Balazs Scholar visits Meadville Lombard

Endre and Eva Nagy Explore America and American Unitarian Universalism 

Endre and Eva Nagy (right) visited the Meadville Lombard campus for a few weeks earlier this month.  Endre serves as the full-time minister at the Gyergyozentmiklos fellowship and the Csikszereda church in the Szelyudvarhely District of Transylvania. Endre and his wife Eva are visiting the United States after Endre was selected as the Balazs Scholar at Starr King School for the Ministry for the 2008/2009 academic year.

The Balazs Scholar program is supported through donations from individuals, congregations, and the Partner Church Council, as well as honoraria and special collections from churches where the scholars speak and is intended to encourage families to stay together. In Endre's case, this includes his wife, Eva, who is as thrilled as Endre for the opportunity.

Through the program, Endre took courses last Fall at Starr King and the GTU, and will continue when the Spring semester begins. He and Eva were able to travel during January and sought an opportunity to be in fellowship with the Meadville Lombard community. This is the first time either Endre or Eva has travelled to the United States. They have been able to visit Unitarian Universalist churches around the Bay area in Northern Califorinia, and as well as Texas, Colorado, New York and Massachusetts. Endre has several more trips to churches throughout the United States planned in the remainder of the academic year. He says these trips, which have been possible through home hospitality and the generosity of different congregations, have allowed him to participate in and witness the variety of styles at the different Unitarian Universalist churches. The experience has been rich, said Endre. "I have seen a lot of the faces of American Unitarian Universalism, of American society."

"We've gotten to know the United States through the families we have stayed with," Eva echoed. "It has been such an insight."

It has been especially interesting to both Endre and Eva to have been in America during the last political campaign. "The real self of a society shows in crisis," says Endre. "These have been tough times, but America is finding the resources within itself that were not used for some time." Endre says that he has watched from the outside and noticed America realizing that the resources it needs to renew society have been there all along.  "It has been interesting to watch how your presidential campaign became a social movement," he added.

Besides seeing the different sides of America and American Unitarian Universalism, the trip to the States has allowed Endre to learn a new way of preaching and to further his interest in liturgical studies as well as how music is used in worship services.

Eva is a second-year doctoral student in theater studies and works as a Theater Director back in Transylvania. She is taking a break from her studies, but is also taking as many opportunities to be a part of American theater. While in Chicago, she arranged to have dinner with other Meadville Lombard students with theater backgrounds, as well as with the Rev. Dr. John Tolley, who holds a Ph.D. in Educational Theater. This spring, Eva is planning a reading performance by members of the First Unitarian Church of San Francisco of a play written by a contemporary Transylvanian writer.

Endre sat in on classes offered at Meadville Lombard this January. He was in Rev. Dr. Lee Barker's class, Tools for Overcoming Your First Congregational Hurdles, and said it was a very helpful class for him. "It was practical information," he said, "but Lee also brought out the spiritual grounding for how you make the decisions you will have to make in a congregation. It was new to me, and interesting to hear how all the congregations in America can be structured in so many different ways."

"I'm convinced that there is more to study, more to learn, and these experiences have offered an opportunity to enrich my ministry in ways I wouldn't have had at home.  It is one of the luckiest things," said Endre.

Both Endre and Eva expressed what a blessing this time in America has been for them and how grateful they are to have the opportunity. They will stay in America at least through June, when they will attend the General Assembly of the Unitarian Universalist Association.

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Contact:
Tina Porter tporter@meadville.edu
(773) 256-3000 ext. 236