Magyar Egyház, 1973 (52. évfolyam, 1-12. szám)
1973-01-01 / 1. szám
6 MAGYAR EGYHÁZ MAGYAR CHURCH Opportunities Unlimited! As we enter the new year of 1973, we invoke God’s blessing on all who love and serve him. As members of the world’s only fully independent Hungarian Reformed denomination, we are especially responsible in God’s sight and in the sight of the world to make this new year one of opportunities seized and goals attained! In years past it was customary to state that because of our many needs we are unable to do more than continue what we have done in the past. Our present position of acceptance and relative security makes it imperative that we consider new ways of doing God’s thing. There are a number of matters that have been neglected in the past and now need to he done. They affect us in various areas of life: religious, cultural and social. RELIGIOUS life begins with the home. The witness of the Church is determined by the depth of faith within eacli individual home and family. Far too long we have assumed that the congregation is the center of Christian nurture. Far too long we have witnessed the abandonment of Bible reading, decisive witnessing within the family, devotional prayers at meals and crucial times. Our great need is to implement the church’s teachings through God-centered families. Our greatest heritage has been the faith of our parents and grandparents. This, unfortunately, is not inheritable. We must seek renewal of spiritual life and emphasize anew the primacy of the Christian home as the foundation of religious experience. There are a number of ways in which this can he accomplished. One is through home prayer groups. Another is through the carefully prepared programs of Bible study and family life now used by many Lutheran congregations. Each local church knows its own situation, each must develop its own program. CULTURAL life presents us with our most serious problem. The process of assimilation has meant that the majority of our members are American-born and their only active relationship with Hungarian cultural values is through their local congregation. The failure of secular organizations, such as the American Hungarian Federation, to fill this need is quite evident. In my opinion the American Hungarian Studies Foundation is, apart from the local churches, the only viable force left in American Hungarian cultural life. Unless it receives greater financial support its future will be severely restricted. Our denomination must give serious consideration to preparing a nationwide program of cultural studies within our congregations. The creation of local museums and exhibits by church groups and the preparation of lecture series on Hungarian cultural values would seem to be a logical extension of our concern. SOGIAL life necessarily overlaps the religious and cultural areas. As heirs of one of Europe’s truly great traditions, we must concentrate on making our homes and churches models of Christian living. Our concern for the aging must he expressed in concrete action. There is great need for well-run nursing homes and extended care facilities. Since there are large numbers of elderly people in our congregations whose needs are not now being met, we must seriously study this situation and work actively while we still have the people and the funds. I must emphasize this latter point anew. The time for positive action is now. We are at the highpoint of our strength. Unless we take advantage of every opportunity that presents itself while we are altle, we may well find ourselves in a far more critical situation in the future. Opportunities unlimited are before us. May we be able to discern the signs of the times and enter fully into the creative role demanded of us by our God and our consciences. Charles A. Darocy
