Kiss and Szabó Imprisoned

Thanks to Jehovah’s blessing on the zeal of Brothers Kiss and Szabó and others, when World War I broke out, there were study groups in various towns outside the capital​—Hajdúböszörmény, Bagamér, and Balmazújváros in eastern Hungary, and Nagyvisnyó in northern Hungary. Not only was there a group in Marosvásárhely but there was also one in Kolozsvár (Cluj), both of which cities are now in Romania.

The clergy were annoyed by the zealous activity of Brothers Kiss and Szabó and incited the government to take action against them. Both were arrested and sentenced to five years in prison. However, during the 1919 revolution, they were released, and immediately they started to build up communication between the congregations. This became more difficult, though, as a result of the Treaty of Trianon in 1920, which stripped Hungary of much of its territory and consigned this to surrounding countries.

A few days after his arrival in Cluj, he met with Károly Szabó and then with József Kiss in order to reorganize the work in both Hungary and Romania. They searched for a suitable place for an office.