Bethlen Almanac 2000 (Ligonier)
Az amerikai egyháztestekben - In other denominations
use of new technologies. But I believe the Davids of the world can succeed by being different - smaller, more authentic, and more humane. The Biblical reference brings me to my second reason for hope and optimism about the Federation’s future. The Federation’s ambitious dreams are founded on Christian love, and it is the power of faith and love to accomplish great things from small beginnings and in the midst of seemingly insurmountable obstacles. The parable of the loaves and fishes beautifully teaches this lesson of faith and of the power of ambitious dreams. And the Federation’s own history provides inspiring examples of how faith can accomplish great things. Let me conclude these remarks with two of my favorites. The first comes from Dr. Chomoky Viktor, a Hungarian parliamentarian who visited America in 1947. He wrote afterwards that, despite all the talk he heard about the deep divisions and - incurable conflicts - among Hungarian Americans, what would stay with him forever from his trip was his visit to the Bethlen Home, which astonished him because it was a real home, a place where principles of love and generosity were put into practice. Expecting to find a grim and sad institution, Chornoky was moved to find the Home a thriving, warm and humane place. It was not wealth that made it so, but a sense of sacred mission. My final example comes from right here in Toledo. As we think of the Federation’s future, we should remember Toledo’s Lorantffy Zsuzsanna Ladies organization which, with 50 members and an annual membership fee of 10 cents, was able over the course of 20 years in the 1920s and 1930s to raise over $12,000 for charity. How was this possible? It is like the miracle of the loaves and fishes, achieved through the hard work of Hungarian women who had the faith to dream of a beautiful community. It was their faith, their ambitious dreaming, that made those numbers add up. And I believe they can continue to do so for the Federation in its next hundred years. Isten Áldjon! 170
