young adults, in partnership with the youth in the mother church.
Ilona grew up in Sloan Street Presbyterian Church, Lisburn and Csaba in the Hungarian Reformed Church in his hometown of Zalău. Csaba and Ilona have two adult daughters.
Prayer points
- Give thanks for the work of God through the Kalvin square Reformed church, and for their vision for the church plant at Bodaszőlő.
- Praise God for those seeking the Lord and for the small group of 15 Hungarian and Roma who have come to faith and attend bible studies, services, women’s group and serve the disadvantaged in the community.
- Pray for Csaba and Ilona and the team at Bodaszőlő as they minister to this diverse community daily. Pray the team would walk closely with the Lord, be gospel focused, fervent in prayer, and set God honouring goals.
- Pray for the witness of the Hungarian Reformed church among Hungarians and Roma in the country.
Csaba and Ilona have recorded a short film clip which can be downloaded and used in church services, prayer meetings or events to raise awareness and prayer for what God is doing across the world, as we seek to go deep and wide in global mission involvement.
Latest report November 2026
In October Ilona spent a week in Latvia at a youth camp of the Evangelical church. This was an Interdiac Thematic support group study exchange, looking at the impact of social media on youth on the margins. In Bodaszőlő we examined the theme of using social media for the glory of God and gave the youth group the task of producing content to advertise our up-and-coming evangelism service. They produced a short video which got a lot of attention as they creatively invited people to come and hear testimonies of how the gospel has touched lives.
We will continue to explore this theme further with an exchange visit from Latvia in mid-November, where we will hold a youth event on the dangers of social media and highlight the opportunities it presents for the gospel.
At our evangelism service we were encouraged with a good turnout and challenging testimonies. We continue to pray for the three people who asked for prayer afterwards and follow up by visiting those who came along, with the hope of continuing conversations which began there.
We give thanks for great opportunities ahead in November, for a church district gypsy mission advent service and teaching in the local kindergarten. On 1st November we will hold a prayer walk for the gospel work in Bodaszőlő and hope that many from the parent church and the church plant will join in. In mid-November we plan our annual three-day food bank collection and organise food parcels which we will deliver to the elderly in Bodaszőlő in December.
Sadly, at the end of December, the pastor in our parent church Rev László Somogyi will retire. We will need to prepare and plan well ahead to face the challenges this change will mean for the church plant in the coming year.
We praise God for further answers to prayer, as we have been able to progress a little further with some of the renovation work in the Prayer House.
Prayer Points
- Pray for our regular Friday Bible studies, Thursday women’s Bible studies, youth group and family visits. Pray for the two new ladies (Elizabeth and Eva) who have started to come along regularly. Pray they would discover God’s grace and trust and grow in him.
- Please pray for our Advent Sunday services beginning on 29 November. Pray many would come along who have not attended the church plant until now.
- Pray as we plan ahead without an overseeing pastor from December.
Mission report archive
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