Evangéliumi Hírnök, 2000 (92. évfolyam, 2-12. szám)
2000-11-01 / 11. szám
8. oldal 2000. november What we expect from our Pastors Our Pastors are professional people and as such we expect from them to be well versed in biblical teaching and attitudes. They should therefore be in constant study and teach us what God expects of us. ln II. Timothy 2:15 we read “Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.” Thus we expect our pastors to be well versed in scriptural teachings. Our Pastors should also be understanding of the human problems inherent within his congregation as they reflect the 21 st century. Our church people have families to support and a living to earn. This is not always easy and we expect our pastor to understand our problems and to be sympathetic to our needs. His encouragement and his prayers will do much to cement relationships between the pastor and his flock. Thus we will become one flock. In John 10:16 we read, “...and they shall hear my voice and they shall be one fold and one shepherd.” Working together, we shall be one. We expect our pastor to shepherd his flock. Even in the most dire circumstances, we expect him to be there when he is needed. We realize that at times, this is difficult. At times it can even be almost impossible, but it is a basic requirement if we expect to reach not only those in our congregation, but also those from the outside. A true shepherd will lead his people into a close relationship with God. We expect our pastors to guide our thoughts and activities so that we will know what God expects of us. We already know the way, but a constant reminder will keep us wary of the pitfalls that are prevalent in this secular world. In II. Tim. 4:2 we read, “Preach the word, be instant in season, out of season, reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine.” Remember, this verse states “with longsuffering.” Please be patient with us. We expect our pastors to remain faithful to his calling as a servant of God. He must therefore refrain from activities that may be questionable. In II Thes. 5:22 we read, “Abstain from all appearances of evil.” Your activities will indicate your closeness to God and will enhance your relationship with your congregation. There are many other things that we expect of our pastors, but we too must realize that he is also a human being and subject to the frailties of man. With Gods help, we can work together and carry forward the work of spreading the Gospel of Christ not only within our own congregations but also to all people with whom we are in contact. Much is expected of both the pastor and the congregation. May each of us recognize our own responsibilities and pray for strength to accomplish that which God has requested of us. Ernest J. Kish A more “positive” way to say Happy Thanksgiving to all! I am thankful for the mess to clean after a party because it means 1 have been surrounded by friends. I am thankful for the taxes I pay because it means that I’m employed. I am thankful for the clothes that fit a little too snug because it means 1 have enough to eat. 1 am thankful for my shadow who watches me work because it means I am out in the sunshine I am thankful for a lawn that needs mowing, windows that need cleaning and gutters that need fixing because it means I have a home. 1 am thankful for my huge heating bill because it means I am warm. I am thankful for the spot Ifind at the far end of the parking lot because it means I am capable of walking. I am thankful for all the complaining I hear about our government because it means we have freedom of speech. I am thankful for the lady behind me in church who sings off key because it means that I can hear. I am thankful for the piles of laundry and ironing because it means my loved ones are nearby. I am thankful for the alarm that goes off in the early morning hours because it means that I’m alive. I am thankful for weariness and aching muscles at the end of the day because it means I have been productive. HOPE YOU HAVE A GREAT THANKSGIVING DAY! Love Is Eternal On July 23,2000, at scenic Descanso Gardens in La Canada (a Los Angeles suburb) the wedding of a beautiful couple, John K. Farkas and Abby Becarril, took place. John is the great-nephew of Lydia Matyas and the grandson of Julia Marshall, Lydia’s sister whom many of us knew well and whom the Lord called home just before her 100th birthday in May. Several in the Baptist fellowship know John’s parents, Dan and Jill Farkas of Pasadena. In a leadership position with the governor’s office, John is the Special Assistant for External Affairs for California Governor Gray Davis. The photograph was taken at the wedding. In the center in photo is Lydia Matyas, organist at our Alhambra church; on the left is the bride, Abby Becarril, and on the right is the bridegroom, John K. Farkas. (Foto and script by Klári Vereczky Malis) THANKSGIVING We have been the recipients of the choicest bounties of heaven. We have been preserved, the many years, in peace and prosperity. We have grown in numbers, wealth and power, as no other nation has ever grown. But we have forgotten God. We have forgotten the gracious hand which preserved us in peace and multiplied and enriched and strengthened us; and we have vainly imagined, in the deceitfulness of our hearts that all these blessings were produced by some superior wisdom and virtue of our own. Intoxicated with unbroken success, we have become too self- sufficient to feel the necessity of redeeming and preserving grace, too proud to pray to God that made us! It behooves us, then to humble ourselves before the offended Power, to confess our national sins, and to pray for clemency and forgiveness. — April 30,1863, President Abraham Lincoln’s Proclamation for a National Day of Fasting, Humiliation and Prayer
