Page 3 - Presbyterian Connection

presbyterian.ca
SUMMER 2022
Connection
UKRAINE FEATURE
PRESBYTERIAN
3
Connection
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Moderator of the General Assembly: The Rev. Dr. Bob Faris
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Volunteers organizing supplies of relief items for victims of the war in Ukraine.
The PCC and the Reformed Church in Transcarpathia
Supporting those displaced by war in Ukraine.
PRESBYTERIAN
Contribute to the PCC’s appeal for Ukraine at presbyterian.ca/Ukraine-appeal
or call 1-800-619-7301.
Prayer for Ukraine
We pray for safety and peace, comfort for those now in mourning, and humanitarian aid for all in need.
God of the Powers, and Maker of all creation;
God of justice, and Lover and Maker of peace,
we are distressed by the violence and the threats of violence and destruction in the world, and especially by acts of war and brutality that people experience in Ukraine.
In solidarity with them, we pray for those
who are suffering and in danger,
who live in fear and anxiety,
who fear what tomorrow will bring,
who are anxious for their lives and the lives of those
they love and care for, and who mourn the dead.
We pray that those with power over war
will lay down weapons, and that
those who have power to accomplish peace
will have wisdom and compassion.
God of Grace, the Giver of Life, send your
Comforter, the Spirit of Truth,
who is everywhere present and fills all things,
to sustain the hope of all those who seek justice and peace and to inspire the leaders of nations to do what is right. Glory to you, O God, Creator, Christ and Holy Spirit,
now and forever;
in the strong name of Jesus, the Prince of Peace, we pray. Amen.
The Presbyterian Church in Can- ada sent David Pandy-Szekeres, along with his wife, Anna, as mis- sion staff to serve with the Re- formed Church in Transcarpathia from 2000 to 2018. David is re- tired now and lives in Hungary.
The Reformed Church in Tran- scarpathia is the oldest Protestant Church in Ukraine. It was founded in 1921, when the Sub-Carpathi- an region became a part of the Czech-Slovak Republic. During the Soviet era, the church lost its legal status and many church- owned properties were seized and privatized. The structure of the church did not exist, atheist propaganda was promoted and many pastors were deported. Eventually, the fall of the Soviet Union brought relief, and with the help of church sponsors, schools and churches were reopened.
The Reformed Church in Sub-
Carpathia currently has around 70,000 members, mostly ethnic Hungarians, in nearly 100 parish- es. It is organized into three pres- byteries. It is a constituting mem- ber of the Hungarian Reformed Church, which was established in May 2009, and consists of Hun- garian-speaking Reformed com- munities in the Carpathian Basin. It is also a member church of the World Communion of Reformed Churches, the World Council of Churches, the Community of Protestant Churches in Europe and the Conference of European Churches.
The official name of the church in Ukrainian would be “Transcar- pathian,” as this region lies be- yond the Carpathian Mountains, seen from Kiev. In Hungarian, the commonly used term reads “Sub- Carpathian.” The two terms are used interchangeably.
“The World Council of Churches denounces any and every use of deadly armed force to resolve disputes that could be resolved by dialogue. We firmly believe that dialogue—based on the principles of international law and respect for established national borders—was and is the proper path for the resolution of tensions surrounding Ukraine. We call for an immediate end to the current armed hostilities, and for the protection of all human lives and communities threatened by this violence. We urge all member churches and all people of good will around the world to join us in prayer for peace for the people of Ukraine and the region.”
——The Rev. Prof. Dr. Ioan Sauca, Acting General Secretary, World Council of Churches