Calvin Synod Herald, 1993 (93. évfolyam, 2-6. szám)
1993-03-01 / 2. szám
CALVIN SYNOD HERALD- 6 -REFOMÁTOSOK LAPJA BEHIND CLOSED DOORS “PRO" and “CON" Column on receiving non-magyar congregations into our Synod Afterreading the No vember-December 1992 issue of the Herald/Lapja, I would like to respond to the article that appeared on page 8 of the same issue, entitled Sincere Words Worth Printing. Continuation.... So where do we disagree? We must clarify that the B.W.F. does not want to leave the U.C.C., it is trying very hard to bring the U.C.C. back to where it was before the merger, justas Mrs. Camevale wishes. We as Hungarian Reformed Christians belonging to the U.C.C. should be doing the same thing. ARE WE? Is it proper that we let our Christian brothers and sisters, who believe as we do, fight this battle alone? I also disagree on the STRONG EMPHASIS that we should not merge with the B.W.F. "people” because they are not "Hungarian". If being Hungarian Reformed is a fraternal organization, that argument could be valid. However, all the issues mentioned above are confessional issues therefore the American/Hungarian issue should be no issue at all! What IS at issue is that very heart of our Christian beliefs are being made a travesty by the U.C.C. There is a spiritual war going on in the denomination in which we belong, the U.C.C. Innocent people are being led astray from the truth by false teachers. SOULS ARE BEING LOST! The issue is not Hungarians uniting but Christians uniting to the good fight!!! Yes! Be proud to be American-Hungarian. I am too. However, before that, and above that, we should be CHRISTIAN FIRST! Then all matters in priority. When we go home to meet the Lord, do you think it matters to Him if you are American or Hungarian? Or Italian or Greek? Of course not. So let us put aside this concern of American vs. Hungarian and concentrate on the real issue at hand: DEFEATING SATAN WHO IS AT OUR VERY DOORSTEP READYTO DEVOUR US. We as Christians must join hands with our brothers and sisters, in Christ, who believe as we do because dividedly we cannot win. The B.W.F. has made it clear thatisverysensitive to our Hungarian heritage and would do nothing to change or destroy it. One minister was so impressed by our communion service he mentioned that his Church might like to change their way of doing it to our way! So, this merge can be an opportunity to EXPAND our rich Christian heritage not have it diminished. Ernest Petrovich/Cleveland-First (and now what?) For the past forty-five years, we worked very hard through radio, newspapers, personal witnessing before the various United States Senate Sub-committees and the Human Rights committee of the State Department to destroy Communism in Central Europe. By the grace of God the Communist Regimes were toppled one after the other in a relatively bloodless transformation. A new leaf was turned in the pages of history. The time has arrived to reverse our strategy, and instead of opposing, to joyously help rebuilding the homeland of ourancestors.Thenewyear whichis at ourdoorsteps bids us to summon ourenergies forthis new constructive work. It was in this spirit that I gladly endorsed the suggestion of Mrs. Jacquelyn Durrell, First Selectman of Fairfield, to accept the town of Tatabanya, Hungary, as our sister city. The offer came to us through Attorney Maria Tomasky of Fairfield, whose relatives are members of the city council of Tatabanya With theoffer came also aninvitation to participate in the re-dedication of theTurul Monument, which is located on a hill above Tatabanya, and can be seen from the main highway between Vienna and Budapest. Tatabany a was throughout this century the foremost coal mining place in Hungary until the mines became completely depleted in recent years. During the heyday of the mines the town prospered enormously and built very fine apartment buildings and an excellent infrastructure. As the city of 83,000 inhabitants expanded, it incorporated into itself three villages, Felső Galla, Alsó Galla and Banhid. It has become the social, cultural and educational center of the region. Tatabanya has 14 High Schools. Only two of them are humanistic, like our High Schools in Fairfield, the others are commercial, industrial, technical and musical High Schools. There is one Business Administration College in town also, in which the knowledge of the English language is a requirement. One of their professors is from Connecticut. In the music High School, the so-called Kodály method is taught, whereby students leam to read music the way they learn to read a book. There are two Reformed, one Lutheran and three Roman Catholic churches in town, with very active leaders and congregants. The City Council is composed entirely of young men and women, headed by the twenty-nine year old Mayor, who is a graduate of the Roman Catholic Seminary. The Turul Monument that looks down upon the city with its enormous wing-span of 42 feet is not only the symbol of Tatabanyabut of the entire Hungarian nation. It is a mythological bird that our ancestors brought with them from time immemorial. For the ancient Hungarians it was a symbol of eternal life. This was the common symbol of many ancient people. We read in the book of Isaiah: "They who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength, they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint." The Hungarian nation walked, or better said rode under this symbol from the Ural to Pannónia, the way Hungary was called by the Romans, in strong solidarity. So the Turul bird became also the symbol of national solidarity, which bound the seven original tribes and all the other tribes that joined our nation throughout history into a strong and everlasting unity. When the Hungarians entered Hungary in 896, it was exactly in Banhida, T atabany a today, where ou rleader, Á rpád, besieged the armies of the Moravian Svatopluc. It is therefore fitting that the national monument of the Turul bird be placed in this city. The re-dedication ceremony took place on Sunday, November 29th, with the participation of President Árpád Göncz, of Hungary, many of his ministers and ambassadors of foreign countries, among them Ambassador F. Thomas of the United States. Our delegation from Fairfield, First Selectman Jacquelyn Durrell, Mr. Richard J. Durrell, Attorney Maria Tomasky and myself, was placed among the invited dignitaries and received a truly royal treatment. For the week that we spent in Tatabanya, we visited the schools, the college, the mines, the museums and the neighboring cities, among them, Esztergom, the seat of the Roman Catholic Primate of Hungary. Of particular interest was our visit to the old castle of Tata, the fortress of the Csak family, which withstood the Turks for decades, though it changed hands nine times. The castle is still standing and has been turned into abeautiful museum. I also had the privilege to take to Hungary a very generous offer to build a Hospital for Heart Surgery in Buda, at the V eteran Home on Kutvölgy út, in the amount of 5 million dollars. The President of the Republic received me personally in his Parliament Office and put me in touch with the Minister of Health and Welfare, and with several members of Parliament who are on the national health committee. I was also able to free the Heart Screening Equipment, worth $700,000 that was in storage in Budapest since March, due to government red tape. The cardiac care was terribly neglected during the Communist regime. The mortality and morbidity rate is extremely high in Hungary. The Hungarian-American Heart Foundation which was started here with the visit of the Cantamus Musical High School of Nyíregyháza a few years ago, is very actively involved to remedy the cardiac care. The offer of a new hospital forthis purpose was understandably received with great joy. Tatabanyaofferedus ten scholarships for High School students who would like to spendayearinHungary. The Business College offered a full scholarship for a Hungarian-American Student. All schools would like to institute teacher exchanges to bring closer our two communities. This was a wonderful beginning to strengthen the ties between theUnited States and Hungary. I am very hopeful that the New Year will bring us closer together. What we could not bring about in the past, will be fulfilled in the New Year and the many New Years to come. Rev. Dr. Alexander Havadtőy
