Calvin Synod Herald, 2007 (108. évfolyam, 1-12. szám)
2007-07-01 / 7-8. szám
10 CALVIN SYNOD HERALD 69th Annual Meeting of Calvin Synod Conference The 69th Annual Meeting of the Calvin Synod Conference of the United Church of Christ was held on May 22-25 in Somerset, Pennsylvania. Our Bishop, Rt. Rev. Karl Ludwig set the tone for the week with his opening remarks. He stated that “the goal of our congregations must never be to “survive.” Remember the words of Jesus, “He who wants to save his life will lose it” (Matthew 16:25). By fulfilling Christ’s command to reach out to the world with the living gospel, we will be blessed with renewed life in our congregations. This can only be achieved by the coordination of the minister and the congregation fulfilling God’s wishes, using those talents He has given us for His goals, not for ours.” Many committees made reports and the general business of the Synod was conducted. Two additional items stand out as unique to this meeting. Mr. Endre Csornán gave a presentation on the Hungarian Churches in Pennsylvania. He stated that there were many small congregations spread out in this area with about 30,000 Hungarians here in the mid 1800’s. Many of these churches closed due to a variety of reasons. Coal companies, which were strong in the area then, owned the property where several of the churches were located. These churches and the fraternal organizations were driving forces in the area that helped many people who were in need. There impact is still felt. The second thing was the workshops that were held for the clergy and the lay representatives. Bishop Ludwig and Auxiliary Bishop Joseph Vásárhelyi conducted the workshop for the clergy. They highlighted several items that all of the ministers in the Synod could do and use to improve their skills in their churches. General Secretary Zoltán Sutto, Treasurer Lisa Toth and I conducted the Lay leaders’ workshop. First, all present were asked to name one thing that they felt was a positive thing in their church. Next, they were asked to give one thing that they felt needed improvement in their church. A list of the responses is listed in the minutes. Also, we discussed the characteristics of a living versus a dying church. A handout was used based on the book Revive Your Mainline Congregation by Dr. Robert D. Schieler. Materials from the United Church of Christ were handed out dealing with Bible Study and ways to tell others about your church. Hopefully, the materials will be shared and used in our local congregations. The Conference Council presented an important motion for approval. The motion was to give $2,000 to each congregation of the Calvin Synod, which applies for this one time grant and is current in their assessments, to develop a local church evangelism program within their community. This money can only be used for a new evangelism or a new church growth program. A detail of this plan must be presented with the request for the grant. The motion was unanimously passed. We encouraged all congregations to develop a plan and use these funds. It’s our future. Two new ministers joined our Calvin Synod Conference. Rev. Dr. David Bowman, interim pastor in Manchester, Michigan who will transfer from the Michigan Conference of the UCC to our Conference. Rev. Charles Paul Huckaby Sr., who serves a congregation in Tennessee, comes to us from the Reformed Episcopal Church. We welcome them, along with Mrs. Renee Huckaby into our flock. Elections were held on Thursday with the following results: Conference Council- re-elected for their second terms are our Bishop Rt. Rev. Kolomon K. Ludwig and Auxiliary Bishop Rt. Rev. Joseph Vásárhelyi, elected for her first full term as Treasurer is Lisa S. Toth (she served a partial term that was vacated previously), and elected to their first terms are Rev. Zsolt Otvos as General Secretary and Mr. Lehel Deák as Synod Presbyter. Elected as delegates to the UCC General Synod XXVI in Hartford, Connecticut are Rt. Rev. Karl Ludwig, Rev. Ilona Komjáthy, and James Balias. Elected to UCC Wider Church Board is Zora Ludwig and UCC Office of General Ministries is Rev. Albert W. Kovács. The meeting was an uplifting experience for all. You know things went well when we were ahead of schedule several times. Consequently, we were able to add congregational sharing to the agenda which had been removed to due to time limitations. Everyone is encouraged to share the information received by the delegates and use it in their local congregations. “Serve the Lord. Rejoice in Hope!” (Rom 12:11b, 12) “Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.” (Joshua 1:9) Follow Him and He will show us the way. Jim Balias Former Synod Presbyter Bridgeport, CT UCC CHANGE OF ADDRESS FORM send it or e-mail it to: Wilburn A. Roby, Jr. 264 Old Plank Rd. Butler, PA 16002 e-mail: warajr@earthlink.net Name........................................................................ Subscription No....................................................... Old Address:............................................................. New Address:
