winter jam09

January 24, 2009
Veterans Memorial Auditorium
Des Moines, IA - TIME: 6:00 PM

Line Up:

tobyMac, BarlowGirl, The Afters, NewSong,

Francesca Battistelli, pureNRG, Stephanie Smith,

& Guest Speaker Tony Nolan

Welcomed by:

www.891thespirit.com/

For more information call 515.564.8000

or go to winter jam09

An Introduction to Social Media

Pete Cashmore's first paragraph sums it up the best: "the best how-tos for achieving more with social media tools: everything from Google products to blogging to online video to productivity and beyond. Twitter, Facebook, StumbleUpon, Friendfeed, and Delicious all got the How-To treatment." Check out the rest: HOW TO 2008: How To Do Almost Anything With Social Media.

ht to Terrace Crawford for Twittering (http://twitter.com/terracecrawford) about it. Join us on Twitter!

Because of Him ~ Terry
http://twitter.com/terryvw

Merry Christmas & Happy New Year

From our family to you and yours we pray that you had a
very Merry Christmas and that you have a blessed New Year!

'sexting' - Whose doing it & what are the consequences?

Remember when the saying was "It's 10 PM, do you know where you child is?" Laura Berman begins her article Teens unaware of long-term repercussions of 'sexting' :: CHICAGO SUN-TIMES :: Lifestyles "It's 10 p.m. Do you know who your teenager is texting? And, more importantly, do you know what your child is texting?"

The article says that teens know there will be long lasting consequences, yet they continue to participate in the activity. "The heart is hopelessly dark and deceitful, a puzzle that no one can figure out." (Jeremiah 17:9 MSG) It is the same for all of us. We know something is sinful, yet we continue to do it. Is there any way to beat it? Why not just quit? We quit things all the time, its not that hard to do.

It is almost like they have convinced themselves that its ok to do it. Their celebrity idols get away with what they see as things that are much worse. What they do not get is that they live in a different world than the celebrities do. Future employers who are increasingly using the Internet and especially social networking sites to help in the hiring process are not likely to hire someone who has inappropriate pictures or writings posted on the Internet.

Worse yet is the reality that the comments for the article point out. Teens who are 'sexting' are making and distributing child pornography, the reprecussions of which go well beyond a future employer. It could carry with it jail time.

Parents, not only should you know where your kids are, but you need to know what they are doing.

Because of Him ~ Terry

A Christmas Wish

Whether you like Santa or not, the joy this little 3 year old girl shows is likely the same joy God gets everytime one of His lost children comes back to Him. ht to Patti Gibbons for bring this clip to my attention. Because of Him ~ Terry

I believe. Do you?

If I tell someone that I am personally going to do something, they believe that I will do it. If I tell you that Zach Johnson or Kurt Warner were coming to town it would be believable because of their ties to the area. If I told you that Nicolas Sarkozy was going to be in town next week several of you would likely ask me who is Nicolas Sarkozy. Before knowing who he is you would be more likely to believe me, that is until I tell you he was the president of France. To believe in something we want and need proof. This was the case for Thomas.

²⁴Thomas (called Didymus), who was one of the twelve, was not with them when Jesus came. ²⁵The other followers kept telling Thomas, "We saw the Lord."
But Thomas said, "I will not believe it until I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were and put my hand into his side."

²⁶A week later the followers were in the house again, and Thomas was with them. The doors were locked, but Jesus came in and stood right in the middle of them. He said, "Peace be with you." ²⁷Then he said to Thomas, "Put your finger here, and look at my hands. Put your hand here in my side. Stop being an unbeliever and believe."

²⁸Thomas said to him, "My Lord and my God!"
²⁹Then Jesus told him, "You believe because you see me. Those who believe without seeing me will be truly blessed” (John 20:24-29 NCV).

If someone who does not believe in Jesus asked you what you believed do you know how you would answer them? One way to tell them what you believe is to use one of the creeds that churches of reformed theology of which the Presbyterian Church (USA) is part of. One of the oldest and certainly one of the shortest creeds is the Apostles' Creed which says, please say it with me if you know it:

I believe in God the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth

And in Jesus Christ his only Son our Lord;
who was conceived by the Holy Ghost,
born of the Virgin Mary,
suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, died, and was buried;
he descended into hell;
the third day he arose again from the dead;
he ascended into heaven,
and sitteth on the right hand of God the Father Almighty;
From thence he shall come to judge the quick and the dead.

