Fraternity-Testvériség, 1996 (74. évfolyam, 1-4. szám)
1996-07-01 / 3-4. szám
FRATERNITY Page 9 The Past President of the Hungarian Reformed Federation of America Addressing the Guests at the 35th Convention Banquet New Brunswick, New Jersey September 16, 1996 . . . /oo/c Mievi further ufi — to fffod, fr öffie uoaá our oddfi ín a^eáfiaát, and Q%e iá our odd/ie for yoará to coma. Q/fta/y uoe adhere to die áfUrct of our motto: tdff fffod iá for oá, who cam /io orfeumát oá? && It is a great honor for me to address the 35th Convention of the Hungarian Reformed Federation of America. It is good to see many familiar faces, honorary officers, former Board members. Without your dedication and commitment there would be no centennial celebration— without you, there would be no Federation. I am equally happy to see new faces, those of the first- time delegates. You are not really new-comers. The fact that you have been chosen a delegate is an indication of your involvement in the affairs of the Federation, and most importantly, in your community. From the recommendations received from our branches, we gather that this last Convention of the Century will be a future-oriented one. We all believe in the future of the Federation. Nevertheless, from what we leam from the reports of the national officers and advisors, it is very obvious that in the future our society cannot manage its business the way it did in the past when membership was on a steady increase, and the investment earnings covered the increase on expenses. With the interest rate falling and fewer insurance dollars coming from new or existing business, the pressure is calling for a solution. To find the answer will be the task of the committee meetings and plenary sessions that will begin tomorrow. This evening, on the other hand, will be spent in joyful celebration. Tonight, instead of gazing into the future, we shall take a good look over our shoulder at what was done in the past hundred years. Let this be the motto of our centennial celebration tonight: May we take a good look over our shoulder and find there the founding fathers and mothers, our great-grandparents, grandparents and parents, all of them, who through the century made up our great fraternal family of four generations, and in whose unseen but real presence we rejoice today. I have the greatest admiration for those humble men and women who came from the comparative security of their simple villages, leaving behind their family for the vicissitudes of the unfamiliar, a journey which to them, like to Abraham of old, was full of hardship and sacrifice. These pioneers brought no wealth in their purses. They brought the strength of their bodies and the fortitude of their souls. So more than 100 years ago they began to build churches. There they labored after work in the factories and mines. At a time when calamity struck families, our people organized the Hungarian Reformed Federation, in obedience to the commandment of Christ: Love your fellowman, by taking care of the orphans and the needy. I am happy and I feel privileged to have known many of these brave people, and to have worked with them in Church and Federation. From that look over our shoulder we can leam how our Federation, for the past one hundred years, managed many a storm and crisis, and survived. From that look, we also gain the ability to deal with the challenges of the century to come. For one hundred years, the Hungarian Reformed Federation has survived. That in itself is sufficient cause for celebration, if you consider that, according to the most reliable statistics, in 1911 there were more than 1046 registered societies. Most of them fell into the category of sick-benefit societies, with a very minimal membership. Having served the needs of their time, one by one, they faded for reasons of migration, fluctuation of membership and merger with other groups. By the time I became a member of the Federation,
