[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 150 (2004), Part 14]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 18639]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                     HONORING 100 YEARS OF HISTORY

                                 ______
                                 

                      HON. RODNEY P. FRELINGHUYSEN

                             of new jersey

                    in the house of representatives

                     Wednesday, September 15, 2004

  Mr. FRELINGHUYSEN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the Hungarian 
Presbyterian Church, in the Borough of Wharton, Morris County, NJ, a 
vibrant community I am proud to represent. On October 3, 2004, the good 
citizens of Wharton are celebrating the Hungarian Presbyterian Church's 
100th anniversary.
  The first idea of a Hungarian church in Wharton was initiated in 1904 
by a small group of Hungarians who had recently come from Hungary and 
were anxious to hear the Word of God in their native language. Before 
they had their own sanctuary, two local churches allowed them to 
worship there.
  The church was completed 2 years later, and a thanksgiving service 
was held on September 16, 1906.
  For the next 20 years, the congregation was served mainly by 
theologians from Bloomfield Seminary, but on March 1, 1926, Reverand 
John Dezso accepted the call and served the church with dedication and 
distinction for almost 30 years. In addition to preaching, he was 
responsible for maintaining the Hungarian culture. Some of the present 
congregants still remember the little poems, songs, and verses they had 
learned as children from Reverand Dezso.
  Until the 1950s services were only conducted in Hungarian, but the 
children of the immigrants as well as some of the spouses requested 
English services as well, and the church has been bi-lingual ever 
since.
  Perhaps the most devastating time for the church community happened 
on January 2, 1982, when some young people broke into the church and 
set it on fire. Fortunately, the Wharton and Mine Hill Fire Departments 
responded quickly, and because the fire was contained, the building was 
saved. However, the interior of the church was destroyed. Thanks to a 
lot of hard work and the inspirational leadership of Reverand Ernest M. 
Kosa, the church was rebuilt in 10 months. The church community 
celebrated with a service of Thanksgiving.
  The Church Community is very thankful for their present pastor, 
Charles Olah, CLP, Certified Lay Pastor, who conducts services every 
Sunday in both English and Hungarian. Without him and their wonderful 
congregation, they would not be able to do the great job that they do.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge you and my colleagues to join me in 
congratulating the Hungarian Presbyterian Church on the celebration of 
its 100 years serving the western part of Morris County.

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