MLUC is proud to be partnered with the Várfalva Unitarian Church. Our partnership began in 1992 and continues to be renewed through visits and regular communication. In 2002, the members and friends of our church signed a covenant promising “to nurture a partnership based on friendship, respect, and mutual support.” For more information, contact Debby Smith (debbyssmith@verizon.net).
History of Our Partnership
In the late 1980s the Unitarian Universalist Association became increasingly aware of the desperate plight of Transylvanian Unitarians and the impending destruction of many of their churches. Finally, in early 1990—soon after Romania’s cruel leader, Nicolae Ceauşescu, died—a UU delegation was allowed to visit. As a result, UU congregations were invited to become partner churches in response to this political and economic crisis. MLUC became a partner with the Unitarian Church in Várfalva (called Moldovenesti by Romanians) in 1992. This small, rural, Hungarian-speaking village is nestled in rolling hills much like our countryside. During the next six years the partnership thrived on translated letters, holiday greetings, and small monetary gifts to the minister, Rev. Ödön Nagy, who served Várfalva from 1972 until his retirement in 2006.
In 1999, four MLUC members were greeted warmly with kisses on both cheeks by our friends who had waited years to finally meet us. By July 2024, almost a hundred MLUC ministers, members, youth, and friends had visited Várfalva. During this time, guests to MLUC have enriched our congregation’s experience with spiritual programs, historical information, and cross-cultural exchanges. Nine different Transylvanian Unitarian ministers and the Bishop have led services or spoken at MLUC, and the entire Kolozsvár high school choir performed here, staying overnight in our homes.
In the late 1980s the Unitarian Universalist Association became increasingly aware of the desperate plight of Transylvanian Unitarians and the impending destruction of many of their churches. Finally, in early 1990—soon after Romania’s cruel leader, Nicolae Ceauşescu, died—a UU delegation was allowed to visit. As a result, UU congregations were invited to become partner churches in response to this political and economic crisis. MLUC became a partner with the Unitarian Church in Várfalva (called Moldovenesti by Romanians) in 1992. This small, rural, Hungarian-speaking village is nestled in rolling hills much like our countryside. During the next six years the partnership thrived on translated letters, holiday greetings, and small monetary gifts to the minister, Rev. Ödön Nagy, who served Várfalva from 1972 until his retirement in 2006.
In 1999, four MLUC members were greeted warmly with kisses on both cheeks by our friends who had waited years to finally meet us. By July 2024, almost a hundred MLUC ministers, members, youth, and friends had visited Várfalva. During this time, guests to MLUC have enriched our congregation’s experience with spiritual programs, historical information, and cross-cultural exchanges. Nine different Transylvanian Unitarian ministers and the Bishop have led services or spoken at MLUC, and the entire Kolozsvár high school choir performed here, staying overnight in our homes.
Our Partnership Today
A vital goal of partnership is to enhance the church-to-church relationship by facilitating greater knowledge of the faith, customs, and homeland of our partners. Every group of travelers has made a presentation of their experiences. Our children have learned about our partners-in-faith and enacted historical plays.
The current minister of our partner church, Rev. Zsolt Barabás, was called to Várfalva in 2011 and shortly afterward a group from MLUC arrived to celebrate the 400th anniversary of the first use ever of the word “Unitarian”—which happened in Várfalva. After this visit there was a growing desire to bring our partners here for a first visit. MLUC collected enough funds to cover expenses for eight travelers, most of whom had never been in an airplane. This weeklong visit, in 2014, was a highlight of our partnership.
MLUC’s annual Partner Church Sunday service highlights our steadfast relationship. Partnerships between congregations around the world forge connections and build lasting relationships that strengthen each other’s faith, opening all of us to new vistas of understanding.
Our Partnership Covenant
In 2017 Várfalva and MLUC completed clarification and translation of a mutually created covenant signed by church leaders from both congregations.
We, the members and friends of the Main Line Unitarian Church and the Unitarian Church of Várfalva, covenant together to nurture a partnership based on friendship, respect, and mutual support. We will strive to remain connected over the great distances that separate us. We will communicate regularly as individuals and in small groups. We will have respect for differences in cultural and religious customs. We will support each other based on our shared Unitarian faith. We will strive to live up to our commitments in this growing relationship.
A vital goal of partnership is to enhance the church-to-church relationship by facilitating greater knowledge of the faith, customs, and homeland of our partners. Every group of travelers has made a presentation of their experiences. Our children have learned about our partners-in-faith and enacted historical plays.
The current minister of our partner church, Rev. Zsolt Barabás, was called to Várfalva in 2011 and shortly afterward a group from MLUC arrived to celebrate the 400th anniversary of the first use ever of the word “Unitarian”—which happened in Várfalva. After this visit there was a growing desire to bring our partners here for a first visit. MLUC collected enough funds to cover expenses for eight travelers, most of whom had never been in an airplane. This weeklong visit, in 2014, was a highlight of our partnership.
MLUC’s annual Partner Church Sunday service highlights our steadfast relationship. Partnerships between congregations around the world forge connections and build lasting relationships that strengthen each other’s faith, opening all of us to new vistas of understanding.
Our Partnership Covenant
In 2017 Várfalva and MLUC completed clarification and translation of a mutually created covenant signed by church leaders from both congregations.
