INTERNET
CHURCH
STARTS ENGLISH WORSHIP SERVICE
Christ preached in English from Hungary
ASSIST
News Service (ANS) - 3 March 2002
Posted 11 March 2002 on RELIGIOSCOPE
The
International Christian Internet Church (ICIC) has launched
its English language worship services in cyberspace to reach
especially those who otherwise don't visit a regular church,
its Hungarian co-founder announced. "Many people live
in countries such as Saudi Arabia or China where being a Christian
can be dangerous," said Rev. Lazlo Banfi, who himself
suffered under Hungary's former Communist regime.
"Christian
television may be better, but in many countries that is not
allowed. Especially in these cases the Internet is a good
alternative," he added in an interview with ASSIST News
Service. Banfi also notes that "many people steer clear
of churches. Though they are searching, they find church services
unfamiliar and often too formal."
On
Sunday, March 3, his sermon on www.worshipservice.hu was dedicated to "the Almightiness of God", and
called for people to accept His Son Jesus Christ as their
personal Saviour and Lord.
Banfi
(42 and married with two children) told ASSIST News Service
that he expected many people to visit the free-of-charge site,
following a similar success with his Hungarian language worship
services.
[TOP]
Controversy
"Since
we started the Hungarian web pages nearly a year ago, about
36,000 people from around the world found us from 27 different
countries," he explained. But Banfi's ministry is not
without controversy.
Some
Hungarian church leaders and politicians object to what they
see as his efforts to convert people, and Banfi was threatened
with a law suit. In addition there have been suggestions from
within the junior governing party, Hungarian Democratic Forum,
to set up a Council for Sects, to monitor non traditional
groups and churches.
Banfi
stressed that the Catholic Church, Hungary's largest denomination, "believes that people can only confess their sins through
its priests and church." "But we give an opportunity
to everyone, regardless of their background, to come to Christ
and accept Him as their personal Saviour."
[TOP]
Pressure
Domestic
pressure was apparently also a reasons to register the ICIC
as an organization in the United States, although its services
are prepared and send to the Internet from Banfi's home in
Hungary. "This is clearly an international ministry and
Internet has no borders. That's why it will be very hard for
the authorities to shut us down."
He
has "a lot of support from co-founder and pastor Glen
Howard, an American who founded the International Church of
Budapest." Banfi wants to set up a prayer (phone) line
for people from around the world which he said was so far
difficult "because of time zones." But he can be
reached via e-mail (rev.lazlo@worshipservice.hu)
and the net. "Perhaps in the future we can make this
church an interactive family. We don't have a building, but
we are alive in cyberspace and function as a virtual congregation,
" he said.
[TOP]
Preaching
The
pastor has been preaching the Gospel for 25 years, after he
gave up his life as leader of a youth gang that was involved
in robberies, drugs and "anything you van think off." In 1972 Lazlo Banfi decided to become a Christian after reading
a brochure with the testimony of a young boy. He soon became
an active church member and later pastor, but these activities
lead him into troubles with the Communist authorities. (Pictured:
Pastor Banfi in front of the famous Chain Bridge in Budapest).
Banfi
said he was not able to receive a top position within a foreign
trade company, and that the Communists watched him closely.
Despite these difficulties he managed to become a successful
businessmen after the collapse of Communism.
"I
feel that God wanted me to prepare for this Internet mission,"
he said. Banfi hopes that Hungary, which in 1956 had his anti
Communist revolution crushed by Soviet soldiers, now leads
"the spiritual battle" for Christ.
Stefan
J. Bos
According
to information provided by ANS, award winning journalist Stefan
J. Bos was born on the 19th of September 1967 in a small home
in downtown Amsterdam, in the Netherlands not far from the typewriter
of his father, who was (and still is) a Reporter and ghostwriter.
Already at a very young age Bos decided to become journalist
and finally arrived in Hungary, the same country where his parents
had smuggled Bibles during Communism. Bos has traveled extensively
to cover wars and revolutions throughout the region and received
the Annual Press Award of Merit from the Hungarian Ministry
of Foreign Affairs for his coverage about foreign policy affairs
including Hungary's relationship with NATO and the European
Union
This
article was published by ANS (ASSIST News Service). ASSIST
is an evangelical ministry started by journalist and author,
Dan Wooding, as a way to help Christians living under difficult
circumstances, and to share the Gospel with those who do not
know Christ.
URL: http://www.assistnews.net/index.asp
