|
Rev. Lajos Kozma served from 1850 to
1869; after him his son served. |
|
Rev. Lajos Kozma the younger served
until the end of 1873. |
|
Rev. Janos Szilady served from 1874
to 1889. |
|
Rev. Sandor Toth served from 1889
until his death in 1920. |
Karl Bincze was the first pastor who
was entrusted to serve exclusively in this community. He was born on the
13th of December 1892 in Novi Schowe, the son of Rev. Alexander Venetianer and
Jolanta Hartmann. His father was born a Jew, but when he was 20
years old he was christened because of his religious convictions and as a
Reformed preacher he eagerly preached about Christ. Karl Bincze lost his
mother when he was a 1½ year old child and also his father when he was 10 years
old. Since early childhood he had a difficult life. He attended
grammar school in Novi Sad, and the theological seminary in Sarospatak.
During the war he served as a volunteer in the fortress artillery of Kotor.
After the end of the war he came here and served here from September 1919 until
his death on the 2nd of February 1920. He wrote a little booklet:
"Religious Instruction for Reformed Children" ,which had a calendar on it.
It brought in 6,000 Kronen in profit after his death which was put into the
Bincze Fund.
Christian Jung was born in Crvenka on
the 29th of June 1897. He attended the first class of the grammar school
in Novi Vrbas and finished in Debreczen. There he began his theology
studies but he had to go to war and spent almost 2 years as a prisoner in
Siberia. After his return he completed his studies in 1920. In this
community he began his service on the 31st of October as administrator, was
elected unanimously to the position of ordained minister in June 1922 and worked
as such until the end of October 1925. Until the end of September 1933 he
was pastor in Beschka and since October 1933 he has served in the community of
Torscha.
Daniel Gutsohn was born in Novi Vrbas
on the 25th of December 1887. In 1906 he received his teaching diploma in
Baja, served as teacher and choirmaster for 5 months at the Reformed school in
Kucura, then 8 months in Siklos (Hungary), then from November 1907 until
November 1923 in Novi Schowe, and since then as teacher in Novi Vrbas. In
September 1924 he took the Leviten (pastor's assistant) examination which
qualified him to serve as preacher. As such he held the service in many
small communities and so also in this community from the 29th of October 1925 to
the 10th of March 1926. Sundays he held church services, meetings, etc.
Kornelius Weimann was born in Novi
Vrbas on the 26th of June 1898, the son of Kornelius Weimann and Elisabetha
Kiltz. He spent his childhood in the German motherland. He attended
grammar school, he did his theology studies at the University of Vienna and he
went to Halle an der Saale. In 1924 and 1925 he worked as a pastor's
assistant in Torscha and Schowe, from the end of April 1925 to the end of
January 1926 he was the pastor (Verweser) in Schowe, from the middle of March to
the middle of September 1926 he served in this community, then he was elected to
be the ordained minister of Schowe where he still works today. After him
the theologian Philipp Eng served here for 6 months.
Heinrich Berger was born on the 10th
of October 1902 in the small farming village of Salez in the canton of St.
Gallen in Switzerland. Under the influence of the writings of the
theologians Ragaz and Kutter, the Russian author Tolstoy, as well as other
socialistic writers he was
led to questions about God and through it he was
induced to study theology. He studied in Geneva, Basel, Marburg an der
Lahn, then again in Basel, and finally in Zurich where he decided to learn from
Professor Brunner. In 1926 he served in Torscha as a student pastor
(vicar), then he was gained by this community for his service which he performed
from the end of November 1926 to the middle of April 1928. He returned to
Switzerland where he was vicar in St. Gallen, then he studied in Glasgow,
Scotland in the winter 1928-1929, after that he served in the Diaspora community
of Uznach in the canton of St. Gallen, but since then he has been in the city
community of Arbon on the Bodensee (Lake Constance).
Philipp Eng was born in Torscha on
the 28th of June 1905, the son of Johann Eng and Margaretha Weitmann. He
matured in Novi Vrbas, studied theology in Klaufenburg (Cluj, Transylvania,
Romania) from 1924 to 1928, and in between he spent one year in Zurich. He
already served as a pastor's assistant during his vacation as a theology student
and after he completed his studies he served in Torscha, Schowe, and here.
