Calvin Synod Herald, 1996 (96. évfolyam, 1-6. szám)
1996-05-01 / 3. szám
CALVIN SYNOD HERALD 7 AMERIKAI MAGYAR REFORMÁTUSOK LAPJA the immigrant congregations in its effort to gain some type of American fianncial aid; the climate of suspicion in the United States and the financial instability of the Hungarian-American congregations, an independent synod was considered impractical. As the awareness spread among the immigrant pastors that an independent synod presented more difficulties than solutions and because they wanted to limit the control that the conventus would have in how the option of affiliation would be carried out, several congregations in the east independently explored the possibility of a union with The Reformed Church in the United States. The Western Hungarian Classis selected two pastors, Alexander Kalassay and Endre Sebestyen, to represent the Classis at the 1919 meeting of the Pittsburgh Synod of the Reformed Church in the United States. This meeting passed a favorable resolution which recommemnded that The Western Hungarian Classis be received into the Pittsburgh Synod as soon as it can be regularly dismissed." It was further recommended that a joint committee be formed with representatives from teh Eastern Synod, which also had a sizable number of Hungarian congregations within its geographical jurisdiction. Upon being approached, the Eastern Synod agreed in principle with the Pittburgh action, with one additional provision, that "these churches should be received as congregations in the Classis of the Eastern Synod accordign to their geographical locations." The joint committee was commissioned to open discussions with officials in Hungary as soon as possible. The petitions of the two synods of the Reformed Church reached Hungary later that year. A touch of irony was introduced when it was discovered that the conventus executive assigned to handle the petitions was the same Count Degenfeld who was instrumental in separating the Hungarian congregations from the Reformed in the United States in 1904. Count Degenfeld was probably chosen to represent the conventus because he firmly believed that a resumption of ties between Hungary and the West, especially the United States, was in the United States, was in Hungary's best interest, he also reflected the growing belief within the government and the conventus that the two Hungarian- American classes should be released into the care of the Presbyterian Church. Because of this inclination Degenfeld did not reply immediately to the petitions. Working against him, however, was the fact that the majority of the immigrant congregations did not wish to be affiliated with teh Presbyterian Church. Count Degenfeld's response was to try to buy time so that the full pressure of the conventus could be utilized to persuade the pastors that the conventus knew best. He therefore requested that a delegation of Hungarian pastors travel to Hungary for further discussions. Count Degenfeld's request for a meeting caused a stir among some of the Hungarian-American congregations. First, those few remaining pastors that continued to favor an independent synod saw that the issue of the disposition of the two Hungarian classes was far from decided. This encouraged them to believe that their plan might still have a chance. Immigrant leaders like Alexander Kalassay, who favored union with the Reformed Church, now had this new development to deal with along with the Presbyterian union issue. Because of the turmoil set loose by Degenfeld and because of a need to arrive at some kind of unified strategy and position among the Magyar pastors, Zoltán Kuthy called for a meeting of the Eastern Classis pastors, including those advocating independence, in January 1920 in Passaic, New Jersey. The best that the pro-Reformed Church pastors could achieve was a compromise resolution. This resolution stated, in part, that the "Eastern Classis requests the General Conventus to end the official ties with its American congregations and to approve the plan of said church to organize an independent Hungarian Reformed Synod. After having been organized, this synod may seek affiliation with an American denomination if it be the wish of its congregations" While not a victory for the pro-Reformed Church advocates, the passaic resolution did imply that once the congregations achieved independence they could, if desired, seek union with the Reformed Church in the United States. Afteer winning this small victory, the next hurdle that the Magyars would have to overcome was the attitude of the Reformed Church's Board of Home Missions. The sticking point was how both sides defined the new relationship. For example, Rev. Louis Nanassay, on the Hungarian-Americans' side, understood that the relationship would be a union that guaranteed a degree of autonomy. Dr. Charles Schaeffer of the Board of Home Missions offered a different interpretation. He expressed the long-standing sentiment held within the Reformed Church leadership, that union between the two groups would be the first step in the ultimate Americanization of the Hungarian congregations. As the discussions which would lead to an agreement between the immigrant conngregations and the Reformed Church were in progress, the General Conventus continued to pursue its proposal that its American charges join the Presbyterian Church. The interest of the Hungarian government and conventus were expressed by their special representative to the United States, Janos Pelényi. During a visit to America in February 1920, Pelényi had meetings with officials of the Presbyterian Church. An agreement was sought whereby the conventus would release its American congregations to the Presbyterians in exchange for aid to Hungary. While in the United States Pelényi also had meetings with numerous Hungarian pastors in an effort to explain the position of Count Degenfeld and the conventus. The pastors were informed that if their congregations would agree to join the Presbyterian fold, they would receive immediate release from the conventus. (to be continued in our next issue)
