Calvin Synod Herald, 1979 (79. évfolyam, 1-12. szám)

1979-09-01 / 9-10. szám

6

CALVIN SYNOD HERALD

General Synod 12.

or (and this is usually their clinching argument) how much it will cost! They are people who suffer from a perilous mental malignancy I call the impossibility complex. They are problem imaginators, failure predictors, trouble visualizers, obstacle envisioners, exaggerated-cost estimators. Their attitude produces doubt, stimulates fear, and generates a mental climate of pessimism and fatigue. They are worry creators, optimism deflators, confidence squelchers. The end result? Positive ideas buried, dreams smashed, and projects torpedoed.” I think this diagnosis fits us! ...

What can we do? Again personally I think we should disassociate ourselves with “impossibility thinking” and “impossibility thinkers,” because “with God nothing is impossible” (Luk. 1:37) and therefore “all things are possible to those who believe” (Mk. 9:23). In practical terms

(a) Let the Synod solemnly declare that it considers the sale of the Children’s Home building to non-Hungarian (Reformed) purposes as an immoral, irresponsible act in the light of our godly heritage, our pressing new needs, and our honest efforts to rent, use and purchase it.

(b) Let the Synod be on record that it opposes the dividing of the Bethlen Collection (museum, archive and library materials), and because the HRFA is unwilling to save it from total deterioration, the Synod — in co-operation with other Hungarian Reformed communications — seeks other ways to save this priceless collection of our past.

(c) Let the Synod start negotiations with the American Hungarian Foundation which is now in the process of acquiring a New Brunswick building for a Hungarian Heritage Center — Library, Museum and Archives, as to how all our materials can be placed there. (Of course, other ways must be explored, too, including purchasing the Children’s Home building in case the present buyer cannot obtain Zoning Board approval.)

(d) Let the Synod initiate a meeting of all Hungarian people and organizations living in America for the purpose of planning positively for our common future, before we are all victimized by “impossibility complex.”

In closing, let me return to the Psalm quoted before: “Bless the Lord, O my soul, all that is within me bless His holy Name!” This is the Psalm that changed my life! And now that I present to you my eighth- annual report as chief executive of our Synod, I must confess that this Psalm still rings in my heart with authentic experience. I bless the Lord for his everlasting mercy, everrenewing Spirit that made this exhausting work a thoroughly joyful ministry. I bless the Lord that you trusted me and gave me the honor of serving you in His Name as long as only our President Emeritus served you. I bless the Lord that He gave me faithful co-workers who struggled and prayed with me and for me... And before I forget it, I bless the Lord for my two congregations and my immediate family members who took part of the burden with supporting love and understanding. Yes, I say it again: “Bless the Lord, 0 my soul and forget not all His benefits!”

May the Lord bless all of us!

Bishop John Butosi

— Reaffirmed support for the ratification of the Equal Rights Amendment;

— Reaffirmed freedom of choice for persons making decisions regarding abortion;

— Encouraged expansion of efforts on behalf of the aging;

— Joined with prisoners at the federal penetentiary at Marion, Illinois, in protesting the use of indefinite solitary confinement;

— Requested increased pension supplementation for retired ministers and spouses as well as supplemental assistance for the payment of health insurance premiums;

— Set guidelines for lay workers annuities bringing them to the same level as those available to retired clergy.

A.D. July-August 1979

'SPARSE7 BUDGET APPROVED BY SYNOD

Moving quickly and with little discussion, delegates to GS 12 approved very lean boudgets submitted for 1980 and 1981. Following adoption, a motion submitted by Illinois delegates requested that future financial reports submitted by agencies and by the Director of Finance and Treasurer show trends in such areas as mission, administration, fund raising, and number of employees.

Delegates approved budgets for 1980 in the amount of $10.5 million, the same as the 1979 total. The 1981 budget was increased 4.76 percent to a total of $11 million.

Charles Lockyear, UCC director of finance and treasurer, pointed out that the budget faces double-digit inflation while showing less than a 5 percent increase over two years. He added that the largest increase ever experienced in UCC contributions was 3.5 percent in 1978 over 1977.

Concern was expressed by some delegates regarding the severe restraints that the 1980 and 1981 budgets will place on the work of the church. In 1980, for example, the $10.5 million budget contains only $15,000 as a reserve for contingencies, with the balance designated for special purposes. The 1981 budget has but $16,000 for contingencies.

Programs approved by GS 12 included new price tags which amount to approximately $500,000. This amount was not part of the approved budgets.

During the closing service at the Synod, President Avery Post alluded to the problem facing the church when he said, “the shadow issue facing this Gen-