배태진 총회총무는 2012년 11월 14일-17일까지 개최한 헝가리개혁교회(Reformed Church in Hungary)에 참석을 위해 사전에 아래의 인사말을 전달했습니다.
Letter of Greeting and Congratulations to the General Synod of the Reformed Church in Hungary
November, 2012
Rejoice in the Lord always, again I say rejoice, (Philippians 4:4)
Bishop, brothers and sisters of the General Synod of the Reformed Church in Hungary,
I rejoice to be here today with you, in this first time that you have opened your doors to partners to share with you in the life and work of General Synod. Thank you for this decision on your part, and your invitation, as well as your warm hospitality in the welcome my wife and I have received in Budapest. We thank you as a denomination for accepting with great love Korean co-workers to minister among you as servants of Jesus Christ..
We in the Presbyterian Church in the Republic of Korea feel a deep kinship with the Reformed Church in Hungary, demonstrated by the signing of a covenant between our churches in 1995. At that time we were beginning our history again as recently free nations. Hungary had gone through the years of Communism from 1947 to 1989; Korea had suffered under dictatorship from 1948 – 1987. In both cases, the church was instrumental in mobilizing the people to bring about society’s freedom.
The PROK has encouraged the Minjung church, the church of the common people who are oppressed politically, exploited economically, marginalized sociologically. We have admired the fact that the Hungarian Reformed Church has opened its doors to the Roma people, who often occupy the same marginalized position in Hungary.
The PROK looks forward to our growing partnership throughout the years. We commit ourselves to support you spiritually, and ask that you will support us, your brothers and sisters in the Peninsula of Korea. We ask your prayers for us at this time, as we undergo a Presidential election on the 19th of Dec. It is a significant time, for we seek unification of our long-divided Korea, and we are urging the nations responsible for the division to come together to develop a peace treaty to replace the cease fire which ended active hostilities in 1953, but which still is a source of insecurity and a barrier to peaceful relations. We also ask prayers for the coming World Council of Churches 10th General Assembly that will take place in Busan, Korea, from Oct. 30 to Nov. 8, 2013, your prayers that we will faithfully serve the God of love and unity as we work with other Korean churches to prepare this tremendous event, the theme of which is God of Life, Lead us to Peace and Justice.
May God’s richest blessing rest upon this denomination and the deliberations of this General Synod.
In Christian love,
Rev. Bae Tae Jin,
General Secretary,
Presbyterian Church in the Republic of Korea
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