Magyar Hírek, 1986 (39. évfolyam, 1-26. szám)
1986-01-29 / 2. szám
ret after but a short tenure when he followed a call to Chicago early in 1898. The congregation asked the Reverend Elek Csutoros from Berettyóújfalu in County Bihar to fill the vacancy. He immediately began to put new heart in a congregation that had felt the discouragement of being left to their own devices. The example of his family life, the fire of his preaching and his untiring organizing work not only restored hope to souls in a short time, but also swept his brethren with him. At that time large members of Hungarians flocked to the New World in search of a better life, and many thousands settled in Cleveland. The small timber building of the First Church proved too tight. It was shifted to the back of the lot and converted to serve as a school and hall, and the congregation built a new church of stone, at the time the largest Calvinist Church in the U.S.A. With pomp and ceremony and to the rejoicings of the congregation the new church building was consecrated and opened in May 1904. The thirteen years of Elek Csutoros’s ministry were the golden age of the first phase of the history of the First Reformed Church. The Rev. Sándor Tóth was the next minister. He stayed for eleven years. He went out to minister to the largest Hungarian congregation in America in 1911, as a young man of 27. His youth was the reason why he had to pay a dearly for his experience. The split in the Church was one of saddest episodes of the whole history of the First Church. The antichurch was completed on 126th avenue in August 1915. Following a call to fill the vacant position of Hungarian teacher at the Franklin Marshall College in 1922, Sándor Tóth resigned to take up his new appointment. The Rev. Dr József Herczegh started on the job early in 1923. For many years before his arrival a desire to shift the centre of activities had been present. The general meeting at last resolved on the 3rd April 1932 that the building committee led by Imre Király, teacher, begin the construction O the building of the Education Centre. The new building complete with the beautiful Bethlen Hall was soon ready. The inauguration ceremony was held on the 11th of December 1932. But the wave, which reached its crest at that time with the building of the Education Centre, unfortunately began to flatten out again. One o the consequences of this decline was the gradual and ultimately complete deterioration of Calvinist Church discipline. The other symptom evidenced itself in the non-recognition of the psychological nature, just needs and role of young people, and in the patently unsuccessful ministering to the needs of the young. The consequent heavy loss almost completely buried the future of the congregation. The most visible consequence of the decline was that the long-awaited, promised, dreamed of and so many times planned Great Church, the vessel, which would hold the new life, just could not get built. In June 1947 Dr István Szabó, the writer of these lines, took over the ministry. He made the building of the Great Church his first task. The whole of the congregation lined up behind him. The big family of the Church followed its leader like one man. On the Sunday of Labour Day, the 4th of September 1949 four thousand people gathered to take part in the consecration ceremony of the Great Church. The Great Church was declared an Architectural and Historic Monument in 1977 because of its “architectural excellence, historic significance and cultural importance.” It is the only Hungarian building in America, which won this distinction. The Church celebrated the 90th anniversary of its foundation with nation-wide publicity on the 18th of January 1981. During the thirty six years of my ministry Dr József Piri, the church warden, shared his burden, offering invaluable service for twenty-five years. The future of the First Church — and of all American Hungarian Churches — is now in the hands of people, whose Hungarian roots are deep, whose family bonds are strong and Calvinist faith is undaunted. Only with such people — and by the grace of God — will we live to see the notsodistant centennary and sing even then in our dear mother tongue our ancient hymn: “We put our trust in Thee!” Dr ISTVÁN SZABÓ CLEVELAND HUNGARIAN-AMERICANS PROUD OF HUNGARY George Shultz in Budapest The American Secretary of State, George Shultz has made an official visit to Hungary — as a part of his European tour. Mr Shultz arrived in Budapest on 15 December and had official talks with his Hungarian counterpart, Péter ’’árkonyi. Both sides pointed out the importance of the Soviet — American summit held in Geneva. They agreed that further efforts are needed for the improvement of the world economy. Mr Shultz was received by János Kádár, General Secretary of the Hungarian Socialist Worker’s Party and György Lázár, the Hungarian Prime Minister. The Secretary of State held a press conference on 16 December in the Atrium Hyatt Hotel