Reformátusok Lapja, 1971 (71. évfolyam, 1-12. szám)

1971-01-01 / 1. szám

REFORMÁTUSOK LAPJA

11

THE SENIOR

(Dean, Classis President)

The senior is elected by all the kirk-sessions of the seniorate from among the ordinary ministers of the seniorate either for life or, where that method is introduced, for a period of ten years. He is introduced and confirmed in his office by the assembly of the seniorate by a solemnly taken oath.

The senior’s sphere of activity includes: the summoning of the assembly of the seniorate, where, and also during the sittings of the seniorate’s courts of justice, he takes the chair together with the lay-curator. He is the representative of the seniorate, again together with the lay curator, in the assemblies of the church district and also towards and before the civil authorities. He makes arrangements in the case of ministers’ or teachers’ elections; he sends out assistants where that seems to be necessary. He superintends the work of various church officials and carries out the resolutions of the seniorate or church-district. He superintends the religious life of his seniorate also and it is his duty therefore to visit yearly every congregation of his seniorate (canonica visitatio) in the company of one of his colleague ministers in the seniorate. If it is possible, the lay curator and a lay assessor of the church court accompanies him in these visits. If these visits cannot be accomplished all of them personally by him, owing to the large size of his seniorate or any other reason, he may entrust a minister assessor of the church court or another minister: that is to say, he is entitled to form separate visiting committees, if necessary. The senior or the appointed committee holds a meeting of the kirk-session during such official visits to the congregations and takes minutes of the meeting, making detailed notes of every important incident in the life of the congregation and in its schools. These minutes and a full report of the senior of the life of his congregations are to be submitted to every year’s assembly of the seniorate. If the senior is prevented in his duties for any reason his deputy is that minister-assessor of the church court who is eldest in his office.

The lay curator of the seniorate is elected for life or for a period of ten years by the kirk-sessions of the seniorate from among those laymen who are known to be devout members of their church, but it must not be taken into account whether he stays in the territory of the seniorate or not. His rights and duties in his office correspond to those of the senior, he being the lay representative of his seniorate. (pp. 91-92)

( R evesz-Kovats-Ravasz:

Hungarian Protestantism, Bp., 1927)

CHURCH TRIBUTE TO PASTOR

The Rev. Emil Nagy, pastor of the First United Church of Christ, Bridgeport, Conn, for the past 30 years, marked the anniversary of his association with the church on Nov. 1 with a bilingual worship service and an anniversary dinner.

At the service at 11 a.m., conducted in both English and Hungarian, the Rev. Stephen Sziarto, of Washington, D. C., delivered the sermon.

The dinner honoring Rev. Nagy took place at 1 p.m. in the church hall, with Dr. Maurice J. O’Sullivan, vice president of Sacred Heart University, as master of ceremonies.

Guest speakers included Dr. Stephen M. Nagy, of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology; the Rev. Nathaniel Guptil, minister of the Connecticut Conference of the United Church of Christ; and Andrew Eross, former cataloger of the University of Budapest.

Representing various organizations of the church were John Sombati, chief elder; Alexander Vincze, consistory; Mrs. Benjamin Hajdú, Ladies Society; Louis Babycos, Brotherhood; Mrs. Irene Szilvasy, Guild; Ernest Daruka, Church School; Alexander Csaky, Boy Scouts; Mrs. Anne Wargo, Service League; and Robert Horvath, Youth Fellowship.

The dinner was served by the Service league, with Mrs. Wargo as chairman. Music was provided by the team of Rozsika and László. Over 400 attended the church service and over 500 at the banquet.

Rev. Nagy was called to the First United Church of Christ in 1937 as an associate pastor, a position in which he served for three years with the Rev. Alexander Ludman, pastor, whom he succeeded on October 27, 1940.

During Rev. Nagy’s pastorate, the congregation increased from 250 to 900 members, and the present church building, parsonage, and educational building were erected.