Calvin Synod Herald, 1977 (77. évfolyam, 1-12. szám)
1977-07-01 / 7-8. szám
REFORMÁTUSOK LAPJA 5 Religious Education in the Hungarian Reformed Churches in the US.A. (Continued from the March-April Issue.) B. Worship Services for Children In the small towns and villages in Hungary,- the children were a part of the regular Sunday Worship Service. In the larger congregations they had not only Sunday Schools, but Worship Services oriented for young people. In this country, following the Sunday School hour, the children attend the regular morning Worship Service. When English Worship Services were introduced in this country, about twenty years ago, youngsters enrolled in the Sunday Schools, first went into the Church and attended a fifteen minute Worship Service which included a children’s sermon, prayer and hymn singing after which they left for their regular Sunday School session. In a few congregations, this practice is still in use today. In large congregations, separate Worship Services were held for the children. The Free Magyar Reformed Church of Perth Amboy even prepared and published a special liturgy for Children’s Services. Most congregations today do not have separate Worship Services for the children, but the pupils attend regular Sunday School sessions and attend the regular Worship Services, which can either be English or Hungarian. C. Saturday or Weekend School While the Sunday School was used entirely for religious education, the Saturday School taught other courses also, along with religious training. This school was also graded just as the regular Sunday School was, but the teaching was on a higher level. In the Saturday School they taught the Hungarian alphabet, and reading and writing in Hungarian. Since the Sunday School was entirely in Hungarian, this course was a prerequisite for enrollment. All the lessons and hymns were taught in Hungarian and the puipls had to learn the alphabet, reading and writing. Pupils in the Saturday School consisted of children from the congregation but was open to other children also. The staff of the Saturday School was on a professional level since the minister and qualified teachers were used. This was on a higher level then the Sunday School where others also came to teach. Since the classes were large, strict discipline was enforced and the atmosphere was not as relaxed as in the Sunday School. There was a certain amount of work that had to be covered and absorbed, and it was hard work both for the pupils and the teachers. The children were divided into groups respective to their classes in public school and also according to their advancement and ability. Many lessons had to be committed to memory, but the lessons were learned. Special books were prepared for the Saturday School and contained the following: Hungarian alphabet, reading material, poems, literature, history, geography, as well as prayers, Bible stories and selections from the history of the Hungarian Reformed Church. The books were either published here in the United States or were regular textbooks of the parochial schools of the Reformed Church in Hungary. There was also a book published by the Hungarian government for use in foreign countries The Saturday Schools played a most important role in preserving the national and religious heritage of the churches. A child with the Saturday School education was able to return to Hungary and fit in with the systems in the schools and churches. The time and effort put forth in this education was not in vain for it equipped our second generation with a thorough understanding of our Hungarian background and they became Americans proud of their Hungarian forefathers. D. Summer Schools The first Hungarian Summer School was held in Bridgeport in 1897. The Summer Schools usually lasted two full months and were the actual backbone of our Hungarian and Reformed religious education. This summer training which met regularly each day, was most important in our church life. The other advantage was that the children were kept busy during their summer vacation from public school and kept them off the streets. The student body was the same as in the Saturday Schools with a qualified staff and good teaching methods. The school year ended with a public examination in each subject in front of the whole congregation. Usually a. religious or secular drama was also presented with the children singing folk songs and hymns. Following the examination, there was a picnic and music for singing and dancing. The lesson material for religious education was graded according to the different age groups. The course included Old and New Testament Bible studies, history of the Christians and Hungarian Reformed churches, polity and life of the mother church, prayers and hymns (choir). The textbooks were prepared either by the Reformed Church in Hungary or here in the United Staets by ministers. In the first and second period of Hungarian history in the United States, the language of the students was Hungarian, but for the past twenty years it is English. In the third period, the Summer School was divided into a two week Daily Vacation Bible School and a two week Hungarian Summer School. Now with church membership on the decline, it is only the larger congregations that are able to hold