and said: — G.S. — Hungarian relations are progressing in a satisfactory way. We don’t have major problems. We would like to see trade expand to a greater extent. The cultural exchange is moving and in process . . . The correspondent of the Hungarian News, Gábor Kürti, asked about the role of the Hungarian-Americans: Q : — Mr Secretary, according to the last census held in the United States, there are 1.7 million ethnic Hungarians in the United States and half a million of them speak Hungarian. How do you see their role in relations between the United States and Hungary ? Perhaps they serve it as some kind of link or bridge between the two countries, promoting better understanding of the governments and peoples? A : — I think you make a very good point about the existence in the United States of people from many different countries and in this case an important group from Hungary. On the one hand, the Hungarian-Americans have made very significant and important contributions to life in the United States, and we appreciate that. On the other hand, they also most generally have an interest in and the pride in, Hungary, and so they call it to our attention. And I think it is undoubtedly helpful. It wasj interesting to hear our current ambassador to Hungary, Mr Salgo, as we were coming out—I think it was of the National Museum — there he pointed out a sort of a garden nearby, and said that when he was a child in school, he used to play in that garden. And I think it’s no accident that he is here, and that he brings a special understanding and affection, and has been the agent, I think, for a genuine improvement in our relationships, so you have put your finger on something very important with your question. • Studying in English and German at Hungarian universities It was opening day for the College Europa in the beer gardens of a hotel in Buda. This is a programme arranged by the Saint John Catholic University of New York. What the prospectus promised young men and women of eighteen to twenty-four were unique opportunities for study at a price one and all could afford, intellectual effervescence, and new depths of knowledge. Food and drink were not neglected but what interested the eighteen young Americans in the first place was the faculty: what were those people like who would award the twelve to eighteen credits they expected to obtain in their Budapest term. They could thus discover that the faculty consisted of scholars, economists and theologians of the front rank who would lecture in English. Study trips to neighbouring countries would be undertaken as well in their charge. Professor Alan Seeger, the coordinator, said : “There were a number of reasons why we chose to work our European term from Budapest . We have long felt that American schools offered too little information about countries where the political system differed from ours. We don’t really know them and, let me note, they don’t know us either, and the courses we hold here are a step towards greater mutual familiarity. The cost, $ U.S. 8.000 is not too high since it includes not only tuition costs but also all travel costs, including local trips, and full board and lodging. Teaching arrangements were made by the Institute of Post-Graduate Engineering Studies of the Budapest University of Technology. Others involved in organization are MALÉV Airtours and the Danubius Hotel Chain, not to mention Thomas Vagi, President of New York Learning International, who acted as travel coordinator. Budapest is likely to be the centre of the Saint John’s College Europa. It is not, however, unprecedented. Attila Horváth, the Head of the Institute of Post-Graduate Engineering Studies of the University of Technology, has pointed out that students from abroad have studied in Hungary for many years now, and that there has been growing interest recently in complete courses of training, a couple of terms, or post-graduate courses lasting months or weeks. A term of mathematics studies, arranged by the University of South Carolina, with Professor Trotter in charge, is recent news. The Hungarian professors of mathematics all lectured in English to them. At three Medical Schools, German at Budapest, and English at Pécs and Szeged. Courses are held in English at the Budapest University of Technology and in Russian at the University of Agriculture in Gödöllő.” "In what direction will the use of foreign languages as languages of instruction at Hungarian universities be further developedf” “There will be more scope for partial training, a full package, including tuition, board and lodging etc. Thus the medical faculties of universities in the Federal Republic of Germany already allow those who completed their first two years of pre-medical training, in Hungary to continue their studies there. A similar arrangement exists with the New York Medical College. That is after two preliminary years in Hungary, students can continue and complete their studies in America.” ISTVÁN BALÁZS 29
