University Unitarian Church shares a partner church relationship with our “like-minded first cousins” in Alsorakos, Romania.

Alsorakos is a town of 3000 people clustered along a main street of tile-roofed houses and wood-gated yards. Approximately 80 families belong to the local Unitarian church, whose minister, the Rev. Jozsef Szabo, has been serving the congregation since 2003. The church coexists with three other denominations in the town: Reformed (Calvinist), Roman Catholic, and Romanian Orthodox.

The local economy relies heavily on family-based farming. Mechanized agriculture has been slow in coming to the region and in many places soil is still broken by horse-drawn plow. Local planting cycles are centuries old but offer few employment prospects for young people, who often end up leaving for other parts of the country or for new opportunities in the European Union.

Tractor and driver in Alsorakos The first fundraising effort at UUC enabled the Alsorakos congregation to purchase a tractor, which greatly enhanced their own labors and also provided an asset they could rent out to other townspeople.

Subsequent drives resulted in funds that refurbished the church and parish house. In addition, several individuals in UUC have been regular sponsors of scholarships that enable young people to attend high school and/or post-secondary schools, for which they must travel to or board in towns several miles away.