Bethlen Naptár, 1982 (Ligonier)
Egyesült Államok - The Presbyterian Church in the United States
190 BETHLEN NAPTAR Presbitériumunk élén Borbás László főgondnok, Boncz János és Fred Bernath algondnokok, Tompa Julianna jegyző, Bodó Pál pénztáros, Kish János segédpénztáros és 18 presbitertársunk szolgált. Istennek legyen hála, hogy a New Brunswick-i magyar református gyülekezetnek új pásztort adott, és nem engedte nyáját széthullani. Szeretet és béke vezesse életünket az előttünk álló feladatokban. “Ha Isten velünk, kicsoda ellenünk?” (Római 8:31) SOUTH RIVER, NEW JERSEY — Pastor: Dániel James Meeter Tiszteletbeli örökös lelkipásztor: Varga Emil. Chief Elder and Vice President: Charles Brilla. Many changes have taken place in our little church in the last two years. In August of 1981, the Rev. Emil Varga retired after serving the congregation faithfully for 36 years, and after guiding the church through the inevitable process of Americanization. With Rev. Varga’s retirement (and that of his wife, Emma, as organist) the uninterrupted run of 80 years of Hungarian Worship services was brought to a close. The consistory found a replacement in the Rev. Daniel James Meeter, just graduated from New Brunswick Theological Seminary. A grandson of Dutch immigrants to Paterson, N.J. Rev. Meeter was hired to lead the congregation in becoming a community church, offering the Word of God to all people of whatever background. It must either do this or die. A convinced Calvinist, Rev. Meeter has been working hard each week to deepen the congregation’s Reformed confession. The English service, now the only one, has been a virtual laboratory of Reformed worship, with increasing use of English Psalms and preaching on the Heidelberg Catechism. At the same time, advantage has been taken of some of the riches of Hungarian worship by using “The Questions” in Preparation Services for Communion, and a new translation, in rhyme, of “Szállj le most mennyből,” prepared with the help of members of the congregation. Although the focus of the church’s future is undoubtedly American, the ministry to the older Magyar element continues unabated. Occásional Hungarian language services and hymnsings are still held (Easter and Áldozócsütörtök), and the Pastor regularly brings Communion around to the homes of the elderly. Having learned how to read Hungarian out loud (without necessarily knowing at all what it means) and having already a knowledge of the Genevan Psalms by way of Dutch, he is able to perform these services in Hungarian using the ÉNEKESKÖNYV. Pastor Meeter and his wife, although both baptized Christian Reformed, have grown up in the Reformed Church in America, were trained in Lutheran and Christian Reformed Schools, and met at Calvin College in Grand Rapids, Michigan. The congregation now numbers 175 active, and is hard at work on upgrading its property, learning about evangelism, taking part in missions
