Bethlen Naptár, 1985 (Ligonier)
Kálvin Egyházkerület
122 BETHLEN NAPTÁR Our Sunday School is back in session and we have seven members attending and we are happy to report that they never miss a Sunday. We are planning our Christmas Eve Candlelight Worship Service and the children will take a prominent part in this Worship Service. As we stated, we are small but very dedicated to the work of our Lord. Johnstown-Windber Statistics: Marriages: 0; Deaths: 0; Confirmants: 1. “Forasmuch then as Christ hath suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves likewise with the same mind; for he that hath suffered in the flesh hath ceased from sin; That he no longer should live the rest of his time in the flesh to the lusts of men, but to the will of God.” 1. Peter 4:1-2. McKeesport, pa Lelkipásztor: Dr. Fábián Éva President: Mr. Harvey J. Barnum. You may remember from our last year’s report that, on June 26, 1983, the First Evangelical and Reformed Church of McKeesport and the Rankin Hungarian Reformed Church were ecclesiastically united. In 1984 that step was legally ratified. We formed a new non-profit corporation and applied for our Charter at the Court of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Our petition was granted and our Charter approved on May 18, 1984. With these developments our churches have become one NEW COVENANT UNITED CHURCH OF CHRIST. Hallelujah! Naturally, our new church needed new Bylaws at the very moment of its legal conception. The Pastor did her homework, and the congregation adopted the Constitution and Bylaws of the New Covenant United Church of Christ on November 20, 1983, that is on the same day when the old Bylaws were accepted 28 years before. With God’s special guidance and help, we were able to sell the Rankin Church building to another church at a fair price. Now the proceeds are coming in to strengthen our New Church Building Fund. Yes, you guessed it right! That is our next dream, to build a new church to the glory of God. We wish to spare you from the details of these organizational developments. When you read the summary, it sounds so simple and smooth. No. The road was extremely rough and tough. Numberless special Consistory and congregational meetings, tremendous amount of legal composition and typing, victories, defeats, consultations with our lawyer, real estate people, buyers, with our own souls, with each other and, last but not least, with the Head of our Church Body, Jesus Christ. The glory for our achievements belongs only to Him. When a baby is born, mothers do not say, I have such and such a great pain. They say, I have a baby! We also say in tears and laughter, in joy and thanksgiving: We have a new Church!
