wfn.org | Bishop sees "Overseers" essential to church unity

[PCUSA.NEWS@ecunet.org]

03-July-1996 
 
GA96081 
            Bishop sees "Overseers" essential to church unity 
 
ALBUQUERQUE - Ecumenical and overseas delegates were honored guests at 
worship Wednesday morning when the Bishop Dr. Lorant Hegedus, head of the 
General Synod of the Reformed Church of Hungary, brought a message of being 
called to service as elder-bishop-overseer 
 
    During many years of the domination of Hungary by the USSR, the church 
was declared non-existent and Bishop Hegedus was imprisoned. In the years 
since, the Bishop has been writing and teaching in the area of reformed 
theology. 
 
    In his message Hegedus used the terms elder, bishop and overseer 
interchangeably based on passages in 1 Timothy 3 and Acts 20.  The office 
is needed in a special way, Hegedus stated, "because divisions have never 
ceased to menace the church.  In securing the unity and functions of the 
church, the bishop is charged with the comprehensive and unifying service 
of overseer." And in referring to his sermon's title, "Desiring a Good 
Work",   he added that if anyone sets his heart on being an overseer, they 
desire a noble task." 
 
    Hegedus related the office to how the church kept itself together 
through 40 years of atheistic dictatorship and is organizing its current 
resurgence through 89 schools, 31 diaconal institutes and 51 conference 
sites. As announced by Stated Clerk James Andrews at the beginning of the 
service, the offering for this day was designated for the Soli Deo Gloria 
Conference Center at Balatonszarszo, Hungary. The offering taken amounted 
to $4,224.34. 
 
    Participating in the service along with Hegedus and Andrews were the 
Revs. Eugene Turner, associate stated clerk; Andre Daramaga, ecumenical 
advisory delegate from the Presbyterian Church of Rwanda;  Syngman Rhee, 
associate director of  Worldwide Ministries division; Wallace Ford, 
executive director of the New Mexico Council of Churches;  Joan Wright, 
ecumenical advisory delegate from the Uniting Church in Australia;  and 
John Buchanan, moderator of the 208th General Assembly. 
 
    Other participants were Sheila Moyes, ecumenical representative from 
the Church of Scotland;  Hector Gonzalez, ecumenical advisory delegate from 
the American Baptist Churches in the U.S.A.; Maggie Hippolyte, ecumenical 
advisory delegate from the Episcopal Church of Haiti; Linda Rainey, 
organist from First Presbyterian Church of Santa Fe, and Jeff Jolly, 
director of the combined choirs of the Synod of the Southwest. 
 
Midge Mack 

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