Fraternity-Testvériség, 1987 (65. évfolyam, 1-4. szám)
1987-07-01 / 3. szám
FRATERNITY Page 3 FROM THE PRESIDENT’S CORNER Ligonier is known not only in the U.S. and Canada, but all over the world as the center of the Hungarian- American community of the Reformed faith. This year again a veritable pilgrimage took place at the Conference Center of the Bethlen Home. It started in August when the young people of our churches came to Ligonier from the nearby youth camp to visit the elderly at the Home, the Archives & Museum, and to enjoy fellowship at a picnic luncheon given by the Bethlen Home. The Federation was very happy to make a contribution financially, thereby making it possible for these young people to have a memorable stay at the camp. On Labor Day weekend the Elders had their yearly meeting. Our esteemed member, Anthony Beke, is the President of this nation-wide organization. This Meeting always touches on one of the key issues of our church life, and this year the most important topic on the agenda was how to keep the youth in the church. If the number of participants this year at camp is an indication, then we can assuredly feel that we do have young people in our church. However, to know how to keep this youth in a healthy Christian environment should be the common concern of all our churches. The Federation also shares this concern with the churches, and we are happy to report that we have a sizeable juvenile department in our membership that we very much cherish and care for. The topic and concern at the Ministerial Association Meeting, which followed the Elders’ Meeting, dealt with the spiritual care of adults. Unity in faith, action, mission and church government continues to be a vital issue at the yearly meetings of our ministers. The Meeting of the Board of Directors of the Bethlen Home in Ligonier, PA, concentrated this year on two momentous issues, namely designing a suitable building for the Archives & Museum and secondly, the extension of the Bethlen Home in other parts of the country. Special attention was given to the Ohio plan by both boards, first the Board of Directors of the Bethlen Home and then the Board of the HRFA. The Archives & Museum is for the preservation of our heritage, and we urge each member and reader to send us any material which would add to the enrichening of the history of our ancestors who came from Hungary to America. Therefore, please do not discard any documents, newspaper articles, photos, emblems that have been saved by your parents. Notify your pastor or our branch manager who will see to it that those historical materials will get to Ligonier. Census: The Federation worked hard and very effectively with the respective authorities so that the ancestry question rather than a parental birthplace be included in the 1990 census. The Executive Committee, Members of the Board of Directors and branches of the Federation sent letters in this respect, and it was with much satisfaction that we read that the Bureau of the Census “plans to include a question of ancestry, rather than a parental birthplace on the 1990 census questionnaire.” Branch Life: We are very happy to note that activities conducted by our branches have noticeably picked up. These activities are greatly appreciated by our members and fill a gap in the local communities. It also presents an opportunity to find out more about each other and how to be of service in the area. Home Office: The new Kossuth House has become a point of interest to many people, local or those visiting the D.C. area. The American and Hungarian flags and the Kossuth plaque have a “drawing” power. Every day we have people come in to the building to find out who we are, or to take pictures with Kossuth in the background, or just to say that they are Hungarians or of Hungarian descent. Branch 300 has started using the conference room as a meeting place and there are various programs scheduled for the fall. Branch 300 is also very active in fraternal work, such as sponsoring the Hungarian scout work in the D.C. area. Field Force: We are aware of the fact that our good and stable financial standing and the acceptance by the entire American-Hungarian community is due to the good efforts of our representatives in the field - our agents and branch managers. We are planning a series of meetings in our Home Office to recognize their efforts. In addition to their services, every member can bring a new member into our society by speaking to friends about our fraternal family and referring such individuals to branch managers. Just as I was finishing this column, I received the news that Palma György, beloved wife of our former President George, passed away as did Betty Balazs who worked for the Federation for 50 years. We shall remember them in our December issue. Greetings from my Fellow Officers and Board Members from our Ligonier Meetings.
