Reformátusok Lapja, 1970 (70. évfolyam, 1-12. szám)
1970-04-01 / 4. szám
REFORMÁTUSOK LAPJA 13 News at Home & Abroad The Crisis of Drug Abuse A Statement adopted by the Executive Council of the United Church of Christ, March 18, 1970, New York, New York A serious crisis confronts this nation in the increasing use of drugs by both the young and the old. Such use does damage first of all to the health, personality, mind, and economic potential of many users. It is a factor in a high number of home and traffic accidents. It is also responsible for much loss of life, robbery, injury, and other crimes inflicted by drug abusers, and conspicuously by organized criminal distribution conduits, upon other members of society. Believing that our Lord desires for men to live a fruitful and meaningful life and that it is the obligation of the Church to work toward achieving that end, the Executive Council of the United Church of Christ calls upon its Instrumentalities, Conferences, Associations, and local churches: 1. To procure and make available accurate information about drugs, drug abuse, narcotic addiction, therapy and prevention. 2. To assist pastors and lay persons in gaining an understanding of those from all economic and social levels who have become addicted and in developing a ministry of counsel and support that may help to fortify young people and adults against the pressures toward addiction as well as to reclaim those who have developed physical or emotional attachments to dangerous drugs. 3. To initiate and support rehabilitative services and programs under public and community auspices, that will restore the victims of drugs to a functioning role in society. 4. To encourage church-related health and welfare agencies and institutions, wherever appropriate, to initiate or cooperate with remedial and preventive programs regarding drug abuse and addiction. 5. To support legislation and public policies that provide for more effective control of the traffic in dangerous drugs, while emphasizing medical and social treatment rather than indiscriminately punitive measures in dealing with the victims of drug abuse. 6. To develop among our members and in the community at large the understanding and discipline which will make for a more wholesome value structure throughout our society. 7. To combat the moral climate that allows spiritual emptiness, discrimination, poverty, inadequate housing, restricted opportunity, institutional failure, and repression that so distort human personality that young people and adults are led to seek escape in drugs. UCC—O. of C. Lay President For French Protestants Paris—The Executive Council of the French Protestant Federation has appointed a Reformed layman, Mr. Jean Courvoisier, to be its president in succession to the Rev. Charles West- phal who assumed office in 1961. Mr. Courvoisier, a banker, has been a member of the Executive Council since 1946, and has had special responsibility for the department of public relations from 1963. In making the announcement of the appointment, a spokesman for the Federation said that in choosing a layman they had underlined one of the great principles of the Reformation, namely that of the priesthood of all believers. He recalled that the first president of the Federation, who held office from 1905 to 1927, had also been a layman. RPPS Cardinal Willebrands Calls For Ongoing Reformation Zurich — A few years ago it would have been unthinkable, says a Swiss press release, for a Roman Catholic cardinal to speak in a Zurich Reformed Church, but walls of denominational prejudice are being demolished and dialogue has fruitfully begun. Cardinal Jan Willebrands, president of the Secretariat for Promoting Christian Unity at the Vatican, spoke on the theme: “Christ — symbol and origin of unity in a divided world.” He warned against the “de-humanising of Christ. Jesus challenges us as a real man . . . for whom the relationship with God was central.” “Jesus never represented an abstract theory about unity, because in him the vertical and horizontal dimensions are related to each other,” said the cardinal . . . “the church should be a symbol and instrument to bring the human family together, for God’s purposes have a bearing on all people.” Monsignor Willebrands described world ecumenism as the ultimate aim of church ecumenism; the Church was therefore called to an ongoing reformation of its life. Professor Heinrich Ott, of Basel, second speaker at the meeting, which was held at the Zurich St. Peter’s Church, warned that dialogue should lead to action: “We should take questions and needs of humanity to be God’s own questions put to the churches. The Church must be seen to be a servant in the name of Christ.” Dr. Ott said that ecumenism should less and less be retrospective, but he directed towards the future, and related to the common message of Christ which we have to bring to the world. —RPPS Growing Diakonia Work In Hungary Matrahaza, Hungary — At the 1970 diakonia conference organized last month by the Reformed Church in Hungary reports were given indicating considerable growth in the work of its institutions and close integration of diakonia and the involvement of local congregations. Special importance was attached to the recruitment of diakonia workers; the aim is to make up the corps of workers from volunteers in the congregations. In addition to annual apportioned contributions made by the congregations to the central church fund for diakonia purposes, direct help in cash and kind is also given to the various institutions. In 1969, the total value of this help, which is usually presented personally by churchmembers when they visit the institutions, amounted to well over a million forints (approximately $87,000). An extensive modernization program of the institutions is in progress. A new wing with 150 beds is under construction at Oerszentmiklós, with the financial backing of the Reformed Churches in the Netherlands; the interior fixtures of the building will be installed with the help of the Federation of Swiss Protestant churches. One of the homes run by the Reformed Church in Hungary, the Kőszeg Nursery, has repeatedly won the award for “the best home”, established for state and church institutions of this type. At the sixteen church homes, most of which are recipients of regular patronage from state firms and schools, some 850 people are cared for by a staff of 320. RPPS
