Calvin Synod Herald, 2006 (107. évfolyam, 1-12. szám)
2006-01-01 / 1-2. szám
6 CALVIN SYNOD HERALD cal congregations, the UCC leadership responded by emphasizing that the UCC does not speak for the local congregation; in fact, local congregations do not have to follow the lead of the national church, a basic part of the UCC polity. So there should not be a problem with this divergent view. But this calls into question, “What does the UCC leadership and administration do with those issues passed by General Synod?” Are these issues implemented? The answer is “Yes, they are. But the local congregation is not bound by them.” But if issues of this magnitude are not expected to be implemented by the local congregations, then why would we spend several million dollars at biennial General Synods passing such resolutions? And why spend millions of our dollars at the national level of the UCC implementing issues to which we are in opposition? It is time for the local congregations of the United Church of Christ to respond. We need to remember that “Evil triumphs only when good people do nothing.” It is time for “good people” to take back the leadership of their church. First, because it is the right thing to do. Second, if we do not, we leave the older generation, who built the churches and the Church, without their own place of worship, since they will feel absolutely uncomfortable in the setting the UCC now encourages. And finally, IF we do NOT take back our churches and begin to preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ, we are consigning all future generations to a twisted, warped understanding of God, and of life. We encourage your congregation to voice its disapproval to your local church board and pastor, expressing dissatisfaction that your church is associated with this type of scandal and repudiation of the over 3,000-year understanding of God’s Scripture as a result of our current UCC leadership. We encourage your congregation to begin withholding ALL financial contributions to your Association and your Conference if they do not abandon implementation of this resolution as part of their ongoing work. We encourage your congregation to begin withholding ALL financial contributions to the UCC until the current direction changes. Please continue to forward Designated Mission donations! We encourage your congregation not to be run out of your own church by those who have performed a “coup” and hijacked the UCC. The heritage of the Congregational, Christian, Evangelical and Reformed Churches is in no way represented by those who now “claim as their own” this heritage. If local congregations do not speak up, if we vote with our feet and leave the UCC, we will be making a terrible mistake. We will be leaving the fellowship of Christians who have served the Lord for hundreds of years. We will be leaving behind small congregations that are unable to determine their own future. We will be abandoning the wonderful, rich heritage of the Congregational, Christian, Evangelical and Reformed Churches, leaving it in the hands of persons who are “proud to claim as their own” the heritage on paper, but not in practice. And we will also be leaving the resources, the generous gifts of our ancestors, to be used by the current leadership to promote an issue which is absolutely contrary to what our forefathers believed and stood for, what we still believe today, and the beliefs of the Christian Church throughout the ages. Yours in Christ’s service, Rt. Rev. Koloman K. Ludwig, Bishop Conference Minister, Calvin Synod Conference Letter to the United Church of Christ President and General Minister Rev. John Thomas President and General Minister United Church of Christ 700 Prospect Avenue East Cleveland, Ohio 44115-1100 Dear Rev. Thomas: It was a pleasure to get to know you better at the recent Conference Ministers Orientation and the subsequent Conference Ministers meeting September 11th through the 14th. It is obvious that you have the respect of the staff of the United Church of Christ and of the Conference Ministers with whom we were together in meetings. It is also obvious that the respect includes highly valuing your opinion. At this time, I am writing you out of great concern for the future of our greater Church, the United Church of Christ. I believe that if we continue in our current direction, our church will disintegrate. As background, let me share with you my experiences since General Synod Twenty-five. By the time I arrived home on July the 6th, two of my Calvin Synod congregations had already set dates for “special congregational meetings” to take steps to leave the UCC. I asked these congregations to hold off on any actions. Subsequently, a number of congregations have indicated they have similar intentions. If there is no change in the course of the UCC by our May 2006 Annual Meeting, it is quite possible that 27 of our 28 congregations will vote to leave the denomination. I received several emails from congregations who had heard of the Calvin Synod’s stand on the “Equal Marriage Rights for All” resolution, asking if they could join Calvin Synod. Obviously, I told them this matter is not that simple, that it needs to be discussed and negotiated between Conferences. I encouraged them to remain in their own Conferences and work toward change. I also received a number of email communications from congregations throughout the United States who asked what our plans were. They stated, “Were Calvin Synod to leave the UCC, they would like to join us in a new denomination.” I also advised them to remain in the UCC in their current Conferences; this is not in our immediate plans. Since that time, I have encouraged congregations - some who have left the UCC - to reconsider their actions or proposed actions and to delay any votes. In at least one instance, the response was that it was “too late.” Currently, I am in conversation with thirty-three ministers from fourteen Conferences of the UCC. These ministers are leaders of congregations that will leave the
