Itt-Ott, 1995 (28. évfolyam, 1/124-2/125. szám)
1995 / 2. (125.) szám
Partner Church News A publication of the UU Partner Church Council, incorporating Bridges and the Newsletter of the Center for Free Religion Pat Rodgers, Editor Volume 1, Number 2 January 1995 News From the PCC President- by Rev. Leon Hopper A chapter closed in the life of the Hungarian and Romanian Unitarian churches on the eve of my return to Transylvania last October. Upon arriving in Budapest we were informed of the death, of Bishop József Ferencz of the Hungarian Unitarian Church. Then, during the service in Budapest for Bishop Ferencz on October 2, the phone rang in the church office with the word that Bishop Lajos Kovács of the Unitarian Church in Romania had also died. Both these passings were preceded by the death this past summer of Béla Bartók, Jr., long-time lay president of the Hungarian Unitarians. Thus, in only a few short months, the leadership of the Hungarian-speaking churches for the past 20 years was gone. The process for the selection of new leadership will take tune and we will watch its unfolding, [ed. note: Already we have learned that the Transylvanian Unitarian Synod has elected Rev. János Erdő as bishop ] Dorothy and I had seven eventful days (October 17- 24) in Transylvania. I met with each of the district deans along with ministers from their district in the quarterly meetings of each district. Thus, in two and a half days I met with more than 60 ministers in the five districts! They spoke about their lives as ministers today: problems their churches are feeing, the success and workings of the Parmer Church Program, and administrative matters. My time was filled with rich exchange. Fm still sorting through my notes in order to compile a full report. For now, it is important to tell you that I received from everyone solid appreciation and affirmation for the work and support, both moral and financial, being received from Partner Churches in the U.S. and Canada! As might be expected, the mail service continues to be unreliable; yet persistence will win out. The people continue to be affected by the uncertain financial climate in which they live. Inflation continues to rise and unemployment has an impact upon the members of congregations. The funds received from Sec "PCC President" continued on Page 2 Of Special Interest Inside How UU Tourists Become Pilgrims 3 Reducing Conflict With ADR 3 British Unitarian Contributions to Romania 4 Status Report: Francis David Conference Center 5 Partner Church Visits Here and There 6 Interesting Letters 9 News from Center for Free Religion (CFR) 12 Internet News From Hungary On November 29, we welcomed the Hungarian Unitarian Churches to the information highway! Sándor Kis Szétsi, a graduate student at the Technical University of Budapest, has kindly agreed to send messages over the internet to and from Rev. József Kászoni of the Second Unitarian Church in Budapest. The first message was current news about the Unitarian churches in Hungary: 1. On June 29 Béla Bartók Jr., 84 years old, was buned. Son of world-famous composer Béla Bartók, he had served the Hungarian Unitarian church for 23 years, much of that time as lay president. Not long after, the retired bishop, Dr. József Ferencz, who was Unitarian bishop for 17 years, also died. He had retired m 1988 2. In November, the Hungarian Unitarians chose new leadership for the next 6 years. The new bishop will be Rev. Márton Bencze, Sr. who has acted as bishep for the last 3 years. The new lay leader is Dr. Sámuel Murvay, a retired judge, originally from Marosvásárhely in Transylvania. And the new deputy bishop is Rev. Ilona Szent-Iványi Órbók. She has served as the director of ministry since 1988 and is presently minister of the First Unitarian Church in Budapest. 3. The monthly Unitarian newsletter, called Unitárius Élet (Unitarian Life) has grown from 8 to 12 pages. Rev. Kászoni is the new editor. Sgg "Internet Mgwg" SQBSSlX&á. gP-Page 2 Az évente négyszer megjelenő, unitárius Partner Church News januári számának első oldala. A lap majdnem teljes egészében erdélyi és magyarországi kapcsolatokkal, az ottani unitárius egyházközségeink, falvaink lelki-anyagi megsegítésével foglalkozik. Támogatásunkat megérdemli, sőt illik támogatnunk. Egyéni előfizetés egy évre $30, kettőre $50. Az elfőfizetés összege karitatív adománynak számít, az adóalapból levonható. ^ Csekket az „University Unitarian Church” névre kérik kiállítani, “for Partner Church Council” megjegyzéssel. Az következő címre küldjük: Partner Church Council 6556 35 NE, Seattle, WA 98115
