 Although
the First Hungarian Reformed Church of Los Angeles was
officially founded on August 1, 1926, it was actually
in 1924 that the first attempts were made to organize
a Hungarian church in Los Angeles. Reverend István Csépke
had come to town that year to organize a Hungarian Reformed
congregation. At that time, there was already the Hungarian
newspaper the Californiai Magyarság, the Hungarian Soccer
Club and a Hungarian Workers Group - but no Hungarian
church. Reverend Csépke brought 125 Reformed hymnals
with him, held worship services, but for whatever reason
was not encouraged by the results. After s short time,
he departed Los Angeles, but left the hymnals with Mihály
Pedéry, and agreed to let them be used by those who came
after him. These 125 hymnals became the foundation for
what was to come.
 In
the summer of 1925, an official with what is now the United
Church of Christ, Dr. Edward Evermeyer, encouraged a young
Magyar seminarian - Albert Hady - to visit Los Angeles.
Albert Hady came from from Szatmármegye and had only been
in the US only about 5 years. Albert Hady came to Los Angeles
from Buffalo, New York and began scouring the LA area for
Hungarians. He attended the Los Angeles Hungarian Soccer
Club meetings, the Worker Group meetings, looked for Hungarian
names in the phone book, and extended invitations to Sunday
Worship services to all Hungarians he met.
At
the end of the summer, the young seminarian had to go back
to school. Encouraged by the attendance at the services
organized by the young Albert Hady, János Décsmán, a former
Elder from the Hungarian Reformed Church of Buffalo, now
living in Los Angeles with his wife and daughter Ilonka,
decided with 42 Magyar individuals to petition what is
now the United Church of Christ Home Mission Board to help
them establish and sustain a Hungarian Reformed Church.
Along with that request, they also asked the Home Mission
board to entrust Albert Hady with the Pastoral position
as soon as he finished his seminary studies. Meanwhile,
the congregation made Albert Hady promise to return upon
the completion of his studies. The Home Mission Board granted
both requests in January 1926, and in June, degree in hand,
Albert Hady returned to Los Angeles and to the people he
had left behind.
On
Sunday August 1, 1926, after a celebratory Sunday Worship
- Ünnepi Istentisztetel után - the First Hungarian Reformed
Church of Los Angeles was officially founded. In going
through the old First Church yearbooks, we learn something
about the day`s services. On that day, Reformed, Catholic,
Lutheran and Hungarians of other faiths came together to
sing - "Örül mi szívünk, mikor ezt halljuk: A templomba
megyünk, Hol Istennek Szent Igéjét halljuk." The congregation
rejoiced and Albert Hady encouraged them - "Érezzétek és
lássátok meg, hogy jó az Úr!" Afterwards, 42 people - "egy
szívvel, egy lélekkel" - proclaimed the founding of the
First Hungarian Reformed Church of Los Angeles. János Décsman,
the former Elder from Buffalo became the Chief Elder. A
Women`s Guild, a Bible Group and a Youth Group, the Church
Newspaper and a Choir were quickly established.
 Although
the congregation spent their first four years meeting in
an American church, the First Church bought its long-time
home at 1101 West Florence Avenue in April of 1930, where
they remained until 1987. The first Hungarian newspaper
in California (founded in 1922) - the Californiai Magyarság
- dedicated its Friday April 11, 1930 issue to the First
Hungarian Reformed Church of Los Angeles, proclaiming "Templomszentelési
kiáltvány!" on the headline, in celebration of the anticipated
blessing ceremony of the First Church`s new building, which
was held on Palm Sunday, April 13, 1930. Dr. Edward Evermeyer
conducted the English portion of the worship, Reverend
Hady prayed a blessing, and a guest, friend and classmate
of Reverend Hady`s from Lancaster, Reverend Antal Szabó
conducted the Hungarian portion of the worship. In honor
of the occasion Ilonka Décsmán sang a solo and Duci Kerékjártó
played the violin. The Church Choir sang "Az egyhának a
Jézus a fundamentuma" - the foundation of the church is
Jesus.
 And
the church grew. With the regular westward migration of
Hungarians seeking to escape the hardships of the Great
Depression in the Eastern United States, political difficulties
in Hungary before and after WW II, the Revolution of 1956,
and also with the addition of second and third-generation
Hungarians, there were regular changes to the make-up of
the congregation. The constant element was the strong foundation
of faith in God. In the 1941 Yearbook Reverend Hady writes
that "Isten dicsőségére dolgozhatunk..." Let us work to
the glory of God. In the 40 Year Anniversary Book, Reverend
Antal Szabó writes: "Akik tagjaivá lettetek ennek a gyülekezetnek,
azok egy testvéri közösségbe kapcsolódtatok bele, akik
vérségi egymáshoz való tartozásnál szorosabban egybekapcsol
a közös hit, a közös származás, a közös emberi végzet.
Kezdetben bármannyire is idegeneknek éreztétek magatokat
az uj hazában, itt nem vagytok idegenek, itt testvéreket,
barátokat, lelki otthont találtatok. Ha sok volt a munka
és a küzdelem, ha sok volt az áldozat, nem volt hiábavaló,
mert általa olyan kincseket szerezhettetek, amiket nem
rozsda, sem moly meg nem emészthetnek." In part, he writes
- "In the beginning you may have felt like strangers in
your new country, but you are not strangers here at this
church. Here you have found brothers and sisters, friends
and a spiritual home..."
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