Calvin Synod Herald, 1994 (94. évfolyam, 2-6. szám)
1994-07-01 / 4. szám
CfiLVIN SYNOD HERALD__________________________zJLl___________________________gEFOMÁTÜSOK LAPJA Calvin /ijnod New/ OUR ANNUAL SYNODICAL MEETING WAS HELD ON MA Y 24-27, 1994 IN LIGONIER, PA The 56th Annual Meeting of our Synod was held in the Ramada Inn, in Ligonier, PA. The photo of the attendees of the meeting is printed on the 8th page of our present issue. The agenda was strictly followed. The minutes of the session will be printed in book format as always, and will be mailed to all constituting congregations. The emphasis at this time was on our historical and confessional heritage, strongly pointed out by the following excellent guest speakers: Rev. Dr. C. Samuel Fackre, Rev. Dr. Gabriel Thomas, Rev. Thomas H. Trost and Rev. Dr. Frederick R. Calian. The delegates of our Synod gathered together from nine states. There were two left-handed recommendations coming to vote at the meeting of the Synod, but thanks to the healthy reasoning of our attending delegates, both were unanimously defeated after long discussions. The highlight of the 56th Annual Meeting was that LOVE and GRATITUDE that radiated toward the person of the Patriarch of the Synod, being created a new bishop. The Rev. Aladár Komjáthy thus characterized of the Synod meeting's this highlight: In 1963, Dr. Stephen Szabó completed his second term as the president of the Magyar Synod. He served under the most difficult circumstances. The triumphalist leadership of the emerging new UCC wanted to force the integration of our Hungarian congregations into the geographical conferences and associations of the new UCC. It was mainly his heroicstruggleforyears which saved the Magyar Synod as an acting conference of the United Church of Christ. This was at the time when we were told to integrate "with utmost dispatch." There were Hungarian Reformed ministers in our midst who wrote: "it is our businesslo go out of business." For his historical service, the Synod honored him with the title President Emeritus. In 1964, the Magyar Synod was renamed the Calvin Synod. In 1971, the office of president was changed to bishop. For twenty-three years, the Synod was negligent in changing the title of president emeritus of Magyar Synod. It was an overwhelming movement which finally settled this negligence the past spring. Two consistories, Pittsburgh and Cleveland, and two classees, the Lakeside and the Central, unanimously urged the 23 year old anomality to end. In his report, the new Bishop of the Calvin Synod did the same. During the Annual Banquet on May 25, 1994, Bishop Vitéz convened the official Synod meeting, and Auxiliary Bishop Lajos Megyesi read the overture, which was seconded by Dr. Komjáthy, the dean of the Central Classis, and was accepted by acclamation. No one deserves it more, and it was overdue. May God bless you, "Bishop Szabó" Dr. Kálmán Ujszászy TheRf. Reverend Dr. Kálmán Ujszá-szy, one of the great Hungarian scholars of this century, "entered into life". His funeral was held at the Sárospatak Reformed Church on May 3, 1994, with highest dignity and honor. After having received his lower education in his native Hungary, Dr. Ujszászy studied a year each in the universities of Glasgow, Basel and Athens. He completed his theological education at the Sárospatak Reformed Academy, Hungary. In 1931 he received the degree of Doctor of Philosophy from Debrecen University. Dr. Ujszászy taught in the Teacher's College of the Sárospatak Reformed Academy from 1929-31. In 1931 he was made professor of philosophy and education on the Sárospatak theological faculty and retained that position until the closing of the theological seminary in 1951. He spent three months at the invitation of our Synod in America in 1965, and another three months again in 1971 preaching and lecturing in American churches and universities. Former Synod president, Árpád György, and Hope College president, Prof. Dr. Eugene Osterhaven, were his gracious hosts. His lecture, "Hungarian Protestantism Yesterday and Today", was published by Pannónia Press is a most significant work at the most oppressive times in the Nation of Hungary. Having been director of the Sárospatak library since 1947, Dr. Ujszászy retained that post, after closing the seminary, until his death. Sárospatak was Hungary's oldest Protestant school, having been founded in 1531. Dr. Ujszászy was director of the church museum and archives. He was co-president of the Cistibiscan Synod of the Hungarian Reformed Church, consisting of250 congregations, and was a member of the executive council of the Reformed Church of Hungary. He was the author of numerous works. The Sárospatak Archives are a most excellent collection of Reformed Theological works. He worked hard until the last day of his life at tue age of 92. His almost unparalleled high activity carried him through from the beginning of the century almost to the century's end. "Who served the Lord faithfully will be honored by the Lord forever!"