I believe in the Holy Ghost,
the holy catholic church;
the communion of saints;
the forgiveness of sins;
the resurrection of the body;
and the life everlasting. Amen.¹

So why use a creed? Do creeds replace the Scriptures? Not at all. Were they written to add to the Scriptures? Absolutely not. A creed is simply a brief statement of our religious beliefs. The word creed comes from the Latin word credo which means "I believe" which is the first word of the Apostles' and Nicene creeds.

Where did the Apostles’ Creed come from? There is a legend that states the each of the Apostles wrote part of the creed. James Orr writes, “Peter, it was alleged, under the inspiration of the Holy Ghost, commenced, “I believe in God the Father Almighty”; Andrew (or according to others, John continued, “And in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord”; James the elder went on, “Who was conceived by the Holy Ghost,” etc.” This legend is not older than the 5th or 6th centuries, and is absurd on the face of it.”²

The Apostles’ Creed as well as others creeds were written because of the confusion and false teaching and the heresies that took place in the centuries following the life and death of Jesus. Jesus warned us in Matthew 24, verses 4 – 5, "⁴Be careful that no one fools you. ⁵Many will come in my name, saying, 'I am the Christ,' and they will fool many people.” And again in verses 23 – 25, “²³At that time, someone might say to you, 'Look, there is the Christ!' Or another person might say, 'There he is!' But don't believe them. ²⁴False Christs and false prophets will come and perform great wonders and miracles. They will try to fool even the people God has chosen, if that is possible. ²⁵Now I have warned you about this before it happens.” The second letter from Peter and the letter from Jude were written to warn the early Christians of false teachers who claimed to be Christians.

In the world today there is counterfeit money, drugs, auto parts, paintings, credit cards, watches, résumés and the list goes on and on and includes biblical teachings.

Jude “Werra's semiannual barometer of executive résumé deception -- his very own "Liars Index" -- hit a five-year high, based on his review of résumés he received during the first half of 2007. He figures that about 16 percent of executive résumés contain false academic claims and/or material omissions relating to educational experience. That was up five percentage points from the levels he witnessed between July and December of last year.”³

How can we distinguish false teaching from the truth? How does a one detect a counterfeit? By studying the originals. We must study the Bible so we are able to distinguish what is the truth and what is not.

The Apostles’ Creed begins I believe in God the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth. What does it mean to believe? Thomas had to see to believe. Genesis 1 begins “¹In the beginning God created the sky and the earth.” Look around. The trees, the grass, everything on earth was ultimately created by God. In the movie “Expelled, No Intelligence Allowed” Ben Stein takes on some most noted Darwinian scientist in the world. While the movie is questioning why Intelligent Design is not allowed to be taught in our schools it also should raise the question why creationism is not taught. Most in the United States would say it is because of the separation of church and state. The First Amendment states “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.” The only separation that I read is that there will not be a mandated national religion nor will the government prohibit the free exercise of ones religion.

The creed continues, And in Jesus Christ his only Son our Lord; who was conceived by the Holy Ghost, born of the Virgin Mary. In the first two chapters of Luke we read that an angel appeared to Mary telling her that she would give birth to a son that she would name Jesus. When Mary asked the angel how this would happen “³⁵The angel said to Mary, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will cover you. For this reason the baby will be holy and will be called the Son of God” (Luke 1:35 NCV). This is expanded upon in Matthew when an angel came to Joseph in a dream so that he would understand what was going on. Then in the beginning of the second chapter of Luke we are told about the birth of Jesus. Can you imagine this happening today? It is highly unlikely that a woman’s fiancée would believe her. A paternity test would be demanded along with a check of the woman’s sanity. Joseph knew the Old Testament prophecies and likely remembered what was said in Isaiah 9:6 “⁶A child has been born to us; God has given a son to us. He will be responsible for leading the people. His name will be Wonderful Counselor, Powerful God, Father Who Lives Forever, Prince of Peace.” As well as Isaiah 7:14 “¹⁴The Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will be pregnant. She will have a son, and she will name him Immanuel.”

