Magyar Egyház, 2008 (87. évfolyam, 1-4. szám)

2008-04-01 / 2. szám

20. oldal

MAGYAR EGYHÁZ

NEWS FROM OUR CONGREGATIONS EGYHÁZI HÍREK

MAGYAR REFORMED CHURCH

331 Kirkland Place,

Perth Amboy, NJ 08861 T el :(732)442-7799

Pastor / Lelkipásztor: Nt.Dr.Kocsis Attila Chief Elder / Főgondnok: Ernest Marczi

The year 2008 has been eventful for this congregation. Our small, but varied, groups have all been active in bringing fellowship to not only our congregation, but to the community as a whole. We try to practice what is preached - spreading love and good will wherever we can. We have a van that weekly brings people to church who would otherwise be unable to attend. Our Chief Elder, Ernest Marczi, serves as not only the leader of our congregation, but he also is our van driver and Church custodian. In small congregations, you will find that a few wear many hats. God Bless him for his service.

Our Church celebrates the sacrament of Holy Communion every month, when we come together as was commanded by the Lord. The sacrament is also taken to the homes of those who are confined and cannot attend regular services. The Sunday School remains active, and this year four young people were confirmed, three from our Church and one from Woodbridge. The confirmation service was conducted jointly by Rev. Attila Kocsis and Rev. Albert Kovács of Woodbridge.

Our physical plant - the Church building, Parsonage, and our Church Center - have been updated and maintained. Some of the Church windows were removed, renovated, making the inside of the Church look brighter than ever. At the Center the large kitchen has been completely renovated, with the cabinets being repainted, new flooring and new countertops installed. This was a project undertaken by the Women’s Guild, who had helped with the building of the Center fifty years ago. With this project complete, and the air-conditioning and fire suppression systems updated, we now have opened the Abraham Hall for rent to any area persons who desire to rent according to our regulations. We hope this will be a new source of income for the Church and will help cover the quickly-rising costs of heating, etc.

It was decided a few years ago to rename our meeting halls in memory of three former pastors who faithfully served our congregation. The hall under the Church is Nanassy Hall; the large hall at the Center is Abraham Hall; and the hall near the classrooms in the lower level of the Center is Vincze Hall. What a wonderful way to honor the memory of these faithful servants.

For a few years we had rented the downstairs Chapel at the Center, together with the Vincze Hall, to the Hanwoori (Korean) Church. They left us last year, moving on to a location in New York. We were very happy to welcome as new tenants the Prescencia Del Rey congregation led by Rev. Loza. They bring a new group, complete with quite a few young children, to spread the word of God among the Spanish population in Perth Amboy.

On June 22nd we held our annual picnic at Abraham Hall, in a controlled air-conditioned atmosphere, at which time we also had a joint worship service conducted in English by Rev. Albert Kovács, retiring pastor of the Woodbridge Church, Rev. Anikó Kocsis of our Church conducted the service in Hungarian, and Rev. Loza gave a sermon in Spanish. His wife and a few musicians also performed. It was a very ecumenical service, enjoyed by all. Mr. Kim Latkovich, former Chief Elder of our Perth Amboy church, presented Rev. Kovács with a gift to thank him for his many years of service as substitute pastor and for his assistance six years ago when we were looking for a new pastor. We all wish Rev. and Mrs. Kovács many years of continued good health in their retirement. Presentations to Rev. Kovács were also made by Mrs. Judith Vincze Quinn and Rev. Anikó Kocsis. The worship service concluded with the singing of “God Bless America”, to give thanks for His many

blessings in bringing this varied congregation together. As a word of explanation, on that day Rev. Attila Kocsis, our Pastor, was in Rochester, New York, celebrating that church’s 50th anniversary, in his capacity as Dean of the Eastern Classis. The picnic followed our worship service, chaired by Elder Steve Blaho, with hot dogs, hamburgers, salads, szalonna, and desserts provided by the church and the congregation. It was a most enjoyable day.

Our Calvary Cemetery continues to be a beautifiil resting place for those who have gone home to our Heavenly Father. It is maintained by a few dedicated Elders - Steve Katko and Thomas Rhodes. They see to it that there are no problems and that the property remains one of the nicest cemeteries in the area.

There are a few active organizations within the Church. One is the Fellowship Committee, composed of a few dedicated people who organize field trips such as theater parties, apple picking, pumpkin picking, dinners, yard sales, and other trips to bring our people together. The Missions Committee collects food for the needy, cooks and serves a meal once a month at the local Salvation Army, honors our Veterans in Church on Veterans Day, and has established a memorial plaque in Nanassy Hall with the names of all men and women in the congregation who have served in the armed forces.

The Women’s Guild is the oldest fund-raising organization in the church, having celebrated 61 years of existence in 2008. In the last 30 years they have raised over $200,000 for the Church. They are honored that the first President of this group, Vilma Innamorati, continues to be an active member of the Guild. Due to their advancing age and decreasing numbers, their fund-raising events have dwindled to just one big Holiday Auction in December and the sale of our famous Cook Book, which continues to be a favorite with everyone. In May of 2009 the Guild will be hosting the 50th anniversary of the Church Women United. This organization was the vision of Bozsi Dudich, a Women’s Guild member, who wanted to see all our sisters come together to discuss issues of the day. We look forward to the big event.

The Choir continues to sing its praises every Sunday, even if it is just a trio or a quartet. Mrs. Lillian Banyacski continues as choir director/organist, a position she has held since the days of Rev. Dr. Charles Vincze.

Mrs. Banyacski looks forward to November 23rd, when the congregation will be celebrating its 105th anniversary and the 50th anniversary of the construction of the Church Center. She is the General Chairman for this event.

We were happy to host guest during the past months of the year. Rev. Emőke Rozgonyi and Rev. Gabor Lányi the former students of the Princeton Theological Seminary visited us several times and proclaimed the Good News among us. Rev. Dr. Zoltán Bona, the Secretary of the Ecumenical Council of the Hungarian Churches also visited us. Rev. Pal Ferenczi and his wife Ildikó (Hajduszovat, Hungary) spent longer period with us and he was happy to preach on one of our Hungarian services.

In July we will have the four members youth delegation from Debrecen, Hungary. They will be hosted by our families and they will attend the Youth Camp in Mount Pleasant, PA. This is the first time when a group comes from our sister Classis, the Debrecen Classis, to build relationships.

There are other fall events — a chicken paprikas dinner sponsored by Fellowship, a theater trip in December, the Holiday Auction, the start-up once again of the Hungarian Classes led by our Pastor for a small group who want to learn the language of our ancestors. The youth continue to help in these projects, and also have their own fundraisers to help pay for camp.

All in all we are a small, active group, working with one goal - worshiping our Savior and bringing fellowship to all.

Priscilla Szabó Jenkins Church Council Secretary