On the 1st of July 1928 he came to serve in this community as a pastor's
administrator and served here until the middle of September 1929. After he
completed military service he was active for two months in the Diaspora of
Prekomurje, in June 1930 he became the ordained minister of Sombor, but
September 1930 he went to Stari Sivac. - After him Rev. Philipp Bellmann served
here not even 2 months and then came Rev. Sandor Szekely.
Rev. Sandor Szekely was born in 1903
in Csikßereda (Transylvania, Romania), attended school in Pantschevo,
Temeschwar, and Petrovgrad, and studied theology in Klaufenburg (Cluj,
Transylvania, Romania). He served as pastor's assistant in Vardarac,
Knezevi, Vinogradi, Nikinci, and from 15 November 1929 to the 20th of January
1930 in this community as pastor's administrator, and since then he has been
pastor of the community of Maradik.
Philipp Bellmann was born on the 22nd
of February 1904 in Feketitsch, the son of Philipp Bellmann and Margaretha
Häußer. He attended primary school here, grammar school in Novi Vrbas, and
studied theology for three years in Vienna and one year in Zurich. He was
pastor's assistant in Torscha and Stari Sivac, completed his military service,
and served as pastor's administrator in this community from the 20th of January
1930 to the 31st of March 1931, after which he went to Sidski Banovci and worked
in the diaspora. In May 1936 the community of Beschka appointed him as
their pastor.
Wilhelm Müller was born on the 23rd
of April 1893 in Erlangen (Bavaria), the son of the professor for Reformed
theology at the University of Erlangen, Karl Müller and his wife Jeny nee
Winkelmann. After he completed 6 grammar school classes he attended the
seminary in Basel. During the war he also had to accomplish military
service. In the winter of 1919-20 he was secretary of the Christian
Association for Young Men of Erlangen, but he had to spend more than six years
restoring his health. From December 1926 to 1927 he was pastor's assistant
in Brünn in Czechoslovakia, from March to December 1927 he was a traveling
pastor in the Pfalz, from March 1928 to the end of April 1929 he was deacon of
the Reformed community of Elberfeld, and after that he served as secretary to
his father. On the 1st of April 1931 he took over the service of pastor's
administrator in this community and held this position until the 30th of April
1935. In between he was in Torscha from May to the end of September during
which time Ludwig Poth performed the service in this community. From here
he returned to his hometown, and he entered into the service as pastor (vicar)
of the Reformed communities of Nuremburg, Schwabach, and Erlangen on the 15th of
October 1935.
Ludwig Poth was born on the 14th of
June 1910 in Nove Schowe, the son of Rev. Josef Poth and Hermina Arany. He
attended middle school in Novi Vrbas, he studied theology in Klaufenburg (Cluj,
Transylvania, Romania), one year in Basel (Switzerland), and one year in Bonn on
the Rhine (Germany). From the 1st of October 1932 to the 30th of September
1933 he was pastor's assistant in Feketitsch as well as to the Senior and to
Bishop Alexander Agoston, and between May and the end of September he was also
the pastor's administrator for this community at the same time. After that
he served a year in the sister communities of Becmen, Dobanovci, and Surcin,
served 6 months in the military, and since the 1st of May 1935 he has again
served as pastor's administrator for this community.
§
It should also be mentioned here that
from the beginning up to 1919 the teacher also had to do the preacher service.
They read the prayers and the sermons to the community. But the teacher
also had to do this service sometimes after that.
On the occasions of the frequent
changes pastors from the surrounding communities and theology students often
held the church services in the community. Sometimes Michael Gutwein, a
local community member, read the prayers and sermons at church service. Of
all the communities hardly any had heard so many preachers as the German
Reformed community in Feketitsch.
With all of their backgrounds, they
ways they led their lives, natural aptitudes, gifts, educations, and world
views, how different these preachers were, but all stood by the Word of God in
service, which has remained there eternally. If they only always preached
this Word, if the community had only always heard it!!!
