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There
are at least 650 assemblies in Romania
and a considerable number
of fledgling
works (preaching points) meeting in homes,
which
are supported by the larger assemblies
and brethren involved in
other activities for the Lord.
Of these,
28 are made up of
Hungarian
speaking believers
and there
are a number of preaching points
attached to them. Until the fall of the communist dictator Ceausescu
there were a large number of German assemblies in Transylvania,
a province of Romania, but these have largely disappeared as the
German believers have taken up their right to live in Germany. |
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Prize Giving after an English Language course in Makfalva |
Romania
was formed when the principalities of Wallachia and Moldavia,
for centuries under the suzerainty of the Turkish Ottoman Empire,
secured their autonomy in 1856. They united in 1859 and adopted
the new name of Romania. The country gained full independence
in 1878. It joined the Allied Powers in World War I and acquired
new territories following the conflict. In 1940, it allied with
the Axis powers and participated in the 1941 German invasion of
the USSR. Three years later, overrun by the Soviets, Romania signed
an armistice. |
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The
post-war Soviet occupation led to the formation of a Communist
"people's republic" in 1947 and the abdication of the
king. The decades long rule of dictator Nicolae Ceausescu, who
took power in 1965, and his Securitate police state became increasingly
oppressive and draconian through the 1980s. Ceausescu was overthrown
and executed in late 1989. Former Communists dominated the government
until 1996, when they were swept from power by a fractious coalition
of centrist parties. |
The Makfalva youth group at camp at Homorod |
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The Social Democratic Party currently forms
a nominally minority government, which governs with the support
of the opposition, the Democratic Union of Hungarians in Romania.
Romania joined NATO in March of 2004 and hopes to join the EU
in 2008. The
assembly work traces its roots back to the work of Edward Hamer
Broadbent, a former editor of Echoes of Service, and Francis Berney
from Switzerland. The work in the Hungarian speaking areas has
the same origin as those in Hungary. Professor Kiss, Gusztav Schimert
and Ferenc Pocsy all came from the area. |
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Oradea Assembly youth at the Tarkany Camp |
Romania was the main recipient of the aid work during the early 1990s. From this, a continuing friendship has been maintained with the Assemblies and the youth in particular, many of whom participate in our camps. |
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Czech Republic |
Hungary |
Poland |
Slovakia |
Ukraine |
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