Magyar Egyház, 1956 (35. évfolyam, 1-11. szám)
1956-08-01 / 8-9. szám
MAGYAR EGYHÁZ 15 THE REFORMED MINISTER . . . by the Rev. Charles A. Darocy HELP WANTED, MALE Unusual and interesting opportunity for person with the following qualifications: 1. Four years of college and degree, three years of seminary and degree. 2. Ability to preach wonderful sermons in English and Hungarian. 3. Knowledge of youth work and interest in problems of modern teen agers. 4. Talent for organizing church programs, with emphasis on the enlistment of lay leadership. 5. Gift of always saying the right thing at the right time. 6. Willingness to work day and night, visit the sick, encourage the disheartened, reach the unchurched. 7. Skill in conducting meetings and in organizing new groups. 8. Talent enough to prepare church newspaper and publicity releases for the press. The salary offered is at least $3,000 and housing. How does it sound to you? Are you surprised that there is great difficulty in obtaining the services of qualified men for our churches? For the past thirty years the Free Magyar Reformed Church was staffed by the finest Magyar ministers in the entire world. While Magyar churches in other denominations often had difficulty in getting the best, our group was greatly blessed and was served by men of outstanding ability. You see, for many years the top students in Hungary came to America for post-graduate work. Many of them remained and accepted pulpits here. But the Second World War has completely stopped this flow of talent. And the shortage of qualified ministers will become acute in a few more years. The “Help Wanted” Sign is thus a graphic way of depicting the need that must be met. We can no longer count on the entry of qualified men from Hungary. Although many young men from our churches entered the ministry, the lack of positions in our own congregations forced most of them to accept pulpits in other denominations. But now the picture has changed radically. Something will have to be done in order to insure the future of the work. All of our congregations should encourange young men to prepare for the ministry. And this encouragement would include financial aid, for the seven years of study required are expensive. The congregations should carefully study the situation of their present minister with a view to lightening the load. An excellent suggestion is the securing of secretarial help to take care of routine office tasks and free the minister for more important duties. Theological seminaries can supply students who are great help with youth and Sunday School work. Our “Help Wanted” sign is a challening one. It calls for the best young men. It calls for self sacrifice and the willingness to live on far less than other similarly trained men. It calls for men imbued with the spirit of Christ, willing to undergo difficulties for the sake of the Gospel. Pray that the answer to this grave need will be forthcoming, ‘the harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few.” PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH: Philadelphia — A net increase in membership of 77,338 for the period Jan. 1 - Dec. 31, 1955, is reported by the Office of the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church in the U.S.A. in the Witherspoon Building here. The net increase was the largest for a single year, in the church’s history. Total membership now stands at the all time high of 2,736,241. Membership statistics are based on number of communicants in good stading. They do not include infants or adherents. The number of new communicants added by profession of faith or reaffirmation of faith during the year was 145,155. There was an increase of 43, 424 in the Sunday church school enrollment, making the total enrollment 1,888,563. There were 95,065 baptisms, another record figure. The increase in the number of baptisms over the preceding year was 2,076. The number of officers in local churches was 69,- 247 elders and 48,040 deacons. The number of young men under care of the church as candidates for the ministry, including those in college, was 2,463. Nationally the church is organized in 38 synods and 256 presbyteries. There are 8,603 local churches and 10,131 ordained ministers. The Board of National Missions, largest and oldest of the boards, organized in 1802, carries on mission work in each of the 48 states, Alaska, Cuba, the Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico. The Board of Foreign Missions carries on work in 36 countries. The Board of Christian Education promotes educational work in churches, Sunday church schools, colleges, and theological seminaries. Through its Westminster Press it publiches religious books, curricular materials, and works of adult and juvenile fiction. Related to the Church through its Board of Christian Education are 41 four-year colleges and one junior college (soon to go on a four-year college basis). The nine theological seminaries of the Church are under supervision of the Council on Theological Education. The most important: McCormick, Chicago; Princeton, Princeton, N.J.; San Francisco, San Anselmo, Calif.; and Western, Pittsburgh, Pa. The Board of Pensions administers relief and pensions to ministers, missionaries and their dependents. Through its Division of Welfare Agencies, it supervises the homes, orphanages, and hospitals of the Church. The first presbytery was organized in Philadelphia in 1706. The first General Assembly was held in Philadelphia 1789, and has met annually ever since. The 250th anniversary of the first presbytery as commemorated at the meeting of the General Assembly in Philadelphia, May 24-30, 1956. Information supplied by the Department of Publicity, Office of te Gheneral Assembly, Presbyterian Church in the U.S.A., 518 Witherspoon Building, Philadelphia 7, Pa. W. W. Rankin, manager.----------------•-------------— Do You Know that the first European monument honoring George Washington was erected at Budapest, and that statues and street names of many great men of foreign races may be found in the Hungarian capital, which was called by visiting tourists “Queen of the Danube”. T
