Hungarian Church Press, 1957 (9. évfolyam, 14-15. szám)

1957-12-31 / 15. szám

IfOHP XII,31,1957, Vol, K/15-1S- 14 -192

Peter's giving up, prescribed ballot for all the functions of the district except that of the Lay Curator General of the Church District keeping in mind that the mandates would expire in the course of the year. The Boards of the Elders of all the congregations, in the church district should send in their votes by February the 28th 1958»

Bishop János Peter's speech will be made known in our next issue.

D. ALBERT BKRECZKT ANSWERS THE LETTER OF PROFESSOR DR. KIESEL, MODERATOR OF THE REFORMED FEDERATION (BUND) DIRECTED TO THE PASTORS AT© ELDERS CEF THE RE= FORMED CHURCH IN HUNGARY

Professor Dr,Vi. Nicsel addressed a letter to the pastors and elders of the Reformed Church in Hungary an September the 25th 1957 which became widely known by means of the west German church press, sent it to the General Convent, D. Albert Bereczky communicated the standpoint of the Presidential Council of the General Convent to Dr, Niesel in the following letter:

■ "Dear Moderator Niesel,

It fell on me the disagreable task to answer your unusually addressed letter of September the 25th, with an even more unfamiliar content. The Presidential Council of the General Convent of the Reformed Church in Hungary has discussed your letter on the 22nd of this month but before communicating you the decision of the Presidential Council I would like to tell you some wards about which may enable you to admit your fault and herewith to honestly rehabilitate the injured brotherly ties,

I have taken upon nyself to answer your letter in the Presidential Council. I have done it on the one hand for I have been knowing you for many years, and from whom if not from you I ought to wait for a better understanding our church, our service, and the sincere, brotherly sympathy, I have been always thinking of you, due to our connection, with the spirit of the confidence and love. On the other hand I have taken upon iryself to write the letter because I have just now taken over the bishop's office and together with it the Presidency of the General Convent and the Synod, too, having been urged by the church district and the congregations even in this state of semiconvalescence of mine, to do so. In a short time even you will receive my bishop's report submitted to the district on November the 14th in which I had to consider the last autumn message of the World Council of Churches as one which 'greatly exceeds the bounds of loving interest of the World Council of Churches in the affairs of an independent - that is, accountable for its affairs only to God - church, and is very similar to an unauthorised meddling in others' affairs, ' Then I added: 'Unfortunately, there have been further attempts from abroad to give lessons to our church as to what sort of leader:: it needs and what sort: it does not. As much as we are grateful fox' and highly appreciate every 'word of our brethren abroad prompted by the fellowship of sympathy in the Church of Christ, coming either from the East or the best, we just as resolutely state that our aim is not to select reliable men suitable to Western Christianity or the World Council of Churches, re lerding servants of our churoh, but we must select those who, in the sacred communion of the one Christian Church, live and serve for cur congregations and our Hungarian Reformed Church.3