Magyar Egyház, 1972 (51. évfolyam, 1-12. szám)

1972-02-01 / 2. szám

8

MAGYAR EGYHÁZ

THE WORLD ALLIANCE OF REFORMED CHURCHES

The Annual Meeting of the North American Area Council of the Alliance was held in Atlantic City, N. J. from January 4 to 6, 1972. Among the delegates representing 16 denominations in the U.S.A. and Canada were Mr. William P. Thompson, President of the Alliance, Philadelphia, Pa., Dr. James I. McCord, North American Secretary, Princeton, N. J. The following permanent committees made reports during the meeting: Commission on Civil and Religious Liberty, Professor James A. Wharton chairman; Theological Committee, Professor Allen 0. Miller chairman; Committee on Cooperation and Witness, The Rev. Dr. Rámond V. Kearns Jr., chairman; Administrative Committee, Bishop D. Abraham chairman. The Rev. Dr. Joseph H. Evans was the vicechairman. Dr. Glenn Moore, treasurer, after many years of loyal service resigned. The new treasurer is the Rev. James A. Millard Jr., Atlanta, Ga.

Among the speakers was the Rev. Dr. Andrew Harsányi, dean of our Eastern Classis, who spoke on “Reading the News from the Eastern Reformed Churches”. The Most Rev. Ernest L. Unterkoefler, Roman Catholic bishop from North Carolina reported on “Roman Catholic Presbyterian and Reformed Conversations”. This was the first time, that a distinguished Roman Catholic leader attended the North American Area Council meetings. Dr. Arthur R. McKay, professor, Rochester, N. Y. was chairman of the special “Committee to Study the Role and Purpose of the Alliance”, which recommended to continue the work of the Area Council and

1) ... to preserve and further our common Reformed heritage;

2) ...to support the continuing examination of that heritage; found among us today in many forms as it bears upon our present situation so that we may properly be not only reformed, but reforming churches;

3) .. .to provide opportunity for fellowship and the sharing of information among the member churches;

4) ... to encourage fuller cooperation and common witness among the member churches;

5) ...to serve as a channel for responsible participation by the member churches in the broader ecumenical movement.”

The closing holy communion service was conducted by Bishop D. Abraham, and Dr. Andrew Harsányi; this was the first occasion that the service followed the order of the Hungarian Reformed Church.

Will The 2 Presbyterian Churches Unite?

Predictions that a proposed plan to reunite the nation’s two largest Presbyterian church bodies will fail are as invalid as predictions that it will succeed, according to a co-chairman of a committee that has drafted such a proposal.

Speaking to some 50 representatives of both churches at New Orleans, La. recently, the Rev. J. Randolph Taylor, pastor of the Central Presbyterian Church, Atlanta, Ga., cautioned that any current judgments about whether the merger plan will be adopted by the General Assemblies of the two denominations are “premature.”

Dr. Taylor’s warning came following remarks on the possible outcome of the plan by the presiding officer of the Presbyterian Church in the United States, one of the two churches engaged in the merger conversations. The United Presbyterian Church in the U.S.A. is the other.

The Rev. Ben Lacy Rose, moderator of the 111th General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church, U.S. expressed the opinion that there is far less enthusiasm in his church for reunion than he would like to

see.

“Proponents of the merger face a long, uphill battle,” he said. “Unless certain provisions in the plan such as those permitting the withdrawal of congregations from the reunited church and those having to do with increased representation of minorities in the courts of the church are eliminated or rewritten, I see no chance of passage.”

ONE GREAT HOUR OF SHARING

Sunday, March 12, 1972 is designated as “One Great Hour of Sharing” in most of the Protestant churches in the United States of America. At that time, Christians are reminded, that they can help millions of others, who became victims of the devastations of wars, earthquakes, floods, tropical storms and other emergencies.

Once a year we can give of our abundance for the work of the “overseas relief’ program.

We would like to send help to our brethren in South America and other countries, where they need our assistance.

Posters and offering envelopes were sent out from the Bishop’s Office to all our churches asking the leaders and members of the congregations to use them generously. The treasurers of the churches are requested to send this “special” collection to our: MISSION FUND, c/o Mr. Albert St. Miklóssy, Treasurer, P.O. Box 121, Fords, N. J. 08863.