Calvin Synod Herald, 2005 (106. évfolyam, 1-12. szám)
2005-09-01 / 9-10. szám
CALV IN SYNOD HERALD 3 My Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ: Many events have transpired in the last few months, and we are in an interesting time in history. Each of us is given a charge by God at our creation, and if we believe in divine will, we have to recognize that the Lord has a task for us. The part of the world, the place you have been sent in the Church of Jesus Christ your relationship to the Calvin Synod - now requires you - each of us - to take a stand in regards to our faith. Jesus spoke in parables, and I will offer one to you. Fate brought together four individuals in life. Two of them immigrated to America from Europe because of political and religious persecution, famine and war. However, they brought with them their most important possessions, and found a home in the United States. Eventually they met, married, and combined their households so that they were, indeed, the envy of many who saw what they had. They were upstanding and respected citizens in the community. About that same time two other individuals, who had themselves come to the United States for the very same reason, also worked faithfully and were blessed with beautiful and prized possessions of their own while already here in America. After a period of time, they too found each other and were married, combining their households into a splendid home, and like our first couple, were also respected in the community. Both households produced offspring, and the homes were happy and prosperous. The children of these two households eventually found each other, and though they had different cultural backgrounds, they had in common certain qualities which, as often happens, led them to marry. The beauty of the marriage was that their home, which now contained all of the prized possessions of both sets of parents, was large enough for both children and parents to live together. However, one day these children did what many young people do. As in the story of the prodigal son, they started to dabble in the kind of life which was against everything their parents stood for and believed in. We know you do not have to go to “a far place” to find “loose living,” to begin to squander the valuable inheritance of your parents and grandparents. Not recognizing the value of the inheritance they now held in their hands (since it Hungarian Reformed Ministerial Association The annual meeting of our Ministerial Association will be in the Meeting Room of the Bethlen Home on Monday and Tuesday, September 5 and 6, 2005. The Bethlen Home, is located at 125 Kalassay Drive, Ligonier, Pennsylvania 15658, Phone: 724-238- 6711. Please be sure to reserve your room in advance. Discounted rates are available from the Ligonier Ramada Inn when you mention our Hungarian Reformed Ministerial Association. The hotel’s phone number is 724-238-9545. Most of the meals will be provided by our host, the Bethlen Home. Please do not forget to pay your dues (20). In His Service, Rev. Peter Toth had been given to them freely), they did not understand that the prized possessions of their parents had been secured at a great cost, and was very meaningful to their parents. Though the young people said they valued these possessions, they did not care for them, and began to abuse and destroy them. One day they informed their parents that “they now ruled the home," and all those prized possessions with which their parents had furnished the home was now theirs - to be used for purposes directly contrary to the parents wishes. The question is: who should be asked to leave the house? The parents and grandparents who gave their lives for a beautiful home, or the young who decided it was theirs to do with as they pleased? This is our situation in the United Church of Christ (UCC) today. The Reformed couple from Europe, the Church and the Evangelical Church brought a tremendous faith, won at the cost of sacrifice, at the cost of many martyrs lives. The Congregational and Christian Churches also have a beautiful history and heritage in the United States. Our decision to unite in 1957 promised to be a step in bringing Christians together in the United States to be more effective in our work for the Lord. The last thirty years have been a time of drifting away from the very values upon which our churches were founded. Little by little, decisions have been made that today have resulted in certain policies unique to the UCC amongst all Christian bodies in the United States. On July 4, 2005, the UCC General Synod 25 passed a resolution, the pertinent excerpt being: “the Twenty-fifth General Synod of the United Church of Christ affirms equal marriage rights for couples regardless of gender and declares that the government should not interfere with couples regardless of gender who choose to marry and share fully and equally in the rights..." The substitute wording of “covenantal relationship” instead of “marriage” was offered in order to offer “equal rights” to same sex couples. The delegate refused this wording. If heterosexuals are allowed to “marry” then THEY want to marry too! The problem is that marriage is a fundamental concept in Christianity. It is given to us and defined for us by God - not by man. Discussion concerning its definition is a theological undertaking, not a “resolution” by a group of persons driven by self-interest. Yet this resolution was passed, defying 2,000 years of Christian understanding of God’s will. The resulting uproar has been deafening! With only 520 of the 5,800 congregations even contemplating this type of belief, the delegates passed the resolution. As a result, a number of congregations are making plans to leave the UCC in protest and disgust. Back to our “parable.” Should those who founded the UCC quit? Should the 500 years of heritage be abandoned to the hands of persons with “another agenda?” Should the good people leave the UCC? NO! This is our home! They are trampling on our heritage! If WE leave the UCC, we are leaving not only our heritage, the faith defended with the lives of our ancestors, but we also leave an accumulation of wealth - DOLLARS - for the current leadership to pursue its current agenda. We must stand firm! Those who contributed their faith and finances should not leave the UCC. All good Christians, especially we in the Calvin Synod, must take steps to reclaim our Church, our heritage, and make right the inheritance or our Reformed forefathers. Re. Rev. Koloman K. Ludwig, Bishop August 1, 2005