Jesus suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried; he descended into hell. The writer of Hebrews tells us in chapter 2 “¹⁴Since these children are people with physical bodies, Jesus himself became like them. He did this so that, by dying, he could destroy the one who has the power of death—the devil—¹⁵and free those who were like slaves all their lives because of their fear of death. ¹⁶Clearly, it is not angels that Jesus helps, but the people who are from Abraham. ¹⁷For this reason Jesus had to be made like his brothers and sisters in every way so he could be their merciful and faithful high priest in service to God. Then Jesus could die in their place to take away their sins.” He knew what was going to happen to him. Jesus struggled with this. In his prayer just prior to his arrest Jesus prays "My Father, if it is possible, do not give me this cup of suffering. But do what you want, not what I want" (Matthew 26:39b NCV). The Gospels give account to Jesus’ crucifixion, his death, and subsequent burial. What is difficult is to find is when he descended into hell. In my study of these four words of the creed I found proponents for and against having this phrase in the Apostles’ Creed. Clayton Bell writes, “John Calvin interprets the phrase metaphorically, as referring to the penal sufferings of Christ on the Cross, where he suffered the pangs of hell while he was hanging in our place.”⁴

The third day he arose again from the dead. In 1 Corinthians 15 Paul tells us that Jesus “was raised to life on the third day as the Scriptures say; ⁵and that he was seen by Peter and then by the twelve apostles. ⁶After that, Jesus was seen by more than five hundred of the believers at the same time. Most of them are still living today, but some have died. ⁷Then he was seen by James and later by all the apostles.” Sounds more like something one would read on the cover of the National Inquirer, “Tomb Empty, Son of God Raised From the Dead.” Jesus would not leave them for long. He appeared to Mary Magdalene and Mary who worshipped at his feet before running to tell the Disciples that they had seen Jesus and that he had told them to go to Galilee.

Before he ascended into heaven, and sitteth on the right hand of God the Father Almighty, Jesus would spend time with the disciples. When the Disciples got to where Jesus had instructed them to go, some believed and some still did not believe. “¹⁸Then Jesus came to them and said, "All power in heaven and on earth is given to me. ¹⁹So go and make followers of all people in the world. Baptize them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. ²⁰Teach them to obey everything that I have taught you, and I will be with you always, even until the end of this age” (Matthew 28:18-20 NCV).

From thence he shall come to judge the quick and the dead. Those who have accepted Jesus as their Lord and Savior will, through God’s grace be spared from judgment, however those who rejected him, whether still living or dead will have to face the judgment of the Father.

I believe in the Holy Ghost. “¹When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. ²Suddenly a noise like a strong, blowing wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. ³They saw something like flames of fire that were separated and stood over each person there. ⁴They were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and they began to speak different languages by the power the Holy Spirit was giving them” (Acts 2:1-4 NCV). The Holy Ghost will remain with us until Jesus’ return and provides us guidance. Knowing this is comforting. Although Jesus is not here with us, the Holy Spirit is.

The holy catholic church refers to the entire body of believers in Jesus Christ, not just to one denomination. Where as the holy catholic church refers to believers, the communion of saints brings in all believers, both living and dead.

It is easy to believe in the forgiveness of sins. The trouble is that we were born into sin and will struggle with sin all our lives. Paul writes in Romans 7:21-25 “²¹So I have learned this rule: When I want to do good, evil is there with me. ²²In my mind, I am happy with God's law. ²³But I see another law working in my body, which makes war against the law that my mind accepts. That other law working in my body is the law of sin, and it makes me its prisoner. ²⁴What a miserable man I am! Who will save me from this body that brings me death? ²⁵I thank God for saving me through Jesus Christ our Lord!” Let’s face it. We have all envied someone at some point. What bothers me the most about envy is that as soon as I get what it was that I envied there is also something new. Before we owned our own home we envied those that did. Now that we have our mortgage we envy those who own their homes and have no debt. Paul was right when he wrote “what a miserable man I am!”

