Magyar Egyház, 1969 (48. évfolyam, 1-12. szám)

1969-10-01 / 10. szám

10

MAGYAR EGYHÁZ

MAGYAR

CHURCH

TRENTON CHURCH 75 YEARS OLD

The Trenton church is the oldest congregation of the Hungarian Reformed Church in America. Although the Hungarian Reformed Christians of Trenton organized first the socalled Church and Sick Benefit Society in 1894, this year can be regarded as the founding year of the church, too. The dream and final goal of the members of this society was the organization of a congregation and the building of a church. The society was like an unorganized congregation. In the same year they invited the Rev. Gábor Dókus to conduct a worship service and administer the Lord’s Supper at Christmas. The church was officially organized and the first church council was elected in 1895 under the pastorate of their first regular minister, the Rev. Gusztáv Jurányi. Under the next minister, the Rev. Ferenc Csámfordi, the church was built (1899). In this same year, we find another minister in the church, the Rev. Stephen Virág.

Shortly after the church was organized it affiliated with the Reformed Church in America, a Protestant body of German origin. Unquestionably, this American Church helped the new congregation in many ways. About this time, however, the Reformed Church in Hungary decided to take up the care of the newly organized Hungarian congregations in America. A representative of the Reformed Church in Hungary, Count Joseph Degenfeld, visited the new congregations and made them understand that in order to preserve the traditional Hungarian Reformed Church government and the purity of the Hungarian Reformed religion they should belong to the Mother Church in Hungary. Our Trenton church realized this truth and decided to join the Mother Church. However, the Reformed Church in America was reluctant to release our church with the church property from its communion. Finally, through a court order, our church regained the ownership of its property and joined the Mother Church. All this happened in 1909 when the church had again a new minister, the Rev. Sándor Vajó. His stay in the church was very short. In 1910 the Rev. Geza Korocz arrived in the congregation from Hungary.

Since the church was built in 1899 the congregation grew rapidly with new immigrants. In 1903 they had a church bell and bought the house beside the church to be the parsonage. Congregational life grew in depth and intensity. Sunday School, Ladies Aid Society and other activities were flourishing. The necessary equipment of hymnals, church coverings, even a small organ was donated by faithful church members. During the pastorate of the Rev. Korocz the congregation became so populous that the church had to be enlarged to accommodate the average 450- 500 worshippers at the Sunday morning and afternoon services. The enlargement of the church and the building of a new parsonage in the place of the old one became a reality in 1916 and 1917. Our present expensive pipe organ was installed in 1924.

As the result of the First World War, the Reformed Church in Hungary was unable to take care of the Hungarian congregations in America any further. The Mother Church in Hungary, therefore, advised the congregations to join an American Protestant denomination. Our Trenton church, however, decided to become entirely independent, relying on the faithfulness and generosity of the church members. On July 21, 1923 the council meeting of the Trenton church made a historic proposal to all those Hungarian congregations which did not join any American denomination. The proposition was to create an independent denomination, the Free Hungarian Reformed Church in America. Although this idea was born in Trenton, yet the Free Hungarian Reformed Church, which today is the Hungarian Reformed Church in America, was organized in Duquesne, Pennsylvania, in 1924. Our Trenton church joined it only in 1928.

The Rev. Géza Korocz spent 18 years in Trenton. As an eloquent preacher and a true pastor who constantly taught and nourished his congregation, he had written his name in the history of the Trenton