Sárospataki Füzetek 21. (2017)

2017 / 2. szám - RESEARCH PAPERS-FORSCHUNGSMATERIALIEN - Pándy-Szekeres Dávid: Elements of a triangular relationship: the presbyterian church in canada, ethnic Hungarian congregations of the presbyterian curch in canada and the reformed church of hungary

Dávid Pándy-Szekeres

RCH in Eastern Europe, and one of the leaders of the RCH was an official guest of the General Assembly.44 Coupling the openly declared policy of the PCC vis-ä-vis the RCEI to their own vision of a renewed effort to become active partners specifically focusing on the RCH’s need to rebuild, the Hungarian PCC congregations submitted an overture to the 123rd General Assembly in 1997:

“Overture no. 14 from Presbytery of Hamilton:

to allocate fifty percent of the Hungarian congregations’ Presbyterians Sharing contributions for the next five years for the re-establishment of the schools of the Hungarian Reformed Church in Hungary and to distribute such funds among the schools of the Hungarian Reformed Church in Rumania, Slovakia and Ukraine, or to do otherwise as the General Assembly, in its wisdom, deems best.”44

The overture above was re-submitted at the General Assembly of 1998 but did not receive the recommendation sought.45 The interpretation of this decision in the context of the declared policy was mixed among the Hungarian PCC congregations. The declared awareness of the PCC that some form of relationship with the RCH was desirable was seen as a positive signal. The decision taken on the submitted overture — although understood and accepted in its context — still left the impression that guaranteed support for the RCH on an annual basis [for at least five years] would not be forthcoming, despite the fact that support was promised by the PCC in other forms.

In the subsequent years, the support did come, and it seemed to gather momentum from year to year. The Reverend Dr. William J. Klempa, moderator of the General Assembly in 1998, visited the RCH in 1999,46 as did the Reverend Richard Fee, director of Presbyterian World Service & Development (PWS&D); by 2000, there were two full-time International Ministries staff working with the RCH; in 2001, the first PCC group study tour of Eastern Europe took place, the E. H. Johnson Award was conferred on a PCC missionary working with the RCH, the choir of the RCH seminary in Kolozsvár/Cluj undertook a tour visiting PCC congregations, the groundwork was laid for a year-long Sunday school program in PCC congregations aimed at helping support the work of the RCH, a PWS&D-Canada Foodgrains Bank project was undertaken to provide relief in the flood-damaged areas of Ukraine, a third International Ministries staff member joined the RCH field and a Youth in Mission team spent six weeks participating in various RCH programs. Another significant event in 2001 was the visit of the associate-secretary of PCC International Ministries to seek out church leaders of the

44 Acts and Proceedings of the General Assembly of the PCC, 1 997. Two of the voluntary missionaries were members of Hungarian PCC congregations.

45 Acts and Proceedings of the General Assembly of the PCC, 1998: "Overture no. 14 (1997) and Overture no. 2 (1998) from First Hungarian Church, Toronto. Overture is not adopted in its form. Help will be given to these schools through other means, ie. funding of International Ministries staff working here."

46 William Klempa,„God Moves in a Mysterious Way": The Hungarian Reformed Church, Presbyterian Record, October 1999, 28-31.

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