Magyar Egyház, 2005 (84. évfolyam, 1-4. szám)
2005-01-01 / 1. szám
MAGYAR EGYHÁZ 7. oldal HUNGARIAN REFORMED CHURCH IN AMERICA AMERIKAI MAGYAR REFORMÁTUS EGYHÁZ Rt.Rev. Andor Demeter, Bishop 3921 W. Christy Dr. Phoenix, AZ. 85029 Tel. /Fax (602) 843-3598 March 6, 2005. Bethlehem, PA. Respected General Assembly! Very Reverend Dean, Barnabás Röczey Respected Chief Elder, Frank Király Beloved Colleagues, Dear Brothers in Christ! I thank God and owe my gratitude to Very Rev. Dean Barnabás Röczey, who has made my attendance possible and in accordance with the Constitution and By-Laws of The Hungarian Reformed Church in America (lOO.d.). I am thankful that he has made it possible for me to attend and participate in the annual Eastern Classis Conference. I also extend my thanks to our hosts: the Bethlehem Congregation, Church Council, and Pastor Rev. Ronald R. Hári’s leadership, Mr. Robert F. Csizma, Chief Elder, and his esteemed colleague Mr. Bálint Balogh, honorary Chief Elder with whom I worked for ten years within the church and also Mr. Anthony C.Beke, Chief Elder of the Hungarian Reformed Church in America, and Mr. Frank Király, Chief elder of the Eastern Classis. Finally, I greet former church leaders: Honorary Bishop Rt. Rt.Rev.Alexander Forró, Honorary Chief Elder Mr. Stephan Szabó, General Ecclesiastical Secretary Rt. Rev. István Török and Dean Very Rev. Dr. Imre Bertalan. In the past years, as well as recently, the good Lord has held our hands and blessed us each on our own endeavors. He has shed light and hope onto our sometimes bleak and worrisome lives and gave us comfort and strength when we needed Him. This has also helped us to better serve Him. All of us have left our native Hungarian lands but our roots remain Hungarian. This change in geography does not parallel a change in our love for our heritage and mother tongue, and we aim to uphold our culture in our new homeland. I see the wonder and mercy of God as we celebrate the 80th anniversary of the American Hungarian Reformed Church in the year 2004. Sixty years have passed since it was in danger of becoming extinguished. However, our spirit and faith remained strong as it was God's will and it is our duty to do our part in maintaining our American Hungarian Churches, a large part of our heritage. In Duquesne, PA on December 9th 1924, an American Hungarian Reformed Church was established. At this time, it was called the Free Hungarian Reformed Church, but was changed by the general assembly of 1959 to the American Hungarian Reformed Church. The American Hungarian Reformed Church is only one branch of the Reformed Church, which is a part of the Christian Church. Belonging to the world's Reformed Churches are: The World Federation of Reformed Churches, the Consultative Synod of the Hungarian Reformed Churches and the World Federation of the Hungarian Reformed Churches. We remain thankful for the 80 years of hard work and commitment allotted to establishing and maintaining this church, and we will do our duty to further do so. There are three Classis of the Hungarian Reformed Church; Western, Central and Eastern and there are twentyfive congregations. There are 6040 members within the church, among which 3803 are voting members. Our activities and accomplishments are carried out accordingly by our members of the congregation, our elders, and pastors, all of whom are aided greatly by our organizations within the church. The Pastor's Conference, along with the Presbyter's Conference work well together in raising the spirits of the congregations as does the "Magyar Church" newsletter. We are also pleased to report that the church is able to help those that come to us in need. I announce the following: The Hungarian Reformed Church of San Francisco and Vicinity elected a new pastor: Gábor Köpe Magyari who dutifully completes his task and along with the church council works to strengthen their church. We ask God to bless the pastor, church council and congregation. I regret to inform you that Toronto’s Rt. Rev. Pastor Paul Mezo, our beloved brother, has passed away. God bless his memory. His pastoral duties are carried on by his daughter Rev. Eva Mezo. This replacement is in accordance with our church’s By-Laws. In Oshawa, Canada, Toronto’s sister church, the general assembly voted to break connections with the American Hungarian Reformed Church. According to our by-laws the following general assembly will have to deal with this matter. At all times, our goal remains that we discharge our responsibilities to the Holy Writ, to our Faith, and to our church. Our accomplishments equate to praise for our God, and we serve to continue in the building of our beloved church which was established through the Holy Spirit. "Shepherd the flock of God which is among you, serving as overseers, not by constraint but by willingly, not for dishonest gain but eagerly..." (1 Peter 5: 2-3). “Remember those who rule over you, who have spoken the word of God to you whose faith follow, considering the outcome of their conduct (Hebrews 13:7-8).” We look back fondly upon those individuals that have provided service to our church. We will always remember with gratitude and appreciation, our Bishops: Dr. Dezső Ábrahám, Dr. Zoltán Béky, Dr. András Harsányi and Lajos Nagy, our general secretaries Dezső Trombitás, István Kovács and Paul Mezo and our deans Gábor Csordás, Dénes Tamás, Tibor Tóth and Pastor Bertalan Négyessy who founded three congregations (San Francisco, Hollywood, Ontario). I also remember fondly and therefore regret to inform you that Margaret Abraham, wife of the late Bishop Dezső Abraham, has passed away. Finally, we are all thankful for the hard work and dedication of the congregations of the Central and Western Classis. “Make a joyful shout to the Lord, all you lands! Serve the Lord with gladness. Come before His presence with singing (Psalm 100:1-2).” Grace and peace to all and God bless our work. Thank you for your attention and time. Respectfully, Andor Demeter, Bishop.
