A Brief History of Silliman Memorial Baptist Church Bridgeport, Connecticut.

In the early years of the 1900's many European immigrants migrated to the United States to seek a better way of life. They were mostly unskilled workers and settled into industrial cities. Bridgeport was a hub on the east coast and attracted many Hungarians. They had a language barrier so they settled into the West End section of the city.

Groundwork for the formation of the Hungarian Baptist Church of Bridgeport, Connecticut began prior to 1910 in various homes by Mr. John Boda, Mr. Steve Papp and a Mr. Banyacski. At that time, many Hungarian immigrants came to the USA. The church was formed in 1911 with 23 members. Services were held in various homes. Its forming pastors were the Rev. Laszlo Kish and the Rev. Laszlo Zboray. These pastors were temporary appointees. The church flourished and they came to the attention of the First Baptist Church of Bridgeport. They direly needed a place of worship. Just prior to this, Ezra B. Silliman ceded a beautiful piece of property on the corner of Fairfield and Silliman Avenues to The Connecticut Baptist Convention for the sole purpose of erecting a church building on the property. The Connecticut Baptist Convention took note of the need of the Hungarian group and ceded that property to the fledgling church. With their financial help, a sanctuary was erected which is now at 14 Silliman Avenue, our Christian Education Building. This building was dedicated in May of 1911. The church flourished. The church carried on a full program with a Sunday School, Ladies Aid Society, Men's Group, Young People's Group, church choir and large brass band. The brass band drew a large crowd at the street meetings which were held every Sunday afternoon. The street meetings reached many unsaved for Christ. The need for a full time pastor existed and after much prayer in 1912 they invited the Rev. Stephen Gazsi as its first pastor.

After only two years, it became obvious that more space was required to house the growing congregation. In 1914, plans were made to build a larger facility to satisfy the need of the people. With the help of The Connecticut Baptist Convention, the present church building was erected and dedicated in 1915. The old sanctuary was converted into a nursery which became so popular and large that the church people could not handle the children that were entrusted to them. Thus they turned the responsibility over to the City of Bridgeport. They managed it for several years.

In 1921 the Rev. Gazsi accepted a call to another Hungarian Baptist Church. The church then invited the Rev. Ladislau Revesz to become their pastor. Since the original small building was now vacant, the congregation decided to form an Old People's Home to accommodate the many church members and friends who were destitute and needed help. This was formed in 1924 and the church tended to that need until 1929. Because of its growth and increased costs they turned the management and care over to The Hungarian Baptist Convention of North America. This Old People's Home was then moved to Watervliet, Michigan and operated there until 1956. It was relocated to Palm Bay, Florida because of the extreme cold weather for the elderly. It is still in operation under the name of The Bethesda Baptist Retirement Home. The church flourished and once again its pastor was transferred to another location.

In the 1930's the country was in a deep depression, jobs were scarce and money was also scarce. This reflected in the life of the church. The church used many methods to balance the budget such as church suppers and programs were curtailed. The Connecticut Baptist Convention heard the plea and assisted with finances.

The church was once again without a full time pastor. Student pastors from the International Baptist Seminary assisted with the worship services. After much thought and prayer in 1932 they invited the Rev. Arthur Stumpf as its pastor. During this tenure, the church grew in numbers and effectiveness. The church had a large congregation with an active Sunday School, Ladies Aid Society, Senior and Junior Choirs, Men's Choir, Brass Band, Vacation Bible School etc. Church suppers and Bake sales were popular as a means to invite others to the church. The Rev. Stumpf served faithfully for 17 years until he was called to glory in 1949.

In the 1940's about 30-35 young men were called into military service serving in many parts of the world. Of that number 2 young men lost their lives during World War II. After the war the City of Bridgeport changed. Interstate 95 was built through the heart of the Hungarian district known as the West End. People had to relocate and many moved to suburban areas. For a while they drove to the city to worship at Silliman but later joined other churches closer to home. At that time, many changes had taken place with the church constituency. The second and third generation members loved their ethnicity but had difficulty understanding the Hungarian language. The young people were entering college and some married non-Hungarians, and the church wanted them to become part of the fellowship. Up to that time, all services were conducted in the Hungarian language. After much thought and prayer, it was decided to conduct services in both the Hungarian and the English languages. It became a bi-lingual church. The congregation then invited the Rev. William B. Molnar from Canada as its pastor. He was fluent in both the Hungarian and English language. Those were very difficult years in the life of church. The young wanted English and the older folk wanted Hungarian. Rev. Molnar was the ideal pastor for this transitional period, everyone loved him. The bi-lingual service was continued for a period of about 5 years after which only the English language was used for all worship services. The church organizations were then separated into two groups. This arrangement lasted for a few years until the Hungarian speaking members were either called to glory or they learned to understand the English language. At that time, the congregation felt that the identity of the church should reflect the fact that it was now a fully English speaking church. Since the property was ceded to the First Hungarian Baptist Church many years before, the name was changed to The Silliman Memorial Baptist Church. This was done in honor of the Silliman family who had ceded the property to the original Hungarian church. The Rev. William B. Molnar then accepted a call to New York City. At that time, the congregation called the Rev. David Lindsey as its pastor. He served the congregation for a number of years after which he transferred his services to the State of Massachusetts.

The church then called as its pastor the Rev. George Rowe. He was an ideal choice because his wife was of Hungarian descent and she was a member of the church since childhood. Together they served the church faithfully and the church flourished under his services. After the Rev. Rowe completed his services to the church, the Rev. Robert Marshall was invited to pastor the congregation. After a few years, he resigned and the Rev. George Rowe returned for a few more years. During this period, the church appointed the Rev. Joseph Delahunt as an Assistant Pastor. He assumed the pastorate after the Rev. Rowe resigned. He is now serving as a full time pastor and is serving a very unique congregation with varying nationalities and races praising God together. To God Be the Glory!

The Silliman Memorial Baptist Church can be very proud of its history. With their ethnic background families were anxious to serve God, educate their children and become part of the American way of life. Young people became teachers, engineers, nurses, business executives, accountants, etc.

God's Name is still being preached after over 99 years of service [In April 2011 we will be celebrating our 100 year anniversary]. Many lives have been touched through the ministry of the church. God's blessings are upon this church and will continue to be blessed as long as they proclaim Jesus Christ as their Lord and Master.
 

Written by:

Ernest Kish