WHITING, INDIANA
The Hungarian Reformed Church of Whiting, Indiana

Address:
1927 Indianapolis Blvd.
Whiting, IN 46394

Tel:(219) 398-3063

Pastor: Rt. Rev. Koloman K. Ludwig
Tel:(219) 931-4321
email: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Chief Elder: Magdalene Bajzatt
Tel:(269) 659-4011

Established 1919

The history of the Hungarian Reformed Church of Whiting begins with the establishment of the Hungarian Reformed Church of South Chicago in 1898, established by the earliest Hungarian Reformed peoples in the area. As more Hungarian Reformed people came into the East Chicago - Hammond - Whiting area, the East Chicago church was established in 1907, and what was later to be the Whiting congregation moved their membership to this closer church building. By 1918 the Whiting congregation had formed itself as a community of worshipers, and on the nineteenth of March, 1919, the congregation was officially established, and purchased the German Lutheran Church building. Dedicated to the worship of the Lord on the 10th of August, 1919, this building remains our house of worship today.

While the Hungarian Reformed Church was in the main comprised of Hungarian nationals who immigrated to the United States from "Felvidék" (Slovakia) and "Kárpátalja" (Ukraine), it was not exclusively Hungarians who made up the congregation. From early on a portion of the Whiting congregation was Slovak, both in culture and in mother tongue. These brethren had an opportunity to worship in their mother tongue at a local church, and did indeed take advantage of the opportunity, but soon felt their calling to the Reformed understanding of service to Jesus Christ was more important than language, and that the brotherhood of the Reformed culture was more impelling than any linguistic divisions, so in December of 1927 the Slovak Reformed renewed their affiliation by once again worshiping in the Hungarian Reformed Church building together in their own language, and on the 12th day of July, 1934, they rejoined the Hungarian Reformed Church of Whiting as a group, remaining faithful and active members of the congregation from that time on.

Several of the ministers had Slovak language abilities, and served the Slovak-speaking members in their own language. Between 1958 and 1981 Rev. Dr. Arthur A. Ludwig, pastor of the neighboring Indiana Harbor congregation, provided these services for numerous special occasions.

In 1934, major modifications and renovations were begun on the Whiting church building, and these were completed in 1935. The building was raised four feet higher off the ground, the basement was made one foot deeper, and the building, which had, until this time, been a wooden structure, was enclosed with brick.

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.

Being a relatively small congregation near Chicago brought with it mixed blessings. The Chicago metropolitan area has over 16 accredited theological seminaries, and most of the later ministers who served here only stayed for the duration of their seminary studies. While this meant that there were always persons willing to come to Whiting, "new blood" with fresh ideas brought by enthusiastic young student-ministers, a negative result was that there was a loss of continuity, and on occasion the needs of the congregation were secondary to the career plans of the minister. The congregation was a training ground for young ministers, but lacked continuity of ministry, pastoral care and church leadership. Over the years the congregation had not made needed repairs to the church building, so between 1975 and 1981 over $100,000.00 was raised and spent for major renovations of the electrical system, foundation, insulation and care of the facility, which had succumbed to the deteriorations caused by age. In 2002 nearly $30,000.00 was invested in a new roof. The congregation continues to renew and remodel our house of the Lord when its members see that this will enhance our worship and service as our Lord calls us.

Like many other congregations, the personal success of the original members have brought about difficulties in sustaining it's membership. Situated on Lake Michigan with Chicago to the northwest and East Chicago to it's east, Whiting is totally surrounded by the heavy industry of steel mills and the oil and chemical industry.

Most of the members were employed at Standard Oil of Indiana, Whiting being an "oil town" with the largest refinery in the world until a catastrophic explosion and fire in 1956 brought about major changes. As a benefit of the accident, Standard Oil was able to modernize the facility with the insurance benefits it received. This "instant modernization" meant that in 1961 all employees hired since 1949 were laid off, and this facility became the most modern, and least labor-intensive oil refinery in the world. Concurrently, the success of parents allowed their children to attend school and relocate to other parts of America, following employment opportunities in less-industrial, higher paying locations. As in other industrial areas, the new immigrants to the area were not European, but in this instance from the southwest of the United States, mostly of Hispanic ancestry. Thus new membership opportunities declined with the success of the "American Dream" being realized by both the original Hungarian immigrants and the later immigrant waves.

The congregation faced a very difficult decision in 1999: it was faced with the prospect that it's building and land would be bought, perhaps against the wishes of the congregation, for an economic "urban renewal" project, as it is situated on a major thoroughfare. After several meetings and much deliberation and prayer, the membership vowed to continue at another house of worship should this occur. While this unwelcome development did NOT come about, the discussions and self-examination resulted in renewed spirit within the congregation, so that participation by the current membership, including giving, increased, as well as the blessing of new non-Hungarian, non-Reformed members coming to our congregation drawn by the life and fellowship they found. With the closing of the Indiana Harbor congregation, we were blessed with six new members who transferred their affiliation to Whiting in 2001, strengthening our work and revitalizing our Ladies Aid, which was sparked by one of our newcomers from another denomination. 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.

Consistory

Chief Elder Magdelena Bajzatt
Assistant Chief Elder Elizabeth Salas
Secretary Sylvia McClelland
Treasurer Steve Visnyai
Controllor Ernest Salas

Ladies Aid

President Linda Spurlock
Secretary Zora Ludwig
Treasurer Mary Ann Snyder
Organist Margaret Augustine

MINISTERS OF THE CHURCH

Nt. Virág István 1919-1922
Nt. Mircse Sándor 1922-1929
Nt. Garay Gero 1929-1941
Nt. Antal Árpád 1941-1943
Nt. Kecskeméthy József 1943-1945
Nt. Egry László 1945-1946
Nt. Horosz Béla 1946-1947
Nt. Malasics József 1947-1962
Rev. Dr. Károly Szabó 1963-1964
Rev. Dr. Zoltán Füle 1964-1965
Rev. Leslie Borsay 1966- 1969
Rev. Dr. Laszlo Medyesy 1969-1974
Rt. Rev. Koloman K. Ludwig 1974-

Rt. Rev. Koloman K. Ludwig, Pastor