Partner Church
Nestled in the beautiful Homorod Valley of the Transylvanian region of Romania lies the small village of Homoródújfalu. Here, about 100 families, primarily Unitarian and ethnically Hungarian, form a close knit agricultural community. Each household owns sheep and cows that pasture in the hills surrounding the village during the day, and return in the evening. Kitchen gardens abound and the village is surrounded by corn fields. While some villagers have found work in nearby cities, many of the young adults have left the village, and the elders remain to work the ancestral land for their livelihood.
UU Organizations working around the world to promote sustainable development:
Project Harvest Hope
Unitarian Universalist Partner Church CouncilHomoródújfalu Village Education Project
During our visit in 2001, we asked the villagers what would assist them and this Project was born. Since that time we have received a yearly list from their Education Committee of 10-19 students who could benefit from our help. The village school only goes through 4th grade. Students must attend 5th through 8th grade in nearby Okland, then must travel to, and board in, nearby cities for high school (if they pass the entrance exams). This costs a family from $250–$400 or more per year, and not all can afford it.
Our Board approved the establishment of a restricted fund for this Project and we have been gathering names of sponsors/donors. Will you join us in pledging your support in any amount? Visit the Partner Church Table for student information and a pledge sheet, or contact This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it , or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .
Some of the students we met on our pilgrimage in 2006 are pictured here. Their studies range from accounting to graphic arts, to agriculture and sociology, and teaching.
Homoródújfalu Frequently Asked Questions
How do you pronounce Homoródújfalu?
Home-awe-ru-doey-fah-lu.
Where is our Partner Church?
In a rural Transylvanian village in Romania, with whom we first had contact in the 1930's. The war years and the communist regime intervened. The partnership was revitalized in 1990 when Rev. Boeke and about 20 members of our choir stopped briefly in the village. It is the only church in the village and almost everyone is Unitarian.
Who are the people in this congregation?
These are ethnic Hungarians who are Romanian citizens, since this region was annexed to Romania after World War I. They are Unitarians by birth and tradition for over 400 years. There are approximately 100 families in this farming village. They raise sheep and cattle for milk and cheese and sustain gardens to feed their families. Some have jobs in neighboring cities, but most farm the land for their livelihood.
Who has been there?
After the brief visit in 1990, five of us (Anne Greenwood, John Tucker, Jim Burneo, Jay Hanks and Mary Pugh) went on the 1997 Project Harvest Hope tour, spending six days being hosted by village families. In 1998 our ministers co-led a second Project Harvest Hope pilgrimage and were accompanied by eight others who stayed with families. Bill and Barbara stayed in the minister's home, Rev Ilkei Arpad, his wife Judit and son, Szabolcs. We brought the Ilkeis here to visit us for 2+ weeks in April, 1999. That summer Karl Ruppenthal and David Barbour visited. In 2000 Donna Rolls, Karl Ruppenthal, Valerie and Eldon Wolf, Ken and Emily Duffy visited and attended the Rev. Kinga-Réka Zsigmond's wedding in nearby Homorodszentpeter. In 2001 Bill and Barbara Hamilton Holway led a delegation to celebrate the restoration of their church building in honor of it's 200th Anniversary. Anne Greenwood, John Tucker, Jim Burneo, Jay Hanks, Lois Atkinson, Roger and Marion Thompson, Craig Scott and Susan Toth joined them.
Read more: Homoródújfalu Frequently Asked Questions2010 Balázs Scholar
Róbert Bálint (2009-2010) is the fifteenth Transylvanian Unitarian minister to study at Starr King School in recent years. He is the minister in Mészkő, the Alabaster Village where Francis Balázs served. He also serves the small Unitarian congregation of Csegez. In addition to his theological studies, he has completed a degree in sociology at Kolozsvár Babes Bolyai University. He has been involved in the Unitarian youth movement, and worked with local social and charity organizations. With others, he has started the Balázs Ferenc Historical Preservation Project, designed to preserve and promote Francis Balázs's spiritual and material heritage. His wife, Réka is a forestry supervisor. They have two children.
For more information about the Balázs Scholars Program, please visit Starr King School for the Ministry.
