Magyar Egyház, 2002 (81. évfolyam, 1-3. szám)
2002 / 3. szám
J__I MAGYAR EGYHÁZ 7. oldal CENTENNIAL CELEBRATION IN PERTH AMBOY IN 2003 Reformed Church located at Kirkland Place in Perth Amboy, NJ, is looking forward to our centennial anniversary. In September we kicked off a yearlong thankful celebration of 100 years of service to the Lord by our congregation, which began with the first services conducted on August 30, 1903. We have been greatly blessed with our leadership, having had only 6 pastors serve in this period of time. Just this August we welcomed our seventh pastor, Rev. Dr. Attila Kocsis and his family, who arrived from Hungary to serve the needs of our church. We look forward to his guiding us on the path that our ancestors laid for us, the one that leads to a better knowledge and understanding of our Lord Jesus Christ, into the beginning of our second hundred years. It was an extremely devout group of people who gathered together in 1903 to worship in the Hungarian language. We were combined with the Presbyterian Church at the time, and even used their building for our worship services. But in 1905 the ties with the Presbyterian Church were severed, and the independent charter of the Magyar Reformed Church came into existence. In that same year we built our first church on Kirkland Place. The congregation grew so rapidly that by 1013 an assistant pastor was obtained to help the pastor in his duties, which not only included Sunday worship services and Sunday School, but also school during the week, instructing the choir, supervising the youth group, etc. A few years later (1916 and 1920) chapels were established in North Amboy and in Keasbey, to accommodate the people in those areas. Teachers were hired from Hungary to teach in the schools, with classes being conducted at each church, on a rotating basis, after regular school hours. All in all, the over 300 students received about 6 hours of religious and Hungarian teachings a week! Their instructions also included memorizing five hymns a week, in preparation for Sunday services, since music has been, and continues to be, a huge part of the Magyar Reformed services. The Church organ, the organist, and the various choirs have added much to the services over the years. In 1911 our church purchased property in what is now known as Hopelawn in order to establish our own Calvary Cemetery, which today is a great source of comfort and pride to us. Also in 1911 the congregation decided to build a parsonage. That, combined with the Church Center that includes classrooms, meeting rooms, as well as a huge hall, constituted the rest of the real estate secured for the use of our people. These ancestors of ours were very happy in their church, and in 1921 a decision was made that Holy Communion should be celebrated on the first Sunday of every month, as well as on Church festal days. That decision has carried through to the present. The Centennial Celebration Committee, chaired by Mrs. Lillian Banyacski, has met and is planning monthly events, both during Church services and functions at our Center. On September 14, 2002, we had our yearly covered dish dinner, which is usually a celebration to start the fall season for Sunday School, but this year it is even more than that, as our Church family gathered also to welcome our new Pastor and his family, and to begin the 100th anniversary events, leading up to our Centennial Banquet to be held in September of 2003. In October the Women’s Guild is hosted a chicken paprikas dinner. November will be our annual Thanksgiving Banquet, and on December 1st the Women’ Guild will sponsor a Holiday Chinese Auction. The Sunday School will be planning special events, along with their Annual Christmas Party, too. Rev. Kocsis will be having special memorial services once a month, honoring various groups that have played such a big part in the establishment of our Church. He would also like to display a series of artifacts from our history, and asks that if anyone has anything of interest regarding the history of the Perth Amboy church, such as old wedding, baptismal or death certificates, old photographs, and any other piece of history, they should contact Rev. Kocsis with the idea of loaning these items to the church so they may be put on display in the Church basement. We would like to see a “revolving display”, where many items from our history could be made available for all to enjoy during the Sunday coffee hour, which takes place between the services on Sunday mornings. In May we will be hosting the annual conference of the Church Women United of the Hungarian Reformed Church, for which occasion the President of the Church Women United, Priscilla Jenkins, has tentative plans to celebrate our Hungarian Heritage from the women’s point of view. The Choir is planning a musical program, and other organizations of the Church are starting to make their plans, as well. We are just beginning to formulate plans, collecting memories and souvenirs from our past, and hope to make it an exciting year. We ask everyone to keep in contact with us in Perth Amboy, because we would like all our friends to be a part of our celebration, and we would like to share our joy and thankfulness with everyone! Priscilla Jenkins, Secretary Church Council T
