Calvin Synod Herald, 2008 (109. évfolyam, 1-10. szám)
2008-09-01 / 9-10. szám
8 CALVIN SYNOD HERALD What the remodeling of the chapel showed us was that some people just say we have to increase the space for God’s house and the others take it to heart and do something about it! The remodeling was like a snowball. In the beginning it must be formed into a ball and rolled to collect the snow. Then with a little push it starts to roll and it grows and grows and so the snowball is done. We all just have to roll it and be grateful that it grows. In late March we held a Spring Ball at St. Stephens Catholic Church in Chicago. Again we talked together and soon we were making plans, sending out invitations and deciding on the menu. The Spring Ball was a great time. We had about 200 people attend a fantastic meal prepared by the congregation, and danced to good music after the dinner. It was another group effort that, given a little push, rolled into a big snowball. Rev. Aron Trufan For the past few years we have had a traditional Father’s Day picnic, but this year we added a few new changes. At every picnic we had, there were a lot of kids who liked to run around the yard; but the parents worried about them and kept them at their sides, so neither children nor the parents could fully enjoy themselves. That is why this year we pledged to supervise the children. We organized games to keep them safe and occupied. At noontime the parents literally found out for themselves that water dries quickly and shaving cream does not have an unpleasant smell, so the children could have a good time with it. And because it was Father’s Day, we had fun and games for the fathers too. Most of us thought that grownups had outgrown the games, but we found this was not true. Both the old and the young fathers enthusiastically pounded the headless nails into the logs with the holey hammer and they proudly showed their bellies to the girls to be measured to see whose was the biggest. And to make our bellies grow more, we had baked chicken with rice, sausage, roasted com on the cob, kürtös kalács and many homemade pastries. There was not a person there who did not have a great time and enjoyed themselves. We found that when people found their friends and small groups were formed there was a danger of just staying within their group. To avoid this and make it a truly socializing day, we needed to turn the people to a new direction for God’s glory and our church’s benefit by getting everyone to participate in the games and make new friends, which is just what happened! The Chicago Hunyadi Mátyás Scout group talked a long time about having a Goulash Festival and mentioned it to us. The Chicago Hungarian community proudly has a number of great cooks, so we thought it would be interesting to test their knowledge and skill. Together, we made the Scouts’ idea a reality. So as not just to say the words but to take action, we set a date for July 13,2008 for the first annual Goulash Festival and “Cook Off’. I’m sure everyone has seen how enthusiastic people can be, but to this extent and very rarely. With one breath we were done with the rules of the contest and the application forms. A beautiful and high-class flyer was made and distributed. We designated and built the fireplaces for the cooking. We began the day with a worship service at 9AM so we could be ready at 10:30 AM to light the fires and begin the cooking. At 2:30 PM we began the judging. We had three official judges and all of the people were encouraged to vote for who they thought had the best goulash. All of the contestants proudly wore the specially made green aprons with the Chicago Goulash Festival emblem on it. The Scouts made up tee shirts with the festival logo that made this event memorable. Every cook received an award. The people who attended were awarded with whatever kind of great goulash they wanted and as much as they wanted until it was gone. And we all were awarded with lots of good memories. The excellent atmosphere was exemplified by the fact that we still had 42 people around the bonfire after 10:00 PM! If anyone questions what you are reading here, we invite you to visit our congregational website, www.reformatusok.com, look at the photo album and see the happiness and joy on the faces of the people pictured. “God didn’t create anybody Friday afternoon before closing” said Bojté Csaba. I believe God has a plan for all of us if we just listen to Him. “ Life is hard”; but if He, our true Pastor, and our friends, surround us, everything is a lot easier. Rev. Aron Trufan - Minister, 2008 Norridge Reformed Church, Norridge, Illinois
