Magyar Egyház, 1994 (73. évfolyam, 1-4. szám)
1994 / 2. szám
14. oldal MAGYAR EGYHÁZ “Remember your leader.” How does this command apply to the Hungarian Reformed Church in America today? The Hungarian Reformed Church in America remembers Zoltán Beky who served the denomination in several capacities. First, as Dean of the Eastern Classis, then as Arch-Dean of the then Free Magyar Reformed Church of America. During his tenure, Bishop Beky led the denomination into the worldwide fellowship of the World Council of Churches and the Alliance of the Reformed Churches. He represented his denomination at many important ecumenical and international assemblies. “Remember your leader.” How does this command apply to the Hungarian Reformed Federation of America today? The Hungarian Reformed Federation of America remembers him as an active branch manager of the Roebling branch; a member of the Supreme Council of the Federation, and later as one of its Vice Presidents. The 1964 Convention elected him President of the Federation. Upon his retirement, he was honored with the title of Honorary President. The Trenton church is a historic one. The most decisive meeting of our American Hungarian Reformed history was held within its walls in 1896. At that meeting the assembly of all existing young churches declared to be a unified, official body representing all our organized churches. On the following day, the Hungarian Reformed Federation of America came into being as a charitable arm of the churches. “Remember your leader.” How does this command apply to the Hungarian American community today? Let us remember that Zoltán Beky lived at a time when his native and mother church was subjugated by godless tyranny. The coat-of-arms of the Beky family was bestowed upon his ancestors at a time when the Turks devastated Hungary. It is decorated with two arms, each holding a sword, ready to fight for liberty. Zoltán Beky lived up to the legacy of the family coat-of-arms and fought fearlessly against the tyranny of his days. His fight was not in vain. In closing “Remember your leader who spoke the Word of God to you.” This was the ultimate mission of Zoltán Beky to speak the Word of God and to teach the Word of God to the children and the children’s children in this congregation. Today we recall his name in greatful remembrance and extol his legacy to posterity. Rev. Imre Bertalan, D.D. Pastor of Hungarian Reformed Church of Washington, D. C. THE HOME OF HOPE A Reformed Christian Centre We reprint, with permission, the following article from UP DATE, the quarterly publication of the World Alliance of Reformed Churches (Vol.4, No.2). The writer of the article, Gerhard Dillschneider, is Assistant to the General Secretary of the World Alliance. Besides the Rumanian name, Brasov, he mentions the old German Transylvanian Saxon name, Kronstadt; not so the name of the many thousand ethnic Hungarians: Brassó. The name of one of the Reformed pastors is Miklós Ménessy (correctly spelled); from other lists we know the names of the pastors of the other two Reformed congregations of Brassó: Ferenc Antal and László Bálint. A Magyar Egyház appreciates Mr. Dillschneider’s article. 160 kilometers to the north of Bucharest lies Brasov, also known as Kronstadt, with 500,000 inhabitants the second largest town in Romania. It is famous, not only for its industry, but also for a remarkable history dating back to the middle ages, a history still reflected in its picturesque architecture in Gothic and Baroque styles and many other cultural monuments. Following the collapse of the Ceausescu dictatorship in 1989, the churches found themselves in a liberated situation. With the serious restrictions they had experienced under the former atheist regime now swept away, they were challenged to find new possibilities for ministry and service. In Brasov, the Home of Hope, a Christian centre initiated by the Reformed Church, was established. Miklós Menessy, a pastor serving one of the three Reformed parishes in Brasov, together consisting of about 12,000 members, took the initiative in a very imaginative way. The congregations had places to worship, but were hindered from entering into other forms of ministry by the lack of adequate facilities. Against this background a multi-purpose centre was conceived. After three years of planning, fund-raising and construction work the first phase was opened in October 1992. The centre offers a church hall for services and conferences, meeting rooms, offices and other facilities as well as accommodation for 18 people, and a kitchen. Very soon the Home of Hope assumed an outstanding role, with many activities for the parish and for the disadvantaged people of Brasov. The worship community is growing, and youth and adult activities like counselling for unemployed workers and pregnant women, and a soup kitchen for old people, found a place previously unknown. Other activities promoted the search for Christian unity; national and international conferences found their way to the centre, like the recently held consultation of the European regional group of the World
