Bethlen Évkönyv, 1991-1992 (Ligonier)

Rev. Dr. Alexander Havadtoy: Meeting my listeners I had never known

Rev. Dr. Alexander Havadtoy:

MEETING MY LISTENERS I HAD NEVER KNOWN

For the past twenty-five years, at least once a month,

I would sit behind the microphone at the New York studio of Radio Free Europe and broadcast a sermon or a lecture. There was no one else in the room, except the voice engineer behind the glass wall separating the studio. I would often wonder: Who is going to listen to my voice? Will there be people who want to hear a church service or listen to a lecture? From time to time, I would be told by officials who financed the Radio that I had one million listeners. It was almost unbelievable to me. When I looked at my small Hungarian congregation, it was difficult to imagine one million people listening to my voice.

And now, after forty-three years, I had the privilege of returning to Hungary and Transylvania this summer. Almost everybody I met informed me that they had listened to me faithfully on the radio. Many people would even quote a certain sermon or story which I had delivered. Yes, the officials of Radio Free Europe were right. Not only one but several million people were listening to the broadcasts. It was therefore not surprising that so many people wanted to see the „voice” which they had heard throughout the years.

They even said many heartwarming things, such as: "If it were not for your stand and courageous sermons, many more clergymen would have been incarcerated, and many more churches would have been closed. The Communists sensed that America stands behind your words. ” Such expression were extremely humbling. I knew that it wasn’t my word that made the impact. I was a mere instrument in the hand of God.

This explains the huge crowds that came out to the

II World Reformed Conference. From Transylvania alone over 30,000 people came to the gatherings. Even from Carpatho- Ukraine, occupied by Russia, over 1,347 people were in attendance. I had the privilege to preach the Word of God at the Budapest stadium to about 40,000 people. What a contrast

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