What will the resurrection of the body look like? This we will have to wait for. But, just as a farmer plants a seed the resulting plant looks nothing like the seed. Paul explains it like this in 1 Corinthians 15:42-44 “⁴²It is the same with the dead who are raised to life. The body that is "planted" will ruin and decay, but it is raised to a life that cannot be destroyed. ⁴³When the body is "planted," it is without honor, but it is raised in glory. When the body is "planted," it is weak, but when it is raised, it is powerful. ⁴⁴The body that is "planted" is a physical body. When it is raised, it is a spiritual body.”

Finally God has promised us the life everlasting, all we have to do is accept Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior. Then by his grace and mercy we will get to spend eternity with God.

Finally there is the Amen. “Amen comes from the Hebrew root aman, which connotes firmness, reliability, or certainty. In its various grammatical forms the word can mean “to cause to be certain,” “to be assured,” “to be established,” and “one who is faithful, sure, dependable.””⁵

If we study the Scriptures that the creeds are based on will we get all the answers? No we will not. For many this is a huge stumbling block. To place out faith in someone that we have never seen and most likely will not see can be a scary thing. For me, I have to have all the answers to all the questions. That is who I am and the way that I was designed. Yet when it comes to my placing my faith in Jesus Christ I am able to do it with out even thinking about it. Can I explain it? Not before I wrote this sermon. What I do know is that there is something distinctly different about me that was not there before. I have seen this in others as well. That is when it occurred to me, the Holy Spirit took Jesus’ place on earth until he returns. What I have seen in myself and in others is the work of the Holy Spirit, that is my evidence. We are the light of Christ in the world because of the Holy Spirit. I believe. Do you? If not, simply ask Jesus to come into your heart and be the Lord of your life. Then pick up a Bible and begin reading God’s love letter to you and me. There will be a celebration in heaven when you do. Oh yeah, you will stumble from time to time. God will not give up on you when you do, so don’t you give up.

AMEN!

References

1. The Book of Confessions (Louisville: Office of the General Assembly, Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), 2004), 7.


2. International Standard Bible Encyclopedia Vol. 1, Author: James Orr. www.reformed.org/documents/apostles_creed_orr.html


3. Making It By Faking It, Joseph Daniel McCool, http://jobs.aol.com/article/_a/making-it-by-faking-it/20071011150009990001


4. I Believe…, R. P. Mills, ©1998 PLC Publications, Lenoir, NC, p. 80.


5. Ibid., p. 149

Who Moved My House

As devastating as the flood that hit Cedar Rapids has been, when I saw the house on the right I thought of the book Who Moved My Cheese? In the forward of the book Ken Blanchard writes, “Who Moved My Cheese? is a story about change that takes place in a Maze where four amusing characters look for “Cheese” – cheese being a metaphor for what we want to have in life, whether it is a job, a relationship, money, a big house, freedom, health, recognition, spiritual peace, or even an activity like jogging of gold. Each of us has our own idea of what Cheese is, and we pursue it because we believe it makes us happy. If we get it, we often become attached to it. And if we lose it, or it is taken away, it can be traumatic.”

To say that the flood and the resulting aftermath have been traumatic is an understatement. As you drive up and down the streets you see homes that have been destroyed and piles and piles of stuff, some reaching 15 feet high. Slowly those piles are being picked up and as they are streets are being blocked by the trucks and loaders. Washers, dryers, refrigerators and freezers line the streets. Some with the doors removed or taped shut for safety. Others ripped apart by the flood waters. Some people have thrown everything out onto the curb, not wanting anything that will remind them of what they have lost. Others sit on stools and chairs sifting through every last piece for something to hold on to. All of them tugging at my heart.

Nearly 3 weeks ago, on June 9th I went to bed thinking about what it was that I needed to do the next day. I had several things planned. I was going to start preparing new lessons for youth group and Sunday school this fall and I also needed to start preparing for confirmation class to begin in September. Early Tuesday morning I woke up around 1:30 and could not sleep and I decided to check my email and read some of the news on the KCRG and Gazette websites. What I found was an email from Charles Daugherty calling an emergency meeting of the Serve The City churches at Ellis Community Church at 8 AM. I went back to bed and reset my alarm to make sure I would make it to the meeting. Had I been able to sleep I would not have seen that email until after the meeting had started.

