Calvin Synod Herald, 1977 (77. évfolyam, 1-12. szám)

1977-05-01 / 5-6. szám

REFORMÁTUSOK LAPJA

3

CALVIN SYNOD MEETING — 1977

THE BISHOP'S REPORT - 1977

A few years ago, one of our most respected churchmen, the Rev. Edmund Vas vary made the observation that our American Hungarian life — including our Hungarian Reformed church life in this country — has passed its noontime high and is now moving toward the inevitable sunset.. . O, if it would be only a natural, peaceful sunset! But sometimes it seems to me that the shadows of death are overtaking us; an unnatural, sinister process draws us to “the land of doom and deep darkness, the land of doom and chaos, where light is as darkness” (Job 10:21).

Whether this impression of mine is correct or not, the fact remains that THE PEOPLE OF GOD MAY MAKE A COVENANT WITH DEATH, taking shelter in falsehood, refuge in lies (Isa. 28:15-16) ... How good it is, therefore, that this Synod Meeting closely follows Easter, the Festival of the Dawn, and our hearts can echo the words of Clement of Alexandria: “CHRIST HAS TURNED OUR SUNSETS INTO SUNRISE!” Surely, the Lord of the living hhs no pleasure in the death of anyone (Ez. 18:32), and His command is: “Turn and live! Turn back, turn back from your evil ways, for why will you die, O house of Israel?” (Ez. 33:11). He sets before us life and death, blessing and curse, and calls us to choose life that we and our descendants may live! (Deu. 30)

This is not a pious platitude or the rhetorics of an introduction! This is the burden and the heart of my report. For I am convinced that our congregations, our Synod, our American Hungarian public life, yea, our whole religious and political situation has come to a critical stage where it is literally true: “If you will not believe, surely you shall not be established!” (Isa. 7:9) Easter faith is needed more than daily bread. It is a matter of life and death: if we can catch the Spirit of the Risen Christ, He can turn our sunsets into sunrise; if we fail to do so, the dead weight of our faithlessness will bury us. (Hos. 13)

1. This is certainly true in OUR CONGREGATIONS. As we listened to one another in our recent retreats, it became clear that the forces of death are at work in almost every area of our congregational life. Not only the numbers decrease in Sunday School, youth meetings, Sunday services, but often worship itself becomes an empty custom, Christian education a “childish” thing, confirmation a graduation from the church, mission and stewardship a denominational trick, discipline and discipleship a practice of the fools. This is the road to death!... But I like to believe that our wounds are incurable only from a human point of view (Mic. 1:9); in the Easter light the cross, defeat, sin, evil, the grave are but evidences of His victory. In this faith, therefore, let me ask you to deal with the retreat recommendations (Christian Education, Membership Decrease, Christian Family Living, Reporting Membership, Worshipful Life-Style, and Youth Ministry) as seriously as our crisis demands it, as constructively as only faith can, and as realistically as our resources would permit. Let me remind the Synod that the old method of making resolutions without providing adequate implementation will only increase our sense of frustration. Consider, therefore, consistently the points suggested “When You Prepare a Recommendation.” (Real problem, cut to managable proportion, with possible action steps which can be evaluated.)

2. On the SYNOD LEVEL, the forces of death are no less evident. Again: not only the decrease of numbers shows this (with the dissolution of Joliet, Uniontown and Trenton, our constituent churches dropped to 39 in which our “membership” is 245 less than it was last year); not only the climate of our age and the smallness of our congregations are working against us; but also the “spirit of deep sleep” (Isa. 29:9-15) in us must be a main concern for all of us. A wrong Congregationalism which idolizes “freedom” and “local autonomy” but forgets “discipline” and “covenant responsibilities” has brought us to a point where the words of Judges 17:6 describes our situa