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Unitarian Mission House – The Bartók Béla Unitarian Congregation

Church and Cultural Center

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History:

From 1921, Gábor Csíki was elected as the district minister. As a district minister, Gábor Csíki was responsible for the spiritual care of Unitarians who had fled from Transylvania and resettled in Budapest. In 1921, Gábor Csíki traveled to England ans U.S.A., where he introduced the idea of establishing a Unitarian Mission House, modeled after similar institutions abroad. The following year, he established contact with an Anglo-American committee that took an interest in the fate of Unitarians in Transylvania and Hungary. They purchased a building at 3 Rákos Street (now Hőgyes Endre Street) for the purpose of establishing the Mission House. The British and Foreign Unitarian Association covered the cost of the building. The net income generated from the property was allocated to support the Hungarian Unitarian mission. Part of the building was converted into a worship space, a clergy residence was created, and the remaining space was divided to accommodate Transylvanian refugees, provide student housing for university and college students, and establish church offices. The building was handed over to the Hungarian Unitarian Church as a foundation, with the stipulation that it would fulfill the designated missionary purposes. The Mission House served Unitarians living in districts IV, VIII, IX, and X of Budapest, as well as those in rural areas.

The blueprint for the church was designed by János Gotthárd Jr., a Unitarian architect. In 1927, Gábor Csíki raised 4,980 pengő in the United States for the benefit of the Mission House. In 1928, construction began within the building to create the church as it is known today. The church and the congregation hall were inaugurated on February 10, 1929.

The leadership and management of the Mission House were overseen by a committee. Its lay president was Dr. Jenő Nyiredy, a retired university professor. From 1923 onward, the secular director of the Mission House was Dr. Gábor Mikó, a treasury chief advisor. The Mission House became a center for worship services, religious and moral education, congregational life, and mission work extending across the entire country. The building housed the Dávid Ferenc Association, the Women’s Association, and the Youth Association, which organized lectures, gatherings, and social events. Additionally, accommodation and meals were provided for several young people and university students who had relocated from Transylvania.
From 1928 until his retirement in 1953, Gábor Csíki served as the minister of the Mission House. His successor, István Pethő, served in this role until his retirement in 1966. Between 1966 and 1993, Márton Bencze was the congregation’s minister, during which time he also held the positions of chief notary and later bishop until 1997. Between 1993 and 2000, the minister was József Kászoni.

The Budapest Unitarian Congregation functioned with a presbytery and leadership, but with two churches: the one on Nagy Ignác Street and the Mission House on Hőgyes Endre Street. This structure remained in place until 2001, when the congregation officially split, forming two independent congregations around the two churches. At an extraordinary general meeting held on October 29, 2000, the Budapest Unitarian Congregation elected Csaba Rázmány as minister for the Hőgyes Endre Street church; he had previously been the minister of the Pestszentlőrinc congregation. On February 3, 2001, the Synod of the Hungarian Unitarian Church elected Csaba Rázmány as bishop, and he was consecrated on June 10, 2001, at a synod meeting.
On May 14, 2001, the Presidency of the Hungarian Unitarian Church officially divided the Budapest Unitarian Congregation. According to this decision, the church at 2-4 Nagy Ignác Street served districts 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 12, 13, 14, 15, and 16, while the church at 3 Hőgyes Endre Street served districts 8, 9, 11, 21, 22, and 23. The already existing Pestszentlőrinc church on Szervét Mihály Square served districts 10, 17, 18, 19, and 20.

With this, the independent congregational life surrounding the former Mission House and church on Hőgyes Endre Street began to take shape. The first step was to name the new congregation: it was named the Bartók Béla Unitarian Congregation, with the naming ceremony taking place on September 22, 2001. On September 30, 2001, following the autumn thanksgiving service, a general meeting was held where the congregation elected its warden and leadership. At the same time, the congregation accepted the appointment of Sándor Léta as associate minister. Thus, the Budapest Bartók Béla Unitarian Congregation began its independent congregational life with two ministers and newly elected leadership.