Calvin Synod Herald, 2014 (115. évfolyam, 1-12. szám)
2014-05-01 / 5-6. szám
CALVIN SYNOD HERALD 1 Adam & Eve - Once More and Forever The biblical narrative of Adam and Eve also gives us insight into our relationship to Christ. As none of the creatures in Eden were the kind of helper the man needed for his happiness, God took one of his ribs and made a woman to be his lifelong partner. So also the New Adam, firstborn of the New Creation, was given a Bride by the Holy Spirit of God, to be the partner of the Son of God on earth and forevermore! On Pentecost we celebrate with boundless joy this glorious marriage of Jesus and the Bride, by which we creatures bom of woman are bom again of the Spirit unto everlasting life. Jesus, I live to Thee, the lovliest and best; My life in Thee, Thy life in me, In Thy blest love I rest. Rev. Albert W. Kovács Kovács' Celebrate 60 Years A lifetime together in the Christian ministry began on June 13,1954, for Miss Theresa Torok and the Rev. Albert W. Kovács, now observing the 60th Anniversary. They were married in the Evangelical and Reformed Church of New Brunswick, NJ. A month earlier he had graduated from The Theological Seminary, Lancaster, PA, and was ordained by the Pittsburgh Synod. After serving 36 years in Reformed churches of Pennsylvania, they began ministry in the Hungarian Reformed Church at Woodbridge, NJ, and later with the addition of the John Calvin Magyar Reformed Church in Perth Amboy, NJ, retiring in 2008 as Pastor Emeritus. But responding to the Call of the Johnstown-Windber Hungarian Reformed Church in Pennsylvania, a new ministry was begun the next year. They were blessed by the Lord with two sons and a daughter, four granddaughters and a great grandson. The couple lives in a Bethlen retirement residence in Ligonier, PA. Sunshine for Magyars? Hungarians living outside its borders may find the new PACE resolution will open the long closed door to full rights in neighboring countries where their historic identity has been squelched. The tragic Trianon Treaty of 1921 separated several million Hungarians from the land of their ancestors, where they were compelled by discrimination to surrender their thousand year heritage and yield to assimilation by the new majorities where they lived. This resolution encourages the surrounding nations to recognize these historic ties and also to encourage the diverse ethnic and religious groups to renew and retain the roots to their past. Perhaps it will bring about new initiatives long sought by Hungarians, and other groups, that often brought persecution and imprisonment, such as has ben sought by the Rev. László Tőkés as a member of the Parliament of the European Union. The text of the Foreign Minister's report for Hungary follows: Hungary welcomes PACE resolution on protecting national minorities The Ministries of Foreign Affairs and Justice have welcomed that the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) adopted a resolution in support of the rights of European national minorities. The resolution and recommendation adopted by PACE on April 8 are based on a report by Hungarian lawmaker Ferenc Kalmár on the situation and rights of traditional national minorities in Europe. The report highlighted the situation of national minorities who had been living on the same territory for centuries and share a common identity, and underlined the importance of protecting their rights. The statement welcomed as "highly important" from the aspect of Hungarian communities beyond the borders that the PACE supported regional and territorial autonomies, acknowledging that the special status enjoyed by the regions of several countries has brought stability and prosperity to those regions and states. The Assembly also expressed the view that territorial self-government arrangements can also contribute to effectively protecting minority rights with a collective dimension and avoiding assimilation, the ministries said. The resolution adopted called on member states to sign and ratify, if they have not yet done so, the Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities and the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages as soon as possible. It also urged member states to promote the official use of languages spoken by traditional national minorities in the territories in question. The Hungarian ministries said that the documents adopted in Strasbourg on Tuesday put principles in the focus of European rights protection that the Hungarian government has consistently espoused. Hungary strongly supports the assembly's position that the protection of national minority rights helps maintain stability as well as building a sustainable future in Europe. (Posted by Rev. Albert W. Kovács)
