Evangéliumi Hírnök, 1981 (73. évfolyam, 1-16. szám)
1981-03-01 / 5. szám
“DULL”—perhaps this word best describes the church that does not have children in its congregation. Jesus said, “let the little children come unto me. ” I am convinced that God’s desire is for our churches to reach out to children, bring them in, love them, and minister to them. “Dull” was a good description of the church’s children at Silliman Memorial Baptist Church three years ago. As I drove to the church I would see children playing in the streets, children walking, riding, skating on the sidewalks, children in the parks, children in the porches, children in the trees, children everywhere — except in the church. As I looked at the six or seven children in the church, I wondered what it would be like to have many children in the church at one time. God soon showed us the joy and excitement of one hundred fifty children in Silliman Memorial Baptist Church for special events and many children in Sunday School each Sunday. Today our nursery, which was closed three years ago, requires three workers each Sunday. There are five separate Sunday School classes for children under twelve years of age. The Children’s Choir having grown from eight to thirty two members is an area of particular blessing. They not only sing in our morning worship services, but they sing in convelesant homes and retirement homes in the Bridgeport area. If “dull” describes the church without children, “alive” describes the church with many children. At Silliman we feel that we have been blessed with a new sense of life, joy and excitement through the children of our church. We read in Judges 2:10, “there arose a generation that did not know the Lord. ’’Too many children of our present generation do not know the Lord. Every church must take a fresh look at its responsibility to the children of this generation. If we do not tell them about Jesus, who will? In our recent work with children at Silliman Memorial Baptist Church we have found the following to be true: 1. Children will come to special activities, Sunday School, and worship. 2. Many parents will eventually come. 3. Some parents will be won to faith in Jesus Christ, baptized and become faithful workers in the church. 4. A sense of new life and revival comes to the church. 5. God richly blesses a church that ministers to children. We need to remember that the church has more to offer the children of our communities than any other institution on earth. REV. GEORGE ROWE, Pastor Silliman Memorial Baptist Church Bridgeport, Conn. FOREWORD The prospect of too much rain at this time of year is something that is of great concern to many people, and especially to those in areas where mud slides are a threatening possibility. This reminds me of an old expression—“Too much of a good thing. ” Many people would apply this to religion and I suppose aptly so in some instances. But not so of Christianity. The Christian faith and experience provides more than any of us can assimilate or practice, but the new life in Christ is something that challenges our greatest hopes and anticipations —and we look forward to the prospect of the growing richness that is ours in Christ. Though we are not capable of accommodating all there is for us in Christ, it is difficult to imagine that we could say it is too much of a good thing. Arnolds. Boal BETHESDA CONTRIBUTIONS—JANUARY, 1981 In loving memory of M< . Nick Bodalay: The Staff-Norton Middle School, Norton, OH 20.00; Engineering Dept. Babcock and Wilcox, Barberton, OH 15.00; Mr. and Mrs. Andrew Nagy, Dearborn Heights, MI 15.00; Mr. and Mrs. Mike C. Nagy, Romulus, MI 10.00; Mr. and Mrs. Gerald Boyce, Akron, OH 10.00; Mr. Paul Butti, Akron, OH 10.00; Mr. and Mrs. Milo Statler, Wadsworth, OH 15.00; Mr. Margaret Újlaki—Mr. and Mrs. Alex Butti, Avon, OH 25.00; Mrs. John Hayden, Sr., Palm Bay, FL 5.00; Mr. and Mrs. A. Massi and Family, Wadsworth, OH 10.00. - Total: $1,794.50. News from the European Baptist Press Service CHRISTMAS PUT INTO PERSPECTIVE BY BAPTIST ORGANISATIONS Copenhagen—Again this year the Danish Baptist Foreign Mission has issued Christmas seals for church members to place on their seasonal mailings. In two designs are in the form of birds, one fat —i.e. rich, the other lean and poor. The fat bird sits atop a head of grain, with still another head of grain nearby. The lean bird on the companion seal “flies in the air, and has nothing but himself, ” according to the artist, Lisbeth Gronnegard. The designs are sold at a price of Dkr. 15.— per 50 seals. And in the state of Illinois, U.S.A., the staff of the Baptist Convention will forego their usual Christmas dinner. Staff members will eat only rice instead of traditional Christmas foods, and the emphasis will be upon world hunger. * * * UGANDA BAPTISTS REORGANISE Fort Portal, Uganda—News reports painting bleak pictures of Uganda “are accured, but show only a partial picture” a Baptist missionary reported. Churches are meeting and many are growing, according Rev. Fred Findley, one of a dozen Southern Baptist missionaries here. He added that the recent reorganisation of the Baptist Union —banned during the rule of Idi Amin—“is one of the most promising sings of Baptist progress. ” A Bible correspondence course has over 2,000 students, though availability of Bibles is a continuing problem. “The hunger and respect for God’s word is most striking” said findley in a report to Baptist Press (BP). All love is but a reflection of God’s love for us. 8. oldal 1981. március 1. ■ fTffffTffftTfftff [ THE CHURCH’S CHILDREN j
