Tribute: A Faithful Servant
A tribute to St. Dr. Ir. Leo AM Hutagalung, MSCE of HKBP Kebayoran Baru.
Author’s Note: The subject of this article is someone I know in my personal life and the ecclesiastical community he belongs to. I am happy to have been asked to write this article. Please enjoy.
Introduction
HKBP1 Kebayoran Baru is a church community that I am well-familiar with. It was the church my mother grew up in, it was the church that my parents got married in, and it was also where my uncle got married in - that last one is important to me because that was the earliest wedding that I remember.
Though I didn’t grow up going to that church2, nor am I a member of that church3, it’s a place that I have a soft spot for. Moreover, I have a lot of people in my social circle who are members of this ecclesiastical community.
This brings me to the person whom this article is dedicated to: St. Dr. Ir. Leo AM Hutagalung, MSCE.
Yes, there are a lot of titles attached to his name. But I want to focus on the “St.” part. No, my fellow Catholics, that doesn’t stand for Saint. Rather, it stands for Sintua, which is the Batak term for a ‘church elder’. The closest Catholic/Apostolic approximation to this would be a Deacon. But I don’t want to get too much into ecclesiology. The point is that he’s a very important person to the community.
And now, he felt that it was time for him to retire and step back for those of the next generation to pick up his mantle. So he did. On Sunday, 18th of August 2024, Dr. Ir. St. Leo Hutagalung was no longer an active Sintua, having retired. Now he is a Sintua Emeritus.
There lies the challenge.
A Challenge for HKBP Kebayoran Baru
The Batak place a lot of value in family and lineage; and perhaps they have to since the Batak has a large diaspora all over Indonesia and even abroad. When Bataks talk about their families and where they came from, it’s easy for outsiders to get lost. It’s one of those things that had to be instilled from early childhood. And the HKBP plays a part in maintaining Batak ethnic identity in the melting point known as Jakarta.
To get a full understanding of what I am about to write, I attended the HKBP service the Sunday in which Mr. Hutagalung retired from his position as Sintua.
The problem: which service?
This question exists because there are two services: the Batak-language service and the Indonesian-language service. And they are both performed at the same time but in different parts of the church building.
Naturally, I attended the Batak service.
I understood nothing.
Okay, I lied exaggerated. I actually understood some things, but only because I bothered to ask my dad what was going on. And I’m glad that I did, because the little tidbits that my dad told me was actually very helpful.
In his sermon, the pastor, Pdt. David Farel Sibuea, talked about artificial intelligence. Why? I have no idea. Thanks to the language barrier, I grasped little of the sermon. That said, I knew he talked about domestic issues of the modern-day. He remarked on how women these days can’t cook anymore and because of delivery apps, there isn’t any incentive to find wives who can cook. Instead, a man can just order things from GoFood4.
In addition to this, he touched upon an important issue: the fact that no one (and by that, I assume he meant no young person) speaks Batak anymore. And one can see that this is the case since there are two services: the Batak service in the main building and the Indonesian service in the backroom.
Understanding Sintua
The reason I highlighted the issues of HKBP Kebayoran Baru is not to criticize but rather to highlight the role of Sintua.
After the service, the church held a dedication party in honor of Mr. Hutagalung’s service to HKBP Kebayoran Baru. Many from the community spoke in praise of the the now Sintua Emeritus. The praises given to Sintua Leo Hutagalung include:
A Sintua who is not afraid to criticize (seseorang Sintua yang berani kritis)
Has dedication and integrity (punya dedikasi dan integritas)
Twenty years of service
People learn a lot from him
Very knowledgable, especially in law
Good with music
Let’s address the first one: a Sintua who is not afraid to criticize. By this, I assume this meant he is not afraid to call out the other elders of the community, or maybe even the pastor himself. This is good because it is important to be able to criticize your leaders, not to tear down but to let them know that the community is on the wrong path.
Of course, criticism should go both ways. Leaders must also be willing to criticize his flock, to exhort them to morality.
