Magyar News, 1996. szeptember-1997. augusztus (7. évfolyam, 1-12. szám)
1997-05-01 / 9. szám
WELCOME Most of our readers, I am referring to members of our local Hungarian community, recently noticed a new face among us. It was time for it. As we all know some of our Hungarian churches in these past years were having problems filling pastoral vacancies. To everybody’s amazement these congregations held together and held up during the time of hardship. I would say there are two factors that made it possible. One is the faith of these people; the other is their respect and love for their Hungarian past and heritage. We are happy that the Hungarian Reformed Church in South Norwalk has a new pastor, Reverend Judit Mayer from Hungary. We wholeheartedly welcome her, and we thank her for coming. Editor Luckily the people at Graceland did not try to turn me into a “reorganized Mormon". After this year of scholarship, I returned to Hungary and finished my studies at seminary. I took my first ministerial exam at the end of the fifth year, succeeded, and started to work at the Synodical Office of the Hungarian Reformed Church in Budapest. I worked at the Office of Foreign Affairs as part of my ministerial training - the sixth year of seminary is one year of practice either at a local church or at one of the offices of the Church. In 1990 I took my second, and final, ministerial exam and graduated “Summa cum Laude". I received a scholarship to Princeton Seminary and set out for the States for the second time. I spent a year at Princeton studying New Testament Theology. When 1 returned to Hungary I did not feel ready for pastoral work. 1 wanted to work for the Synod again, but the salary they offered could not cover my rent. I had to look for something else, and after a few months of searching, I was introduced to the Minister of Defense, Dr. Lajos Fur who was also vice president of the Hungarian Democratic Forum, of which the president was Dr. József Antall. Mr. Fur asked me to work for him at the Headquarters of the party as his personal assistant and also as head of staff at the Presidential Office. Working for the first freely elected government in Hungary was a wonderful experience. Unfortunately it was almost clear that the government would not be re-elected. Let me remind you of the article Dr. Havadtoy wrote and quote his lines to describe the situation " While the first freely elected government struggled to solve the almost insurmountable problems of the country, the Communist party leaders consolidated their powers, and with the wealth which they accumulated during the Soviet occupation, re-organized their party units to win the election of 1994". I was a witness of that struggle and also of the disaster that followed the new - old reign of the Communists. Already before elections, I resigned from my job. but Mr. Fur asked me to be his personal campaign manager which I accepted with great joy and worked very hard during election time. Then I tried my wings in a small enterprise. I opened a language school where we taught five languages. Also, we had a special course training baby-sitters. This course was the only one in Hungary that was, organized and taught by a private school yet supervised by the Red Cross. All of our students received a Diploma issued and certified by the Red Cross. Even though the quality of our work was excellent, I could not overcome the economical difficulties. I was the owner and director of the school, and I was always worried about financial problems. The last drop in the cup was when some people broke in and stole my computer - a very expensive one - that was unreplacable due to the lack of money. Without the computer, we could not work. I kept asking God: why? Why are all these bad things happening to me? I got no explicit answer. Last summer I finally decided to close the school. In June I came to the States to be present at the wedding of my uncle in New Jersey. By then I realized that not being successful in my enterprise and all the difficulties I had to face may have had something to do with not being at the right place, and not doing the right thing. When I arrived to New Jersey, one of my colleagues asked me whether I wanted to preach in Trenton for the church was without a minister. I hesitantly agreed and preached there on two Sundays. The feeling that filled me in church started to make me realize where I might find peace, love, understanding and with God’s help success, that is appreciated by His people. I applied for the vacant pulpit in Trenton. Since my visit to the States was rather short, after taking care of my personal things in Hungary, I returned to America on the first of October. Soon I understood that the South Norwalk Church was without a pastor, too, and that the applicant they hoped to received as pastor could not take his ministerial exam. I got in touch with the church and was invited as guest minister to preach there on one Sunday. I began to love the people there and was very much impressed by the breath-taking beauty of the church building. I was elected pastor on the 19th of January, 1997. I can not be thankful enough to God for this. The first sign of my being at the right place may have been that the procedure of election - from the time of receiving my Privilege of Call to the act of election with a unanimous vote - went very fast and smooth. Nothing has been so encouraging, and calming in my life. As much as I was not ready to serve God as a pastor after finishing seminary, I do believe that the past six years that I spent doing different things were beneficial to me. 1 learned to understand more about people. Now I can relate to the problems of them for I have gone through the same problems. I believe that all of the painful experiences I sometimes had to gain were shaping, forming, and preparing me for the service of God. As much as I did not want to serve God, now I feel that this is the right thing for me to do. I consider it my special task to help our church in South Norwalk keep a Hungarian heritage. Also, I will try to help churches in Hungary as they go through tiieir times of transition by sharing with them the experience of our churches in America. I hope to serve in South Norwalk as long as my service is beneficial to our church, as long as the people feel we can work together in love, peace and understanding, and most of all as long as God entitles me to do so. God does work in mysterious ways. He turned me, the rebellious teenager into His servant. He also made my father go to our church, a Reformed church, and made my mother find her heritage in her faith, and most of all he made me find my way to Him. Page 5
