Calvin Synod Herald, 1973 (73. évfolyam, 1-12. szám)
1973-03-01 / 3. szám
8 CALVIN SYNOD HERALD DURING THE CHRISTMAS HOLIDAYS the Church attendance again proved that this is a large and strong congregation. The Christmas attendance during the year of 1967 was 588 and this year it was 600. The Christmas Eve attendance was 100 more than last year and the Christmas donations were the highest in the last seven years. Everyone was very much pleased to see all the young people, third and fourth generations also, who attended our church services. We are very thankful to God for our young people and for our faithful church members in general. May God lead all of us in His way during the coming year also. • Bridgeport, Conn. Dr. Stephen Bessemer, Pastor, preached his first sermon in Bridgeport, Conn. 50 years ago on January 1st, 1923. • The Council of Calvin Synod met in New York on February 19th. • U.C.C. TOUR THROUGH HUNGARY EUROPE/HOLY LAND July 17-August 7—$1,195 from New York. Leader: The Rev. Roger Perl. Includes Zurich, Heidelberg, Budapest, the Holy Land., Amsterdam, London. Visit with oar sister churches in Hungary, explore Reformation sites, learn about the refugee situation in Israel. United Church Tours 1505 Race Street Philadelphia, Pa. 19102 • NEWS IN BRIEF ABOUT REFORMED CHURCH The two seniorates of Budapest are arranging panel discussions about some of the recent publications of the Press Department of the Reformed Synodal Office. The first meeting took place last November, and the second on the 8th of January. At the second meeting, the attending Reformed pastors and church members discussed János Bottyán’s book “The Heroes of Our Faith” in the presence of the author. The next panel discussion will appraise the latest publications in the field of Hungarian Reformed Church music. • To commemorate the 400th anniversary of the death of István Szegedi Kis, the learned Hungarian Reformer NEWS ITEMS of the 16th century, the bishop of the Danubian Church District, and the Reformed Theological Academy of Budapest has had a memorial medal made. The theology students offered the collection taken at their Szegedi Kis memorial celebration to pay the costs of the medal. — The Budapest theology students arranged another celebration to mark the 400th anniversary of the death of another great 16th century Reformer, Péter Méliusz Juhász of Debrecen. In addition to his voluminous theological writing, Méliusz earned lasting renown for his organizing activity and by working for the adoption of the Reformed standards of faith. • In the Reformed Church in Hungary, district conferences are arranged from time to time for elders in order to discuss their duties and the topical questions of church life. A number of such conferences have taken place recently; one at Sátoraljaújhely with lectures about the past of the elders’ ministry in Hungary, the Biblical foundations of the elders’ ministry and the specific timely aspects of the elders’ service. About 200 elders attended the conference. The sermon on this occasion was preached by Bishop Sándor Ráski of the Cistibiscan Church District. — The elders of the congregations in Zala County met at Zalaegerszeg. The main lecture of the conference dealt with the imperatives of faithfulness and responsibility in the elders’ ministry. The conference was attended by Bishop Dr. Lajos Bakos of the Transdanubian Church District who delivered the sermon of the opening service of worship. The elders present at the conference were entertained by the Zalaegerszeg congregation. — The 140 elders together with the pastors of the 33 congregations of the Egervölgy Seniorate met recently at an elders’ conference in Eger. The main lecture of the conference was given by Bishop Ráski about the service of the elders. The second lecture of the conference dealt with the foundations and authority of the elders’ ministry. • After the Budapest-Pozsonyi Street Reformed congregation, at considerable costs supplied by the sacrificial giving of the parishioners, had rebuilt the church damaged during World War II and the adjoining parish buildings on the premises, gathered together on the 17th of December to thank God for the rebuilt church of the congregation and for the reconstruction of 430 Reformed church buildings ruined or damaged during the last war. The sermon at the thanksgiving service of worship was delivered by Bishop István Számosközi of the Danubian Church District. H.C.P. • ONE GREAT HOUR OF SHARING— S.O.S. The One Great Hour of Sharing-5.0. 5. all-church offering which is received in most congregations during Lent is, as the 1973 theme states, “One Way to Help a Broken World.” Receipts from the offering which, it is hoped, will amount to more than $1,200,000, are used by the United Church Board for World Ministries to meet emergency and long-range service needs. This past year, floods in South Dakota and Pennsylvania served as a reminder that such needs are not limited to other nations but hit our own nation as well. As is always the case, within hours after these disasters strike, financial aid was on its way to help provide emergency shelter, food, and medical aid. When disaster strikes in the United States, local congregations and conferences of the United Church of Christ can provide personal aid to the victims. However, when the disaster occurs overseas, as in the recent earthquake in Nicaragua, the total response of our people is by combining our resources and channeling them through the U.C.B.M. Your giving to the annual One Great Hour of Sharing-S.O.S. offering enables the United Church of Christ to respond — usually in concert with other denominations through Church World Service — to emergency needs around the world. It also provides undergirding for a wide variety of other service activities. Many of these are self-help projects — the providing of a cow through Heifer Project Inc. or the providing of food for work in an irrigation project. Last year, for the first time in ten years, members of the United Church of Christ gave more than $1,000,000 to the One Great Hour of Sharing-5.0. 5. all-church offering. Our goal for 1973 is $1,200,000. With your help it can be achieved!
