Calvin Synod Herald, 1997 (97. évfolyam, 1-6. szám)

1997-03-01 / 2. szám

CALVIN SYNOD HERALD- 6 -AMERIKAI MAGYAR REFORMÁTUSOK LAP)A

Illuminating Historical Facts Concerning the Tremendous Struggle Ensuing in the UCC for the Continuation of Self-Government

By Dr. Stephen Szabó

This article was written especially for the interest of the Synod’s voting delegates and to all those deeply interested in the future existence of our beloved Magyar Calvin Synod

In 1959, the so-called Constituting General Synod, of UCC, at Oberlin ordered to re-write the Constitution and tried with all its might to disregard the contractual demands of the Tiffin Agreement. They tried to abolish the Magyar Synod and merge our congregations into the local UCC conferences. Of the 34 Synods of the former E & R, the Magyar Synod was the only one voting “NO” in 1961 in Perth Amboy, NJ.

The Magyar Synod was pressed to realign, meaning merge into local Conferences, to prepare for a full integration with the structure of the United Church of Christ, recognizing no Synods.

By the spring of 1961, it was evident to our Synodical Council that neither the “Committee of Nine” nor the “Committee on the Constitution” would be willing to recommend a satisfactory solution for our continued Synodical existence in the United Church of Christ.

We have been assured and reassured time and again through many years of negotiations, that the Magyar Synod would continue its existence without change in the new United Church of Christ. And what has happened? From General Synod to General Synod, our representatives have waged a hopeless struggle to have paragraph 78 of the Constitution of the Evangelical and Reformed Church included in the new proposed Constitution of the United Church of Christ.

“For the sake of history, we are compelled to record the fact that the leaders of our Church have not stood up to protect our legal and acquired rights; it is not the constituency of our Synod which severs the relationship, the leaders of our Church seem to have already surrendered us in their hearts.” (Minutes, Magyar Synod, 1961).

The 1961 General Synod delegates were urged to make an effort not to include the continuation of the Magyar Synod in the United Church of Christ. The purpose of that was to bring to an end the evident forced integration endeavors. Of course, that was a new blood-transfusion concerning our own on-going trials

of merger with the “Free Church” on our own home-grounds. The decade of the fifties entered with ‘dissolve the Magyar Synod’, and ended with ‘align the Magyar Synod’, which meant practically the same thing.

Between the annual Synod meetings of 1961 and 1962, we were engaged in a feverish struggle because of the everchanging attitudes, pressures and disappointments. We were swaying continuously among many different possibilities; to stay if we continue our autonomy, or align if we cannot, to become independent, to merge with the “Free Reformeds”, to transfer to the Presbyterian Church in the United States. Since Dr. Eugene Carson Blake, of the famous Blake-Pike Proposal, was our honest and understanding friend, we entered into relentless negotiations with him, the head of the Presbyterian Church and the presidents of all boards of that church. We found the most favorable atmosphere for our greatest dream: the three-fold union of all Hungarian Reformed Churches.

This would have been a complete Union of all our Hungarian churches. The Hungarian Presbyterian churches were already in that denomination, we were in possession of a friendly transfer into that denomination. The one outside was the Free Church. The meetings with the Presbyterian Church were most successful and satisfying. They were ready to grant us an autonomous Hungarian Reformed Church under their umbrella in case of the three-fold union with our own Constitution and By-laws agreed by us. They were ready to place the stamp on our Hungarian Agreement.

The 1962 Synod Meeting elected the “Committee of Thirteen" to work out the final version of a new Constitution and By-laws; for our Synod’s existence was hanging in the balance and the forthcoming General Synod was to pronounce the final verdict in the long struggle. Fortunately, Dr. Ben Herbster was elected to be the first president of the United Church of Christ, who, by the grace of God, happened to be Dr. Szabo’s classmate at Central Seminary. Our negotiations took

a better turn. Dr. Herbster called our Synod president before the Administrative Committee and finally before the Executive Council of the United Church of Christ, which was working on the Agenda of the Denver Meeting. He gave us all the possible opportunities to present our case with most favorable cooperation. He placed the President of our Synod on the Agenda and told him in front of the General Council, that now all depends on how you will present it to the voting members of the General Synod.

Dr. Stephen Szabó at the Denver General Synod, ended his detailed presentation by demanding that the Magyar Synod be allowed to continue alongside the geographical new Conferences of the Church, as a separate, non-geographical Synod with the same administrative, legislative and jurisdictional power. Twothirds of the delegates voted to approve the Magyar Synod’s autonomous existence as a separate Synod in the United Church of Christ.

After the victorious decision, the General Synod stopped the subsidy of the “Reformátusok Lapja” and turned the paper over to the Magyar Synod’s care. It was a small price to pay for such a great victory.

After bitter hand-to-hand and foot-tofoot fights, our Synod, which before was “part and parcel” of the former adopting Church, became and remained a selfgoverning body in the UCC.

We never loved the union. Our voting proved it! We were afraid already then of the developing liberal spirit of our new adopting Church. But thanks to God for the ultra-liberal context of the New Constitution, we remained an independent, self-governing body which cannot be overruled by the General Synod or any other authority of the National Church Body. We govern ourselves, and no one else governs us! The UCC is the only existing church body on the globe where this is possible! But it is! And that has been the pure reason until this day that we remained in the United Church of Christ.

To Be Continued