29 April 2015 | Pécel, Hungary [Róbert Csizmadia, tedNEWS] On Friday, 23 April 2015 a document entitled ‘Joint Declaration on Settling the Past and Building a Common Future’ was signed between the Seventh-day Adventist Church and the KERAK Community in Hungary starting the process of healing the 40-year schism.
At first, they organised themselves as an underground church and afterwards as an official one still keeping an Adventist identity, with a hope that they can eventually re-join the church. KERAK, Christian Adventist Community, was formed 25 years ago and the separation seemed to grow stronger in the following years.
As a result, the community of the Seventh-day Adventist churches grew more and more sceptical about the possibility of unification and any serious negotiations ceased about fifteen years ago. However, this has all changed in the recent years.
The declaration signed on Friday signals a significant turning point in the life of the Hungarian Church. The document lists the Biblical imperatives about unity and forgiving and it also contains mutual apologies. Both sides commit themselves to build a future together in order to fulfil the mission God entrusted to His church. This is a very encouraging moment and the church is filled with hope that 40 years of schism will end and that several hundred of our brothers and sisters will join the Adventist Church with their congregations and pastors.
However, there will be challenges in the near future, especially when it comes to building a strong spiritual and emotional unity after this long period of misunderstandings and enmity. But we have a hope, that God, who ‘in Christ was reconciling the world to himself, not counting people’s trespasses against them’1 will lead this process, as we have seen Him working up until now.
‘I praise God for His grace in bringing both communities to the foot of the cross where Christ-like forgiveness, healing and love have taken over minds and hearts,’ comments Raafat Kamal, President of the Trans-European Division. ‘Over the past two years, I personally witnessed first-hand genuine expressions of reconciliation by members and leaders alike. Christ is coming soon and He is uniting our Adventist believers in Hungary to be of one mind in focusing on the mission to be the salt and light. I believe that God is preparing the way where the trickle of what our members do in Hungary in His name become a flood of blessings,’ concludes Kamal. [tedNEWS]
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tedNEWS Staff: Miroslav Pujic, director; Deana Stojkovic, editor
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