FBC group takes mission trip to Hungary
Published 11:59 am Sunday, September 21, 2025
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By Caleb Newsom
Minister of Students and Sending, First Baptist Church Selma
What a joy it was to lead a team of youth and adults from First Baptist Church-Selma to Budapest, Hungary for a week-long mission trip this summer. The aim of the trip was to expose Christian youth to cross-cultural ministry and evangelism as we are committed to serving God in our local community and around the world.
Our trip began in the parking lot of FBC Selma on the morning of July 6, from there we went to Atlanta, to Paris and finally to Budapest, thousands of miles from home.
Hungary traces its origins back to Magyar people who settled in the region 1,000 years ago, and have an extensive cultural history that continues to this day. The Hungary we are most familiar with has only existed since 1989, when the country broke from the Soviet Union.
Budapest is a beautiful city divided by the Danube River; the city is adorned with classical architecture, most prominently displayed in the Hungarian Parliament Building.
After landing in Budapest, we traveled by bus and then the metro to get to our hotel. We spent the first day and a half walking off our jet lag and getting acquainted with city. We walked through the streets of the city admiring the buildings and learning the history of Budapest.
While in Budapest, we were one of four churches from the states participating in the mission lab hosted by the International Mission Board with a group of 45 students. We began each day gathering with our hosting missionary who trained our students and adults for our evangelism-focused afternoons. We were trained in different ways on how to approach strangers and share the gospel of Jesus Christ.
After the training, we divided into small groups and went to a city park to engage in conversation with anyone willing to talk. Some people were willing to talk about faith. Many politely declined, but there were some interesting visceral responses from a few individuals.
In those three days, our group of 45 students and adults had engaged in over 500 conversations. Ten people were led to become Christians, and many were interested in talking more about it. For those interested in the faith, we got their contact information so the missionaries could follow up with them after we left.
One of our students and an adult leader talked to a couple in a park who had been drug dealers. After hearing the gospel, they were interested, but they did not think they could be saved because of their past. After moving on from that conversation, other individuals from one of the other churches came across this couple, and after a second conversation, they said yes to becoming followers of Jesus. Our missionaries in Budapest are now following up with this couple and helping them grow as new followers of Jesus.
On the final day of evangelism, we went to St. Margaret Island, a large island in the middle of the Danube River that many Hungarians visit for recreation, especially on the weekend. Throughout our week, we had invited people to meet up at the island who wanted to hear more. We set up games and activities, and our missionaries were there to meet the people we engaged with during the week. We played games like nine square and cornhole, and we shared our faith with other people we met on the island that day.
We spent one final afternoon walking around the city, sightseeing. On Sunday, we worshiped at an international church with people from all over the world. It was a moving to worship with fellow Christians from Europe, Africa, Asia, and North America. After church, we had lunch with the missionaries and their families.
We left our hotel early the next morning to travel to the airport, and we departed Budapest for Amsterdam, then back home.
Our experience in Budapest illustrated to us that God’s free offer of salvation is offered to all people. No matter who you are or what you have done, Jesus offers the gift of salvation for you. That is the message we shared in Budapest, and it is the same message we are committed to sharing here in Selma. Our church is open and welcome to all, and we would love to see you on a Sunday at the corner of Dallas Ave and Lauderdale St at 10:45AM.
Caleb Newsome is the Minister of Students and Sending at First Baptist Church of Selma.