We, the members and friends of the Main Line Unitarian Church and the Unitarian Church of Várfalva, covenant together to nurture a partnership based on friendship, respect, and mutual support. We will strive to remain connected over the great distances that separate us. We will communicate regularly as individuals and in small groups. We will have respect for differences in cultural and religious customs. We will support each other based on our shared Unitarian faith. We will strive to live up to our commitments in this growing relationship.
Our Partnership Covenant
In 2017 Várfalva and MLUC completed clarification and translation of a mutually created covenant signed by church leaders from both congregations.
We, the members and friends of the Main Line Unitarian Church and the Unitarian Church of Várfalva, covenant together to nurture a partnership based on friendship, respect, and mutual support. We will strive to remain connected over the great distances that separate us. We will communicate regularly as individuals and in small groups. We will have respect for differences in cultural and religious customs. We will support each other based on our shared Unitarian faith. We will strive to live up to our commitments in this growing relationship.
Visitors from Várfalva
MLUC hosted eight visitors from the Várfalva church in October 2014. The sign “VÁRFALVA SÉTANY—WALKWAY” in front of our church commemorates that visit.
Pilgrimage 2024
In July 2024, twenty-six MLUC members and staff enjoyed a pilgrimage to Transylvania, Romania, to explore the roots of Unitarianism. Travelers spent three days visiting with the members of our Partner Church in their homes in Várfalva . . .
Unitarianism and the Várfalva Church
The Várfalva church was the first in Transylvania to take the name “Unitarian,” not long after King John II Sigismund of Hungary issued the Edict of Torda in 1568, the first known guarantee of religious freedom in Europe. Transylvania, once a separate principality and later a region of Hungary, was ceded to Romania after World War I. The congregation of our partner church speaks Hungarian and retains their Hungarian culture.
Unitarianism traces its roots to 16th-century Transylvania. There, a theologian named Francis David converted the king and much of the population to a radical theology that espoused the oneness of God and the humanity of Jesus and held up reason and tolerance as the pillars of its faith. Our Unitarian brothers and sisters in Transylvania have suffered centuries of persecution that began after the death of King John II Sigismund, but they have kept their faith.
Today, some 60,000 Unitarians live in Transylvania. Many of their approximately 120 churches are paired with a UU partner church. Although their religious beliefs and church services are more traditional than ours, we all share some basic values and principles:
The villages, towns, and cities of Transylvania, an area about the size of the state of Indiana, are set in a lovely hilly and forested landscape. The people open their hearts and homes to their partners in faith from across the ocean. Many Unitarian families farm land that has been passed down for generations. They still struggle to recover from the effects of more than 40 years of rule by Communists, who oppressed all religious groups but especially Unitarians because of their Hungarian ancestry and their devotion to freedom of thought.
In 2017 Várfalva and MLUC completed clarification and translation of a mutually created covenant signed by church leaders from both congregations.
We, the members and friends of the Main Line Unitarian Church and the Unitarian Church of Várfalva, covenant together to nurture a partnership based on friendship, respect, and mutual support. We will strive to remain connected over the great distances that separate us. We will communicate regularly as individuals and in small groups. We will have respect for differences in cultural and religious customs. We will support each other based on our shared Unitarian faith. We will strive to live up to our commitments in this growing relationship.
Visitors from Várfalva
MLUC hosted eight visitors from the Várfalva church in October 2014. The sign “VÁRFALVA SÉTANY—WALKWAY” in front of our church commemorates that visit.
Pilgrimage 2024
In July 2024, twenty-six MLUC members and staff enjoyed a pilgrimage to Transylvania, Romania, to explore the roots of Unitarianism. Travelers spent three days visiting with the members of our Partner Church in their homes in Várfalva . . .
Unitarianism and the Várfalva Church
The Várfalva church was the first in Transylvania to take the name “Unitarian,” not long after King John II Sigismund of Hungary issued the Edict of Torda in 1568, the first known guarantee of religious freedom in Europe. Transylvania, once a separate principality and later a region of Hungary, was ceded to Romania after World War I. The congregation of our partner church speaks Hungarian and retains their Hungarian culture.
Unitarianism traces its roots to 16th-century Transylvania. There, a theologian named Francis David converted the king and much of the population to a radical theology that espoused the oneness of God and the humanity of Jesus and held up reason and tolerance as the pillars of its faith. Our Unitarian brothers and sisters in Transylvania have suffered centuries of persecution that began after the death of King John II Sigismund, but they have kept their faith.
Today, some 60,000 Unitarians live in Transylvania. Many of their approximately 120 churches are paired with a UU partner church. Although their religious beliefs and church services are more traditional than ours, we all share some basic values and principles:
- The use of reason in matters of faith
- Belief in absolute freedom of conscience
- Tolerance of differing opinions
The villages, towns, and cities of Transylvania, an area about the size of the state of Indiana, are set in a lovely hilly and forested landscape. The people open their hearts and homes to their partners in faith from across the ocean. Many Unitarian families farm land that has been passed down for generations. They still struggle to recover from the effects of more than 40 years of rule by Communists, who oppressed all religious groups but especially Unitarians because of their Hungarian ancestry and their devotion to freedom of thought.