Magyar Egyház, 1968 (47. évfolyam, 1-12. szám)
1968-12-01 / 12. szám
16 MAGYAR EGYHÁZ As elders in the church, we also have the responsibility of establishing a good relationship with the clergy, for it is they who will provide the inspiration and the leadership when we may need it most. We must not shrink from our responsibility to the people we represent as we attempt to seek the aid of our pastors in solving many of the congregational problems. Our pastor is many things to many people. He must lead, advise, organize, counsel, preach, teach, and listen. He stands before God as the person most directly involved in the church and at the same time he must face a congregation that can be either friendly and helpful, or frequently hostile. It is his skill in dealing with people that may often carry him over many of the rough spots in congregational life, but he will also rely on the elders to help him, for he cannot do this alone. The future of our church will also depend on how well the clergy and the elders can communicate with one another. When we charge our clergy with being too theological in their sermons and their work witliin organizations of the church, might we also feel guilty for having separated ourselves from the very purpose of the church which is spiritual in nature? Perhaps the answer lies in the fact that we must all, clergy and laity alike, come closer together and try to place Christ ahead of our own individual concerns, so that He may guide us in building a church for the future. We all have a big job to do. It will challenge the best in us. And if we are not always given credit for the hard work that many of us have already done, we must seek to motivate ourselves by seeking the satisfaction that comes from doing the Lord’s work. We may not be a large denomination, but with the power that comes from Christ we can do great things. Let us use this power to carry our church into the future. Perhaps the best description of our role is found in the 6th chapter of Paul’s second letter to the Corinthians where he says: “By pureness, by knowledge, by longsuffering, by kindness, by the Holy Ghost, by love unfeigned, By the word of truth, by the power of God, by the armour of righteousness on the right hand and the left. By honour and dishonour, by evil report and good report: as deceivers, and yet true; As unknown, and yet well known; as dying and, behold, we live; as chastened, and not killed; As sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing and yet possessing all things.” Fifty elders and eight ministers participated at the Eastern Classis Elders’ Conference in Trenton, N.J. on November 10. John Marincsák, president of the Elders’ Association moderated the conference. Two excellent keynote addresses were presented by John Nemish, Chief Elder of the Eastern Classis in English (printed above) and Anthony Beke, Chief Elder of the Trenton congregation in Hungarian (printed in the Hungarian section of this issue.) The presentations were followed by a very lively dicussion particularly reflecting upon three main issues of the addresses, namely the desirability of electing women as elders, the problem of “mixed” marriages, and the “education” of elders. A committee consisting of Bert Bartha (Roebling), Julius Borcsik (Trenton), John Marincsák (Perth Amboy) and Louis J. Szabó (Carteret) were appointed to prepare recommendations together with the officers to be submitted to the Bishop’s Council. The Conference elected the following new officers: John Nemish (Carteret) president, Anthony Beke (Trenton) vicepresident, Joseph Bányácsky (Perth Amboy) secretary, Francis Ullersberger (Carteret) treasurer, Bert Bartha (Roebling) and Gabe Szilágyi (Perth Amboy) auditors. The new officers were sworn in by Dr. Andrew Harsányi, dean of the Eastern Classis. The date of the annual meeting of the Elder’s Association was fixed for the 2nd Sunday in October, the 1969 conference to be held in Perth Amboy on October 12. The participants, among them Bishop Dezső Abrahám, Dr. Zoltán Béky, president of the Reformed Federation and the Rev. Aleander Daróczy, superintendent of the Bethlen Home, were entertained for supper by the ladies of the Trenton church. 75th ANNIVERSARY IN NEW BRUNSWICK The two Hungarian Reformed Churches of New Brunswick, N.J. —- the Magyar Reformed Church (Reformed Church in America) and the Bayard Street Presbyterian Church (United Presbyterian Churcb in the U.S.A.) — celebrated together the 75th anniversary of Hungarian Reformed pastoral work in New Brunswick. Joint services of thanksgiving in both churches and a joint banquet with over 500 guests marked the celebrations. Dr. Tibor Chikes, professor at Wesley Theological Seminary (Washington, D.C.) and the Rt. Rev. Árpád George, national secretary of the Hungarian Reformed Federation preached at the services. At the banquet, Dr. Andrew Kosa, pastor emeritus of the Magyar Reformed Church was toastmaster. The 75 years old history of the churches was eminently presented in a sequence of short scenes by the young people. The significance of this celebration lays in the fact that the two churches are the result of a repeated split. It was a truly ecumenical venture in the life of Hungarian Reformed churches pointing to a way of future co-operation. The Rev. Imre Bertalan and the Rev. Joseph Rásky are pastors of the two congregations. ☆ ☆☆
