Calvin Synod Herald, 2017 (118. évfolyam, 1-12. szám)

2017-11-01 / 11-12. szám

4

CALVIN SYNOD HERALD

3ht Ülemortam Rev. Imre A. Bertalan

The Reverend Imre Andrew Bertalan, 67, passed away while surrounded by loved ones on August 29, 2017 at Latrobe Hospital in Latrobe, Pennsylvania after a brief illness. At the time of his death, he was the Executive Director of Bethlen Communities in Ligonier,

Pennsylvania.

Rev. Bertalan was bom on October 4, 1949 in New Brunswick, NJ to Margaret Kosa Bertalan and Reverend Dr. Imre G. Bertalan. Imre grew up in Passaic and New Brunswick, NJ, where his parents and maternal grandparents, Margaret Blum Kosa and Rev. Andrew Kosa served Hungarian-American church congregations. He graduated from New Brunswick High School in 1967 (go Zebras!). After high school, Imre attended his beloved Rutgers University for his BA and received his Master of Divinity degree at Princeton Theological Seminary in 1977.

Throughout his life, Imre was deeply dedicated to the American-Hungarian community. He served as a community organizer in the historically Hungarian Birmingham neighborhood in Toledo, OH and was a leading figure in the American-Hungarian communities in New Jersey and Pennsylvania.

A devoted pastor, Imre served Hungarian Reformed congregations in Toledo, OH, Allen Park, Ml, and Beaver Falls, PA. In 1999 he accepted the role of Executive Director at Bethlen Communities in Ligonier, PA where he joyfully and faithfully served until the time of his death.

Imre met the love of his life, Magdalene (Baba) J. Ujvagi, and they married in 1980 in Toledo, OH. They were happily married for 37 years and together lovingly raised five children.

Imre is survived by his wife, Baba and his children, Sára (Jeff), Magdi (Jose), Juli (Dylan), Gitti (Brian), and Imre. Survivors also include his sisters, Lillian Bertalan (Dr. Michael De Petrillo) and M. Sarah Bertalan, and five grandchildren, Vince, Alma, János, Jaxson, and Mateo. Imre was preceded in death by his parents, Margaret Kosa Bertalan and the Rev. Imre G. Bertalan.

Imre touched many lives with his gentle and encouraging demeanor. He will be greatly missed by all who were blessed to know him. Those who sought his counsel in times of stress or trouble will always remember the comfort of hearing him say, “Everything will be alright.”

A memorial service was held at 11 a.m. in Calvin United Church of Christ, Toledo, on September 23, 2017 where the family will greet friends beginning at 9 a.m. A Special Memorial service was also held in Ligonier during the Bethlen Communities Fall Board Meeting.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests memorial donations be made to Bethlen Communities, Ligonier, PA, Calvin United Church of Christ, or the Hungarian Club of Toledo, OH.

Praying for the Reign of God

Text: Matthew 10:7 . . proclaim the good news, the

kingdom of heaven has come near. ”

The Christian year is composed of Christmas, Epiphany, Lent, Easter, Eastertide, Pentecost and the Pentecost season. Which season is left out of that list? Advent, the beginning season of the Christian year, and the one not yet fully enacted.

Many think of Advent as four Sundays waiting for the celebration of Jesus’ birth. So it is. But that’s not all. In Advent we prepare to receive Christ as a baby in Mary’s arms; we also prepare to receive Christ’s reign yet to come. This year, as usual, the Advent texts for December 3 and 10 speak of the Advent yet to come. (See Mark 13:24-37 and II Peter 3:8-15a.)

What is the first request we make in the Lord’s Prayer? Not, “Hallowed be thy name.” God’s name is already sacred. The first request is, "Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” We scarcely need reminders that this prayer remains significantly unfulfilled.

But where is the reign of God? When is its arrival? Cynics call one of the great embarrassments of the Christian faith the failure of this expectation—the second coming of Christ, the coming of the reign of God.

Christians have made some responses to this criticism. One response stresses that the reign of God will come if the church in faith and hope persists. It’s an evolutionary process.

One cannot over-estimate the optimism about the soon arrival of the reign of God that prevailed in the American church in the late 1800s up to 1914. Ernest Shurtleff, graduating from Andover Theological Seminary,