Reformátusok Lapja, 1970 (70. évfolyam, 1-12. szám)
1970-05-01 / 5. szám
REFORMÁTUSOK LAPJA 11 Needless to say, he loves this country that gave him a second chance, he makes his gratitude felt by being interested in supporting the election of such men to state or federal offices who regard their office as service for the good of all people. But above all, he has excelled as a churchman. It was Gorky who, watching Tolstoy’s anxious efforts to model his life according to the teachings of the Sermon on the Mount, who once said: “I am not an orphan on this earth as long as this man lives on it.” To make it applicable to the Church, we dare say, the Church has no fear of sinking into an “orphan-state” that is, to sink into such a hopeless situation as to worry what becomes of her as long as the Church has laity and churchmen as Arthur Moor. To say he loves the church is saying the least. He was born into the love of church as one of three sons of a minister. He learned the church-jargon from his father in his childhood, and has been translating it ever since into actions that qualify him into what is called a true and loyal Christian. In addition to being a working presbyter in his local churches, we all know of his beneficial work for our Synod for years as a Council member. Just to mention one of the many, he has given the final frame to our By-Laws and Constitution. He not only attended all the General Synod meetings in the 1960’s as our delegate, but also always brought back the clear evaluation of the proceedings to put and keep us in the right church frame of mind. He not only accepts the fruits of the faith but also has planted the root of it. Almost single-handedly, he founded the Hartford church six years ago and has kept its fellowship together ever since. A few minutes, of course, does not allow sufficient time to say all that there is to say about a man of such spiritual depth, admirable qualities and youthful spirit that Arthur possesses — a man whose marriage to one of the most gracious ladies reminds you of the ideal Christian home, blessed by God with a son and daughter and two lovely grandchildren — a man in whose company one never runs out of laughter — a man whose friendship is a gift of precious value. When our Lord spoke of men who would be like salt giving special flavor to life -— or like the leaven, raising the quality of life where they make their presence felt by words and deeds, I say, in Arthur Moor we have come to know such a man. We are grateful for having him as ours. That is why we honor him tonight. In honoring him, we actually honor ourselves, our fellowship, and our Synod. Joseph Marsalko PLAN OF CHURCH UNION Approved for Study Soon the members of Calvin Synod will have an opportunity to study a plan for uniting nine major American Protestant denominations into a single church. The plan of union was approved last month by delegates to the Consultation on Church Union (COCU) and commended “to the member churches and to all Christians for study and response, seeking their assistance in the further development and completion of this plan. ’ At least two years of evaluation, response and possible redrafting are anticipated. Not until this process has been completed are the denominations expected to vote on whether they wish to become part of the new church. No such voting is expected before 1974 or 1975. Tentatively named the Church of Christ Uniting, the new body could come into being if any two of the participating denominations vote favorably on the plan of union. If all nine enter, the new church’s membership would total more than twenty-five million persons. PROVISIONS OF INTEREST The plan seeks to encompass the possibilities as well as the problems involved in bringing nine denominations into a single church. Provisions likely to be of particular interest include these: • The Lordship of Jesus Christ and the authority of the Bible are affirmed. • The primary local unit would be the parish, normally made up of several congregations and task groups. • At all levels of government there would be a two-to-one ratio of lay persons to clergymen. • Judicatories would consist of the parish, the district, the region, and the national assembly. • The ministerial offices would be deacons, presbyters, and bishops. • Ruling elders, or their equivalents in some of the other denominations, could be either laymen, deacons, or presbyters in the new church. (The office of ruling elder would not exist.) Clergymen could choose between clerical and lay roles. • The denominations would continue their present forms of holding property during the transitional period of the new church’s organization. Eventually property would be held by the parish, for the whole church. • Membership of all persons, whether lay or clergy, would be recorded in the parish. In addition, the plan: • Stresses that the church at every level is to be open, without discrimination in regard to race, age, sex, wealth, or culture. At several points in the plan, guarantees of equal participation are provided for minority races, women, and youth. • Holds worship to be vital to renewal of the church and provides for a wide variety in styles of worship services. • Describes the church as “a company of the people of God celebrating the one God, Father, Son,
