Calvin Synod Herald, 2001 (102. évfolyam, 1-12. szám)
2001-09-01 / 9-10. szám
CALVIN SYNOD HERALD 7 Indiana Harbor Church 7 6 Years Ends A Worship Service of Thanksgiving brought an end to seventy-six years of ministry for the Indiana Harbor congregation of Calvin Synod. The First Hungarian Evangelical and Reformed Church held its last service on August 18th. Rev. Koloman Karl Ludwig, pastor, remarked, “We met not to declare a church had died. We met to celebrate that God’s Mission, through a particular people, in a particular place, had come to an end.” “We had a special purpose,” he added, “in a particular place and time in history, but both the time and the place for that mission is now past. He still calls each of us, and we are stronger, better able to continue our pilgrimage and our mission, because of the challenges and blessings we experienced in Indiana harbor these seventy-six years. Thanks be to God for His blessing and grace!” Bishop Louis Medgyesi addressed the full church in English, and Rev. Gabor Nitsch preached the final Hungarian sermon. In celebration also of the festival of the New Bread, the order for Holy Communion was conducted in both languages by Rev. Peter L. Toth and Rev. Ludwig, who is the new Auxiliary Bishop of the Synod. The elements for this last gathering around the Lord’s Table were served in both kinds by six ministers, including also Rev. Ilona Komjáthy and Rev. Zsolt Takacs, MD. The pastors of two local Roman Catholic congregations were present, reflecting the close ties enjoyed by Hungarian Christians, as well as several local and distant ministers who helped in past years. The Synod Treasurer, Wilburn A, Roby, Jr., and his wife also attended, as did Chief Elders Frances Matthews (Pittsburgh) and Edward Szabó (Cleveland First). The theme for the service, Thanksgiving, spoke of “Thanksgiving for His guiding hands in our lives. Thanksgiving for allowing us and our parents to worship in the language our ancestors used in their worship and prayers. Thanksgiving for allowing us to be His servants in this new land, reaching out to our community.” The Indiana Harbor congregation was situated in a community that was an entry point for newcomers to the United States, and others in this country who left their homes to find employment, opportunity and a better Youth Camp - (Continued from page 5) strengthened by those around them. They begin to feel the presence of the ever-present “Cloud of Witnesses” as real in their lives, and they finally feel part of that great fellowship of Christ Jesus, and are no longer alone. The Camp Experience is a wonderful strengthening, faithbuilding experience, both for the youth and the adults. Those adults who do not have the opportunity are poorer for the lack of it. Those youth who are denied the experience will miss out on one of the most important, strengthening, faithbuilding opportunities they might ever experience. Rev. Koloman Karl Ludwig Bishop Medgyesi at the “Official Closing” worship service future. In the one hundred years following the first Hungarians who settled in the community, numerous other waves of immigrants settled there also. After the first movement of people fleeing poverty in Europe, significant changes occurred during the Great Depression, First and Second World Wars, and from the oppressive Communism which gripped Central and Eastern Europe for over forty years. Opportunity also attracted newcomers from America, leaving behind the poverty of Appalachia, the deep South, the Southwest and Puerto Rico. The new populations, cultures, customs and languages replaced those spoken by the previous newcomers. Those who had already benefitted by the opportunities of the American Dream left this “entry point” and relocated to the more prosperous suburbs of the industrial city. The congregation felt that time and circumstances dictated that the presence of this congregation was no longer feasible, and the decision was made to bring closure to its life and work. Most of the church’s members have chosen to join with the nearby Whiting, Indiana, Hungarian Reformed Church. Already a ministry to the elderly European folk in the area is underway in Whiting, bringing together not only Hungarian Reformed, but also Roman Catholic and Orthodox, Serbian and Croation, Romanian and others. It offers Christian fellowship, a gathering place for those scattered throughout the region and yet cherish their heritages, but have no “home” to return to. The Mayor of East Chicago, Robert Pastrick, delivered a gracious tribute to the members and pastors, past and present, in praise of their contributions and strength benefitting the community even to this day. The Hungarian Reformed Federation of America extended its greetings, along with the American-Hungarian Citizens Club and the Kossuth Club. The church’s building was entrusted to a Baptist congregation, whose members live in the vicinity, and whose pastor joined in the closing hour of worship with the Hungarian Reformed congregation. Rev. Ludwig will continue to serve as the pastor of the Whiting Church. Rev. Albert W. Kovács
