Magyar News, 1994. szeptember-1995. augusztus (5. évfolyam, 1-12. szám)
1994-11-01 / 3. szám
I Above: The "Basement Church." To the right: The present church building with the Bessemer Center in the back Below: The first wood frame church building of the new congregation. After fifty years serving as pastor of the church, Reverend Boszormenyi-Bessemer, developing a health problem, resigned. It was Reverend John Butosi whom the congregation elected as the new pastor. Reverend Butosi came from the Norwalk church where he served for seventeen years. He worked hard on paying off the mortgage and expanding the church’s involvement in the local community. He was a member of the Ethnic Council, President of the International Institute, advisor to the Hungarian Scholarship Committee, and as was Reverend Böszörményi he served as Bishop of the Hungarian Synod. Today the church is free of mortgage and other loans. Even though the size of the congregation became smaller, the spirit of the parishioners remained strong. After Reverend Butosi retired, difficult and hard times filled the life of the church. Substitute ministers, and interim ministers like the Lukacsis were hired, then Reverend Alexander Fuleki was elected. By this time the congregation was plagued with opposing opinions and was marred with rumors. It seemed like good intentions couldn’t help and the bad situation was probably aggravated by politics. In the process many sides added to the confusion with sometimes unavoidable mistakes. Still, the congregation is together, holding up and hoping to find a new pastor. During this time Reverend Bettsy Reed brings the message of the Lord on Sunday and prepares the confirmands with their studies. Reverend Leila Havadtoy was also able to help out for a few months. Many ideas could be entertained to find a solution. Bilingual Hungarian ministers are very scarce. Just in our local area this church and the one in Norwalk are without a minister. The Calvin UCC recently was able to elect Reverend Bela Poznan from New York. Another idea was to merge some of the churches. Though open to the idea, it never materialized. Sharing a minister doesn’t seem to be the road to travel. Maybe a strong emphasis on the American mainstream with the awareness and nurturing of the Hungarian culture might be the way to go. (If somebody could define this in a usable way). At this time the religious faith and the respect for the founding fathers and their tradition give strength to this congregation. May God bless them all. page 5 I
