Calvin Synod Herald, 1977 (77. évfolyam, 1-12. szám)

1977-01-01 / 1-2. szám

4

CALVIN SYNOD HERALD

CENTENNIAL CONSULTATION

WORLD ALLIANCE OF REFORMED CHURCHES St. Andrews, Scotland, August 22-28, 1977

In celebrating the Centenary of the first family gathering of our Reformed churches, namely the First General Council of the World Presbyterian Alliance, held in Edinburgh, Scotland in 1877, all of us in the member churches of the World Alliance of Reformed Churches (Presbyterian and Congregational) hear a call to thanksgiving and to a renewal of the Christian witness borne through our confessional alliance in this ecumenical age.

The nature of the Reformed witness to Christ and the Gospel and the particular ethos and traditions found within our family of churches have led to the choice of the main theme for what is now to take the form of a Centennial Consultation on “The Glory of God and the Future of Man.”

The glory of God proclaims the majesty and the mercy of Christ as Lord; and makes each Lord’s day a lesser Easter and a renewal of Pentecost; for the Lord is the Spirit, the Creator Spirit, who is the ineffable and personal dynamic of creation and redemption. The glory of God in Jesus Christ is glory with a human face. The renewal of such biblical understanding of the glory of God alone gives hope for the future of men and women.

The Centennial Consultation meets in Scotland, where many generations of the faithful in the Kirk have been nurtured in the Calvinist tradition and taught to share the conviction of the Westminster divines of the 17th century that “man’s chief and highest end is to glorify God and fully to enjoy him for ever.” Those are the spiritual context and the church background in which believers of the Reformed tradition in every corner of this troubled 20th century world will be studying the main theme. From a Christian constituency of over 60 million Christian folk, only some 200 can attend the meeting in St. Andrews, but widespread study at the grassroots will ensure that the Centennial Consultation echoes the thoughts and convictions in our member churches about the glory of God and the future of man.

Hospice for the Terminally 111

The word “hospice” is an ancient term for a religious way-station where travelers and pilgrims receive hospitality. Today, Hospice is the name of a New Haven, Connecticut, home-treatment program for terminally ill cancer patients and for their families.

The United Church Board for Homeland Ministries recently granted $5,000 to this agency, which provides a dignified alternative to hospital or nursinghome care. The grant was made as a memorial to Dr. Robert V. Moss, President of the United Church of Christ, whose death from cancer coincided with the voting of the grant.

Hospice places emphasis on enhancing the quality of a patient’s life rather than on prolonging it unduly through mechanical means. It is a program in which patients, families, staff, and volunteers provide a community of love and concern.

Hospice’s goals are:

— To keep the patient at home as long as possible.

— To supplement, not duplicate, existing services.

— To educate health-care professionals and the public.

— To support the entire family as a unit of care.

— To help the patient to live as fully as possible.

— To keep costs down.

For more information about the program, contact Hospice Office of Public Information, 765 Prospect Street, New Haven, CN 06511

Beginning April 4, television viewers all across the United States will have an opportunity to take a candid look into the real life experiences of six typical American families from divergent backgrounds and locales. Sponsors have invested more than one million dollars in this bicentennial television series, “Six American Families,” six one-hour documentaries to be shown on Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) and Westinghouse (Group W) television stations.