Calvin Synod Herald, 1986 (86. évfolyam, 1-6. szám)
1986 / 4. szám
CALVIN SYNOD HERALD 5 REFORMÁTUSOK LAPJA MAGYAR For me, going back to Lancaster, Pa. has always been a trip of gratitude. Thankful to God and my parents for giving me the opportunity to attend college and theological seminary; grateful for the beautiful city of my youth; grateful for the friends who enriched my salad days; and very grateful for and to my devoted professors who taught me that education was a journey and that I must always be enroute. Margo and I went to celebrate my 55th year of graduation from Franklin & Marshall College. It was marvelous to meet classmates who had succeeded as businessmen, a merited college professor, a Pennsylvania State Senator of note, a throughbred horse breeder, a Colonel-Chaplain now retired, now all men of note. But 59 years ago we were children of a depression era, uncertain that four years would bring a college degree or anything else. But now on this May day of 1986, together we gave thanks to our God for his guardian care. Shortly after registration I bumped into Dr. Louis A. Kalassay, who had just arrived from New Castle, Pa., to celebrate his 60th anniversary of graduation from F&M. I first met Lajos in 1929, when we both were summer school teachers at First Church in Cleveland, Ohio. Hundreds of children were enrolled in our 79th Street Bible Vacation School, taught entirely in the Hungarian language. Of course, our basic textbooks were the Hungarian Bible and the Hungarian Psalter. What glorious days they were!! Lajos went on to distinguish himself as an excellent educator and school adminisrator in the Pittsburgh area. (Pittsburgh was his place of birth.) We shared fond memories of the Bethlen Home in Ligonier, Pa. His parents were the visionaries and founders of that institution, which 1 first visited in 1929. Lajos remembered his childhood Hungarian Reformed Churches in Pittsburgh and his teenage days of struggles in the Ligonier Orphanage operated by his family. I remembered my mother embroidering pillowcases and my brother Frank and I selling raffle tickets, bought mostly by black Baptists and Orthodox Slavs in Elkhorn, WVa., and sending the $2 or $3 to Rev. Alexander Kalassay to be used in the support of the Orphanage. We both laughed when we recalled our mothers’ admonitions whenever we left our homes for play or whatever: “Vigyázz magadra!” — “Take care of yourself!” And so it was, with the help of God, we took care of ourselves. Lajos celebrating his 60th F&M anniversary and I my 55th... our Hungarian heritage with us all the way. My next memorable “bumped-into“ was MEDLEY Albert Stelkovics and his beloved Mary, in Lancaster to celebrate his 50th anniversary. 1 first met A1 way back when he was starting his F&M labors for his Bachelor of Arts and I was on the other side of College Avenue struggling for my Bachelor of Divinity. We met frequently and earlyon developed a friendship that has never diminished during the past fifty years. As the years passed Mary and A1 devoted themselves more and more to Hungarian Fraternal insurance activities. Their dedication and congeniality earned them friends in all of our states and many places abroad. Their Hungarian heritage remains a brilliant star not only in their own personal lives but in the lives of all whom they serve so well. On Saturday (5/17/86) morning 1 made a special trip to the outlying Church of the Apostles (United Church of Christ) to pay my respects to former classmates celebrating the 50th anniversary of graduation from Lancaster Theological Seminary Dubbed a „supermarket of ideas” by its author, the Office for Church Life and Leadership has just released Small Membership Churches, a practical how-to guide for clergy, laity and conference staff. The two-part guide is based on the premise that in a small church the same people „must wear four or five hats,” says Reuben A. Sheares, II, OCLL executive director. For lay leaders there are tips on the proper „care and feeding” of pastors. A 10-points list of „do’s” when a new pastor has been called include such suggestions as helping a minister move, planning a reception and introducing the pastor to the community. In financial planning, members are offered a step by step formula to determine what is adequate compensation for their pastor. If renumeration seems too little, it suggests innovative ways to boost salaries such as special gift-gving and reaching out into the community. Also, lay leaders are given good solid advice on the practicalities of running a church, from the role of music and education to the handling of conflict. In a group exercise, members examine the role of a choir in a hypothetical church. The section on education analyzes and challenges a number of popular misconceptions: That there is a right way to do Christian education, that it is only for children, or only with people of the same age group. The guide also addresses the concerns of pastors. If a church cannot support a full-time minister, there are other ways to stretch the leadership, such as a federated church, yoked field, parish cluster and area church. Pastors are warned not to make drastic changes in the (LTS)... (it was my 52nd!). After several handshakes I bumped into Rev. Arthur Antal, celebrating his 45th anniversary from LTS. What a wonderful bonus! Back in 1933 Art was matriculating at F&M College while I was entering my senior year at the theological seminary. My life was often enriched by occasional meetings while we both served Hungarian churches. I in Ohio and he in Pennsylvania. Our parents labored in the coalfields: my father in southern West Virginia and his in western Pennsylvania. Our parents’ Calvinism served us well in our respective ministers. (My visit with Art was far too brief.) Driving back to our Tree Farm on Saturday afternoon, Margo and I gave thanks to God for two beautiful days in Lancaster. I heard our song that we — Lajos, Albert, Arthur and all the others — sang so often: “Ballag már a vén diák...” “the old alumnus winds his way... onward an onward... towards home!” Rev. Stephen Sziarto Slanesville, West Va. life and ministry of the church during the first year unless initiated and agreed to by members. Laity and pastors together can strengthen their church through a series of group exercises dealing with such topics as morale assessment, why members join a small church, mission outreach and church growth. OCLL leaders acknowledge that the conference plays a key role in strengthening small churches. One proposal is to have a recognition day with day with an award to show conference support for local churches — for example, „This Year’s Mustard Seed Recognition.” Conference staff can also help their churches by giving them high visibility through publicity in conference publications, news and human interest stories in local papers, ads and cable TV presentations. Small Membership Churches was produced with a 1984 „Family Thank Offering.” Its principal author, Roger Knight, a Minneapolisbased executive with OCLL, says the materials were planned with the clear understanding that a small church „is not a scaled down version of a big church” and that it faces a different set of challenges such as rapid turnover of pastors, a scarcity of basic operating funds and few, if any, young members. More than half the UCC’s 6,400-plus churches have under 200 members. Small Membership Churches is available in two sections. A Guidebook for Conference Staff is $11. A Resource for Local Church Leaders is $4.50, plus 10% each for postage. They may be ordered by calling the toll-free number 800-325-7061. Keeping You Posted Small Church Guide Released