When I arrived at Ellis Community I found several other pastors already there. Serve The City was preparing to serve the community of Cedar Rapids in a way that none of us ever thought we would have to. Peter Teahen came and spoke on behalf of the Red Cross and Linn County Emergency Management. We were mobilizing to begin the process of warning the residents along the river that a flood was coming. How and why was not yet evident. After the meeting I went to the office and immediately began preparing. I quickly finished the things that I needed to get done for the rest of the week and then started sending emails to other churches in hopes of getting their support physically and in prayer. I went home that afternoon waiting for word on our next steps. After playing tennis with Diane and Karissa we went to the park by the police station to see the river. Where we would normally have been sitting for the 4th of July fireworks was already under water. People were walking around in amazement taking pictures with their cameras and cell phones. That is when I got the call from Patricia, Charles’ wife. Everyone was getting called to go to the Time Check neighborhood and help people get their belongings in order. We went out in teams and talked with the people in the neighborhood alerting them to the potential of their homes getting flooded. A couple of hours in I told Pastor Coyle that I was taking a volunteer to go to the home of a member of Hus as I knew she needed help. Lisa and I left and walked the block and a half to Wendy Barton’s house. We immediately started helping to move items from the basement to the first floor. Then I heard someone knock on the door. The gas had been shut off. Shortly after that I called Pastor Coyle and requested more help. Within 30 minutes we had 11 people there and in about an hour had nearly everything in the basement moved upstairs. They were telling us that the impending evacuation was for 6 PM on Wednesday. I left Ellis Community Church about midnight and went back to the office to send out a couple more emails for help. It was 1:30 by the time my head hit the pillow and I would only get a few hours sleep before going back to Time Check. All of Wednesday morning was spent talking to the residents and asking if they needed any help. Fear and disbelief were the reactions that we got. One lady we talked to was in her late eighties and she did not know what to do. I gave her a phone number to call for help or prayer. As we left each home we prayed. Later that morning we helped a family on 3rd Street NW. When we got they were trying to get a big screen television out of the house and into a pickup. I quickly replaced his wife and we quickly got the television into the truck. The kids were shaken and shocked, not knowing what to make of the situation. The father then asked us to get the washer, dryer and deep freeze out of the basement. Water was already seeping into the basement and everything on the floor was wet. We got his tools out too, but I am not sure that he ever saw them or the freezer again as they left with the freezer and tools sitting on the front lawn with no more room to take them. Before we left we moved the grill, mowers, and bicycles onto the deck. Even we thought it would be high enough. I later saw them at the Red Cross shelter at Prairie High School as they are now homeless. He told me that they never made it back. It was nearly 11 in the morning when they left and at Noon the police evacuated Time Check. He was very thankful for the help, but visibly shaken having lost their home and most of their belongings. At Noon on Wednesday we evacuated Ellis Community Church and moved operations to Central Church of Christ.

Time and even the days would become a blur. Over the next 36 hours I and my crew would make several trips back into the Time Check neighborhood. On one trip we ended up at the Boys and Girls Club and helped them to move everything from the first floor to the gym on the second floor, it would not be high enough. When I parked the van it was about 5 feet from the nearest water. When I returned less than an hour later to get it the water was half way up the tires.

One man that we helped was almost ready to leave but his sump pump was not working so he called us for help. Getting there was a matter of parking down the street and jumping across the rivers that were already flooding the sides of the streets. When we got there the water in his basement was at least 6 inches deep. We asked him if he wanted us to get the washer and dryer, but he knew that they were already lost. His concern remained with the sump pump and getting it going again. None of us had boots to go in that deep of water. You could hear the fear and anxiety in his voice. It was then that I made the decision to take off my socks and boots, roll up my jeans and wade through the basement. After several attempts I was unable to get the pump going and we all headed back upstairs. Once there the trembling in his 83 year old voice worsened. I head back down the steps. I finally found the problem. The hose was kinked where it went out the window. I found a piece of rope and managed to get the hose hung so the kink was out. He could now leave his home feeling better. Little did we know that even he was not far enough away on 10th street to escape the water.

