Bethlen Almanac 1999 (Ligonier)
Tóparti Egyházmegye - Lakeside Classis
DAYTON, OH Hungarian Evangelical and Reformed Church Dayton, Ohio Pastor: Rev. Gábor G. Nitsch Chief Elder: Andrew Dobó Church Officers: Chief Elder: Andrew Dobó; Vice-Chief Elder: Robert Kovács; Secretary: Alex Sabad; Treasurer: Velma Olesh; Elders: Jayne Blessing, Sandy Kovács, Desi Rácz, Linda Rácz, Piri Schwab, Agnes Stanislo, John Sziics. The year started with great enthusiasm, as our new church addition became a reality, and Dezső Melegh, who has just retired, was elected as our new chief elder. Unfortunately our great plans with Mr. Melegh to work on church renewal, growth, etc., were not to be. At a checkup for his health before a visit to Hungary, doctors discovered advanced cancer, and within two months he died. It was a great loss to our community. Our traditional March 15 Banquet was attended by almost 400 people. We won again at the World A’Fair, a huge International Festival that lasts three days and is judged not only for its food, but also for its cultural display. In April we celebrated Rev. Nitsch’s installation, which was attended by many clergy and friends. The Lorántffy Ladies Aid presented him with a new “palást” made in Hungary. At the end of Spring the grand opening of the new addition took place, with the traditional ribbon cutting. Our new elevator makes church attendance easier for some members, who have difficulty climbing the steps. The new offices look great. We are planning to make use of the new meeting room downstairs by making it available to community groups, scouting, etc. As a fund-raiser, we are selling memorial bricks to be built around the entrance-way. Thanks to a childhood friend of my wife’s who works for Delta Airlines, and who gave us 4 buddy tickets, we were able to take our boys to Europe for the first time. The cost of the four tickets was less than the cost of 1 regular ticket. We had a truly great experience and the boys really enjoyed Hungary. While in Budapest we visited our sister church, and presented them with a $ 1,000 gift. In Debrecen I had the honor of officiating the wedding ceremony of my nephew, Tisza 104
