Some Things about the Give
and Take
by Dr. Viktor Pratscher
Translated by Brad Schwebler
Take
The community of the
holy means that the members of the Christian community
have and know the 55 questions of the Heidelberg
Catechism and "on the other hand" that each one use his
gifts for the salvation of other members, and should
willingly and with joy know to give what they owe.
In the history of this
community so many could tell how they could pull
uncertain strings through the give and take between the
community and its members, between this community and
another community here and abroad.
Most valued of all the
giving's of the Word: A person sees what is before the
eyes, but the Lord sees with the heart. (1 Samuel,
16-7). Who will rightly not give in to
complacency, especially will know to remember his debts
and duties. First the giving and taking should be
pulled in by the stretched strings which have the widest
reach.
In March 1934 the
community gave the offertory money of 50 Dinars to Rev.
Anstein from Basel of the Basel Mission on the occasion
of his visit on a Sunday. These strings reached to
Africa or Asia to the missions in the field working with
the heathens. But isn't it a shame that we don't
think of the missions more?
In 1922 the people of
America collected gifts for the poor for both local
German congregations. To 27 poor in our community
13.150 Kronen was distributed.
In 1842 the Hungarian
community collected 42.40 Florints for the "brethren who
suffered fire damage in Hamburg." Certainly the
Reformed Germans also contributed to it. - In 1924 our
community members also took part in the "German help
station" which was set up by Germans here for their
brothers, especially for the needy children in the
German motherland. From the community treasury 250
Dinar was given.
- In 1933 the
community received 3929 Dinar from the Gustav Adolf
Association of Germany and 200 Dinar from a rich German.
- For some years since then the offeratory money on the
Sunday after Whitsunday was intended for the Gustav
Adolf Association, as was the case in the rest of the
Reformed communities. So far few strings connected
this community with the motherland.
With the brothers in
Switzerland the community existed up to now only in the
relationship of taking for which Rev. Berger is mainly
to be thanked. From the Swiss Aid Association and
from Rev. Berger the community received all together
financial aid in the amount of 17,327.50 Dinar.
During the Christmas of 1934 Rev. Berger gave our poor
children 694 Dinar. But shouldn't we also find a
way to be the givers to our brothers in Switzerland?
In 1930 our community
collected gifts for our Reformed brothers in France who
suffered water damage. This community only gave
one Sunday's offering of 42 Dinar.
With the state church
the community is more firmly connected through giving
and taking. All communities pay a certain
contribution to the state church treasury every year
which has achieved much for the poor communities and for
the service of the brothers in the Diaspora. In
1935-36 the community contributed 1042 Dinar. From
1928 to 1933 the community received 19.195 Dinar in
financial aid from the state church for construction, in
1935-36 they only received 600 Dinar, and for 1936-37
they were promised 2400 Dinar in financial aid for the
pastor's salary.
With other communities
some of the strings of the alliance were attached
through taking or giving. In 1872 the brothers
from Sivatz, Crvenka, Werbaß, Torscha and Schowe helped
with their gifts to build the first school house.
The Hungarian parent
community placed teachers at our disposal twice during
the war, the communities gave one another free use of
their church occasionally, and in 1936 the Hungarian
community gave us a beautiful song board. - In this
community money was collected by Rev. Keck in 1887 for
the place of worship in S. Banovci, but in 1929 money
was collected by pastor's administrator Raßmann for the
church building in Surtschin, and in 1909 the community
of Vukovar received 8 Kronen for its church building.
In 1925 the brothers afflicted in Baranya (county in
southern Hungary) were presented with 1000 Dinar, and in
1932 they received 100 Dinar. For some years since
then it has been decided, just as in the rest of the
poor communities, that they want to use the offertory
money for rebuilding or renovating their house of God.
The community members
have often thought of their community with their gifts.
Of the gifts for the purchase of the bells, communion
and baptismal implements, harmonium (organ) for the
church from the Vincze Fund (the local
Evangelical-Lutheran brothers also donated for these
things), and for the new construction which was already
mentioned. So much could also be said here of the
offertory money, church collections, and taxes which
they had given according to their beliefs - are to be
named here. It is still remembered that each
building since 1852 was achieved by so many volunteer
workers, manual laborers, and directors. In 1922
Leopold Hauser did volunteer cabinetry work and so many
similar thins were done for the community. In 1936
Johann Schwebler gave 8 benches for the community hall,
Jakob Göttel-Sch. gave curtains for the church windows
and 2 chairs to the community. Much is still
reported how the community members have accepted their
role as servants of the community and have cared for it.
Council for the Poor.
From time to time the community has supported needy
community members. In 1934-35 they took part in
the winter aid work of the Cultural Association.
Since 1935 the Council for the Poor (the Diakonat
(deacons)) formed. Besides the pastor and the
church father four men and four woman were appointed:
Johann Schepp, David Kern Sr., Martin Göttel, Peter
Spangus, the widow of Karl Hauser, , Mrs. Johann
Weißmann, to widow of Johann Schmidt, and the widow of
Philipp Schwebler. The community was divided into
four districts.
Of about
1,700 Dinar were received and of that 29 community
members supported it with gifts worth about 1,500 Dinar.
Since December 1925 there has been an offertory box for
the poor in the church.
The orphanage is
nevertheless an institution of all of the nation's
Reformed churches but is narrowly connected with our
community. Each winter a collection was taken for
it and for years the offertory was decided upon by
Christmas week and a certain amount was given.
Women of our community have, especially last winter,
helped once a week to fill the many stockings in the
orphanage. In the orphanage there were also always
German children who attended our church service, Sunday
school and religious instruction and therefore to a
certain extent belonged to this community.
In 1888 this orphanage
was established by Rev. Sigmund Keck for Sch. Banovci as
a residential school for the poor and orphans from
the Diaspora. He collected for it here in this
land as well as in Holland and Switzerland. In
1905 the institution was moved to Vukovar, where the
king's notary Zador Kelecsenyi erected new and
considerably larger buildings.
After the war the institution had
to be closed, the house was sold, and another one was
purchased in Feketitsch. In 1923 the present day
house was acquired and then in 1935 half of the house
next door was bought. Since then it has been under
the management of the current bishop Alexander Agoston.
The initial census was 14 children which rose to 45, of
which 15 were German.
§
This community was a
"growing" community. In 85 years they had 6 school
rooms, 3 teacher or choirmaster apartments, a parsonage,
and a church built. You yourselves also as living
stones are being built up a spiritual house for the
purpose of a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual
sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. (1
Peter 2:5)
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