The service of brother Professor Jenő Szigeti Dr. was of decisive importance for the Free Church and Small Church communities. His brotherly, friendly attitude a Pünkösdi Teológiai Főiskola a lasting memory and example for his colleagues as well. It was published in 2011 Confessions in our book of portraits, we classified him as one of the 13 key small church personalities. With the introduction of the interview with him, we pay tribute to his memory and give thanks to our God for his life and service.
"If you don't care about people, don't become a pastor. Be a librarian or a researcher," the preacher, born in Budapest in 1936, makes a radical confession in addition to pastoral service. He does not deny that he never wanted to be a theologian or a pastor, in fact "an old pastor enrolled me in theology in 1957 without my knowledge. I entered the first year, where I realized that I would never be a good pastor. I don't know if I'm good, but in the end I still became a priest". He was not admitted to a secular university, ELTE, because of his priest father, although he only attended for a year and a half as a guest student for the Hungarian history course. After 1956, he studied Adventist theology for four years, then Lutheran theology came, then he got married, and in 1967 he was ordained as a pastor. In 1978, he received his doctorate at the Debrecen Reformed Theological Academy, and in 1979, he continued his studies with a one-year scholarship at "the best Adventist theology in the world, Andrews University in the United States". During his studies, he found time to do pastoral work first in Budapest, and then in Békéscsaba from 1971. From 1974, he again became a pastor in Budapest, but from 1967 he also taught theology at the theology school, partly organized by him, operating under the auspices of the Council of Free Churches, and he was also the general director of the seminary between 1981 and 1989. Between 1984 and 1994 he was the president of the church in Hungary, and between 1990 and 1996 he was the general director of the Adventist Theological College. In the last 20 years, he has taught in many places, since 1997 he has been an associate professor, then a teacher, and later a professor emeritus of the University of Miskolc. Jenő Szigeti, who is currently also starting a TV station, still preaches regularly in his churches in Budapest, because "you can't retire because of your spiritual skills". When asked how he switches off, he answers: "I have ten grandchildren, I don't think anyone needs more relaxation than that, it's good, I also like fine arts and music." (Izsák Norbert: Confessions, PTF 2011)
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