Bethlen Almanac 1999 (Ligonier)
New York-i Egyházmegye
STÁTEN ISLAND, N.Y. Magyar Reformed Church Staten Island, New York Supply Pastor: Les Martin Chief Elder: Linda Hauck The congregation of the Magyar Reformed Church of Staten Island looked to 1999 to be another year filled with hope and excitement. A junior confirmation class had begun with 2 confirmants, another new member joined the church, and the Board of Elders announced its commitment to a two-year renovation project to restore the exterior porches, upgrade the landscaping and replace the fencing. A funding grant application was submitted to the NYC Landmarks Conservancy-Sacred Sites Program to help defray some of the restoration expenses: subsequently, a $2,500 grant was approved. The work began in early September and was completed within three weeks. New steps and new decking were installed on our landmarked church and hall/kitchen. The repainting of the porch posts and trimwork will be completed next spring. We have worked closely with the Landmarks Conservancy, following their guidelines, to ensure work on our historical church is done properly. The good news is that we made progress with our renovation project. The bad news is that later in the fall a structural problem in our hall forced us to close that part of our building until it is fully evaluated and corrective reconstruction is made. So as it goes sometimes... one step forward ... two steps backward. Once again a stumbling block arose when our pastor was asked to serve the Roebling church beginning in September. Despite his rigorous schedule at Princeton Seminary and the demands of a larger congregation in Roebling, he continues to serve our church every Sunday with worship services beginning at 2:00 p.m. In addition, Les continues teaching catechism. We stumbled again, but we did not fall. In September our Treasurer, Helen Cutler, and I attended the American Hungarian Reformed Presbyters’ Conference in Ligonier, Pennsylvania. It is a wonderful opportunity to share information with other congregations: what works for them, what doesn’t, and vice versa. On the return trip home from Ligonier, I couldn’t help but ponder how very lucky the Staten Island congregation is. We are so blessed. We have a 153
