Magyar Egyház, 1991 (70. évfolyam, 1-6. szám)

1991-01-01 / 1. szám

2. oldal MAGYAR EGYHÁZ 75TH ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATED BY THE NEW BRUNSWICK CHURCH Four very important dates mark the early history of the Magyar Reformed Church of New Brunswick, New Jersey. The first date is 1890, the year Hungarian Reformed people in New Brunswick first came together for occasional worship services conducted in their native tongue. The second date is May 14, 1905, the date of the Certificate of Incorporation of Magyar Reformed Church. The third date is 1915, the year the building of the Magyar Reformed Church was begun, and the fourth date is March 26, 1916, when the edifice in which we are worshiping today was dedicated and consecrated. The first pastor of the church was the Rev. Dr. Paul Hamborszky. He attended faithfully to the spiritual life of the congregation. During his ministry the Young’s People Society, Church Choir and Sunday School were organized. In 1919 a weekday grade school with four classes was established. English as well as the Hungarian language were taught, with a student enrollment of eighty-nine persons. Mr. Joseph Veres was called to assist in teaching Hungarian and to serve as organist at the church services. In June, 1919 Bishop Balthazar of Hungary visited the congregation. After the ministry of the Rev. Dr. Hamborszky, the Rev. Adam Schodle became the pastor. The church and the parsonage underwent badly needed repairs. The church membership continued to grow. The Rev. Schodle served the church until 1925. A committee was appointed by the consistory to look for a new pastor. They approached the Rev. Andrew Kosa, pastor of the Magyar Reformed Church of Manville. Rev. Kosa argeed to help out the congregation on the temporary basis. Within a few months the congregation was ready to call a pastor. The choice fell on Rev. Kosa who, upon the request of the congregation, helped the Hungarian Calvinists in the fold of the Reformed Church in America. The Classis of New Brunswick of the Reformed Church in America installed Rev. Kosa in October 1925 as pastor of the Magyar Reformed Church. During his pastorate the membership had grown from forty to almost nine hundred. In 1960, the Educational Build­ing was built for $118,000. New organizations were added to the existing organizations. During the second world war, 186 sons and daughters of the Magyar Reformed Church were on the battlefields. Three sons of the church entered the Chris­tian ministry during this period: Rev. Emil Varga, Rev. George Enyedi, and Rev. Ernest Kosa. On July 21, 1929, a communion service was conducted by Bishop László Ravasz of Budapest, Hungary. The service was attended by many people. Following the retirement of Rev. Andrew Kosa, at the February 3, 1963, congregational meeting, Rev. Imre Berta­lan was called to serve as the spiritual leader. In 1965 the Fiftieth Anniversary of the church and Twenty-Fifth Anni­versary of the pastor’s ordination were celebrated. Also in 1965, major renovations took place in preparation for the an­niversary celebration. Many church groups and organizations, such as the Ladies Aid Society, Women’s Guild, Couples’ Club, Men’s Club, Senior and Junior Youth Fellowship, Adult and Junior Choir, and Junior Ladies’ Club thrived during this period. During this time, the Sunday School experienced its largest growth period because of the recent immigration from Hungary and because the “baby boomers” generation was now of school age. In April 1981 at a special congregational meeting Rev. Barnabas Roczey was elected to serve as the new pastor of the Magyar Reformed Church. In August 1984 renovations of the sanctuary were begun, with window frames being re­placed with bronze frames. The renovations continued into 1985 with the insulation of the attic space and walls along with other repairs and construction improvemens. The ceiling was covered with stained white pine, and new lighting was installed. The renovations cost $190,000. In 1990 a new or­ganization, the Lórántffy Nőegylet was added to the eight ex­isting organizations. The Seventy-Fifth Anniversary of the Magyar Reformed Church was celebrated on October 27, 1990. A special wor­ship service was held at 3:30 p.m. in our church. The sermons were delivered by the Rev. Dr. Imre Bertalan, former pastor, president of the Hungarian Reformed Federation, and the Rev. Emil Varga, son of the church, pastor emeritus of the First Reformed Church of South River. Also the Rev. Dr. Henry Austin, pastor of the High Street Baptist Church and the Very Rev. Stefan Torok, pastor of the Magyar Reformed Church of Perth Amboy participated in the anniversary wor­ship service. The anniversary banquet was held in the Hun­garian American Athletic Club of New Brunswick with 340 people attending. To the founder of the church and to those who labored so diligently in the Lord to build and to preserve this church, we owe a debt of gratitude to continue in their footsteps. As we look forward to the future we pray for God’s guidance and help. With God’s help all things are possible. MAGYAR EGYHÁZ JANUARY-FEBRUARY, 1991 VOL. 70, NO. 1 ISSN 0360-5760 Published bi-monthly EDITOR IN CHIEF The Rt. Rev. Dr. Andrew Harsanyi, Bishop P. O. Box “D”, Hopatcong, New Jersey 07843 EDITOR: The Very Rev. Stefan M. Torok 331 Kirkland Place, Perth Amboy, NJ 08861 Business Manager: The Rev. Barnabas Röczey 179 Somerset St., New Brunswick, NJ 08901 OFFICE OF PRINTING: I.H. Printing Co., 205 Hamilton St., New Brunswick, NJ 08901 OFFICE OF PUBLICATION: Magyar Egyház — Magyar Church 331 Kirkland Place, Perth Amboy, NJ 08861 SECOND CLASS POSTAGE PAID AT WOODBRIDGE NEW JERSEY Subscription: $6.00 yearly; Group: $4.00 Postmaster: Send Form 3579 to Business Manager ADDRESS CORRECTION: Rev. Stefan M. Torok, 331 Kirkland Place, Perth Amboy New Jersey 08861

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