Calvin Synod Herald, 1987 (87. évfolyam, 1-5. szám)
1987 / 4. szám
CALVIN SYNOD HERALD-7-REFORMATUSOK LAPJA Dateline.... Ligonier, Pa. - The American Hungarian Reformed Ministerial Association went on record at its annual meeting on September 8 to reject allegations made against the late Bishop László Ravasz of Hungary. The allegations, just recently made and distributed in writing by a former minister in Hungary, charged the late Bishop with antisemetic leanings. As the Bishop has been deceased some ten years and is unable to reply to the charges, and since his volumes of personal corrrespondence and Church related writings in no way substantiate any of these charges, the Ministerial Association publicly and formally repudiates and condemns the allegations as false and without foundation. Hungary - The Reformed Church of Hungary recently delivered Hungarian-language Bibles and hymnbooks to their Transylvanian Hungarian brethren at the Kárpátaljai (Magyar) Hungarian Church in Rumania. Hungary - The Evangelical Church of Hungary elected The Rev. Dr. Bela Harmati as the new Bishop of the Southern Classis. Ordained to the Christian ministry in 1959, Rev. Harmati served in many parishes, both in rural settings and in Budapest. He was lecturer and teacher at the theological academy in Budapest, and since 1967 has held various positions with the Evangelical World Alliance in Geneva, Switzerland. He will begin his official duties at the begining of October. Hungary - A unique event in the annuals of cooperation within the Christian Church took place recently in the village of Pálfiszeg in Zala County, Hungary. On the 10th of May, 1987, a new church was dedicated, and the dedication was presided over by both the Catholic and Reformed Church leadership. And the uniqueness of the event was that this was a church building constructed, from the begining, to house both a Roman Catholic and a Reformed (Calvinist) congregation. The building, built with the love and labor of the parishoners and townspeople, took almost two years to build. The church building has one steeple, topped on the left side by a cross, on the right side by the traditional Reformed Star. Inside, there are two seperate areas for worship, divided by a single wall. But as was pointed out at the dedication ceremonies, while one wall divides the two congregations, they have three walls in common. So two Christian congregations are worshiping under the same roof, since they have many more things in common than things that seperate them. How history has marched on; not too many years ago, both there and here, segregation of denominations was the law of the churches. Perhaps, as we look to the conflicts within our own Reformed denominations in this country, we could learn a lesson on true cooperation among brothers in Christ. UCC Looking for Students The United Church of Christ Council for Higher Education is asking that all UCC pastors supply the Council with the names of members who are currently highschool juniors (during the 1987-1988 academic year) so their names may be made available to our UCC institutions of higher education. Also requested of each church are the names of those who may be considering theological education in their future, so they may be contacted by our UCC seminaries. If you are interested and need further information, contact: James A. Smith, Jr., Council for Higher Education of the United Church of Christ, 132 West 31st Street, New York, New York 10001. Warning: Travel Seminars Linked to Moon’s Church If you’re invited to a travel seminar titled the "Interdenominational Conference for Clergy,’’ beware - it is linked with Sun Myung Moon’s Unification Church. Lutheran Bishop James R. Crumley, Jr., has urged pastors in his church to avoid the seminars, which offer lowcost trips to Japan and Korea. He said the seminars are underwritten by organizations related to the Unification Church, which has used "endorsements’’ from mainline participants to gain contacts with Asian church bodies skeptical about Moon’s movement. While backing the Unification Church's civil and religious rights, the National Council of Churches - of which the UCC is a member - has refuted the movement’s claim to Christian identity. (UCC - Keeping You Posted) Massive Ecumenical Gathering in Texas A massive "Gathering of Christians" will take place in Arlington, Texas during Pentecost of 1988. Coordinated by the National Council of Churches, the gathering will include representatives of Protestant, Orthodox, Roman Catholic and Evangelical churches. The "Gathering" will utilize fifteen hotels and 75 restaurants when it is held in May of 1988. The themes of the "gathering” will include not only sessions focusing on theological issues such as Incarnation, the Cross and resurrection, Pentecost and Communion of the Saints, but there will also be forums on pressing contemporary issues and workshops for skill development and opportunities for individual sharing. Early registration $125.00, further information may be had by contacting: Pentecost 1988: No Longer Strangers, National Council of Churches, 475 Riverside Drive, Room 853, New York, NY 10115. (Editors Clipsheet, UCC)
