Bethlen Almanac 2001 (Ligonier)
New York-i Egyházmegye
their next calling. On the same day we celebrated the rededication of our church hall, we said good-bye to our dear friends. Our congregation had grown spiritually; we were confident the Lord would provide for us once again. On Palm Sunday, Rev. Csilla Lucskay, pastor of the Carteret Hungarian Reformed Church, began providing Sunday worship services at 2 PM. in our Staten Island church. She now has the distinction of being our first woman supply pastor. We are so grateful for her spiritual messages , her sincerity and compassion and her friendship. We have reinstituted the Hungarian language in our worship services; four new Hungarian-speaking people now join our worship services on Sunday! We continued with our usual fund raising events in 2001: Annual Bazaar, 4 Chinese Auctions, special raffle drawings, and kolbász making. These events continue to attract people from all over Staten Island. We all have a great time! On December 5, 2001, an ecumenical worship service, as part of the 150th anniversary celebration of Lajos Kossuth’s arrival in America, was held in the church. It was a very special gathering and included members of the clergy, diplomatic guests, and members of the Hungarian Scout Association. The church was filled, and we are so happy to have been a part of this event and to have had the opportunity to share our house of worship with others. We are grateful that the property and buildings required little maintenance in 2001. During 2002, we hope to repair and renovate the belfry so we can either ring the original church bell or, if this is not possible, install a bell ringing sound system. We miss the sound of ringing bells on Sunday! We continue to be blessed with God’s gifts here in this beloved church: tireless, hard-working members, generous friends from near and far, an extraordinary fellowship and friendship shared by all, a caring, compassionate pastor. We are truly blessed here and we thank the Lord! Linda Hauck, chief-elder 176
