Bethlen Naptár, 1959 (Ligonier)

Bethlen Almanac

BETHLEN ALMANAC

27

public worship. They like better the Bible Hours, family worships, private meetings. Their main objection towards the Church: there is not enough Holy Spirit in the Church, too much administration, too many earthly things. Not the community, the individual is important! His salvation is the main task of the Church.

It is easy to face the hostile attitude of an atheist. There is always a compromise with an ardent nationalist, but it is hard to deal with a pious smiling, humble Christian whose every second word is “my Lord” and the “strengthening Holy Ghost”. They try to persuade the best members of the Church, to withdraw from the public activities, from the Church attendance and they do every thing possible to divide the unity of the community.

A study appeared recently at Budapest, dealing with these similar phenomenons in the Reformed Church of Hungary. The conclusion of the article is that these pious individuals are the pests of the living Church.

The youngest group is the group of Hungarians who arrived after 1956 to Australia. Beside the majority, which joins the Church and remains in the Church there are a lot of unchurched young men and women here who never attend the Church Services, and quite a few, who are inclined towards the “private Christian life” and happily join with the “fellowtravellers” in the tendency to desintegrate the community life.

80% of the Hungarians are under the age of 30

We find also that the Hungarian Church has a definite future. The number of the aged is diminishing in proportion of a growing youth. In 1949 75% of the arrived Hungarians were above the age of 30, now 80'% of the Hungarians are under 30.

In 1949 it was easier to do churchwork, because the people above the age of thirty had a definite Church education from home. Today the youth has very little or nothing at all from the Church education. The youth who came from Hungary after 1956 brought with himself a strong social instinct. They expect from the Church social help and cultural leadership but very few wants to pray.

Hungarian Social Groups

The members of the Church in 1949 were mainly intellectuals. Today workers are in 90%.

The intellectuals found easier the ways of assimilation. There are very few students at present in the congregation. If the Church does not find a solution to attract the educated people to the Church, within ten years there will be no intellectual in the community. A well organized Hungarian College next to the Church, with ten-fifteen boarders will assure the future intellectual proportion.

Rev. Francis Antal