Magyar Egyház, 2005 (84. évfolyam, 1-4. szám)
2005-07-01 / 3. szám
6. oldal MAGYAR EGYHÁZ UPWARD AND ONWARD! “Praise ye the Lord, the Almighty, the King of creation! O my soul, praise Him, for He is thy health and salvation! All ye who hear, now to His temple draw near; Join me in glad adoration!” So sang the procession as we walked up the hill from the old Bethlen Home to the new. Tuesday, June 28, 2005, became that historic day on which the new facility was opened, and our residents moved into their new home. Activities began at 7:00 AM with breakfast in the old building’s dining room. One last meal there for the residents, staff and guests. The dining room was at near capacity for the worship service, which began at 7:45. Led by visiting clergy, staff members and residents, all present reflected upon the more than 50 years of ministry in the old building, thanking God for His presence and for the many residents and staff who lived and served in the building during those five decades. We also acknowledged how emotional a time this is. We are sad to leave our old home, and although we look forward to our new home, the change is not without its anxiety and concern. We were assured by the 90th Psalm: “Lord, you have been our dwelling place throughout all generations.” So we knew that even as we cried, even as we laughed on that day, God was with us and that He would bless us in the present and future, as He has in the past. And God did bless us! The move to the new home went smoothly. Before entering the new facility, we worshipped God at ON THE PULPIT ”What is man, that you should exalt Him, that you should set your heart on Him, that you should visit Him every morning, and test Him every moment. ” Job 7:17-18. ”1 wonder what you will preach on next Sunday?” - came the word some time ago from an avid listener of my sermons. I could have shared with this special person my twofold strategy on the matter: a) Lectio Continua (in the tradition of the Reformers ) or b) Reflection on everyday life ( following the Swiss theologian Karl Barth, who said preachers should read the Scripture and the daily paper together to answer relevant issues in faith.) Today, I stand firmly in category b. The outburst of Job after all is nothing but an answer to his soul-searching. When he could not find good ways to explain or solve his growing miseries, its entrance. Prayer and Scripture lead to the ribbon cutting, which was performed by Bethlen Home resident, Mrs. Olga Szabó, aided by her sister, retirement village resident, Mrs. Helen Rose. As a credit to the staff, families and volunteers, all 90+ residents were in their new home in less than three hours. By noon everyone was enjoying lunch, and at 2:00 PM, everyone in the new Bethlen Home shared in a champagne toast. We thank the visiting clergy who participated in the day’s events: Rev. Robert Cummings, Rev. Sándor Jalso, Rev. Ilona Komjáthy, Rev. Leslie E. Martin, and Rev. Dr. Joseph Posta. Ms. Ann Donovan, Dir. Of Nursing, spoke movingly at the morning service, as did Mrs. Szabó. Mrs. Rose played the organ at the service. One lesson which was reinforced to all the residents and staff of Bethlen Communities, is the lesson found in Ecclesiastes 3:1, “Everything that happens in this world happens at the time God chooses.” We’ve had delays, and we’ve known disappointments along the way, but when God decided it was time to build, and when He decided it was time to move, everything went quickly and smoothly. So as always, I end my letter praising God and thanking you, the many friends and supporters of the Bethlen Communities. May our Father continue to bless you and be with you during this wonderful summer season. And please come visit Ligonier soon! You will be amazed at what you see and experience. In faith and In Love, Rev. Imre A. Bertalan, Executive Director Job contemplated suicide (7:15-16). Sounds familiar? Not only terrorists, but many otherwise good and sensible person feel such escape reasonable! And for us their attitudes pose a problem, even if they fail to carry out fully their desperate schemes. See, the mentally sick are just as disheartening to our societies as their active counterparts. So, is there a good insight for us here? Yes! But, first we have to be honest with ourselves to recognize that our Christian traditions alone can not solve the issue: see the suicide of Judas here! Then, see the agreement of Job with the Psalmist on the scope of God’s providence. The Hungarian translation of the text of v. 18 indeed is a revelation: it states God HONORS all of His Creation through a continuous vigil: so He is with us every day. I pray, that you will give over this blessed truth to your neighbor (whoever he/she is) every day. Then, we shall truly have no reason to fear of any tragedy ever! Amen. August 7th, 2005. Rev. László Ujj A Preacher's Plea: Don't forget the Gulf Coast Evangelist Johnny Jernigan has been neck-deep in storm recovery since Hurricane Katrina smashed the Gulf Coast more than a month ago. But besides delivering food to needy families and helping evacuees reclaim their damaged homes, he has been leading hundreds of people to Christ-people who weren't open to the gospel before the disaster. Yet Jernigan fears this new spiritual openness may not last. He also is concerned that Christians who have been generous with both money and time may choose to forget Katrina's victims by the time Christmas arrives. "What we do must be done before Christmas, or we will miss a great chance to advance the kingdom in this region," says Jernigan, 43, who is a national evangelist with the Assemblies of God. He worries that "America's attention deficit disorder" will cause many people to become bored with the Gulf Coast tragedy at a time when residents need help more than ever. Christian volunteers from other parts of the country are returning to life as usual, Jernigan says, at a time when storm victims are becoming depressed and overwhelmed by the trauma of loss. To find out how you can partner with a Gulf Coast church that is operating a relief station, contact Johnny Jernigan at jjmin@comcast.net. Charisma News Service
