Calvin Synod Herald, 2013 (114. évfolyam, 3-12. szám)
2013-07-01 / 7-8. szám
12 CALVIN SYNOD HERALD Closing Statement of the North American Hungarian Reformed Diaspora Conference Niagara Falls, May 24, 2013 "How good and pleasant it is when God's people live together in unity!" (Psalms 133:1) "Give thanks to Him, bless His name. For the Lord is good; His loving kindness is everlasting and His Faithfulness to all generation." (Psalm 100:1-5) On 21 May 2013, the Niagara Falls convocation of the North American Flungarian Reformed Diaspora Conference met, on the borderline, between Canada and the United States of America. We thank God for the blessing of joining one another for lectures, prayer, and worship. We give thanks for accomplishing the aim of strengthening our togetherness in faith. The consultation also revealed the common challenges we share and we prayed that the Spirit of God provides us with solutions. We praised God for the presence of Hungarian Reformed Churches in North America and we invoked the values of the past for the future. We reaffirmed our Hungarian Calvinist-Reformed identity. Niagara Falls marks the fourth anniversary of the unification of Hungarianspeaking churches. The Reformed Churches in the Carpathian Basin accepted a common constitution, on 22 May 2009, which united them in one accord, with their brethren. The consultation also marks the Day of National Unity. We commend the Canadian organizing committee for their efforts. The presence of our Australian Hungarian brethren at the North American Diaspora Consultation emphasized the strong unity of Hungarian Calvinists. In the framework of our consultation, the important merger process between two Hungarian sister-churches in America; the Calvin Synod of United Church of Christ and the Hungarian Reformed Church in America, progressed. We thank God for this significant milestone in North America. Until their final merger, we trust that both Hungarian American Calvinist church bodies will support each other in the uniting process. Together, may they serve, giving glory to God. We look forward to the 2014 joint assembly in Ligonier, Pennsylvania, between both church bodies. We are grateful for the support of the Hungarian Diaspora Council, which was founded in Budapest, Hungary, in November 2011. The Hungarian Diaspora Council seeks the alliance of Hungarian Diaspora organizations for joint cooperation worldwide. It was an honor and encouragement to host the Hungarian government representatives, at this consultation. In the spirit of ecumenism, it was a special privilege to welcome our Catholic fellow-Hungarians. Driven by our strong commitment, we protested the latest church property restitution law in Romania, drafted by the government without consulting the effected churches, and against their expressed objection. The bill was rushed through the Romanian Parliament, without debate, and it would slow down the process of restitution. The very individuals who, in their official capacities, are trying to serve justice and restore properties to their rightful owners were persecuted in Romania. Members of the national church property restitution committee were handed down three-year prison sentences on false charges of official abuse of power, simply for doing their job and trying to serve justice by returning the Székely Mikó Reformed High School Sepsiszentgyörgy (Sfantu Gheorghe) to its rightful owner, the Hungarian Reformed Church. We, participants of the North American Hungarian Calvinist Diaspora Consultation respectfully request the governments of Canada, the United States of America, and Australia to continue to urge the full and timely restitution of religious properties illegally confiscated from our Calvinist-Reformed brethren in Romania. Regarding Hungarian Diaspora issues, we remain committed to further consultations. We expect our next consultation to be held in the Carpathian Basin where the majority of the Hungarian Reformed people live, in 2017, on the 500th anniversary of the Reformation. "... but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect ” (1 Peter 3:15) Bishop Sándor Szabó, Hungarian Reformed Church in America Chief Elder Frank Király, Hungarian Reformed Church in America Bishop Béla Póznán, Calvin Synod - United Church of Christ Chief Elder James Balias, Calvin Synod - United Church of Christ Bishop István Csűry, Reformed Church in Romania, Királyhágómellék District Rev. László Szegedi, General Director, Reformed Church in Romania, Transylvanian District Chief Elder Gábor Markó, Reformed Church in Romania, Transylvanian District President Zoltán Vass, Union of the Hungarian Reformed Churches in Canada President, Rt. Rev. Koloman K. Ludwig, American Hungarian Pastors’ Association Rev. Csaba Dézsi, Representative of the Hungarian Reformed Churches of Australia
