Magyar Egyház, 1962 (41. évfolyam, 2-12. szám)
1962-10-01 / 10. szám
MAGYAR EGYHÁZ 9 National Council of Churches at Work Overseas They taught 60 million Asians and Africans to read ... converted a former “kamikaze” pilot in Japan into a teacher of modern agriculture. In Korea, they built artificial legs for amputees. Their revolving loan funds gave thousands of Arab families new dignity and self-reliance. At Hong Kong craft centers they trained young girls for factory work. Fifty countries have felt the warmth, strength and comfort of their gifts ... totalling $225 million in food, clothing and medicines! This is the National Council of Churches at work overseas. Formed in 1950, the NCC is the cooperative federation of 33 Protestant and Eastern Orthodox denominations and under their united mandate, the Council maintains more than 70 yearround programs at home and overseas. Through its Christian Rural Overseas Program (“CROP”) alone, people of Iowa have contributed a total of $2,400,000 in cash and commodities for hungry people abroad. Cash and corn are rounded up by CROP volunteers in 18 states with more countries joining in all the time to ship overseas donations of wheat, rice, beans and other non-perishable staples. Through Church World Service — the NCC’s overseas relief and rehabilitation agency — thousands of lives have been saved ... earthquake victims in Chile ... tuberculosis patients in Korea ... undernourished school childreen in Jamaica and Jordan ... starving farmers in Pakistan and Greece whose sub-marginal land no longer supported them. But the accent is not wholly on feeding and clothing the needy. Church World Service — and various other programs of the National Council of Churches — are anxious to make workers in other lands healthy and skillful enough to improve their own living standards. Shipments of seed for pastures, experimental planting and garden projects, incubators for a village poultry project, tractors and tools for land development, technical information and teachers are provided to these lands. An international student exchange program operated by the NCC has proven invaluable in preparing natives of other countries to return to their own people prepared to help them live better. Poverty, malnutrition and infant mortality are the common enemies and with their worldly goods, member churches of the NCC aim to defeat them. But “not by bread alone does man live.” It is the hope of these mission-minded churches to spread the Gospel of Christ to every human being. As in domestic operations, overseas work involves efforts to uplift men spiritually as well as economically. At least 79 foreign mission boards and related agencies cooperating in the NCC, are hard at work abroad facing the variety of problems met by Christian missions in 60 different lands. Africa, Latin America, the Far East, the Near East and Southern Asia all profit by these coordinated labors. Believing the 600,000 Americans living abroad have a tremendous potential for Christian influence among their new-found neighbors, the National Council of Churches helps them raise funds to build churches and secure ministers to serve these churchgoers. NCC representatives are always available to give guidance to such Americans considered unofficial Christian ambassadors overseas. Thus the Gospel of Christ is spread abroad as zealously as the seeds of economic improvemen. In the words of a church member, “If the hungry man does not attain to faith, then the guilt falls on those who refused him bread.” ■k “THERE ARE MORE HUNGRY PEOPLE in the world today than at any time in recorded history,” Dr. Binay Ranjan Sen of India, director general of the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) said in an address to the International Catholic Rural Life Congress, held recently in Rome, Italy. Warning that “hunger is an international responsibility,” Dr. Sen said that between 300 million and 500 million people suffer from undernutrition and that a total of 1,000 to 1,500 million suffer from varying degrees of malnutrition.--------------o-------------MISSION SUNDAY To All Congregations Dear Brethren: October 28th will mark our Fifth Annual Mission Sunday in the Hungarian Reformed Church in America. Mission work is the lifegiving center of all church work and service. The unity, the holiness, and the apostolic character of the Church Universal can be summarized in one sentence: bringing the joyful gospel of our Lord to a hopeless generation and a fearful world not really knowing that message. This means more intensified mission work than ever. The deans of the three classes have arranged pulpit exchanges — wherever practicable — for this Sunday, October 28th as it has become traditional by now. An envelope to be used on this Sunday can be found in this issue of “Magyar Egyház.” Kindly give this envelope with your donation for our mission work to your church, or if it is impossible or inconvenient send it to the treasurer of the Mission Fund, Mr. Albert St. Mklossy, 23 Evergreen Avenue, Fords, New Jersey (his name and address appears printed on the envelope). We ask all our elders, every Church Council as well as the Women Guilds to give special consideration to the needs of our mission work. We prayerfully recommend it to your Christian concern and generosity. Stephen Szőke Chairman, Mission Board John Darnay Dr. Zoltán Beky Chief Elder Bishop
