Calvin Synod Herald, 1986 (86. évfolyam, 1-6. szám)
1986 / 5-6. szám
CALVIN SYNOD HERALD — 9 — REFORMÁTUSOK LAPJA 100th Anniversary of the William Penn Association The William Penn Association was founded on February 21, 1886, in Hazleton, Pennsylvania, by thirteen Hungarian coal miners. It was chartered by the state of Pennsylvania in December of that year under the name “Verhovay Aid Association.” The goal of the founders was to extend a helping hand to each other and to the many Hungarian immigrants who worked and suffered in the mines and industrial centers of America at a period in its history when insurance of any sort was still in the faraway future. With no sick benefits, no unemployment compensation, and no death benefits for their families, and with the immigrants being maimed and killed by the thousands in the everrecurring industrial accidents, they had no other recourse but to turn to each other for help. This is how fraternalism was born in America, and these were the same conditions that prompted the thirteen founders to establish the Verhovay Association. After nearly four decades of growth, and with well over three hundred chapters throughout the northeastern states, in 1926 the Home Office was moved to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. By this time the Verhovay had grown into the largest, wealthiest and most successful of all the H ungarian-American fraternal organizations. This growth was also speeded up by mergers with a number of other smaller fraternal societies. The most significant of these mergers, included the Workingmen’s Sich Benefit Federation (Munkás Betegsegélyző Egyesület) of East Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; the Hungarian Baptist Society (Magyar Baptista Egylet) of Cleveland, Ohio; and the Rákóczi Aid Association (Rákóczi Segélyző Egyesület) of Bridgeport, Connecticut. The merger with the Rákóczi Aid Association in 1955 was most significant, for here two of the largest Hungarian-American fraternals came together to form the William Penn Fraternal Association to preserve and to perpetuate Hungarian culture in America. In 1972 the name of the joint organization was changed to “William Penn Association,” which is regarded to be identical with the original Verhovay Aid Association, but also a direct descendent of the Rákóczi Aid Association founded in 1888. Although by now the dominant and unrivaled Hungarian-American fraternal society, during the past decade it continued to grow by additional mergers. These included the merger with the American Life Insurance Association (Bridgeporti Szövetség) in 1979; the merger with the American Hungarian Catholic Society of Cleveland, Ohio in 1980; the merger with the Catholic Knights of St. George of Pittsburgh in 1983. The last of these mergers was again very significant because it brought a major local fraternal society, founded nearly a hundred years earlier in 1881, into the fold of the William Penn Association. Today the William Penn Association stands as the unrivaled major Hungarian fraternal society in America. Its goals are Boston, Mass. — A tribute to piano virtuoso Franz Liszt is on display through a unique collection at Boston University’s Special Collections. Dr. Louis Szathmary, Chicago restauranteur, has captured the height of Liszt’s career in his collection of letters, photographs and ephemera of the famous Hungarian composer. “Piano Virtuoso and Composer Franz Liszt: An Exhibition Marking the Centennial of his Death, ” is an exhibition of original letters, hand-marked scores, original photographs and other items highlighting Liszt’s unique and brilliant life. Though the items from the exhibit are taken from various collections within Special Collections, perhaps the most The UCC is getting a new look at who’s coming to church on Sunday. Going beyond the usual membership counts, the United Church Board for Homeland Ministries has developed new statistics that indicate how many people actually attend worship. Among the findings, drawn from figures reported by 4,978 local churches in 1985, are the following: • Small churches tend to draw a higher percentage of worshipers than do large ones. For example, an average church in the category of 51 to 100 members usually has about 60 percent of its membership at worship, while the average 701 -to-1,000-member church has about 34 percent. • Your church is pretty close to average if 89 people show up. That’s the “median” figure. Half the churches have fewer worshipers; half have more. • If your usual attendance is between 36 and 100, you’re like about 43 percent of all UCC churches. A fourth of all UCC churches usually have between 101 and 175 worshipers. to provide benefits to its members and their beneficiaries; to provide housing for its elderly and disabled members; to render other fraternal services to these members and their families (including scholarships for their children); and to aid in the preservation of Hungarian culture and Hungarian ideals in this great land of America, and to do so in accordance with the goals of the founding Fathers of both the Association and of the United States. Albert J. Stelkovics National Vice President notable material in the exhibit is contained in the Szathmary Collections. This collection includes more than a dozen original lettersfrom Liszt to his daughter Blandine, spanning the height of his career (late 1840’s to early 1860’s). The exhibit includes rare, original photographs, with some autographed by Liszt. This unique collection came to Boston University from Szathmary in 1984. The exhibit ran from September 3 through December 31, and was located on the First Floor of Mugar Memorial Library, 771 Commonwealth Avenue, Boston. For further information about the exhibit, call (617) 353-3696. • On an average Sunday, about 680,000 people worship in the UCC’s 6,408 congregations. The statistics are based on attendance figures that churches have been reporting to the UCC Yearbook office only since 1983. “While worship figures are only one dimension of a church’s life, they are an indication of faithful growth in the church,” says R. Alan Johnson, a secretary for evangelism and membership growth with the Homeland Board. “They can help churches to increase their morale as they learn that they are ‘larger than we thought’ in comparison with other UCC churches,” say Johnson. He also notes that “increasing worship attendance continue to be at the heart of faithful church growth.” The coming issue of “Growing plans,” a publication of the Homeland Board due out October 15, will include some of the new statistics. This issue will discuss ways for UCC churches to attract more worshipers without abandoning their tradidions. United Church News Szathmáry—Liszt exhibit on display at Boston University Attendance better at small churches
