Lexington Baptist group makes trip to Hungary

By Addison Simmons on Wednesday, March 11, 2026

For The Oglethorpe Echo

The strong community that’s been built among members of Lexington Baptist Church will have a chance to spread a bit farther next week.

That’s when seven young adults will travel to Budapest, Hungary, for a mission trip. 

“You don’t have to love people by getting on a plane, but when that opportunity arises, we love to do that,” said Matt Bartlett, pastor at Lexington Baptist. 

The group traveling from March 13-22 will include church members Addi Lee, David Mcelhannon, Leslie Mcelhannon, Kendall Patrick, Natalie Palmer, Nicholas Cosby and Nicholas Wilson. 

Lexington Baptist regularly organizes mission trips to other countries, including Cuba, Peru, Ethiopia, Thailand and Mexico. This mission trip will work with the organization Fek Pentek, and it’s the church’s third trip to Hungary.

Patrick, youth and young adult intern, will attend the trip as a missions committee chair and described Fek Pentek as a launching pad for the work done in Budapest. 

“We'll be working with them, going out into schools that week and talking in their English classes,” Patrick said.

This will be Patrick’s third mission trip with Lexington Baptist after joining the church four years ago. Patrick primarily serves the youth group, and said what sets Lexington Baptist apart is the people who make up the congregation. 

Bartlett agreed.

“At that age, many walk away from the church because there’s no place for them, but we have a place for college young adults, and we’re very thankful for them,” Bartlett said. “They matter so much to our church. They help and serve in so many ways.”  

Community members can support this trip with prayer, but all of the funding was raised through church members. 

“We think that if we’re going to go, that Lexington Baptist Church should take care of their own people, and so 100% of the support comes from inside our church,” Bartlett said. “Our people are very excited.”

As the young adults prepare to leave for Budapest, Patrick said her goal is to spread the word of God. 

“We love to love on people. We love God, and we love people, and we put that in action by loving Lexington, loving Oglethorpe,” Bartlett said. “But at times, we have wonderful opportunities where we can go overseas.”