The Transylvanian Partner Church Committee carries our social justice commitment across 6,000 miles to Homoródújfalu, a small village in Eastern Europe. The oldest community of practitioners of a Unitarian approach to religion lives in Transylvania, part of the Hungarian-speaking minority of present-day Romania.

UUCB is one of many UU congregations with a long-established relationship with a Transylvanian church. We make pilgrimages to our partner church village every few years, and help support their students. Our mission: We endeavor to join with our partners in faith in Homoródújfalu to exchange the stories of our lives, to deepen our faith, to share our learnings and resources in order to support each other’s dreams.

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.

The Partner Church Committee’s principal activity is supporting students from the village through our Village Education Fund. The school in the village only covers the primary grades, and middle schoolers must go to the next village for their classes. The nearest high school is thirty kilometers away. While tuition is free, room and board are not, and so it is our contributions from UUCB that allows students from Homoródújfalu to continue their education.

How can you help? Gifts of $100 or more are especially helpful, and gifts in any amount are greatly appreciated. Some members give $400 each year to support a student. Your gift may be made by a check payable to UUCB, with “Village Education Fund” on the memo line. You may also donate by credit card on the church website through Pay Pal. Click the red “Give Today” banner in the upper right corner of the screen and follow the instructions on the next page marked “To Make a Special Contribution.” Consider an automatic monthly donation. $35 a month would provide that $400 for a worthy student and cover our administrative costs as well.

The UUCB Partner Church Committee is partnered with UU Organizations working around the world to promote sustainable development.

Want to learn more about gates and scholars and the work of the Partner Church Committee? Contact Stephanie Ann Blythe or Anne Greenwood. We meet on the fourth Thursday of each month at 3:30 p.m. All are welcome!

You can find more of our story on the UUCB History webpages.  The history of our partnership with Homoródújfalu and stories about our pilgrimages to the village can be found there. You can view video of our 2006 trip at https://youtu.be/qrBjnCHHocE.