Fraternity-Testvériség, 1973 (51. évfolyam, 1-12. szám)
1973-01-01 / 1-3. szám
DR. ZOLTÁN BEKY, President: FACING TOWARD THE FUTURE OF OUR FEDERATION We live in a time of ongoing crises. It is with a deep-felt gratitude to Almighty God that we can say that amidst the constant changes, great failures and new experimentations of our times the Hungarian Reformed Federation of America is the most stable and powerful bulwark of our American Hungarian life. This fraternal work, which began as a very little mustard-seed is now acknowledged as the greatest achievement of the Hungarian people in this country. Let us remind ourselves that it is not our opinion, but it is stated year after year by the official federal and state authorities. It is stated and certified by the real experts who bear witness to the fact that in the very difficult and competitive field of insurance our Federation remains stable and productive. All those people of little faith and cynicism have been proven wrong. The life of the Hungarian Reformed Federation of America is secure and stable. That is why we look towards the future with a great hope even if we have to face many changes and challenges. We have to underline once again the truth of the interdependence of the American Hungarian Reformed Churches and the Federation. If the churches will continue to support the work of the Federation, then the Federation will be able to do more and may support and strengthen the ministry of the Churches in a more intensified way. This is our intention, desire, hope and prayer. From the viewpoint of our future it is not indifferent how the youth work of our churches is progressing and how effective it is. In the past, our Federation gave ongoing support to the youth conferences and camps of our Hungarian denominational groups. We intend to increase our support for this worthwhile project in the future. We are extremely happy that the two youth groups have already approached each other for closer cooperation and we believe that it is one of the most promising facts of our American Hungarian life, a process which cannot be stopped. Both the Youth Conference of Calvin Synod and the Bethlen Youth Federation have identical goals and aims: to preserve our youth for the American Hungarian church life, to train a new leadership, who will take over in their time the task of maintaining and strengthening our Hungarian Reformed church life. One and the same aim, one and the same vision binds into unity both branches of our youth and it is entirely identical with our hopes and aspirations. For this purpose we have strengthened our youth program by establishing the Student Loan Fund and our student aid. We hope, that we shall he able to do even more for this in the future, as we believe that we have a future only if we have youth. Every single area of work of our Federation, the ministry of the Bethlen Home included, serves the better future of the Hungarian Reformed people in America. Our Bethlen Home, as well as our Federation also serves our entire Hungarian community. Among our membership, among the residents of the Bethlen Home there have always been and there will lie also those Hungarians who are not Protestant. Our work of charity has never known religious dividing lines and that is why we are able to say, that we wish to serve in the spirit a true brotherly love and fraternalism, the entire Hungarian community in America. We have nothing to fear. Our motto is the same as the one of the great Protestant statesman Gabor Bethlen and the one of the first Hungarian king St. Stephen: “If God is with us, ivho can be against us?” Was Honored with Award of Man of the Year Julius Borcsik, treasurer of the Trenton Hungarian Reformed Church for the last 20 years, head of the Selective Service Office of Trenton, was honored with the Award of the Man of the Year at the banquet held in his honor. Bishop Zoltán Beky was the main speaker. 16
