ECCB Synodal Council guest of the Reformed Christian Church in Slovakia

The church leaders of the ECCB and the Reformed Christian Church in Slovakia (RCKS) met in the eastern Slovak city of Košice on 19^th and 20^th October 2013. This meeting, already the third one of the leadership of both Churches, was dedicated to an intense exchange of experiences. The ECCB delegation, led by Moderator Joel Ruml and Lay Moderator Lia Valková, reported on the discussions within the ECCB following the passing of the law on the restitution of church property and the financing of Churches in the Czech Republic in the coming years. This law, which aims at a completely government free and independent funding of Churches, presents a big challenge, both in view of the structure of the Church as well as with regard to the financing of Churches. The RCKS Delegation, led by Bishop László Fazekas and Lay Moderator Vince Fekete, reported on the development of the relations between the Hungarian majority and the Slovak minority in the RCKS, still a major challenge for all involved. Other topics included the cooperation of both Churches regarding the training of pastors for both Churches.

There was also a wonderful concert in the RCKS Church on the program, in addition to the talks, to which different groups contributed. Moderator Joel Ruml preached on Sunday in the Hungarian-language service and his deputy Pavel Kašpar in the Slovak-language service. The program was completed by an interesting guided tour of the old town of Košice. Important for the visit were also the informal conversations in which both sides noted that the two Churches have much in common when it comes to joys, problems and challenges. This includes the issue of secularization, which affects also the Churches in Slovakia.

Gerhard Frey-Reininghaus