Magyar Egyház, 1997 (76. évfolyam, 1-4. szám)
1997 / 1. szám
12. oldal MAGYAR EGYHÁZ HUNGARY WILL BE THE HOST OF THE 23RD GENERAL COUNCIL MEETING OF THE WORLD ALLIANCE OF REFORMED CHURCHES. The World Alliance of Reformed Churches (WARC), founded in 1875, is a fellowship of Congregational, Presbyterian, Reformed, and United churches with roots in the 16th century Reformation led by Calvin, Zwingli, Knox and others. Today, it links 70 million Christians in 99 countries in 199 member churches. The General Council meets every seven to eight years, to seek a common Reformed response to the challenges facing member churches both locally and globally. The 21st WARC meeting was held in Ottawa, Canada, while the 22nd General Council meeting in Seoul, Korea. The Reformed Church in Hungary and our Hungarian Reformed Church in America are members of the World Alliance. The Reformed Church in Hungary traces its origins to the 1567 Debrecen Synod which adopted the Second Helvetic Confession. The RCH has about two million members, a strong parish life and a commitment to Christian education. The current situation in Central and Eastern Europe has led it to a special ministry among refugees and displaced people from the “Balkan War”. It maintains close ties with Reformed churches in the surrounding countries, in Erdély (Transylvania), Felvidék (Slovakia) and Karpataija (Ukraine). The 23rd General Council will meet in Debrecen, a city often called, the Calvinist Rome, from August 8 to 20 1997. It will be a celebration of faith in today’s context and in preparation for the twentyfirst century. Its theme is the prophetic call of Isaiah 58:6 to “Break the Chains of Injustice”. Isaiah’s challenge has always been before the church. It calls us to renewed faith, witness, and action as chains old and new oppress people in every nation. In addition, a Women’s Pre-Conference and a Reformed Youth Forum will precede the General Council from August 5 to 7. In Debrecen, the delegates and the participants will be divided into three study and discussion groups. THE PROGRAM OF THE 23RD GENERAL COUNCIL Section I - “Reformed Faith and the Search for Unity” 1 . Reformed Self-Understanding: “Who are we called to be?” What parts of our historical and theological heritage are still valid today, and what parts need to be reviewed in the light of contemporary challenges? 2. Gospel and Cultures. The 22nd General Council said ”We recognize that the gospel illuminates culture. To a degree, culture also illuminates our understanding of the gospel.” The subsection will explore this relationship further. 3. Witnessing Together in Context. Christians witness in varying contexts. The mission of God often demands that people express their faith in new ways that illumine our unity in Christ. Section II - “Justice for all Creation” 4. Reformed Faith and Economic Justice. This subsection will examine issues of economic justice in today’s world from the perspective of Reformed faith. 5. Creation and Justice. Environmental crises threaten life on our planet. Reformed faith calls us to be faithful stewards, and to work towards a justice that includes all creation. 6. National and Ethnic Identity. Roughly 5,000 ethnic groups live in 200 states in our world. How are they to live together? How best to protect the integrity of human community in all of its plurality? How does our understanding of Christian community help? Section III - “Partnership in God’s Mission” 7. Affirming/Challenging/Transforming. This section addresses partnership between women and men within the church and throughout society. In three phases it asks: How can we affirm the gifts for ministry of both women and men? How can we challenge injustice related to gender? How can we be transformed by the Holy Spirit to become partners in mission with God in the word today? There will also be great programs for relatives of the delegates and for visitors. The leaders of the Reformed Church in Hungary are arranging visits to various districts in Hungary (Kecskemet, Mátészalka, Miskolc, Szeged and Debrecen) and to the neighboring countries including Slovakia, Romania, Ukraine and Yugoslavia. Our church members who plan to travel in this summer to Hungary, for further information may call: Bishop Alexander Forro: (914) 454-5735, or Chief Elder Stephen Szabó: (201) 262-2338.