On Wednesday afternoon we began delivering the evacuation notices to the residents of Cedar Rapids who lived in the 500 year flood plain. The first place my crew went was to the Rompot neighborhood. One man, Don, was not leaving no matter what. In all his 74 years of living he had not run from anything and he was not about to start now. The last home in Rompot that I stopped at was Mary’s house. I noticed on her front step a bench with “It all started in the garden” engraved on it. She invited me inside. She was visibly frightened. I explained to her that the chance existed for her home to flood. I told her to get the things that meant the most as well as her important papers – whatever could not be replaced and to leave as soon as possible. Both Don’s and Mary’s home were flooded into the 1st floor. Mary’s bench still sits on her front step, everything else in her home, including the walls was put out on the curb. That afternoon we started at the corner of 8th avenue and 8th street and made our way down to the corner of L street and 16th avenue SW. Along the way we met people who were in disbelief that the water would ever get that far, but it did. One man we met along the way said there was no way that he was going to leave his home. He was going to wait until the water was actually coming up the street. From what I experienced that was the last thing he should have done. The water came and it came fast. The last person that I spoke with before we left the neighborhood was the owner of Sam’s Pizza on 6th street. He had a lot of questions and unfortunately I did not have all of the answers. Regardless he was glad that I had stopped. A week and half later I was at the Hutton’s helping as much as I could, but there was not much we could do with out power as the water in the basements needed to be removed. The main floor of the shop has buckled, but the office was untouched. At the house the water got within a step or two of the main floor. Praise God! Jim did get a gas water pump and we started pumping out the basement of the shop. There was still a lot of water down there so it was very slow going. Finally the pump ran out of gas. When we checked the water had gone down just a couple of steps which equated to less than a foot. For the most part with as little as we could do I was left with a rather helpless feeling. On my way out I stopped at Sam’s Pizza as I saw the owner outside. He invited me inside the building. His thriving business and years of work were gone. He had faired much worse than the Hutton’s. He has vowed to rebuild in the same spot. He said he felt he owed it to the neighborhood. I am looking forward to getting a pizza there once he is back open. Last week as I drove by there was a sign on the other side of the street announcing a huge block party in June of 2009.

On Thursday morning I picked up Sean at his house as he wanted to help. He would spend the morning out in the rain with the rest of us helping and later would help us move out to our new operations center at Prairie High School. We spent most of the day separated as he helped with different projects. I know he was tired when his Mom picked him up after work. His help and the help of hundreds of others saved lives.

Before moving to Prairie High School we lost power at Central Church of Christ. We quickly moved the phone center to Hus and spent about 3 or 4 hours here on the phones. We returned to the volunteer center at Central Church of Christ once the power had been restored. It was after we returned there that Pastor Coyle asked me to help him run the operations center at Prairie. I would spend the next two and a half weeks there coordinating the efforts of Serve The City. Having started with two phones at the church we grew to five and within a few days fifteen. The days were flying by. It was nothing to be working 17 hours a day. It was then that I was glad I was a tech geek. The software I had loaded on the computers here allow me to log in from anywhere in the world that has an Internet connection. Because of that I was able to work on some things when we were not busy, which until this past week was not all that often.

Before we knew it Serve The City had become the coordinator of volunteers for Linn County, the City of Cedar Rapids, and other agencies. At one point the Serve The City volunteers were delivering 2000+ meals a day to the Cedar Rapids police and fire departments, the Iowa State Patrol and other groups. All of these meals having been prepared by the Salvation Army.

What we were chasing was not a job, a relationship, money, a big house, freedom, health, recognition or even spiritual peace. The cheese we were chasing was the flood. The cheese or treasure that we should be chasing is God, unfortunately we are usually chasing big screen LCD televisions, new cars, fancy homes. We are already filled with God’s treasure. I really believe that the resolve of this community is based on our belief in God. Jeremiah 29:11 tells us “I say this because I know what I am planning for you,” says the Lord. “I have good plans for you, not plans to hurt you. I will give you hope and a good future.” We are already gaining a reputation around the country as a people that will not be held down. We are moving forward. Just like it says in Isaiah 58:12, “Your people will rebuild the cities that are now in ruins; you will be known for repairing broken places and for rebuilding the roads and houses.” Who moved my house? The water did. What about the future? There is no need to worry because God is already there. We will rebuild and we will be stronger for it.

Amen.

