Fraternity-Testvériség, 2002 (80. évfolyam, 1-4. szám)
2002-01-01 / 1. szám
FRATERNITY REV. STEFAN M. TOROK PRESIDENT/CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER OF THE HRFA Page 3 It is with great pleasure that we wish to introduce to you our new President/Chief Executive Officer, Rev. Stefan M. Torok. He will begin his official duties on April 1,2002. Rev. Stefan M. Torok was bom on May 9, 1947, in a small village in Cicarovec, Ung County, Slovakia (formerly Felvidék, Upper Hungary) as the first bom child of Iren (Toth) Torok and the late István Torok. While growing up in a very religious family, he recognized the importance of the Word of God and this led him to surrender his life to the Lord at the age of 14. This decision of dedication was not easy to follow. The country, which was part of Czechoslovakia, was under communist rule, and all possibilities for religious growth were minimized and discouraged. He found, however, that not even worldly powers or forces could diminish his strong faith. After graduating from Nagykapos High School in Felvidék, he entered the Komensky Theological Seminary, which was part of the famous Charles University in Prague in 1965. There he studied for the Christian ministry. In the summer of 1968, God changed the course of his life again, when Soviet forces invaded his homeland. He received an invitation to study in Vienna and never returned to his family. While in Vienna, he accepted an invitation from the Hungarian Reformed Church in America, namely from then Bishop Rt. Rev. Dezső Abraham and the Rev. Gabor Csordás, to come to the United States to complete his education and to serve the people there. Rev. Torok earned his Bachelor’s and Master’s Degrees at the New York Theological Seminary in 1971. During his seminary years, he was a student assistant at New York City’s 82nd Street congregation, served the Cliffside Hungarian Reformed Church, and was also the student assistant at the Magyar Reformed Church in Perth Amboy under the tutelage of the late Bishop Abraham. Rev. Torok was called to be the full time pastor at the Hungarian Reformed Church in Roebling, NJ, after his graduation. He was ordained to the Christian Ministry on April 9, 1971. He spent three and a half years here, and was called to be the pastor of the Magyar Reformed Church in Perth Amboy, NJ in June 1974. In 1983, Rev. Torok married Cynthia Banyacski and happily shares his life and ministry with her. He has a daughter Ilona from a previous marriage. Over the years, Rev. Torok has not only served as a pastor, but has had other responsibilities within the denomination of the Hungarian Reformed Church in America. He was Dean of the Eastern Classis for 15 years, and upon his resignation was named Dean Emeritus. He was also the editor of the denomination’s publication Magyar Egyház for 12 years. He has served as the President of the American Hungarian Reformed Ministerial Association and its Eastern Division. He has been the General Secretary of the Synod of the HRCA since 1996. He was elected to the Board of Directors of the Hungarian Reformed Federation of America in 1997 and has served there until his selection by the Board as President/Chief Executive Officer. Prior to being on the Board, Rev. Torok has served as President of Branch #80 for many years and for a time was also a Branch Manager. He can always be seen at Federation sponsored activities. In 1999, he was honored by the National Gathering of Hungarians with the Distinguished Service Award. We wish Reverend Torok success in his new position and may God bless his future endeavors. Füle Lajos: Temették ólom-csüggedésbe, hitetlenség rongyába rakva a félelem sivatagába. Harmadnapon feltámadott! Temették tornyos templomokba, szertartások gyolcsai közé, imákból készült szemfedője. Harmadnapon feltámadott! Temették ideológiákba, tagadás útszéli árkába, tudomány sziklái alá. Harmadnapon feltámadott! AZ ELTEMETHETETLEN Temették gyilkos hitvitákba, szent háborúk szennyes vizébe, sötét élet-cáfolatokba. Harmadnapon feltámadott! Temetgetik ma is...Hiába. Nem rejti el se föld, se ég már, szív bűne, vagy ész érve, semmi, Mert Ő MAGA AZ ÉLET!
