Bethlen Almanac 1997 (Ligonier)

Kálvin Egyházkerület

For some time the Whiting congregation shared a minister with the South Chicago congregation, but the South Chicago church building had succumbed to age, and could not be renovated. On the 18th of December, 1940, the South Chicago church was disbanded, its members going either to the Burnside, Chicago Hungarian Reformed church, or coming to the Whiting church. The assets of the South Chicago church came to the Whiting congregation, including the pulpit which today stands in the Whiting church.

Over the past years the congregation has not made major changes in the church building, but continues to renew and remodel our house of the Lord when the members see that this will enhance our worship and service as our Lord calls us.

Over the years the Hungarian Reformed Church of Whiting has found many ways to be of service to the Lord, trying to accomplish His work as it has best understood His calling. As His people, this congregation will continue to seek the guidance of the Lord, looking for opportunities of service in whatever way the congregation is called. This includes providing a gathering place for the older members of the community for occasional fellowship and recreation, regularly supporting coordinated efforts in the community in assisting the poor, regularly helping the homeless through donations of needed clothing, and other activities which, we hope, will bring to life Christ’s message. We were privileged to help in sponsoring the young lady from Transylvania, part of the Western Classis project last year, and it was through the Whiting Congregation that we paid for her air transportation to the United States. The Whiting Congregation also assisted in the costs associated with the young lady receiving the treatment she needed while in the United States, and with the cost of the up-todate hearing aids.

Many of the congregational members who came to Whiting were drawn by the employment opportunities in the oil refineries of Standard Oil, the largest in the world, and the surrounding steel mills and other related industries. Here they were able to work, raise families, and provide opportunities which made the uncertainties of a new country appealing enough so that they left home. These opportunities afforded most of their children the avenue to leave the industrial area following school, and relocate in other jobs throughout the country. However, Whiting remains a wonderful place to live, with old fashioned homes, renovated old-fashioned street lamps, a downtown everyone walks to. In fact, many newcomers to the area come to Whiting to visit and end up moving here because it is, in fact, a European village in the shadow of Chicago, less than 3 miles away.

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