For the first time in Los Angeles...

For the first time in Los Angeles history, Hungarian-American Christians will worship together at a major ecumenical service led by Roman Catholic, Reformed and Baptist clergy.

The occasion is the celebration of the Hungarian national holiday of St. Stephen’s Day on Aug. 16.

The 2:30 p.m. service will be at St. Stephen’s Roman Catholic Church, named for Hungary’s first monarch, who gave Hungarians statehood and Christianity in the 11th Century. The Rev. Zoltan Vass, pastor of the Hungarian Reformed Church of Hollywood, will deliver a sermon on the past and future of Hungarian-Americans in Southern California.

Vass, 37, said the recent succession of a new generation of young pastors at Hungarian churches in the Southland created “a big change in attitude, theologically and socially” that made it possible to hold an ecumenical service.

The Rev. Joseph Novak, 33, of the American Hungarian Baptist Church of Alhambra, agrees. “Theologically speaking, there are differences,” said Novak, “but we can all celebrate our nationhood and thank God for Stephen’s place in history, which introduced Christianity into Hungary and established the church.”

The clergymen agree that the situation in Bosnia-Herzegovina and reports of Serbian-run detention centers there cast a shadow on the festivities. Vass pointed out that many ethnic Hungarians living outside Hungary, such as in Yugoslavia or Romania, have suffered persecution. According to the Hungarian Consulate, at least 500,000 Hungarians live in Serbian territory along Hungary’s southern border.

Vass estimates that 70,000 Hungarian-Americans in Southern California maintain close ties with Budapest and the local Hungarian community. He said this is measured by use of language, participation in local Hungarian events and organizations and travel to Hungary.

All the denominations try to maintain ethnic cohesiveness and instill a sense of Hungarian history and culture in the younger generation.

Seminarian Thom Sebastian, who works at St. Stephen’s, said the church has more than 1,000 parishioners, most of whom do not live near the South-Central Los Angeles church. They travel from as far away as Palm Springs and Las Vegas to worship at St. Stephen’s a few times each year. Some Orange County parishioners make the trip weekly, and have not been deterred by the riots. “These are people who have been through riots, war and detention camps (in Europe) and are not easily scared off,” he said.

To maintain cultural continuity, St. Stephen’s, under the direction of Father Hermann-Joseph Rettig, offers language and culture classes on Saturdays. Rettig, 35, is a member of the Norbertine order, whose abbey in El Toro has many older Hungarian members who are refugees from religious persecution, Sebastian said. “The kids really enjoy the classes. They are very proud of their past. Almost all of them go to Hungary--some once a year, others once every few years,” he said.

The Hungarian Reformed Church of Hollywood tries to provide continuity between generations by offering bilingual Scout troops, in addition to Hungarian-language worship services and English-language Sunday school for youngsters.

“We try to help youngsters know who they are, where they came from and how to take pride in their own identity and that of their immigrant parents,” he said.

Beyond the generational differences in the Hungarian community are social and political disparities, said Maria Fenyes, editor of the weekly newspaper Californai Magyarsag. Many of the more recent immigrants--who came to the United States after 1956--were educated and of the upper- or upper-middle class, unlike earlier war refugees. The mix of these immigrants and the ethnic Hungarians from other European countries makes for a hodgepodge of political views, she said.

The differences among them makes the coming together of the community for an ecumenical service even more remarkable, she said.

Among those scheduled to participate are the Rev. Sandor Szabo of the Free Hungarian Reformed Church of Ontario, the Rev. Balint Nagy of Grace Hungarian Reformed Church in Reseda and Bela Bonis, administrative pastor of First Hungarian Reformed Church in Hawthorne.

After the service, congregants will gather for traditional Hungarian food and dance, and a greeting from the consul general of Hungary, Andras Marton.

St. Stephen’s is at 3705 Woodlawn Ave., Los Angeles. Call (213) 234-9246 or (213) 930-0807.

CEREMONY

A plaque was dedicated on the University of Southern California campus July 28 recognizing the founding of the school in 1880 by the Methodist Episcopal Church.

The ceremony, attended by 35 guests, was led by resident Bishop Jack M. Tuell in one of his last official acts before retirement.

The plaque is embedded in stone beneath the trees near the university’s administration building, where life-size masonry figures of notable Methodists John Wesley and Bishop Matthew Simpson stand.

USC President Steven B. Sample said: “This plaque underscores USC’s historical ties with the Methodist community and reminds us of our roots and the important role the Methodist Church played in our founding.”

GRANTS

Three grass-roots organizations working to train community leaders, broaden economic opportunities and fight drugs and crime in South-Central Los Angeles have been named recipients of $22,500 in grants from the New York-based Jewish Fund for Justice.

Concerned Citizens of South-Central Los Angeles, which received $7,500, has worked to improve city services to the community and create a community development plan. The Community Coalition for Substance Abuse Prevention and Treatment, which received $10,000, is a coalition of churches, drug treatment programs and civic groups that promotes alternatives to law enforcement in addressing the drug crisis. The Coalition for Women’s Economic Development, which received $5,000, assists low-income women of color to become self-sufficient through self-employment.

For information about the Jewish Fund for Justice, call (212) 677-7080.

DATES

Holman United Methodist Church will hold a special vesper service at 6 p.m. Aug. 16. The Holman Choir will sing Robert Ray’s “The Gospel Mass.” The address is 3320 W. Adams Blvd., Los Angeles. (213) 731-7285.

The Alliance of Humanist, Atheist and Ethical Culture Organizations of Los Angeles County Agnostic will celebrate the birthday of the 19th-Century essayist and free thinker Robert G. Ingersoll with a picnic at noon Aug. 16 at Roxbury Park in Beverly Hills. There will be free food, games, races and a songfest. The location is Olympic Boulevard at Roxbury Drive. (310) 271-9989.

CONFERENCE

More than 1,500 people are expected to attend the 17th Annual Conference on Alternatives in Jewish Education, which takes place Aug. 16-20 at USC. Educators, artists and lay leaders from six countries will explore teaching methodologies, study, sing, dance and debate issues facing the community. To register or volunteer call (213) 653-9653.

PROGRAMS

Eastmont Community Center, founded by the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in 1967 after the Watts riots, and St. Alphonsus parish have created a summer youth program for Eastside Los Angeles children from low-income households. They receive free breakfast and lunch, take trips to the mountains and beach and learn crafts and games. The Eastmont Center also offers adult literacy programs and after-school enrichment programs for children at risk of failing in school. For information, call (213) 726-7998.

Please address notices to: Southern California File, c/o Religion Editor, Los Angeles Times, Times Mirror Square, Los Angeles, Calif., 90053. Items should be brief and arrive three weeks before the event.