Magyar News, 2002. szeptember-2003. augusztus (13. évfolyam, 1-12. szám)

2003-02-01 / 6. szám

In the nartex window a stainedglass Hungarian full crest is presented

Reformed Church in Bridgeport on Congress Street. Rev .Brunner and his congregation did everything in their power to help the Hungarians, including allowing the newcomers to use their sanctuary for worship. Because of this backing, the Hungarians could establish a congregation in November of 1894. It is striking the way this founding was recalled in the a bell, which would summon the faithful to worship, was acquired in 1899 through the generosity of the choir. So it was, that the congregation grew and developed. ”

This congregation, originally from Cherry Street in Bridgeport built a second church on Pine Street, then in 1954 the present third church on Clinton Avenue. It also established the Calvin Hungarian Church in Fairfield at the time when there was a sizable growth of the Hungarian community in that town. This new congregation prospered and after a good start built its own church, the Calvin United Church of Christ.

The development of the Hungarian Protestant community had one more accomplishment. This was a new church, as it is called today, United Church of Christ in Bridgeport. Forty parishioners of First UCC decided to establish a new Hungarian church, and asked the minister, who was leaving to Pittsburg, to stay and be the leader of the group. These people purchased an episcopalian church building, then later ventured into putting up a new brick building that had to be abandoned for technical reasons, and in the 1940s built the present building.

So we are talking about three Protestant churches in the same locality, a few blocks away from each other. This expansion was understood and reasonably justified. Just counting the children gives an idea of the number of parishioners. Sunday school numbered one-two hundred students, the summer schools even reached five hundred. Each church had their own schools. Today it is a far cry from what was then.

Today the problem is with the low numbers. The reasonable question now Page 2

is:”to be or not to be?” As far as the members of the churches are concerned, there are three categories; there are the every Sunday churchgoers who take care of the needed work and fundraising; the second category contain those who attend services occasionally, mostly on holidays; then there are the supporters who because of age or other reason cannot make it, or who moved out of the area, but still give contributions. What ever the holiday number comes to, the first category would be one third of it, on good days two third. As a rough figuring, if you take the holiday attendance and count the collection and donation, and add the money made by work done by a third or a half the numbers, it will total to less than $1000.00 per person. Naturally half of that would be the collection, and the other half the work. With all this the so called challenge in the budget, the amount that is missing to cover the expenses, would amount close to the amount provided by the collection, or if it sounds better, the money raised by the work. Besides the budget the congregation has to deal with unforeseen expenses, emergencies and the like.

All these churches would fit under the same hat, with give-and-take somewhat here, somewhat there.

One doesn’t have to be an Einstein to

There are several plaques and other presentations in both Hungarian and English languages

come to the conclusion that the force is in the numbers. If all the parishioners would support one church, then the “challenges” wouldn’t exist.

The possibility of merging the three churches came up recently. This wasn’t the first time that an effort was put into resolving a problem, that could be foreseen. Historically the First UCC and the Calvin UCC are like mother and child. On the other hand the relationship between the First UCC and the UCC in Bridgeport left some bad taste because of the latter breaking away.

What were the proposals for the merger? One was to merge First UCC and Calvin UCC. an other, to merge all three churches. The most outlandish idea was to sell all three churches and build a new one in a suitable place. This was supposed to eliminate bad feelings as “we don’t want to leave our church”; “this is our church, why should anybody come and tell us what, and how to do”; “our ancestors built this church and we kept it up, so if we die the church will die with us.” Being in a new church will eliminate all these problems. Well this didn’t go through. I left out remarks as “over my dead body”.

An other variation was to merge all three churches at UCC in Bridgeport. This sounded reasonable because this church could accommodate all the parishioners, and it is in relatively good condition.

Checking the idea of selling the church, all three have a different potential. The First UCC’s building is the most suitable the be converted to non religious use, for example to offices. Calvin UCC is basi-The Hungarian flag stands in the sanctuary next to the board that lists the hymns