Calvin Synod Herald, 1975 (75. évfolyam, 1-12. szám)

1975-05-01 / 5-6. szám

4

CALVIN SYNOD HERALD

THE BISHOP’S REPORT

Dear Brethren:

We praise God with unceasing thanks and gratitude for His mercy in sparing us for yet another year. I am persuaded that God has spared us for a purpose. He has given to us His Word to keep and to proclaim in all the world, but most especially to our people who bear the scars of centuries of despotism and tyranny and even now struggle to witness to the Living Lord in the face of pagan and ungodly rulers. In our own land also, we are called upon to uphold the pure and unadulterated Word of God not only to a hedonistic society but also to a church which has forgotten its true prophetic mission and task and seeks it role and function in secular and socio-political pursuits. God has not spared us to waste away into nothingness. The longer I live, the more I am convinced that we have a calling and a purpose from God. How else to explain the history and life of our people? How else to explain that fierce independence which threatens always to annihilate our sense of kinship and oneness? How else to explain the rise in honor and stature of homeless pilgrims and refugees far out of proportion to their numbers in whatever nation they find themselves? How else to explain the unyielding spirit of our Calvin Synod in the face of pressures both from within and without to surrender and to quit the field of battle? To me, at least, this much is clear: God has a purpose with us and He will accomplish that which He purposed for us. I am further convinced that the decisions we must make at this gathering will be decisive to our future as a People of God.

After a long separation from our brethren in the faith, we now have a new opportunity to take a significant step towards the eventual unity of our Hungarian Reformed brethren in America. Although the proposed Hungarian Reformed Church Uniting is not a proposal for organic union, it is nevertheless a significant venture in faith; it is a sincere attempt to heal the wounds, to forget the beleaguered past and to allow God to work His will amongst us. I am convinced that if this proposal is found to be unacceptable by either side it will signal the end of our common life and future in America. Therefore, I urge Calvin Synod to vote for the formation and establishment of the Hungarian Reformed Church Uniting.

The matter of a full-time Synod executive has been on our Agenda for decades. We have always been in agreement as to the desirability of a full-time executive. The need to coordinate our work, the desirability of united planning and administration has always been evident amongst us. Now, we are able to achieve this goal from our own resources if we so desire. It has always been my position that a poorly qualified full-time executive is infinitely better than the best part-time executive. I honestly believe that without long range executive leadership and direction we will continue to falter from year to year with no hope for a lasting foundation and future for our congregations and for our common work and life. Our decision in this matter will have far-reaching implications both to us and to our Reformed brethren in America.

The proposed Constitution and By-Law change regarding the term of the Bishop’s office is of course, decisive if we vote for a full-time executive. Without this Constitution and By-Law change there would be very little hope of finding a qualified person to accept the office of Bishop.

I am convinced that the acceptance of this constitutional change will have far-reaching salutary consequences for the life and work of our Synod.

A very important ingredient in the above matters is the new financial position of our Calvin Synod. After following a prudent investment policy, we are now in possession of considerable assets for further investment development. This Annual Meeting will need to make vital policy decisions and give strong indications to the Synodical Council as to how it wishes to utilize the income from our investment fund to the best advantage. In any event, Synod should consider seriously the procedures it wishes to have followed in order to ensure the safety and growth of its investments. Our Constitution and By-Laws provide that the Synodical Council act as trustees in all property and financial matters, but they will need to have some direction from Synod in order to act responsibly and wisely.

Owing to inflationary and financial set-backs, various denominational programs have been either abandoned or drastically curtailed. One such program effected is the Student Aid Program. The Ninth General Synod called upon the Conferences to establish aid programs for Seminary students in order to bridge the gap left by the reduction of the denominational program. Most conferences have been able to quickly and effectively make the necessary financial commitments. Since our Synod does not follow denominational procedures in its stewardship program, we are at a definite disadvantage. Recently, we have received a number of requests for financial aid from Seminary students. All are reluctant to ask for help from other conferences since they all express having feelings of strong ties with our Synod and our congregations. If we are to keep and encourage these Seminarians we will need to establish a Synodical Student Aid Program. The Student Aid Program should be a Synod Mission Priority. We should request our churches and people to support generously this vital need in our Synod. Recommendations to implement this urgent need should be considered by our Committee on Church and Ministry and the Committee for Higher Education.

After a record number of pulpit vacancies during the last few months, it has become increasingly apparent that we must provide bilingual pastoral leadership for our congregations. One of the ways that this might be accomplished is by providing for a one year internship program especially for graduate theological students. Students with no knowledge of Hungarian or with no knowledge of English would be eligible to enroll in an intern program in order to achieve proficiency in the required language and also to become acquainted with the cultural life-styles of our congregations and our synod. This program might also include a period of study abroad in order to gain additional language skills. The scholarships might be funded by sponsoring congregations, grants from Synod and in part by the graduate recipient. Other possible alternatives for the implementation of this long overdue program would be most welcome. Synod should make this a first mission priority.

This month marks the beginning of the Bicentennial Celebration of the American Revolution. Civic and religious groups and institutions have been asked to recall and recount the many contributions they have made to the civilization and culture of our great nation. All parts of the United Church of Christ have had a magnificent role to play in the founding and establishment of the American Republic. Our Hungarian people and especially those of the Reformed faith have also made outstanding contributions to the growth