Bethlen Almanac 1997 (Ligonier)

Kálvin Egyházkerület

a car in Grand Rapids, Michigan, and according to the new laws had to go back to Transylvania to renew her student visa. Every year our Church gives a substantial donation to the Bethlen Home.

In 1994 we accepted 20 new church members as a solemn act at one of our church services. They have to be educated to realize that church membership in America is different from church membership in Hungary and Romania. No person is born into church membership. They have to request the church membership. Church membership means a solemn obligation to be faithful in church attendance, and faithful in supporting the local church and the church’s mission. It also means to be faithful in taking communion.

To improve our church property and evening services, we have installed lights that light up the driveway and the sidewalk that leads to the entrance of the place of church services. Each year a contribution is made to the mission fund of our denomination. We regularly take part in the Synodical meeting and the two Classis meetings of our Western Classis. Our Church took part in the Hungarian day celebration on June 15, 1996, celebrating the Hungarian uprising of 1956 and the 1100 years of occupation of Hungary by the Hungarians. The Women’s Guild held their two socials this year, one in the Spring, the other in the Fall. We are grateful to Cast Products of Norridge and Mr. Paul Salata, president of Cast Products, for donating 5 sturdy tables for dinners and picnics of our Church.

We sadly recognize that our Ladies Aid Society is getting older and very soon will have to let the other Society of the Church take over their work. This situation also required us to change the time of the yearly Congregational meeting. A large number of the church members are old and do not like to leave their homes on the icy days of winter. Therefore the Congregational Meeting decided to have the Annual Meeting on the first Sunday in March. Because of the diminishing church membership the Congregational Meeting also decided to elect eight church members into the Consistory.

The 50th Anniversary of Rt. Rev. Dr. Desmond D. Parragh and his wife Grace, as faithful servants of the Chicago West Side - Norridge Congregation, was celebrated on June 22, 1997. The services were held in the sanctuary of the church at 8260 W. Foster Avenue. The Hungarian sermon was preached by Rev. László Kovács, the English sermon by Rev. Koloman K. Ludwig, Dean of the Western Classis and General Secretary of the Calvin Synod. Also participating were Rev. László Ujj of Kalamazoo and Rev. Kalman Csia, former pastor of a number of congregations, who retired as director of the Bethlen Home Old Peoples division a number of years ago, and who resides in Michigan.

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