Magyar Egyház, 1956 (35. évfolyam, 1-11. szám)
1956-03-01 / 3. szám
12 MAGYAR EGYHÁZ CHURCH BUILDINGS . . . In the midst of a church building boom unprecedented in the nation’s religious life, an estimated 400 church architects will gather together for an intensive three-day study in Atlanta, Ga. The problems and challenges of the boom, now headed into its biggest year, will furnish topics for debate, discussion and major addresses at the national Joint Conference on Church Architecture, sponsored annually by the Bureau of Church Building of the National Council of Churches and by the Church Architectural Guild of America. “America has never seen anything like the current church building boom, which in 1956 is expected to top all records for the fourth year in a row,” declared the Rev. Dr. C. Harry Atkinson, New York, director of the Bureau of Church Building. “Estimates for 1956 construction expenditures are in excess of $850,000,000, well above the $736,000,000 spent last year,” he said. “A number of the major Protestant denominations are spending at a rate of better than one-third their income for new building and remodelling. The annual Conover Award will be made to the individual who in the judgement of the conference has done the most during the year to further good church architecture. The award, given in memory of the late Dr. Elbert M. Conover who formerly was director of the Bureau of Church Building, will be presented at the final session. A conference jury will also single out for special awards a number of architects responsible for the year’s outstanding new church designs. The jury will judge from a panorama of models, blueprints, drawings and photographs of churches recently built, now under construction, or projects for possible construction. The exhibit will represent the work of architects in all parts of the country. Planning for Christian education is a priority problem for architects today, Dr. Atkinson commented. Better than 50 cents out of every church building dollar is spent on Sunday School facilities, and it is up to the architects to see that these facilities are modern in every way, he said.--------------o-------------News of our Sister-Congregations: Miss Elizabeth Stanay made a contribution of $5,000.00 to the New Church Building Fund of the First Hungarian Reformed Church, Bridgeport, Conn. The Congregation was overjoyed when it was announced at the service, October 16th 1955. (Annual Report, 1955, First Hungarian Reformed Church, Bridgeport, Conn.) * * * On a Sunday in November, one hundred Kingdom Roll Call visitors gathered in the chancel of the Hungarian Church of Bridgeport, Conn. (Magyar Synod, E&R) for the commissioning service led by the pastor, Rev. Stephen Bessemer. Following lunch served by the Ladies Aid Society, the calling program began. For this congregation this was the first thoroughly organized Kingdom Roll Call in behalf of the annual local church and benevolent needs. It was agreed at the outset that every member on the roll of the church was to be visited, and each one was challenged to dedicate time, talent and treasure to his church. (Messenger) EASTER - PENTECOST . . . New York, N.Y. Feb. 17 — Easter Sunday, (Apr. 1) will mark the launching of an intensive fifty-day evangelistic campaign designed to strengthen the ties of church membership of the thousands of new communicants expected to attend services that day in churches from coast to coast. In the period between Easter Sunday and the Day of Pentecost (May 20) churches will hold special preaching and evangelism services aimed at bringing their new and old members “into a strong relationship with the church.” At the same time they will also make special efforts to revive the interest of inactive members and gain new ones. Plans for the crusade were announced here today by the National Council of Churches. The Day of Pentecost, traditionally observed by Christian churches fifty days following Easter Sunday, commemorates the “gift of the Holy Spirit” to the apostles. It is generally designated in church art by the symbol of seven flames representing the “tongues of fire” which the Gospel record descended on the twelve Apostles on that day. For ministers there is also a suggested Easter to Pentecost preaching program prepared by Dr. George Sweazey, pastor of the Huguenot Memorial Church, Pelham, New York. Based upon New Testament scripture lessons, they are “intended to help congregations know and live with the Bible’s account of those fifty world shaking days after Easter, to build the Easter exaltation into daily living and thinking, to prepare of Pentecost, and to introduce some of the great themes into the pulpit.”--------------o-------------THREE NEW HUNGARIAN REFORMED CHURCHES According to the report of The Rev. Stephen Bessemer President of the Magyar Synod in the Evangelical and Reformed Church in the USA, “Messenger” Febr. 21, 1956, the following new churches were built: Miami, Fla., Dayton, O., Morgantown, W. Va. Altough life in Hungarian Reformed Congregations is difficult, because of the two languages used in all phases of the church work, nevertheless the congregations are becoming more and more vigorous with new enthusiasm. Two churches became self-suppporting, Indiana Harbor Ind., and Coatsville Pa. Financial stewardship also showed remarkable improvement: the synod’s average giving per member for benevolences was $4.47. The average per capita giving of members of the synod in 1954 was $58.18. The official church paper in the E&R goes to 35 congregations of the Magyar Synod.--------------o-------------UNA SANCTA During the month of February the community of Princeton Theological Seminary celebrated the Lord’s Supper under the leadership of Dr. Abraham, Principal of the Serampore College in India. The language and liturgy of the Communion service was held in the Maleyalan language and according to the so-called “Mar Thoma” liturgy. The Mar Thoma Church is one of the oldest branches of Christianity. The Indian students requested one of our Free Magyar Reformed Congregations to use the Hungarian Reformed cups for this special service, but another Church offered them for the purpose.
