Evangéliumi Hírnök, 2001 (93. évfolyam, 1-12. szám)

2001-10-01 / 10. szám

H detíjesda Baptist Retirement Home October at Bethesda Our days at Bethesda are always busy doing the things that have to be done with and for elderly people. Each activ­ity has to be designed to bring joy and comfort to Gods children. Each resident has needs that are individual and of im­portance to him/her. With seventy resi­dents, our activities are at times greater than our capacities, but we do it will­ingly in order to satisfy our residents. We drive them to doctors visits, we take them on tours, we pick up their medica­tions, we take them shopping and at times we take them out for ice cream and dinner. This keeps them happy and us busy. October is a very beautilul month in Florida. Our weather is somewhat cooler and our fruits are ripening and soon we will be able to enjoy the fruits of our labors. We still have every room filled and we have a staff of 31 employ­ees. Thus, all of us contribute to the op­eration of a well run retirement com­plex. It is a joy for us to see so many of our residents partake in our church services on Wednesday evening and on Sunday morning. They love to sing and their prayers are heart warming. Our pastor, The Reverend Denzel Alexander spends much time in conferring with our resi­dence on matters of spiritual growth. Many of our people continue to reside at our Home because of the church related activities that we provide for them. Each of them are aware of the fact that their days are numbered and they want to make peace with God while there is still time. We have been providing this ser­vice for more than seventy five years and even after our Home is sold we will continue to do so. You are aware of the fact that our Home is for sale and we are now in the final phase of the sales process. There have been so many matters to resolve before the transfer of our deed. We have worked hard and diligently to satisfy the legal ramifications involved in the sales process. It is our hope and prayer that soon every T shall be crossed and the i’s all dotted. We will then have to invest our resources wisely in order to guaran­tee the funds needed for the Missions programs of our Convention. We need much good judgment and we covet your prayers. God bless you all. Ernest J. Kish Chaiman of the Board Page 8. REFLECTIONS ON THE DEDICATION OF A CHURCH Dedicating the Hungarian Baptist Church of Chicago began on Saturday evening, November 10, with a service by the youth of the church and those from visiting churches. This service included a youth choir, a children’s choir, a personal testimony, poetry recitations and instru­mental music. 1 observed so much talent and sincere dedication to the cause of Christ. It was nice to see the youth in­cluded in the celebrations, since they are always such an important part of every congregation. Sunday morning’s activities began with a prayer service, followed, without interruption, by the regular worship ser­vice. During the day, all visiting pastors served in some capacity. At noon, we were all treated to a deli­cious luncheon provided by the local con­gregation at a nearby restaurant. It took more than 20 tables to take care of about 225 people. The afternoon Dedication Service be­gan outdoors on the church grounds. The youth presented each person present with a balloon. After a prayer, a signal was given to release the balloons. As they as­cended heavenward, one had the feeling that they were symbols of gratitude for the many blessings the church had re­ceived from God. It was a beautiful sight - a lovely thought. The afternoon service indoors in­cluded a few sermons, many speeches and congratulatory messages from pas­tors representing Hungarian churches of various denominations, including the for­mer pastor of that church, a Presbyterian minister, and a Romanian Baptist minis­ter. Gift checks were presented to the church. There were poetry recitations, and at least one of them was composed for this special occasion. What truly lifted my soul was hearing the excellent quality of such a variety of music. Providing choral music were choirs from the Hungarian Baptist churches of Toronto, Detroit, Chicago, and a United Church Choir which in­cluded all singers. The local church had an excellent brass quartet (2 trumpets, a baritone horn and a tuba) which played inspiringly several times during the ser­vices. What talent! The church in Chi­December, 2001 cago is fortunate to have such fine musi­cians, led by its very talented organist / choir director / tuba player. Hungarians are such good musicians! I was impressed with the church build­ing. Not too much needed to be done to the exterior, but the interior (upper and lower levels) were completely renovated. Walls and windows were replaced, pews were refinishcd, altar furniture was in­stalled and a red rug was laid. The lower level has a well-equipped kitchen, an of­fice, and a spacious auditorium where we were served our first meal (Hungarian gulyás) upon arriving, and where we en­joyed refreshments, with delicious Hun­garian pastries when all the festivities were over. The renovation took many hours and many willing hands to produce the beautiful and worship-inspiring sanc­tuary. I learned that the excellent work­manship was done by the skilled mem­bers of the congregation. I also learned that at the helm was a dedicated young man of many talents: church leader, la­borer, coordinator of the program, chauf­feur, guide, trumpet player, tenor in the choir, translator (from Romanian to Hun­garian), etc., etc. Thank you, Steve Szabó. Besides getting to know members of the local church members, it was nice to meet and greet people from far away places, like California, Cleveland, De­troit, New York and Toronto. Those of us who came from sunny Florida found the weather in Chicago cold, but we also found warmth in fellowship with the brethren. The Lord has richly blessed the Chi­cago congregation with a beautiful place to worship, many talented members and excellent leaders. They are enthusiastic about winning Hungarian souls in Chi­cago for Christ. May their labors bear much fruit is my fervent prayer. May God bless you all. I’m glad I went to Chicago. Esther Petre Plyler

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