Magyar Egyház, 1999 (78. évfolyam, 1-4. szám)
1999 / 3. szám
4. oldal MAGYAR EGYHÁZ PROCLAMATION The Hungarian Reformed Church in America, our beloved denomination, by God’s grace will celebrate her 75th anniversary this year. The denomination was founded on December 9th, 1924, at the Hungarian Reformed Church of Duquesne, PA, where at that historical Synod meeting, representing six churches, five pastors and seven delegates were present. Thanks to the Lord that today in four Classis we have 32 congregations, served by 28 ministers all over the United States and Canada. We call upon the Church leaders, organizations and member congregations everywhere for a glorious commemoration on December 5, Sunday, of the current year. Let us be grateful to God for our existence! Let us treasure the memory of our faithful founding fathers! May the Almighty protect us and guide us into an even more prosperous future! With Christian love: Rt. Rev. Alexander Forro, Bishop Mr. Stephen Szabó, Chief Elder of the Synod FELHÍVÁS Az Amerikai Magyar Református Egyház, Isten kegyelméből, az idén ünnepli fennállása 75. évfordulóját. Egyházkerületünk 1924 december 9-én alakult a Duquesne-i, PA magyar református egyháznál. A történelmi közgyűlésen hat egyház nevében öt lelkipásztor és hét egyházi képviselő vett részt. Hála az Úrnak, hogy jelenleg négy egyházmegyében és 32 egyházközségben 28 teljes idejű vagy beszolgaló lelkész szolgálatával dicsérjük mennyei Atyánkat. Felhívjuk az Amerikai Magyar Református Egyház minden vezetőjét, szervezetét és tagságát, hogy 1999 december 5-én, vasárnap, a templomi szószékekről és egyéb rendezvényeken méltóképpen emlékezzenek meg a neves évfordulóról és jeles őseinkről, akik erős hittel tiszta kálvinista keresztyénségünket és szent magyar hagyományainkat megőrizvén, közegyházunkat megalapították és felvirágoztatták. Az örökkévaló Isten vezéreljen bennünket még egy ragyogóbb jövőbe! Egyedül az Övé a dicsőség! Atyafíságos üdvözlettel: Forró Sándor, püspök Szabó István, egyházkerületi főgondnok THE SCOTTISH - HUNGARIAN CONNECTION WARC Executive Committee member, Bertalan Tamas (Berti to his friends) has a busy schedule as Ecumenical Secretary of the Reformed Church in Hungary. Despite this, for the past 23 years he has also been the minister of St. Columba’s Church of Scotland in Budapest. The church began in the middle of the 19th century as the Scottish Mission to the Jewish community in Budapest, and maintained a school for Jewish girls until the Second World War. The period of communist government after the war was a difficult one, but the life of the congregation was maintained first by the ministry of Janos Dobos (grandfather of Monika Victor, one of the present elders) and then by Berti himself. During that period, English-language worship was permitted only once a month, but that service was very important to the small number of embassy staff and African students who valued the opportunity to worship in English. For most of those years, it was the weekly worship of the small Hungarian congregation attached to the Mission that kept the life of the church going. The congregation has grown since the fall of communism, as Hungary has opened up to the West, and the Church of Scotland has decided that a fulltime Scottish minister should be appointed to the church. Berti will continue to pastor the Hungarian congregation. To mark the end of Berti’s full-time role in St. Columba’s Church, a Service of Thanksgiving for his ministry there was held. The sermon was preached by Alan Main, Moderator of the Church of Scotland. Guest speakers included Gusztáv Bolcskei, Presiding Bishop of the Reformed Church in Hungary; John Speirs, convener of the Church of Scotland’s Board of World Mission; and Norman Hutcheson, convener of its Europe Committee. (? ------------^ HUNGARIAN PROTESTANT BALL FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 12,1999 Wayne Manor Wayne, New Jersey For information please call: Rev. Peter Toth, tel. 732-541-5051 or Ms Piroska Hunyady, Coordinator, tel. 732-381-6413 ^...........................
