Fraternity-Testvériség, 1994 (72. évfolyam, 1-4. szám)
1994-07-01 / 3. szám
FRATERNITY AMERICAN HUNGARIAN REFORMED PRESBYTERS’ ASSOCIATION Page 21 1994 Annual Meeting Front row left to right: Mr. Miklós Juhasz, President; Mrs. Marie Papp, Secretary; Mrs. Helen K. Dodge, V.P. Central District; Ms. Priscilla Hunyady, Treasurer. Back row left to right: Mr. Wilburn Roby, V.P. Central District; Mr. Julius Pongracz, V.P. Lakeside District; Mr. Anthony C. Beke, Trustee; Mr. Andrew C. Lovász, Trustee. (Not pictured Mr. Robert Boné, V.P. Western District.) T he 48th annual meeting of the American Hungarian Reformed Presbyters’ Association took place on September 4 and 5, 1994 in Ligonier, Pa. in the Ramada Inn. Those who arrived Saturday afternoon or early Sunday morning attended church service at the Covenant Presbyterian Church with Rt. Rev. Dr. John Butosi preaching. His sermon topic was: “What makes the Church, Church?” It is not the edifice but the people who make up the congregation. He added that missions should be a concern for a church. The main speaker for the afternoon was Rev. Dr. Aladar Komjáthy of Pittsburgh. His topic was: “What is wrong with us, ministers?” He mentioned that in the 1950’s there were a few American born second generation ministers educated in the U.S. Upon leaving the seminary, there was no place for them in our Hungarian Reformed Churches, so they served in English congregations. Some churches relied on obtaining ministers from Hungary, who were not well versed in the English language or customs. A presbyter should be a watchman of the church. If the pastor does not preach the Word of God, the presbyters have the right to speak up. American Hungarian ministry requires special training and the minister should learn from the wisdom of the world. The questions raised by the presbyters were very interesting, i.e. “Is there a requirement of continuing education for ministers?” “Is there statutes of canon for ministers, such as performance record for ministers and accountability?” “What provisions can be made so ministers of small churches could improve their livelihood?” The Monday morning session dealt with the election of new officers. Elected were: President: Mr. Miklós Juhasz of Linden, NJ; Vice Presidents, Eastern District: Mrs. Helen K. Dodge of Carteret, NJ; Central District: Mr. Wilburn Roby of Pittsburgh, PA; Lakeside District: Mr. Julius Pongracz of Lorain, OH; Western District: Mr. Robert Boné of Allen Park, MI; Secretary: Mrs. Marie Papp of South Norwalk, NJ; Treasurer: Ms. Priscilla Hunyady of Linden, NJ; Trustees: Mr. Anthony C. Beke of Trenton, NJ, and Mr. Andrew C. Lovász of Perth Amboy, NJ. Mr. Eric Beke and Ms. Priscilla Hunyady gave reports of the Youth Camp. The camp was small in number this year: 75 in attendance, including staff and visitors. Some of the youth stated that they would like to participate in the camp worship services. Some youth did not attend camp because finances were not available to them. Rev. Paul Kovács gave a report on the Bethlen Home. Mr. Steve Szabó, Chief Elder of the Hungarian Reformed Church in America, reported on the Hungarian Reformed World Federation Executive Meeting held in Romania on July 5-7,1994. The meeting reviewed and revised some of the plans of the previous year for the Hungarian Reformed World Federation Conference of 1996. The speaker for Monday morning was Rev. Daniel Szabó, Chief Elder of the Tiszaninneni Reformed Church District of Hungary, headquartered in Miskolc. He was also a missionary visiting Hungarian Reformed congregations throughout the world. Briefly, he stated that every elder and church member was a servant of the Lord. Every elder should assist the pastor by visiting families of the Congregation. After adjournment, the presbyters joined the Ministerial Association for a divine worship service with Holy Communion at the Covenant Presbyterian Church. Paul J. Szaniszlo, Jr.
