Transylvania may be best known as the home of Dracula but is more importantly home to the idea of religious freedom. In the 1560s, the king of Transylvania declared the Edict of Religious Toleration, granting freedom of religion to individuals and granting the right of congregations to call their own ministers. In the western world, this is perhaps the birthplace of religious freedom.
The trip was organized by Bob Tripp, Reston resident and former teacher at South Lakes High School; the minister, Rev Jim Nelson, as well as several of the teens and adults are also Reston residents.
While in Romania, the teenagers met with the youth group of their partner church, lived with local families and took several trips in the area. They also carried medicines and medical supplies for the medical clinic the Fairfax Unitarian church is supporting.
For many of the teenagers, the trip was enlightening. Communication was through several translators, dictionaries and pantomime - Hungarian is spoken in the village, and it is both a unique and a difficult language. Few of the houses have indoor plumbing, and everyone grows nearly all of their own food. The streets are unpaved and filled with geese and chickens; the fields are worked mostly by hand. But the people of Szentgerice were open and generous and well aware of affairs in the world.
The Fairfax Unitarian Church has an on-going relationship with their partner churches, as do many in their denomination, and if you would like to find out more about this last trip or others matters, please e-mail staff@townweb.com.
