Magyar Egyház, 1989 (63. évfolyam, 1-6. szám)
1989-05-01 / 3. szám
MAGYAR EGYHÁZ 11. oldal FROM THE BISHOP'S NOTEBOOK Here are some more quips and quotations from my notebook. + If you are destined to be hung don’t be afraid of the water: you won’t drown. + Dialogue at a banquet. “You see, the man in the middle of the head table is one of the dignitaries.” “Aw, really? I ate breakfast with him this morning and he ate his eggs exactly the way I did.” Entering a restaurant after a stormy church committee meeting: “Have you a reservation, Sir?” “Oh yes, I have many reservations.” + An American bishop coming from Rome said: “In the past the clergy was waiting to hear the bishop to give an order, then they did as they pleased. Now they wait for the bishop to speak, then they call a meeting, demonstrate, and then do as they please. + Francois Le Clerc de Tremblay (Father Joseph) was the first “gray eminence” (eminence grise) who served as the secretary of the French Cardinal Richelieu, chief minister of King Louis XIII of France. Gray eminence is called ever since a person in the background exerting great influence on a public leader. * The ecclesiastical positions of Paul and Timothy in modern terminology: they were associate pastors, Paul being the senior minister, Timothy the junior associate. I found this note on the organ of my organist: “I know God is present everywhere at all times. But I must live in the consciousness of His presence.” Not new theology but ever so often forgotten. Andrew Harsanyi BILLY GRAHAM CALLED TO REPENT FOR COLLABORATING WITH OPPRESSIVE DICTATORSHIPS In an open letter dated April 20 three Hungarian ministers, Győző Dobner (Baptist), Gábor Iványi (Community of Evangelical Brethren) and Géza Németh (Reformed) state that on previous visits the evangelist Billy Graham has been “manipulated by dark powers” when he declared that there was religious freedom in Hungary and Romania. The pastors said in their letter that “the task of the faithful is not to protect the oppressor, but to express unambiguously solidarity with the oppressed .. . The preaching of the Gospel of Christ is incompatible with political falsehood.” The letter calls on Billy Graham to repent for collaborating with oppressive dictatorship during his visits to Hungary and Romania as late as 1985. The open letter is now being circulated in Budapest for signatures. Billy Graham is scheduled to visit Hungary again this coming July and preach in the People’s Stadium on July 29. This will be the third visit of Billy Graham to Hungary. (Keston Press Service, Hungarian Church Press.) CHURCH WOMEN UNITED CONFERENCE IN TRENTON On May 7th women from the area congregations gathered at our sister church in Trenton, New Jersey for their Annual Conference. Registration was held from 2:10 p.m. Women fom the following congregations were present: Trenton, the host congregation; Roebling, NJ; Bethlehem, PA; New Brunswick, NJ; Perth Amboy, NJ; Carteret, NJ; Linden, NJ; Staten Island, NY, a total of 87 women and pastors and guests. The Opening of the meeting was held at 3:00 p.m. with the invocation of Rev. Kalman Adorján host Pastor followed by a hymn and Scripture readings both in English and the Hungarian languages, respectively from Perth Amboy and Linden. Prayers were also offered in both languages by representatives from New Brunswick and Roebling. The theme of the Conference was “What After Confirmation for Our Young People.” Mrs. Margarite Beke, President introduced the theme and the speaker Mr. Eric Beke, member of the Trenton Hungarian Reformed Church, Sunday School teacher and member of the Youth Fellowship. Special solo was sung by Rev. John Liptak, Bethlehem. Before the speaker started his lecture, we received greetings from Mr. Anthony C. Beke, Chief-Elder of the Hungarian Reformed Church in America, who also extended greetings from Dr. Andrew Harsanyi, who was absent due to a former commitment that took him and his wife outside the United States. Greeting was also extended by Rev. August Molnár, President of the Hungarian Studies Foundation, who also provided information of the great work of the Foundation and extended an invitation to all of our churches and its people to the opening ceremonies of the new Museum building to be dedicated on Sunday afternoon at 3:00 p.m. in New Brunswick. Greetings were also given in behalf of the Eastern Classis by Rev. Stefan M. Torok, Dean. At this time all the participants were ready for the Conference theme. Mr. Eric Beke, at the beginning of his lecture expressed a fear to speak before all these people, nevertheless, he said, that the subject is very close to his heart, and he appealed to the hearts of all women, for in one form or another, they have been part of the religious education of the church’s youth.
