Magyar Egyház, 1993 (72. évfolyam, 1-5. szám)
1993-02-01 / 1. szám
MAGYAR EGYHÁZ 7. oldal THE ORDINATION OF REVEREND OLLIE BENKO-HALL The Hungarian Reformed Church in America ordained to the Christian ministry the Rev. Ollie Benko-Hall on December 20th 1992. The Ordination service took place at the Magyar Refonned Church of Perth Amboy, New Jersey. Bishop Harsanyi at the beginning of the ordination explained to the congregation that an ordination is the act of the Synod. He informed the congregation, gathered for the ordination, that the majority of the representatives of the Synod are present, therefore he, who has been chosen to oversee the congregational life in the Hungarian Reformed Church in America, authorizes the ordination. The Special Service of ordination was conducted by the following: Bishop Dr. Andrew Harsanyi, Dean Stefan M. Torok, Rev. Peter Toth. Many other pastors from the area were also present. Bishop Andrew Harsanyi administered the official oath and extended a right hand of fellowship to the Rev. Ollie Benko-Hall. To uplift the solemn moment of the ordination, special solo was presented by Mrs. Patricia Giammarinaro, with two beautiful selections. Our Church Choir also sang during the worship service. Following the ordination, the newly ordained minister took the pulpit and delivered a message on what she considers her mission in the ministry. The message was well received by the congregation, which was not only the scene of the ordination, but also the home church of the newly ordained minister. Her family, daughter Dr. Pamela Hall, brothers and sister, friends and former classmates, the members of the Perth Amboy Church filled the sanctuary to capacity. At the close of the service, special presentation was made by the Chief-Elder of the congregation, Mr. Robert Zambo, who greeted the newly ordained pastor and extended our congratulations. In closing, we would like to take this opportunity to introduce the newly ordained pastor with her biography. XXX THE REVEREND OLLIE HALL Ollie was born in Perth Amboy, New Jersey on December 7, 1933, to Mrs. Imre Benko. Her father, Imre Benko, had died on June 9th, seven months earlier that year. She was baptized and confirmed in this church and later married at the Cadet Chapel, West Point, New York, June 7th, 1956 to Gary Curtiss Hall, First Lieutenant, U.S. Army. Her first and only child, a daughter, Dr. Pamela Elizabeth Hall, a licensed clinical psychologist, was born on September 10, 1957, in Jacksonville, Florida. The military lifestyle took her to live in sixteen different States in the southern and western parts of our country. In 1963, her husband volunteered to go to Viet Nam. She divorced him in June of 1964, upon his return, due to his subsequent post traumatic stress disorder. Ollie worked as a traveling relief office manager for the Western Union telegraph company for 13 years and holds a NJ real estate salesman’s license. Ollie decided to return to college in September 1986. Two years later, she transferred to Wagner College, Staten Island, New York, where she graduated Cum Laude with a B.A. degree in May, 1989. She was also awarded an A.A. degree from Middlesex County College in August, 1989. She then attended the Yale Divinity School, New Haven, Connecticut and earned a Master’s of Divinity degree in May, 1992. Ollie holds membership in several national honor societies, including Phi Theta Kappa, Psi Beta, Alethea, Alpha Kappa Delta, and Omicron Delta Kappa. She is a member of Mory’s, New Haven, Connecticut, the Yale Club of New York City and the Yale Club of Central Jersey as well as the Alumni Associations of the above mentioned universities. Her church membership is here and at Battell Chapel, New Haven. She hopes to be a Fellow in Budapest, Hungary, from September, 1993-94 through the Fascell Fellowship Program. At present, she is serving as a Supply Minister. Recently she has preached in Trenton, the John Calvin Church, in Perth Amboy, and South Norwalk, Connecticut. She completed a year’s internship at the Hungarian Reformed Church in Wallingford, Connecticut, and a year as student chaplain at the Masonic Home and Hospital, also in Wallingford, working with the elderly and bereaved.
