Magyar Egyház, 1969 (48. évfolyam, 1-12. szám)
1969-05-01 / 5. szám
MAGYAR EGYHÁZ 15 U.S. (Southern) had departed substantially from tenets of belief in force when they aligned themselves with the denomination. Justice William J. Brennan, Jr., who wrote the Court’s opinion, said the Georgia courts had breached the constitutional principle of church-state separation by permitting a jury — which, it was noted, was dominated by Baptists and contained no Presbyterians — to rule that the Southern Presbyterian denomination had violated its traditional tenets and beliefs. Involved were two local congregations in Savannah — Eastern Heights and Hull Memorial. HUNGARIAN REFORMED CHURCHES TARE STRICT ATTITUDE ON MIXED MARRIAGES Pastors of the Reformed Church of Hungary on the occasion of Christmas services invited members of the church who are married to Roman Catholics to partake of Holy Communion. One condition was set: that they repent of their promise to bring up their children in the Roman Catholic tradition. The pastors were carrying out regulations issued by the General Synod of the church during the 400th anniversary of the Reformation in Hungary. The regulations reject the obligation of a Reformed partner to a mixed marriage to bring up his/her children in the Catholic tradition. Anyone who signs such an agreement loses the right to vote in church elections or run for church office. At the same time, Reformed pastors are forbidden to impose an obligation to educate children of a mixed marriage in the Reformed tradition. They may not officiate at weddings in Roman Catholic churches or “address any words of encouragement to the bride or groom”. However, they arc instructed to exercise pastoral care over Reformed members who have married Catholics, especially those married in a Reformed church but who have a second wedding in accordance with the Catholic rite. A syllabus to he used in instruction of elders in the Reformed Church of Hungary, who must counsel partners in Reformed-Roman Catholic mixed marriages, has recently been published in Budapest. The pastoral guide stresses that a mixed marriage should help the partners practice ecumenism, in the sense that “the nearer they come individually to their one Lord, the nearer they come spiritually to one another.” NEWS FROM THE CONGREGATIONS AKRON, OHIO According to the decision of our church council we bought a beautiful new tractor for grasscutting. Its cost was over $1,000. During the month of May we will repaint our church inside and outside. This job will cost about $2,000. The new president of our Youth Group is Arpad Batizy. Last month we modernized our Sunday School with the purchase of a television teaching equipment. Our ladies had a successful breakfast and a successful Mother’s Day dinner. Funeral: on May 5th we buried Mrs. Sophie Raytik, 69 years old. She was a faithful member of the First Hungarian Reformed Church. BETHLEHEM, PA. Mrs. Felix Racz (Ethel Vamosy), 90, died on April 18. She was one of the oldest members of our church. On May 11 we celebrated Mother’s Day during a combined service. All ladies present received flowers. Barry Arnold left for military service in Vietnam on May 21. CARTERET, N. J. The renovation of the parish house —Bethlen Hall—is progressing well. Men of the congregation are doing the work under the direction of Elder Frank Vérségi, chairman of the church council’s Buildings and Grounds Committee. Their dedicated work will bring considerable savings to the church treasury. Cheryle Irene Dodge, Deborah Ann George, Patrick Charles Humiston, Leslie Ann Katko, Linda Margaret Kovács and Lynn Suzanne Ullersberger were confirmed on May 18. Their first communion was on Pentecost Sunday. They were examined—after two years of preparation by the Pastor—after the Ascension Day worship service in the presence of the congregation. Baptisms. Kathleen Ann, daughter of Frank Chizmadia and his wife, the former Ellen Elizabeth Gamble; godparents are Michael and Eleanor Kruppa. — Cathy Gale, daughter of Geza Lukach and his wife, the former Irene Rompa; godparents are Paul and Elizabeth Ruszkai. Sunday School closing exercises will be held June 15, Vacation Bible School will begin June 30, for two weeks. The Junior Women’s Guild held a Mother’s Day social to which members of the Lorantfy Society were invited. DETROIT-ALLEN PARK, MICHIGAN Our Easter Holiday services were abundantly blest by God. The 15 newly confirmed boys and girls received their first communion on Easter Sunday. Our Holiday offering was $18,002.55. This is a record in the history of our church and in all probability a record in the history of all Hungarian Reformed Churches. Soli Deo Gloria! Our Masonic Sunday held on April 27th was a tremendous success. The income at the dinner was $1560. On May 8th the Golden Circle Club gave a banquet honoring the mothers and their daughters. On May 8th the Young Adults Fellowship gave a dance the theme of which was “Melodies in Gold.” On Mother’s Day our church presented a floral tribute to every mother attending the church services. The Ladies Aid Society held their Annual Spring Bazaar on May 16 and 18 with the usual success. The work on the installation of a new air conditioning unit for the Fellowship Hall has started. The cost of $6500 has already been donated by generous supporters of our church. Larger donations were: John Metelski, the Mayor of Allen Park, $2500; Stephen Hegedűs, his family and mother, Mrs. Joseph Hegedűs, $2500;
