Magyar Egyház, 1975 (54. évfolyam, 1-12. szám)
1975-11-01 / 11. szám
MAGYAR EGYHÁZ 9 you, and so can I. “No one takes my life away from me,” said Jesus. He chose to do God’s will, to be the pioneer of a new way for man. Is this all we can say to anyone who is suffering? No, it is not. Unshared pain, unshared trouble, can destroy a person. Everyone needs a friend. When Edvard Grieg composed the musical setting for Henrik Ibsen’s poem “Peer Gynt,” he played it on the piano for Ibsen. When Ibsen heard it, he gripped Grieg’s hand and whispered, “Understood! Understood!” When anyone turns to Christ in the loneliness of mental, spiritual, or physical pain, he knows that he is understood. Says the writer of the Letter to Hebrews: “Let us, then, hold firmly to the faith we profess. For we have a great high priest who has gone into the very presence of God — Jesus, the Son of God. Our high priest is not one who cannot feel sympathy with our weaknesses. On the contrary, we have a high priest who was tempted in every way that we are, but did not sin. Let us be brave, then, and come forward to God’s throne, where there is grace. There we will receive mercy and find grace to help us just when we need it” (Hebrews 4:14-16, Today’s English Version). ☆ ☆ Annual Meeting of the Eastern Classis The Annual Assembly of the Eastern Classis of the Hungarian Reformed Church in America took place on October 12 in the Bethlehem, Pa. church under the dual chairmanship of the Rev. Dr. Andrew Harsanyi, Dean and Imre Kőváry, Chief Elder. Reelected by the congregations and confirmed by the assembly were for four year terms Dr. Andrew Harsanyi, Dean and Imre Kőváry, Chief Elder. Elected by the congregations as members of the Judicial Commission were the Rev. László Hunyady, the Rev. Stephen Kovács and the Rev. Stephen Szőke; Bálint Balogh, Miklós Magyar and László Ruszkay. Elected by the assembly were the Rev. Stefan Török and Frank Yersegi, secretaries, Anthony Beke, Jr., treasurer, the Rev. László Hunyady and Elemér Soltész, commissioners to the General Assembly. Walter B. Kovács, the retiring treasurer, who did not wish to be a candidate for re-election, was highly commended for many years of excellent service. The dean and chief elder were sworn in by the Rt. Rev. Dr. Zoltán Béky, former bishop; the other officers, in turn, by the dean. The assembly, among others, confirmed the election of the Rev. Raymond David Patch as the new pastor at Roebling; urged pulpit exchanges with pastors in the Calvin Synod and closer cooperation with churches of the Calvin Synod; instructed the congregations to commemorate the galley slaves on Reformation Sunday; recommended a Hungarian translation of the new constitution and the printing thereof in a limited edition. The assembly voted gifts from classis funds to various Hungarian Reformed Churches in Western Europe, also a gift to the Hungarian missionary in East Africa; and to Magyar Egyház. o-o-o-o PASTOR’S SALARY IN THE UNITED CHURCH OF CHRIST The Pension Board has just released the pastor’s salary study for 1975. It shows cash salary plus a cash parsonage allowance, if such an allowance is furnished, or plus 20-30% if the free use of parsonage is provided. On this basis: 1973 1974 1975 Average Salary $10,302 $11,128 $12,013 Median UCC Salary 10,500 11,400 Calvin Synod average 8,580 9,442 9,863 Thus the study clearly shows that while the average salary of the pastors is increasing in both the denomination and the Synod, Calvin Synod is far behind the denominational average and the gap is widening! Now that the congregations are preparing the 1976 budgets, we call the attention of our leaders to this fact and ask them to make proper adjustment considering the cost of living increase. 0-0-0-0 DIASPORA NEWS: Rev. Imre Szabó reports from Argentina that inflation often effects even the church attendance (30% per month!) They need bibles, Hungarian books, magazines, and especially financial aid. (12 congregations from USA sent aid to flood victims in Chaco.) S.O.S. S.O.S. S.O.S. According to unconfirmed reports Rev. Attila Nagy left Uruguay for Hungary and the flock is without a pastor. Definite clarification is expected soon. In Brazil the replacement of Rev. J. Apostol by the Rev. István Csákány of Hungary (formerly serving in Kenya) is not confirmed. The problem: immigration.
