A Generation Led to Jesus: Remembering Pastor Chuck, Part 19
An emphasis on unity, grace, and accountability strengthened the church-planting ministry in Hungary in the 1990s. In addition, a Calvary Chapel pastor from Indiana moved his large family to Ukraine, bringing the CC movement to that country and eventually other Eastern European countries. This story is reprinted from Issue 98 (Winter 2024) of the print magazine.
Pastor George Markey, Sr., (right) entertains in their flat in Kyiv that housed their large family and many visitors nightly.
A Family of Church Planters in Ukraine
Pam Markey grew up on the mission field in Africa and always had a heart for missions. After serving at CC Costa Mesa, CA, her husband Pastor George Markey planted a Calvary Chapel in Crawfordsville, IN, in the 1980s. Since they had eight children, Pam assumed that she and George were to stay in Indiana and perhaps send out other younger or single people as missionaries. She never imagined that the Lord would call George (age 50) and herself (44) to move to Eastern Europe with their eight children. But He did.
While George was never fluent in Ukrainian, his excitement for Jesus and love for others transcended language barriers.
In 1992 the Markey clan moved to Kyiv, Ukraine, for 15 years. The Lord opened doors for George and Pam to teach English in universities and high schools, and they would use the Bible as their textbook. Pam noted, “The church in Kyiv began with these teenagers whom our children were reaching out to at their school. We showed them The Jesus Film, and they accepted Christ.” Over the years, she said, “We ended up raising up nationals to go out and plant churches.” The Markey children grew up and, with their spouses, planted churches in Russia, Kyrgyzstan, Georgia, and other parts of Europe and Asia.
Pam Markey (right) shares with a friend in Vajta, Hungary. Pam, along with her late husband, George, Sr., was a missionary in Ukraine for 15 years while raising nine children. She currently teaches at the Bible college in Tbilisi, the capital of Georgia.
After Pastor George’s death in 2007, Pam joined the staff at Calvary Chapel Bible College (CCBC) Europe in Vajta, Hungary, to teach the next wave of missionaries. “One reason we created the School of Missions was to spare the new missionaries from making many of the mistakes we did. [Because of those missteps] we learned to rely on the Holy Spirit. George was convinced that if the Holy Spirit was leading, then we could move forward; and if He wasn’t, we couldn’t do it.” Pam affirmed, “You went through open doors as far as you could go, trusting the Lord that He was going to guide, and He brought the increase.”
For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. Romans 8:14
Pam related that CCBC Europe came to Hungary from Austria: “The desire was to continue discipling and equipping individuals to church plant throughout the world, including the Middle East, Asia, Africa, and India. Geographically, it [was] in a unique location for training in cross-cultural ministry, since it is surrounded by seven countries with their different cultures only hours away in each direction including Austria, Slovenia, Croatia, Serbia, Romania, Ukraine, and Slovakia.” In 2020, the Bible college moved to Tbilisi, Georgia, Pam added, “a strategic move to … raise up missionaries to that part of the world.”
“Look to Me, and be saved, all you ends of the earth! For I am God, and there is no other.” Isaiah 45:22
Unity, Grace, Accountability
Unity, grace, and accountability have been key to the thriving ministry in Hungary, acknowledged several Calvary Chapel missionaries.
“As You sent Me into the world, I also have sent them into the world. … And the glory which You gave Me I have given them, that they may be one just as We are one.” John 17:18, 22
“In John 17, Jesus is praying to the Father,” noted early Hungarian missionary Greg Opean, “that all the people who come to faith and go preach the Gospel would be one as He and the Father are one. This is radically on the heart of Jesus. The result [is that] the world ‘may know that You have sent Me,’ Father. So for us, that unity was key. We understood that if we were divided, there was no work. The spiritual warfare was intense; we were tempted to hate each other. We had to humble ourselves and repent. … That relationship principle of unity and grace was a key factor in the ministry in Hungary.”
A group of missionaries in the 1990s enjoy fellowship; some later became Calvary Chapel pastors. Greg Opean is front center, Rod Thompson is to Greg’s left, John Hwang to Greg’s right, and Mike Harris is holding the guitar. Behind Rod in the blue shirt is Daniel Lak. Norbi from Subotica, Serbia, is in the back with the yellow hat.
C.H. Spurgeon’s book, All of Grace, helped establish a foundation of honesty and grace. Greg reflected, “Rod Thompson and Paul Lange [two other missionaries who served in Hungary] are two of the most transparent, genuine guys I know. They were a great influence on the culture of transparency and grace that formed among us. If someone wanted to join the team, [they had] to be real—not a hyper-spiritual phony. There were unbelievable temptations that—if we had fallen into [them]—would have been the end of the work in its infancy. But the culture of our missions team allowed us to be honest about our struggles and temptations, knowing that we wouldn’t be judged but rather sympathized with and prayed for. By God’s grace, none of us fell, and the work was established—praise God.”
After being radically saved, musician Mark Nigro was still a new believer when he followed God’s call to join the work in Yugoslavia. In need of fellowship and encouragement, Mark reached out to Rod Thompson in Subotica, an hour and a half north. “We were not organized—just following the Lord. It was very exciting, being swept up in this work of the Spirit,” noted Mark, who later served in Italy. “I was just thrilled to be serving God, to be at peace with God after a life of hopelessness.”
Speaking fluently in Italian, Mark Nigro teaches a Thursday evening Bible study at Calvary Chapel Montebelluna in Trevignano, Italy.
Mark, Renata, and their son Luka at their favorite prayer spot in the city. Luka is soon to turn 19. A sister, Matea, now 16, was born and added to their family later on. Doctors had told the family that they would not be able to have children.
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