Calvin Synod Herald, 1982 (82. évfolyam, 1-6. szám)
1982-12-01 / 6. szám
CALVIN SYNOD HERALD-4 — REFORMÁTUSOK LAPJA people who are prepared to wait for the Lord, and do it with courage and patience even when the Lord seems to be silent and deaf. If you wish to write off such godly optimism as the illusion of a few mystics compensating for the horrors of their times, I will say this: it is precisely this defiant message of hope that has kept these people alive and vibrant through centuries of unspeakable horrors. Were they obsessed people? Maybe so! But theirs was a magnificent obsession, and I wish to add my personal piece to it: there were times in my life when the same obsession kept my sanity, perhaps saved my life. “I wait for the Lord, my soul doth wait, and in His Word do I hope.” Their sacred stubbornness was not in vain. For the People of Hope, from the People of Hope, there appeared the Man of Hope, the incarnation of the divine life. As fohn the Baptist puts it, “The dayspring from on high hath visited us to give light to them that sit in darkness and in the shadow of death. ” This Dayspring from on high assures me that in spite of everything there is a meaning in human history, there is a purpose for each one of us to be found and fulfilled in our brief span here on earth. He draws me towards the realm of love, beauty and peace, which finds its fulfilment in another dimension, but is constantly reßected in the here and now. Consequently, whatever happens around me and with me, I refuse to give up or to give in. My task — as a member of the sacred minority — is to make that little corner of the world where I live, more clearly reflect the justice, mercy, purity and joy of His kingdom. Emmanu-el! — in Him my God is with me, telling me that I belong and have a job to do. He never lets me ride on the seventh cloud of human progress, but neither does he let me slink into dark despair. He tells me: “So what else is new? Stop being sorry for yourself, gird your loins and get down to your business.” That’s what Incarnation means to me: the victory of supra-rational hope over rational despair. And that’s why I urge you: whatever happens to you or around you, embrace your Christ and fight back with the words of the Psalmist, “I wait for the Lord, my soul doth wait, and in His Word — the word made flesh — do I hope. ” Manville, November 1982 . , Andrew Hamza OTTAWA 1982 We must confess that we are greatly saddened by the resignation of Dr. James McCord as the president of the World Alliance. For the past three decades he was the very best Reformed witness in our world and whatever good can be said about the work of the World Alliance is connected with his name. The Reformed Churches “under the Cross” lost their greatest benefactor and always compassionate friend. I am convinced that his ministry supporting Hungarian Reformed Christianity in the twentieth century surpasses even the glorious liberating action of the good old Dutch admiral Michael deRuyter from the time of the galley-slaves. All of us were extremely proud of the importance of Bishop Karoly Toth of Budapest, which was so obvious at this General Council. He was elected as Vice-President of the World Alliance. Much could be said of the fellowship and personal contacts. The Hungarian delegates visited the neighboring churches: Bishops Butosi and Toth preached in prominent Canadian United congregations in Ottawa. Bishop Imre Gyenge of Austria preached in the Hungarian Presbyterian Church of Toronto, Rev. Janos Apostol of Brazil and Rev. Janos Dómján of Venezuela really made the “rounds” in several of our churches belonging to Calvin Synod, Dr. Janos Pásztor of Debrecen, and Bishop Imre Hodosy of Yugoslavia preached in the Ottawa Hungarian Church, while Bishops Hodosy and Bishop Nagy of Transylvania preached in the First Hungarian Reformed Church of Montreal. Bishop Kürti was the guest of several prominent Montreal United and Presbyterian Churches, and he also spoke to the ministers of the Montreal Presbytery, United Church of Canada. In our Montreal church we have entertained at different times, and occasions thirteen of the delegates, and it was a united effort of the entire congregation. There were times that we have been traveling on the highway between Ottawa and Montreal in a procession of four cars. It was a rewarding experience. One night after supper — Rev. Janos Apostol of Sao Paulo, Brazil being our guest — we decided to sing our beloved Geneva Psalms together: Rev. Apostol sang in Portuguese, my fourteen year old son István sang in English, my ten year old daughter Victoria in French, my wife in Hungarian and myself alternating between German and Dutch. “All People That On Earth Do Dwell...” “O God of Hosts...” “Unto Thee O Lord Jehovah” and “As the Hart About to Falter” sung together in six languages, yet we are the same Hungarian Reformed people wherever God has placed us to be wittnesses in the twentieth century in the beautiful heritage given to our fathers. Aladar Komjáthy COLUMBUS The Hungarian Reformed United Church of Columbus was among 10 recipients of the 1982 City Beautiful Awards from the Greater Columbus Convention and Visitors Bureau. The City Beautiful Awards program was inaugurated 10 years ago by the Greater Columbus Convention and Visitors Bureau. The awards were presented Wednesday, December 8 at the Sheraton Columbus Plaza. The event received press, radio and TV coverage. The Reverend Stephen Nagy and the Columbus Church deserves our warm congratulations for the special honor they received. Nagy built this flower bed over old sidewalk found under lawn.
