Magyar Egyház, 1997 (76. évfolyam, 1-4. szám)
1997 / 3. szám
MAGYAR EGYHÁZ 7. oldal MEETING OF THE BISHOP’S COUNCIL The Bishop’s Council of the Hungarian Reformed Church in America met on Saturday, June 21, 1997, at 9:30 a.m. at the Magyar Reformed Church in New Brunswick, N.J. The Council’s opening devotional was offered by the Rt. Rev. Alexander Forro, Bishop, and was based on the Scripture from the 2nd letter of the Apostle Paul to the Romans, chapter 10, verses 12-18. A Hungarian hymn “Szállj ala oh áldott Szentlelek” was sung and a prayer in English was offered by Bishop Forro and a Hungarian prayer was offered by the Chief Elder of the Synod, Mr. Stephen Szabó. The Bishop’s Council offered a special tribute at the opening of the meeting to the Rt. Rev. Dr. Andrew Harsanyi who was called to eternal rest with the Lord. A minute of silence was called for and a special prayer of remembrance was offered on his behalf and we prayed for the Lord’s comfort upon his family. Bishop Forro instructed the secretaries to take a roll call. Rev. Stefan Torok, Ecclesiastical Secretary, reported the following members present: Bishop Rt. Rev. Alexander Forro; Mr. Stephen Szabó, Chief Elder of the Synod; Rev. Stefan Torok, Ecclesiastical Secretary; Mr. Zoltán Ambrus, Lay Secretary; Miss Priscilla Hunyady, Synod Treasurer; Rev. Andor Demeter, Dean of the Western Classis; Mr. László Vanyi, Chief Elder of the New York Classis; Mr. Balint Balogh, Chief Elder of the Eastern Classis; and the Rt. Rev. Dezső Abraham, Bishop Emeritus; and Mr. Anthony Beke, Chief Elder Emeritus, as invited former leaders of the Synod. Among the guests present were the Rt. Rev. Francis Vitéz, Bishop of the Calvin Synod -United Church of Christ; the Rev. August Molnár, President of the American Hungarian Foundation; the Rev. Peter Toth, Rev. Ambrus Batiz, and the Rev. Barnabas Roczey, pastor of the host Church. Rev. Roczey extended a warm welcome on behalf of the Magyar Reformed Church of New Brunswick. Bishop Forro greeted everyone present and requested Bishop Dr. Francis Vitéz to speak to us on behalf of the Calvin Synod. Bishop Vitéz extended his personal greeting and the greetings of the Calvin Synod wishing us a successful meeting. Rev. August Molnár brought the greetings of the American Hungarian Foundation. Bishop Forro requested the Secretaries to read the minutes of the last meeting of the Council held a year ago. The minutes were distributed and made available to all members present. A motion was made to dispense with the reading of the minutes and to accept it as prepared with minor corrections of the spelling of some names. Bishop Forro requested Miss Priscilla Hunyady to present a report on the Denomination’s financial status. Miss Hunyady also distributed her report in advance. A motion was made to refer the report of the Treasurer to the Audit Committee for approval. Bishop Forro expressed thanks to the Treasurer for a very comprehensive report. The Bishop’s Council continued with the report of the Bishop. A motion was made and approved to include the report to the minutes of this meeting. Following the Bishop’s report, the meeting continued with the report of the Chief Elder, Mr. Stephen Szabó. Motion was made to accept the report, which was acknowledged with thanks by the Council. The meeting continued with the reports of the Classes. Rev. Torok, Dean, and Mr. Balint Balogh, Chief Elder, offered their oral reports on the life of the congregations of the Eastern Classis, which was acknowledged with thanks by the Council. Bishop Forro, Supervisor, and Mr. László B. Vanyi, Chief Elder, also gave oral reports of the life of the New York Classis, which was acknowledged with thanks by the Council. Rev. Andor Demeter, Dean, in the absence of the Chief Elder, reported on the life of the Western Classis, which was accepted with thanks by the Council. A long discussion followed each report on the problems and difficulties existing within the reporting Classis, and suggestions and a course of direction were offered to remedy the situations. Bishop Forro indicated that for today’s meeting he and the Chief Elder would appoint the following committees: 1. Auditing Committee, 2. Recommendations Committee, and 3. Nominating Committee. The Rev. Barnabas Roczey, pastor, together with the Chief Elder and Vice-Chief Elder of the Magyar Reformed Church of New Brunswick, extended an invitation to all members present for lunch. Following the lunch break, the meeting continued with the report of the Editor of Magyar Egyház, Mr. Stephen Szabó. In his report, Mr. Szabó indicated that we still encounter problems with deadlines and he requested further cooperation from the member congregations and pastors. He indicated that the Church Newspaper is published quarterly as decided by the Assembly. Miss Priscilla Hunyady reported on the upcoming Annual Youth Conference and encouraged all of us to do everything in our power to make it a success. On behalf of the Ministerial Qualifying Committee, Rt. Rev. Dr. Dezső Abraham reported that they examined and qualified one minister, Rev. Attila
