Calvin Synod Herald, 1979 (79. évfolyam, 1-12. szám)
1979-01-01 / 1-2. szám
6 CALVIN SYNOD HERALD FAREWELL TO THE RT. REV. Z. BEKY On behalf of The Calvin Synod Conference of the UCC, I wish to engrave the three concepts of Hebrews 13:7-8 not so much on the tombstone of Bishop Zoltán Beky, but rather on the tablets of our own hearts. “Remember your leaders, those who spoke to you the word of God, consider the outcome of their life and imitate their faith. Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever” — the Scripture says. “REMEMBER” is the first warning, and we remember Bishop Beky as one of our leaders in the past 40-50 years: whatever happened or did not happen in our American Hungarian church life, is partially due to his strengths and weaknesses. Often we found ourselves in different lines, but even in the hottest debates he remained a friend and not an enemy! We did not always agree, but we always admired his consistency, integrity and faithfulness. Let us remind ourselves, then, that honest differences should never divide our ranks, but rather illumine and enrich our ministry! “CONSIDER” is the second concept and it means to scan carefully, not merely to look back to the past; to consider what is important and what is foolish in life according to the Word of God; and especially to learn from the outcome of life, the manner of leaving life... Bishop Beky considered himself a preacher and a pastor in all his positions and all through his life. When others retired, he continued his pastoralpreaching ministry all over the world . .. Consider this, my friend, and let us all learn that the outcome of our life is not measured by successes or failures but by the Word of God. The new leadership of our American Hungarian life must take seriously the scriptural insight that without the Word of the Lord no one can truly be a leader... only as we are led, can we really lead. Finally: “IMITATE!” Not the leaders, but their faith, or more precisely the author and finisher of their faith, Jesus Christ who is the same yesterday, today and forever. An epoch of our American Hungarian life is coming to a close; a new situation with new dangers and opportunities is emerging. How can we and the new leadership disassociate themselves from the mistake of the past, yet continue and cultivate its values for a viable future: this is the question. And the answer is that only faith in the living Lord can do this. Closer to Him and we shall be closer to one another. Thus we bid farewell to Bishop Beky by praising God for all that He gave to us through him and knowing the secret of his leadership, we dedicate ourselves more to the Lord Jesus Christ who is the same yesterday and today and forever. Bishop John Butosi MAY JESUS CHRIST BE PRAISED - GREETINGS OF THE WARC TO POPE JOHN PAUL II Geneva — Jesus Christ at the central point of Christian unity — that was the heart of the greetings message for John Paul II. The general secretary of the World Alliance of Reformed Churches, Dr. Edmond Perret, sent the following cable to the Secretariat for Promoting Christian Unity at the Vatican: “Sia laudato Jesu Cristo — May Jesus Christ be praised throughout the whole world with one voice by all Christians STOP On behalf of the World Alliance of Reformed Churches, I convey our cordial greetings to the Roman Catholic Church and assure Pope John Paul II of our brotherly prayers. Edmond Perret, General Secretary” When Pope John Paul II was ceremonially installed in office on October 22, Dr. Edmond Perret took part as official representative of the WARC, one of the World Families of Churches, which along with the Roman Catholic Church are engaged in the quest for unity. On the occasion of a papal audience Dr. Perret transmitted personally the following letter to Pope John Paul II: “Your Holiness, Dear Brother in Jesus Christ, Within a few weeks, the Roman Catholic Church has experienced a succession of deep sorrows and great joys. Once again the fraternal representative of the World Alliance of Reformed Churches comes to offer fraternal sympathy and the assurance of fellowship in prayer of the Presbyterian, Reformed and Congregational Churches. Such events constrain all Christians to rediscover more significantly their raison d’etre, which no adversity can overcome: ‘Now abideth these three: faith, hope and love.’ (I Corinthians 13:13). In the first place comes faith. John Calvin refers to it in this manner: ‘It is a firm and certain knowledge of God’s benevolence towards us, founded upon the truth of the freely given promise in Jesus-Christ, both revealed to our minds and sealed upon our hearts through the Holy Spirit. (Institutes of the Christian Religion, III, II, 7). Faith, God working in us, nevertheless claims on our part a conscious response, which is open to the demands of the Spirit and above all has its reference in Jesus-Christ. Then follows hope. It is inexhaustable, since its source is in God. Despite all obstacles, and even in the midst of trials and sufferings, Christians witness concretely through their words and actions; they are themselves a ‘lively hope’. Has not Vatican II Council entitled the important pastoral Constitution on the Church in the World precisely ‘Gaudium et spes’? Finally comes love, ‘the greatest of the three’. Love gives intensity to the great and delicate work of ecumenism, with authentic mutual respect. In the search for truth, love — that is, of the Christian for Christ, and of Christians among themselves, in the name of Christ — inspires theological dialogue among the confessions, which is indispensable to pursue. The important report of discussions between the Secretariat for Promoting Christian Unity and the World Alliance of Reformed Churches, following seven years of encounters, recognises and affirms the following: ‘Our discussions have opened to us unexpected perspectives of common insights and tasks which have been buried under conflicts which lasted for many centuries... A note of joy and thanksgiving continues to dominate in view of the fact that
