Evangéliumi Hírnök, 1997 (89. évfolyam, 1-11. szám)
1997-03-01 / 3. szám
8. oldal MICHAEL KORNYA AN APOSTOLIC HERO BY BÉLA LDVARNOKI * THE FARM HAND Baptists of the world know very little - if they know anything at all - about a Hungarian Baptist layman whose “apostolic” work between 1875 and 1917 is unparalleled in the history of the European Baptists. Considering the religious circumstances in those years: intolerant Catholicism, jealous established Protestant churches, close contact between state and churches in Hungary, the work, the achievement of this apostle is unique even among the worldwide Baptist fellowship. The membership of the Hungarian Baptists in 1918, before Transylvania was occupied by Romania was 23,000. No foreign missionaries, no foreign financial help went to Hungary before the end of the first World War. That the number of Baptists reached 23,000 was due in a great measure to the New Testament evangelistic method introduced and applied by Komya. This number of 23,000 will be more outstanding if we compare it with the latest statistics of Baptists in other European countries, where the Baptist work was started about the same time, or even before Komya’s time with much financial aid and personnel assistance. Here are some data from 1981 taken from the March, June-July issues of THE COMMISSION: Czechoslovakia 3,978; France 3,125; Italy 4,135; Poland 2,539; Spain 7,674. A study in depth of the “whys” and “hows” concerning the rather slow progress of Baptist work in the above countries and the more advanced movements in Romania (160,000 Baptists) and Hungary would perhaps point to useful suggestions that could be applied for the mission work in the named areas. It is admitted, not without some remorse, that Hungarian Baptists should take the blame for the fact that Baptists of the world do not know Michael Komya, and were denied the inspiring story of this modem apostle. Baptists of Hungarian extraction and background will find this brief story of this extraordinary man not only something to be proud of but also will be * Booklet, published by the Hungarian Baptist Union of America, 1983., pp.16. Double anniversary: Michael Komya (1844-1911) Béla Udvarnoki (1897-1992) constrained to give thanks to Almighty that at the end of the 19th and the beginning of the 20th century such a man existed. Christians everywhere will learn that no education, ordination can enable a man to serve Christ, as much as His calling - not to be a “preacher”, a “minister”, but just a faithful witness. Komya was an apostle, literally an emissary, to go to the “villages” and tell the people: repent ye! The first and so far the only biography of Komya was written by a Hungarian Baptist historian, Bertalan Kimer. Kimer’s own life story is an interesting one. As a Calvinist minister he was involved in questionable practices for which he had to leave the ministry. After his conversion he joined the Baptist church, never again seeking office in the church. He took upon himself two tasks: to witness about the new life in Christ and to research the Anabaptist work in Hungary. He wrote several books about the Anabaptists living in Hungary in the 17th century. During his travels, meeting with elderly Baptists his attention was drawn to the great peasant apostle, Komya. He extended his research to the life and labor of M ichael Komya and published his findings. His work, a 206 page book, appeared in the 1950’s; but because the author failed to procure printing permission, the book was confiscated by the communist authorities. A few copies, however, escaped the searching effort of the police. In 1964 Rev. George Balia, an American Baptist minister, while visiting Hungary and Transylvania found a copy of Kirner’s book, brought it to America and by photo-offset method reprinted it. This book is the main source of the present writing. 1997. március Michael Komya was bom February 22, 1844, in Nagyszalonta. His name was listed in the Reformed Church birth registry. By this act, according to the existing law, he became a member of the “reformed” (Calvinist) church. This town is in the western part of Romania today. Before 1918 it was a part of Hun - gary. Nagyszalonta is a Hungarian town. Kornya’s father was a farm worker, poor, as those people were at that time. Young Michael, after finishing the compulsory grammar school, followed his father’s foot-steps, worked on the farm as a hired hand. Michael was a teenager when his father died. From then on he had to earn his daily bread. At the age of 23 he married a maiden 18 years of age, Maria Pataki, and by this time he was able to manage his own life by share-cropping. Economically he was on his own. His youth was spent in hard work. Komya’s first contact with Baptists was in 1874. A Baptist, Michael Toth, invited him to a meeting in the home of John Lajos, where according to Toth a man will hold interesting Bible exposi - tion. The “Bible expositor” was a layman, a Bible colporteur, Antal Novak. This was the first time Komya heard the message concerning salvation, the call for repentance and about the Biblical way of life and manner of baptism. The plain, yet forceful Bible message pleased him. He also bought a Bible and from then on he studied, not only read the Word of God. This “study” became Komya’s seminary education. In 1875 he was baptized by a German minister Heinrich Meyer. It took about a year’s study of the Bible for Komya to come to the conclu - sion that a man must repent, give his heart to the Saviour, and then witness before all his friends and neighbors about the change in his life wrought by Christ. For Komya, as his life story proves, baptism was a milestone whereby he abandoned the old way and started a new life road. It was a change from a religion of indifference to a life of service. Man belongs either to the power and ruler of sin or he belongs to Christ. Belonging to Christ is working in Christ’s field - just like he, Komya, worked as a share-cropper in his employer’s field. This is a simple and prac - tical theology and religious education. Any ministerial education, which misses this basic point, will fail to convey the design that was in Christ’s mind. (To be continued)
