Calvin Synod Herald, 1975 (75. évfolyam, 1-12. szám)
1975-09-01 / 9-10. szám
REFORMÁTUSOK LAPJA 5 THE NEW SPIRIT After almost two decades of floundering in a sea of secularism the Tenth General Synod of the United Church of Christ beached on the solid rock of biblical faith. It is still only a beachhead but there is now hope that the United Church of Christ can fulfill its pioneer role in American ecumenism. As one recalls the “disaster” of the Ninth General Synod in St. Louis, Missouri, one event emerges as an overwhelming spiritual experience — the Sunday afternoon worship service in the Cathedral of St. Louis. After wallowing in the partisanship of social and political issues solely in secular terms, the simple grandeur of our Reformation faith expressed in the ancient traditions and liturgy of the Church in the unlikely setting of a Roman Catholic cathedral, the rushing winds of the pentecostal Spirit suddenly engulfed us, nay, cleansed us and we were as if born again. The Tenth General Synod confirmed that unforgettable moment and demonstrated that we still know ourselves as the People of God. It listened more attentatively to the Word of God. Of course, many pressure groups within the fellowship seem not to know the difference between a political convention and a Christian synod, but the learning process is now well advanced and basic Christian faith and teaching seem to have a more prominent place and authority as surfacing issues and concerns are discussed and considered. General Synod acted responsibly on several basic issues. It implemented the role of women in church leádership and in places of decision-making. In our denomination, at least, the sorry business of women’s equality is at long last cleared from the church's agenda and a shameful scandal resolved. For me, at least, the recognizing of truly deserving and outstanding women in the life and work of the church was an occasion for personal sadness inasmuch as the Rev. Mrs. Maria Babos, our Synodical nominee for the Antoinette Brown Award, was not in some way recognized. She has no need of such recognition but in honoring her we would be honoring ourselves. An important change in attitude seems to have taken place in the basic thinking and behaviour of General Synod concerning ethnic minorities. Not that there was ever a lack of sympathy for minority hurts but there seems now to be an atmosphere of genuine concern that the Church be a church of all peoples and that instead of deploring we should rejoice in the diversity of language, customs and cultures. This may prove in the long run to be a most significant development in the life of our United Church. The implementation of this new posture toward minority groups will serve as an example to our entire nation especially during our Bi-centennial celebration. Jesus Christ frees and unites is not simply a slogan but our life and witness. The potentially explosive issue of Homosexuality was dealt with in a sensitive manner. After much serious deliberation, Nathanael Guptill, minister, Connecticut Conference, expressed it best when he said: “Our religion teaches that self control not self indulgence should be the role of our life. Sexual acts other than normal acts of love between married men and women and their spouses are and always have been disapproved of in Christian ethics. But a distinction should be drawn between the responsibility of the State as punisher of crime and the Church as teacher of morality. While homosexual acts between consenting adults in private may be sinful they are not criminal and legal sanctions should be removed from them. Criminal penalties against indecent sexual aggressiveness should apply to heterosexual and homosexual acts equally.” A Pronouncement calling for the civil liberties of all persons regardless of sexual preferences was passed by a vote of 546 to 135. The Tenth General Synod hopefully is a turning point in the history of our United Church. We have been tested in fire. “If the work which any man has built on the foundation survives he will receive a reward.” I Cor. 3:14. That reward, I believe, is the grace of God that allows us to continue as His people and to work in the world until the Day when the Lord comes. Bishop Arpad L. Beretz PASTOR BACSÓ RESIGNS On July 17, at a special meeting of the Church Consistory, Rev. Bacsó read the following message: “Dear Christian Friends! The purpose and the reason for this special meeting of the Church Consistory are twofold: First having reached my 68th birthday this past Tuesday and still enjoying fairly good health, I feel, together with Mrs. Bacsó that it is time for me to retire from the active ministry, and, with God’s help, enjoy the remainder of our lives with our family, free and relieved of the wonderful and exalted, but also arduous responsibilities of the Christian Ministry. Secondly, having given 40 years of continuous service to the Lord and almost 22 years here in our Elyria Church, I feel, with gratitude to God, and with thankfulness and appreciation to you, the present and former officers and members of the Church Consistory and the entire Congregation for the love, cooperation, moral and spiritual support in our joint Christian Ministry, that the time has arrived when, a humble servant of God and your pastor, do hereby tender my official resignation, effective October 31 of this year with the understanding that the month of November will be my vacation month, when I shall be available and willing to serve, until the new pastor will assume his pastoral duties. This Church was my first Church, where I, with Mrs. Bacsó, began our joint active, full-time Christian Ministry, and it is proper and appropriate that we should complete and terminate our active ministry, retiring from this Church, where we have found and experienced God’s grace and the love of Christ so abundantly, and the joy and Christian fellowship in our mutual ministry, and the Christian love and understanding of the Congregation.
