[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 127 (Tuesday, September 16, 2003)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1789]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  HONORING THE 100TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE CALVIN UNITED CHURCH OF CHRIST

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. MARCY KAPTUR

                                of ohio

                    in the house of representatives

                      Tuesday, September 16, 2003

  Ms. KAPTUR. Mr. Speaker, after a decade of trying, Calvin United 
Church of Christ was officially organized. Thus, 2003 marks the 100th 
anniversary of the congregation, and I am pleased to recognize this 
milestone in Toledo's Hungarian community's history.
  As Toledo's Hungarian neighborhood grew toward the end of the 
nineteenth century, Reverend Eiek Csutoros of the Cleveland Reformed 
Church held the first church service for Toledo's Hungarian Protestants 
in 1893. In 1898, 45 Hungarian Protestants came together to discuss the 
formation of an Hungarian Reformed Church. Reverend Csutoros, serving 
as an advisor, recommended they join Reformed Church in the USA. In 
1901, the Toledo Hungarian Reformed Church was officially recognized as 
a member of the Tiffin East Ohio Classis. The church's first leaders 
were John Nagy, John Jakesy, Julius Simon, Gabriel Bertok, Stephen 
Molnar, and John Takacs. The church, still at its original site, was 
purchased for $1,225.00. After a rocky two years and with the 
installation of pastor Stephen Harsanyi, the present church was 
constructed and a congregation of 284 founding members was established. 
Many of the first names are still recognizable in the congregation 
today, generations later.
  The following decades brought growth to the church, with the 
organization of a Sunday School, Ladies' Aid, Boys Athletic Club, 
Cherub Choir, and Youth Organization, building expansions including a 
parsonage, educational building, and hall, and increasing service to 
the neighborhood. Services were preached in both English and Hungarian, 
as the congregants' ties to Hungary remained strong even while they 
established themselves in the United States.
  The recorded history of the church notes its difficult beginnings, 
describing the ten year journey to bring the dream of a dedicated band 
of believers to fruition, explaining, ``The beginnings were not easy, 
there were many obstacles in the way. The history of our church reads 
like a novel; filled with pathos, drama, laughter, on the brink of 
defeat, then triumphant.'' Those early pioneers never wavered from 
their goal of worshiping in communion with each other, and they were 
guided by the words of Luke 1:37 that ``With God, all things are 
possible.'' Calvin United Church of Christ stands as a monument to the 
perseverance and faith of its founders and all who have come after 
them. It tells of the struggle and success of people who achieved 
though starting with humble means. As our community celebrates the 
centennial year of Calvin United Church of Christ, we watch the 
century's story pass in review, but turn to the future with hope and a 
renewed sense of dedication. Onward!

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