Magyar Egyház, 2009 (88. évfolyam, 1-4. szám)

2009-05-01 / 2. szám

MAGYAR EGYHÁZ

11. oldal

borders, the Unified Reformed Church is the realisation of cooperation between people(s) and communities that belong together. Our Church is neither a state nor a political organisation, but always remains a people's church. It is made up of people whom one can meet on ordinary weekdays as citizens of the states of the Carpathian Basin. By citing the right to general freedom of religion and conscience, these Slovakian, Ukrainian, Romanian, Serbian, Croatian, Slovenian and Hungarian citizens declare that in addition to and beyond their identity as a citizen, another historical tradition and a current need exists within them for a Hungarian Reformed Church that represents the fundamental aspects of their religion in its faith.

"A handful piece of soil" — „Egy maréknyi föld”

How does all this support peace between nationalities in the multinational Carpathian Basin? We are convinced that closer cooperation satisfying the need for community will help the peaceful and respectful co-existence of the peoples in the Carpathian Basin. Looking back we see that societies and institutions created based on the Reformed faith were best able to represent the principles of tolerance and acceptance, as well as religious and ethnic peace in the region. The main message of the Constitutional Synod also expresses this idea: Christ is our future, together we follow Him! We can be only one in Christ; in Him and through Him we can find peace with one another. This is intended for us, Hungarians, who are at odds with our own conscience and, also, for us as the peoples of the Carpathian Basin and Central and Eastern Europe who are at odds with each other. The gospel that the Debrecen Synod also wishes to deliver is the most powerful desire for and message of peace in history.

What social principles does the unifying Hungarian Reformed Church have? After the formation of the European Union, our Church is responsible for publicly declaring the Lord's liberating will in a Central and Eastern European setting. The unity is not for its own sake, but rather aims at a more authentic preaching of the gospel, to serve those entrusted upon us more efficiently and represent value. The Church regards society as a community in which responsibility for one another by serving our neighbour must be realised. The single political and economic sphere of a unified Europe - focusing particularly on the free movement of labour - justifies unifying our service. In terms of this service, the unified presence of the individual churches of the Hungarian Reformed Church in the Carpathian Basin means solidarity instead of tolerance. We must help peace and justice gain

ground to bridge political, social, economic and cultural divisions in order for the central message of the Gospel to be declared both in words and in deeds, as specifically and directly as possible, expressing solidarity with the peoples of the Carpathian Basin.

Hungarian Reformed Churches

One of the greatest Reformed communities in Europe are the Reformed Churches in the eight countries of the Carpathian Basin. There are more than 1.5 million members almost in 3000 congregations. In spite of their fragmentation the common confessions - the Heidelberg Catechism and the Second Helvetic Confession beside the Apostolic Confession - the Hungarian language and the common history provide important cohesion. The largest Reformed communities live in Hungary, in the western and middle part of Romania, in the Southern counties of Slovakia, in the Sub-Carpathian area of Ukraine and in the Northern part of Serbia and Croatia. They are organized in independent churches by countries. There is one Reformed congregation in Austria and in Slovenia. As a result of emigration there are Hungarian Reformed communities living in all over the World, of which the largest communities live in Western Europe and in North America.

Organizational structure, institutions The nearly 3000 congregations join together on a territorial basis in presbyteries, which create the districts led by the bishop and the lay curator. The highest legislative body of the Reformed Church is the Synod. The Presidium of the Synod is representing the church to third parties.

The Hungarian Reformed Churches operate educational and social institutions, hospitals, conference centres and publishing houses.

History Institutionally the Reformed Church exists from 1567, when the first waves of the Reformation have reached the Carpathian Basin. The history of the Reformed Church is intervened with the history of Hungary, thus it has played an important role in the development of the Hungarian culture.

Due to the Trianon peace treaty closing the I. World War Hungary lost two thirds of its territories, while the Reformed Church lost half of its membership. From that point on Reformed churches in successor countries developed in an isolated manner in terms of liturgy and church rule.

During the Communist regime (1948-1989) the churches were openly persecuted, their institutions were confiscated, later they could operate only within the isolation of the Soviet type state-party communist oppression.

Since the changes of 1989 many institutions are again in church ownership, many new schools and social institutions have restarted their operation. Congregational life is developing and religious life could step out of the churches. The task of the near future is to carry on our mission in a new, changed context, which is now characterized by the powerful secularisation and moral crisis of the consumer society after the official materialism of Communism.

Contacts The Hungarian Reformed churches of the Carpathian Basin have strong relations with each other (regular meetings of church leaders, lively congregational partnerships) and with the Hungarian Reformed communities of Western Europe and that of North America.

They are members of the World Alliance of Reformed Churches, the European Council of Churches and the World Council of Churches. They keep contacts with many Protestant churches in Europe and in the Americas and some of them with churches in Asia.