Magyar Egyház, 1967 (46. évfolyam, 1-12. szám)

1967-02-01 / 2. szám

8

MAGYAR EGYHÁZ

THE PRESBYTERIAN REFORMED CHURCH OF CUBA

The Presbyterian Reformed Church of Cuba, until January 22 a presbytery of the United Presbyterian Church U.S.A. was constituted as an independent church in its first General Assembly.

The General Assembly of the new church voted to apply for membership in the World Coucnil of Churches and the World Alliance of Reformed Churches. When approved by the Executive Committee it will become the 102nd member church of the Reformed confessional body.

“This is the first time I have ever been in a church where the women were in the majority in the General Assembly,” said Dr. Pradervand, General Secretary of the World Alliance of Reformed Churches who attended the inauguration of the new church. The Reformed churchman stressed the unique role of Cuban Presbyterian women as a part of the very active place of laymen generally in Cuban church life.

He expressed “amazement at church members’ generosity in spite of difficult economic conditions, and noted that support from abroad has declined rapidly in recent years, “at the express wish of the Presbyterian church in Cuba.”

Asked about the church’s position vis-a-vis the Cuban government, Dr. Pradervand said: “The church in Cuba is a small church, it is a believers’ church, it is not one of the large churches that we have in Europe normally, where many people are just baptized without taking an active part in- the life of the church. In Cuba, the believers really believe, and so cannot accept the ideology of the communist government. But the church as such is willing to play its full part in the life of the nation.”

Some pastors have left the country since the Castro regime came to power, he said, and there are few students of theology. This means that there is a shortage of pastors, “but here again the women are filling in the gaps. The first new pastor of the church was a woman ordained during the Assembly.”

A new ecumenical study center opened in Havana on January 15. Dr. Pradervand saw the center as an important step in ecumenical cooperation, saying it “will help the government to understand better the contribution that the Christians can make to the new society in Cuba,”

Relations with the Roman Catholic Church have also improved, he said. During the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, the Roman Catholic Archbishop of Havana preached at an ecumenical service in Havana Cathedral, attended by representatives of most of the evangelical churches in the country.

Asked how ecumenical organizations like the WARC and the WCC can best assist Christians in Cuba, the WARC general secretary said: “The first and perhaps most important thing is to keep close contacts with the churches in Cuba. Cuba today is a very isolated country. Letters travel slowly and there are few visitors. It is essential that we try to keep in close touch with the brethren there and give them assurance that they really are still part of the world-wide Christian family.”

The annual meeting of the Eastern Classis of the Hungarian Reformed Church in America will convene in the Roebling church (140 Norman Ave., Roebling, N. J.) on Sunday, March 12, 1967, at 2:30 P.M.

DECLARATION

The Western Classis of the Hungarian Reformed Church in America at its annual meeting on February 12, 1967 in Akron, Ohio made the following declaration:

As we all know, the representatives of the Reformed Church in Hungary were invited by the North American Council of the World Alliance of Reformed Churches to come to the United States so that they can personally invite the representatives of the sister churches of the Reformed-Presbyterian family to the 400th anniversary festivities of the Reformed Church in Hungary.

The chargé d’affairs of Hungary in Washington held a reception in honor of the representatives of the Reformed Church in Hungary to which the leaders of the Reformed and Presbyterian Churches of North America were invited. As a member of the World Alliance of Reformed Churches, the Hungarian Reformed Church in America was also invited to this occasion, and upon the advice and request of other member Churches of the Alliance Bishop Nagy attended the reception. In a conversation with the chargé d’affairs the Bishop stated that he appreciated the honor given to the Reformed Church in Hungary which he regards as his spiritual mother, which has nurtured him to be the man he is today. The reason why he attended the reception was to express his respect to the Reformed Church in Hungary whose representatives were also in attendance.

Certain accusations were made against our Bishop regarding his presence at the reception. We resent this because we do not doubt for a minute that our Bishop is a good Hungarian, and a good Hungarian Reformed servant of God. As a matter of fact we don’t understand how anyone who knows the Bishop and knows what he stands for could doubt this. There are many ways to serve the Hungarian cause, and we are thankful that our present bishop is doing this in every constructive way possible, and more often than not with excellent results. We are especially resentful about the attacks of those who never participated in the founding and strengthening of the Hungarian Reformed community in America, except that they enjoy the goodwill of our people, yet dare to tell us how to live and how to think. We were good Hungarian Americans before these gentlemen came here, and we will remain good Hungarian Americans without their criticisms or advice.

ARCHBISHOP IAKOVOS REPORTS ON VIETNAM VISIT

(RNW.)—The war in Vietnam is “a moral problem,” declared Archbishop Iakovos upon his return to this country after a four-week tour of United States bases in Japan, Vietnam, Korea, the Philippines, Okinawa and Hawaii. Primate of the Greek Archdiocese of North and South America, he visited Orthodox members of the armed forces and found in Vietnam that “the morale and sense of responsibility of all our men is exceptionally high.”

The Archbishop, one of the six presidents of the World Council of Churches, found his “own convictions strengthened that our presence in Vietnam will continue to be vital for many years to come.” He stressed particularly the “other war” against poverty, illness, illiteracy and disorganization, prevalent in that war-torn country, which will long require U.S. funds and skills.