Because of Him ~ Terry

June 2008 Newsletter

A HISTORY OF HUS MEMORIAL PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH, PART 8
CEDAR RAPIDS, IOWA.
ADAPTED FROM A HISTORICAL TREATISE WRITTEN BY CHARLOTTE STELCIK

DR. JOSEPH BREN’S PASTORATE

On June 4, 1919, Rev. Hlavaty, who was the pastor of Hus Memorial Presbyterian Church until 1919, resigned. The congregation tried to persuade him to remain but had to accept his resignation on June 22, 1919. He gave his last sermon on June 29, 1919. Rev. Hlavaty was succeeded by Dr. Joseph Bren of Hopkins, Minnesota. Dr. Bren, a native of Bohemia and a graduate of Union Theological Seminary in New York, was a man of scholarly mind and in his pastorate tried to encourage better Christian education of adults and children. He began his work on Sunday, December 20, 1919.

During his ministry, which lasted until 1938, he led the church in celebration various Czech historical days—Jan Hus Day on July 6th, and days for Comenius and Masaryk. Dr. Bren entertained many visitors from Czechoslovakia who lectured to the congregation—Dr. Prudky, Dr. Novak, Dr. Zilka, Dr. Krenek, Rev. John Kucera, Prof. Kozak, and Rev. Hornicek are some who came. Since the church was interested the religious life of the old country, it gave a great deal of money for the support of that work.

The Lord’s Supper was served a little differently in this church than in most churches. The church originally had used one common cup. On April 24, 1921, at the annual meeting, the church voted also to use the individual cups. These were donated by Mrs. Frances Caloud. The members of the congregation are served by going to the Lord’ Table at the front of the main sanctuary. The first to come forward were the older people who still preferred to take the wine from the one common cup. These were followed by those who preferred individual cups.

Dr. Bren started annual banquets for fathers and sons, and for mothers and daughters. At these banquets an educational program was presented. All of these banquets, carried on for several years, were great successes.

Various other organizations were also developed during Dr. Bren’s pastorate. In 1922 the need for religious education for young people was met by establishing a Saturday Religious school but the elders could not decide whether it should be taught in Czech or English. In 1921 a girls’ glee club called the Hussite Club and a boys’ club and a girls’ club independent of the Young People’s Society, were organized.

As time went on and the need for services in the Czech language declined the membership of the church grew smaller. It began with 297 members in 1920 and by 1926 there were 222 members. The society called Esther closed its activities in 1927 but a fresh effort to organize the Boy Scouts was made. During the annual meeting on January 12, 1928, the members of the church voted to purchase hymn books in English for the Sunday School. Then in 1932, during Easter Week the elders decided to hold an occasional service in English. Also during the week of October, 1932, out of a month of services, one was to be in English. It was found that the English services were best attended. By 1933 the church membership was 194.

Until 1923, the confirmation class of young people was conducted in the Czech language. The young people had to learn the short catechism, the commandments, and the Apostles Creed in Czech. In 1924 the elders decided to hold the confirmation classes in English because most of the young people did not understand all the religious implications when presented in the less familiar Czech language.

Changes in the language also took place in the Sunday service. On September 16, 1934, the elders called a meeting of the congregation at which the members voted to hold English services every second Sunday of the month “for those who do not understand Czech.” Since these were Sunday evening services, they were not well attended and were dropped on April 5, 1936 for lack of attendance. Even the morning church services were poorly attended and the life of the church grew weaker.

Every summer during Dr. Bren’s time the church and Sunday School had a picnic on some Sunday at someone’s farm. These picnics were well attended. By 1949 these church picnics had been abandoned. The church now does a “Service in the Park” at Jones Park which is followed by a potluck.

The church membership continued dropping. On April 4, 1934 it fell to 167 and by April of 1938 to 162 members. The annual congregational meeting again decided that Sunday evening English services should be held the first Sunday of the month but they again proved to be poorly attended; soon afterwards they were dropped.

The young people conducted a Sunday morning service once a year with good results. They planned and were in charge of the entire service. This continued for many years before being dropped. In the fall of 2005 the youth of the church once again began doing services; however now they do a service on the last Sunday of each month that has 5 Sundays in it, usually about 4 services a year.

