Hungarian Church Press, 1950 (2. évfolyam, 4-13. szám)

1950-06-01 / 10. szám

tains the general and organizational rules. The second section deals with the individual and collective order of the deaconess' service, while the last section regulates The training and work of the deaconesses. One should . particularly note how this statute, which is "based on the principles 'of the Mother House type. o:f work, deals, in § 26, with the theme "The Deaconess and the Church".This passage, after quoting the basic texts and the 17th chapter of the Second Helvetic Confession, continues: "The deaconess of the Hungarian Reformed Church owes loyalty to her Church of which she is a member with full powers and a professional servant. HonCe s^e accepts as her own confession the standards of the Hungarian Reformed Churoh,the Heidelberg Catechism' and the Second Helvetic Confession. She conforms,in her piety,to the liturgical order of the Church,and receives the sacraments according to this order.

She obeys the laws of the Church, and obediently conforms, in her service, to the official order of Mission and Charitable work of the Church".

"After World War II,tha same process of ecclesiastical integration was in evidence on all fields of spiritual work. One had to realize that the charitable work of the Church can no longer live on state subsidies,and it can only claim to be called a Christian activity inasmuch it:, is maintained by the offerings of the congregations. So the General Conventus was requested to take steps towards a biblical clarification ns to the fundamental principles of charitable work and to make ,a unified plan(of such work in the Church. In complying with this request, in 1(348, the church authorities were met with great consideration and understanding.

Thus i.t= became possible to harmonise the interests of the various branches of charitable work. At the same time, efforts were made to bring about a systematic and organizational connection between the charitable institutus and the congregations. In 1949, t&e regular support of charitable work by the offerings of the individual members of the congregations, throughout the entire Church, was introduced and centralized. All four Synods and their Presbyteries elected their Referendaries on charitable work who had, on their particular field of labour,special authority. In October, 1949, a special organ was created,,within the framework of the Conventus’ permanent office, for charitable work.This new organ was entrusted with the task of leading and controlling all works of oharity in the Hungarian Reformed Church.

"The first fruits of this long, quiet and systematic work were shown at once when, in the first part of this yarr, the outer framework of charitable service, which had been maintained by associations, was dissolved and so the continuance of charitable work had to become, in its- outward and organizational aspect also, a task of the Church herself. The Hungarian Reformed Church was spared of improvisations and also of being too late in finding a solution, since the organization, which was to take over the responsibility, was not only ready but had actually begun its function.

"The organization of charitable work contains now in ,the Hungarian Reformed Church.four Deaconess Institutes, two hospitals and 26 other institutes which serve as orphanages, old people’s homos, etc. , *

. • Hungarian Churöh Press