Reformátusok Lapja, 1970 (70. évfolyam, 1-12. szám)
1970-01-01 / 1. szám
12 REFORMÁTUSOK LAPJA Hungarian Diaspora Hungary is truly a lovely country, but how unfortunate that one-third of the Hungarians live outside of the present borders of Hungary in the neighboring states, and more than a million are scattered throughout the world. It is no wonder that someone once remarked that the second World War was won by the Hungarians, because since that time, they have invaded every continent and land. In our January to July issues, we would like to relate the facts of the Hungarians scattered throughout the world. In Europe before World War II, it was only in France that there were any great number of Hungarians. At the present time, there are about 50,000 Hungarians in France. Since the uprising in 1956, Hungarians have been greatly dispersed all over Europe as well as the other continents. The approximate number of Hungarians in the listed European countries is as follows: Germany - 50,000; Great Britain - 25,000; Switzerland and Belgium - 15,000 each; Holland, Italy, ahd Sweden • 10,000 each; and many more in Bulgaria, Poland, Portugal and Spain. It is unknown how many are in Russia since the end of the first and second World Wars and the 1956 revolution. In France, Great Britain, Belgium, Holland, Switzerland, and Germany, we find that Hungarian Re- 1 >rmed congregations have been formed, but there are still many places where they are without a church. Where congregations have been formed, because of their diminishing number, the support of the ministry becomes even harder. Since our mother church in Hungary is unable to send any support to these scattered congregations, how fitting it would be if our Hungarian Reformed congregations here in the United States, which is the strongest group outside of Hungary, would find the way and means to care for these, our brothers in Christ. It is a New Year, and perhaps with our prayers and even perhaps with our financial assistance, we could offer a new beginning for our very own. My Native Country’s Charming Bounds My native country’s charming bounds, Will I again behold thy grounds? Where’er I stand, where’er I fare, Mine eyes will still turn towards thee there. I ask it of the birds which come, If still doth bloom my native home? I ask it of the clouds on high, Of zephyrs which around me sigh. But none of these at all console, But pass and leave me in my dole; With sore heart am I left alone— A grass-blade growing by a stone. Delightful spot where I was born, Far from thee I by fate am torn, Far as a leaf caught from a tree And borne by tempests to the sea. Charles Kisfaludy Trans. W. N. Loew NEWS ITEMS Seminarians Make It An unexpected development was the election of five seminary students as corporate members of the Board. They were members of a group of young people invited to observe the UCBWM meeting. Early in the meeting they asked for a place on the agenda to present their views—and kept on asking till they made it. One of their demands— greater participation by youth in the decision-making processes of the church —was answered when five of the group were nominated and elected to fill five vacancies on the board. They are: Warren M. Broadbent and Gene Kraus, Andover Newton; Paul Robinson, Hartford; Douglas E. Valkenburg, Lancaster, and Gayle V. Strickler, Jr., Union. —Keeping You Posted Church Business Tax May Be Near The Senate Finance Committee has decided to recommend taxation of incomes of businesses operated by churches and other tax-exempt organizations. The change would mean that profits from church-operated publishing houses, hotels, factories, radio-TV stations and restaurants would be subject to taxation if Congress adopts the recommendation. The change, supported by a number of church groups including the National Council of Churches and the U. S. Catholic Conference, could increase government revenues by $20 million a year in the next decade. —Keeping You Posted Boston Bookstore Closes The United Church Bookstore at 14 Beacon Street in Boston will close its doors and cease all operation December 31, 1969, according to Dr. Thomas Garner, general secretary of the BHM division of publication. All sales will be handled by the Philadelphia store on a mail-order basis, Dr. Garner explained. —Keeping You Posted Special Herald Issue Will Look At 70’s The January UNITED CHURCH HERALD will be a special issue devoted to the church facing a decade of change. A series of brief articles by President Robert V. Moss, his first in the magazine, will give a platform for the church in the 70’s. The issue, covering such topics as the importance of the congregation, the COCU parish idea, and the church as a champion of the powerless, will include a study guide on its effective use by Scott S. Libbey, Nebraska Conference minister. Extra copies will be printed. To reserve copies write United Church Herald Circulation Dept., P. O. Box 7095, St. Louis, Mo. 63177. —Keeping You Posted Minister Celebrates 101st Birthday ABRAHAM LINCOLN WALKER, a retired UCC minister of the Southern Conference, celebrated his 101st birthday recently in Jacksonville, Fla. —Keeping You Posted
