Rev. Albert W Kovács’ Retirement from Ministry Worship Service
“The best time to start thinking about your retirement is before the boss does” – goes a quintessential retirement joke. However, this is not valid for a retiring Minister, a Pastor of a church. One may retire from being the Pastor of a given church, one may retire from holding any other office within a church organization – but one does not cease being a Pastor, a Minister, a Servant of God. That was my take-home message after participating in the Rev. Albert W Kovács’ Retirement from Ministry Worship Service held Saturday, June 14th at the Hungarian Reformed Church in Woodbridge, NJ.
We sat in the pews of the church – folks gathered from near and far, members of the local church, as well as worshippers from area congregations, both Calvin Synod and Hungarian Reformed Church of America – all joining our voices in glorifying God. Each stanza of each Hymn was sung with the beautiful bursting bellow that only a strong congregation, a full church, could produce. All reminding me of a bygone era, and wondering if it will ever return.
The participating Ministers alternated in Scripture reading from Psalm 139, Isaiah 6:1-8, II Timothy 1:1-14, Ephesians 4:1-7, 11-16, John 21:15-17. The Ministers led the congregation in prayers and responsive readings, all appropriately selected for the occasion: first and foremost to glorify the Creator, second to proclaim the Gospel, followed by thanksgiving for Rev. Kovács’ long and faithful ministry.
In his prophetic preaching based on the last verse from the Gospel of John, Bishop Kolomán Ludwig encouraged those of us present to aim higher than merely sustaining the status quo, or working just only for the simple survival of our congregations. Bishop Ludwig urged all present to diligently work towards accomplishing more, and warned us that the heat in the overfilled sanctuary was nothing compared to that “other place” known for the absence of God, if we are “weighed on the scales and found wanting”.
During his remarks, dubbed “A Final Word” in the Worship Bulletin prepared for this occasion, Rev. Kovács rightfully lamented, how there are no homegrown youngsters in our churches today, who would heed a calling to dedicate their lives to the ministry in God’s service. Rev. Kovács made references to his past ministry among and assimilation with the Pennsylvania “coal crackers” – a term that set up a chain of thought in my head leading to another form of carbon, perhaps adequately descriptive of the speaker himself: one that hardens under pressure over a long time, but one that sparkles and shines in proper light forever.
After the Benediction, the gathering moved into the church hall, where we enjoyed a dinner jointly organized and masterfully prepared by members of both The Hungarian Reformed Church of Woodbridge and The John Calvin Magyar Reformed Church of Perth Amboy, NJ. After many appreciative remarks and veiled attempts of a “respectful roast” of the honoree (a contradiction in terms, but suitable for the occasion) the assembled group sang “A Christian Farewell” as a tribute to the Rev. and Mrs. Kovács. The song was very fitting and was an arrangement by Faith S Longstreet, the local organist, to the tune of “Auld Lang Syne”.
I have been privileged to get to know and work with Rev. Kovács, who certainly is retiring not because he wants to, but because “the flesh is weak” – although we all know his spirit within still would be more than willing. Dear Rev. Kovács, thank you for your ministry, enjoy your “retirement”, good health, blessings and peace to you and yours!
Lehel Deák, Synod Presbyter
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