Magyar Egyház, 1983 (62. évfolyam, 1-5. szám)
1983-01-01 / 1. szám
MAGYAR £GyfröZ MAGYAR CHURCH 7. oldal OFFICIAL COMMUNICATION FROM THE SYNOD MEETING OF THE HUNGARIAN REFORMED CHURCH IN AMERICA The General Assembly of the Hungarian Reformed Church in America was held in the Bethlen Home, Ligonier, Pennsylvania, Friday November 26, 1982. Official minutes of the meetings was compiled by Rev. Dr. Adrew Harsanyi with these explanations: The first part of the meeting was recorded by Rev. Tibor Dömötör, General Secretary. Upon his leaving Dean Harsanyi was asked to take minutes. After the election of the new General Secretary Rev. Sándor Forró asked Dean Harsanyi to continue to take minutes, the Assembly did not object. The General Assembly was opened with a Worship Service and the Elements of the Lord’s Supper were served at the Church. Rev. Dezső Abrahám, Bishop officially opened the Meeting at 10:15 a.m. Quorum was established and the meeting was declared official. The following representatives of other church bodies and organizations were recognized and asked to speak before the Synod Meeting. The Rev. Éva Fábián, Dean, representing Bishop Dr. John Bütösi from the Calvin Synod, UCC. The Rev. Imre Bertalan, President of the Hungarian Reformed Federation, The Rev. Barnabás Rőczey, Reformed Church in America, The Rev. Paul Kovács, Administrator of the Bethlen Home. 1. Chairman John Nemish asked Mr. Anthony C. Beke to report the results of the election of the synod elective officers; the ballots were opened at the meeting of the Bishop’s Council in Perth Amboy, October 11, 1982. Elected were unanimously or with a large margin for a new term of four years the following: The Rt. Rev. Dezső Abrahám for Bishop, Mr. John Nemish for chief elder, for members of the Synod Judicial Commission the Rev. László Hunyadi, the Rev. Sándor Forró, the Rev. Lajos Illés, Mr. Bálint Balogh, Mr. István Szabó, Mr. Edmund Vig. The General Assembly accepted Mr. Beke’s report and confirmed the election. 2. Mr. Beke also reported of the two amendments to the constitution. The General Assembly accepted Mr. Beke’s report but reffered the amendments to the Recommendation Comm, for clarification. 3. The elected officers were sworn in by Dean Csordás. Those absent will be sworn in at a later date. 4. It was agreed that the officers to be elected by the General Assembly should be elected at this point so they can take over their responsibilities right away. This was particularly necessary since Synod Treasurer Sándor Kiss unexpectedly and tragically died this past September. 5. Election of General Secretaries (ecclesiatical and lay), treasurer and counsellor. a. Ecclesiatical General Secretary. The Bishop’s Council recommended the election of the Rev. Sándor Forró; the Rt. Rev. Louis Nagy, from the floor, nominated the Rev. Tibor Dömötör for re-election. At this point, upon a question by Mr. Edmund Vig, the issue of the use of “deputy bishop” was widely discussed. General Secretary Dömötör explained the reason why this title was used by him and apperently accepted by others, including the Bishop. Mr. Eger, general Counsellor explained the pertinent partions of the constitution to the effect that the General Secretary is, in certain cases, the deputy of the bishop but not deputy bishop. General Secretary Dömötör, in a brief address, assured the General Assembly of his love and loyalty to this church. Then he picked up his papers and left the assembly room and the building as well. One of his elders in the Akron church (Mr. Szendics) whom chairman Nemish permitted to speak delivered a passionate praise of the Rev. Dömötör, calling him the “greatest Hungarian in America now living” and saying that “no minister has done so much for the church as the Rev. Dömötör”. Finishing his recital he also left the assembly room with another fellow-elder of his. No secret ballot was requested. The vote by raising of hands showed 11 votes for Forró, 1 for Dömötör, the rest abstained. b. Ms. Priscilla Hunyady was recommended by the Bishop’s Council for the office of Synod Treasurer. She was elected unanimously.