This is why I brought up the issues I saw with HKBP Kebayoran Baru. I am by no means an expert. Furthermore, I am an outsider looking in. I do not presume to tell the people of HKBP Kebayoran Baru what do. But since I have been asked to write this article, I want to be honest with what I saw.
In order to solve a problem, you must admit that there is a problem. More importantly, you must know what the problem is. But to do that, you need someone with integrity. Which brings me to the next point...
As a Sintua, Mr. Hutagalung was said to be a man with dedication and integrity. This is no small praise. Someone who is dedicated in his craft will do whatever is necessary to realize his vision. But someone with integrity will make sure that his vision aligns with what is best for his organization.
Now let us move to the next subject: Sintua Emeritus Leo Hutagalung had served as Sintua of HKBP Kebayoran Baru for twenty years. Twenty years is a long time. It made me think of another Emeritus, a more famous one, the late Pope Benedict XVI. The late Holy Father was Pope for eight years before he resigned and became the Pope Emeritus.
But let us go back to the Sintua Emeritus, Leo Hutagalung. With twenty years of service under his belt, this should mean that Mr. Hutagalung knows a lot about the ecclesiastical community he serves. This is true, as Mr. Hutagalung have been praised as someone who is very knowledgable. Indeed, the younger people, including his fellow elders, have learned a lot from him. One example of his great wealth of knowledge is in law.
As for me, I can attest for myself his knowledge in other areas. I learned of this when my dad forward me the messages Mr. Hutagalung sent to him over WhatsApp on what it means to be a Sintua. And it’s very comprehensive. It covers the philosophy of what it means to be a Sintua, and his duties. It even covers the duties of a Sintua Emeritus.
Personally, what really struck out to me was this message:
Filosofi Sintua adalah jabatan PRIMUS INTERPARES, dipilih dari yang setara, maksudnya: diajukan oleh jemaat sektor, dipilih yang terutama dari yang utama…
My rough translation:
The philosophy behind being a Sintua is that it’s a position that is PRIMUS INTERPARES, chosen amongst equals. Meaning: those who take on this position must be submitted to it by the congregation, chosen from the first amongst the first…
I love the Latin term used here: primus inter pares. In English, this translates to ‘First Among Equals’. Maybe I’m just someone who is easily impressed by Latin, but that is a very esoteric term. It was used by the Romans in reference to the Emperor in relation to the Senators. In Christianity, it is how the Eastern Orthodox see the Pope. Needless to say, it’s not a term you see every day.
Finally, Sintua Emeritus Leo Hutagalung is a man who is good with music. Apparently, he can play the piano and is a good choir singer. This is always a good thing. You know who else was good with music? King David.
Conclusion
Not many of you should become teachers, my fellow believers, because you know that we who teach will be judged more strictly.
James 3:1 (NIV)
Regardless of denomination, life in service of the Lord is fraught with peril. Those who take this path will be judged with greater severity than those who don’t.
Based on what I know and what others have said of him, Sintua Emeritus Leo Hutagalung is a man who understands the weight of his responsibility. Not only that, he rose to the occasion to tackle the challenges that HKBP Kebayoran Baru had faced in the years he was in service as a Sintua.
But as HKBP Kebayoran Baru enters its 73rd year of its existence, there are many challenges to be faced. As Sintua Emeritus, Dr. Leo Hutagalung will no doubt still play a part in navigating this church community through the rough waters ahead. However, the younger men must also continue his work.
As Sintua Emeritus Hutagalung is now passing the torch, it is up to the next generation of Sintua to pick it up.
Short for Huria Kristen Batak Protestan in Indonesian, or “Batak Christian Protestant Church” in English. It is a Protestant Christian denomination with a Lutheran orientation.
Growing up, I mostly attend a church that I would classify as ‘evangelical’.
I’m a Catholic.
That’s the Indonesian equivalent to DoorDash for the Americans reading this.