On March 20, 1938, Dr. Joseph Bren offered his resignation because of his advanced age.

Because of Him ~ Terry

May 2008 Newsletter

A History of Hus Memorial Presbyterian Church, Part 7
Cedar Rapids, Iowa.
Adapted from a handwritten article provided by Elsie Drahovzal

Our Three Josephs

From the land of Hus they came, these three Josephs. They are Joseph Havlik, Joseph Leksa and Joseph Teply. They were born and raised in Bohemia, where most of their folks are still living. Early in life the call of the western world came to their heart. As soon as they had finished public school, they came to America. And their immediate goal was Dubuque for they had learned of Dubuque College and Seminary and its opportunities for the education of the foreigner as a religious leader of his own people.

Not a word of English did they know, nor a word of German, and who of us knew any Bohemian besides Professor Barta and his Bohemian students? But they entered the classes with the rest of the boys. They got English and German by induction and absorption and in any way languages can be acquired. In due time they finished the academy and entered the college. After four years they took their B.A. with honor. Then they entered the Theological Seminary and last spring they were finally ordained to the Gospel ministry and are now in the active Word among their own people. Rev. Joseph Havlik in Iowa, Rev. Joseph Leksa in Nebraska and Rev. Joseph Teply in Kansas.

This their first ten years in America 1907 to 1917 marked their great development. They have become loyal American citizens, well trained ministers of Christ able to preach the Gospel not only in their native tongue but in English and German as well. During their student days they were leaders in the school life. We confidently expect that they will be leaders in their chosen life work among their own people.

Throughout their course they gave an example of most loyal friendship and devotion one to the other and also to their alma mater. We feel confident that this friendship and loyalty will stand the test of time.

The case of our "Three Josephs" is unique in that all three came at the same time from the same place, were of the same age and finished their course as ordained ministers at the same time. It is typical of our work, however, for we have a large number of students who in a similar manner have left father and mother and native land to find in Dubuque College the great opportunity for their life work.

Because of Him ~ Terry

"Don't let this throw you. You trust God, don't you? Trust me. There is plenty of room for you in my Father's home. If that weren't so, would I have told you that I'm on my way to get a room ready for you? And if I'm on my way to get your room ready, I'll come back and get you so you can live where I live. And you already know the road I'm taking."

John 14:1-4 (MSG)

The Kings of Israel

Introduction

God has intended for his people to live in obedience to him from the beginning. God led the Israelites out of Egypt and provided for their daily needs. God gave them leaders to guide them. He provided victory over their enemies. They responded with grumbling, complaining, and by turning away because they wanted a god that they could see, ultimately leading to their demand for an earthly king.

God’s intent for the Israelites

God’s intent for the Israelites is that they would look to him and only him as their king. God told the Israelites “You shall have no other gods before me” (May & Metzger, 1977, p. 92). It is easy for us to make people and objects more important than God by making them our idols, our gods. Moses left the Israelites under the direction of his brother Aaron when he went up Mt. Sinai to talk to God and before he could return the people had already made and idol. Prior to the Israelites demanding that a king be appointed to rule over them the God chose leaders like Abraham and Moses as well as the judges to lead and guide them. One of the judges, Gideon, defeats Midian and then he is asked to be king, but “he refuses by affirming that “the Lord will rule over you”” (Birch, Brueggemann, Fretheim, & Petersen, 1999, p. 217). Gideon knew what God wanted as did others, but “in time, there came pressures upon Israel to become like other nations” (Grand Canyon University [GCU], 2007, p. 1). “At God’s behest Samuel delivers a severe lecture on the evils of kingship before yielding” (May & Metzger, p. 340) to their request.

God’s “ideal king”

God chose Saul to be the first king over Israel. Samuel told Saul that “the spirit of the Lord will come mightily upon you” (May & Metzger, p. 343). The role of king was a great won and God realized this so he added to the role of the prophets to include “intercession and guidance” (Birch et al., 1999, p. 233) for the kings. This is seen most notably in the role that Nathan plays in David’s life. God chose David to take Saul’s place as king of Israel. When this happened, the spirit of the Lord leaves Saul and goes to David.

David knew what God wanted in an “ideal king” and he wrote about them in Psalm 72. “Give the king thy justice, O God, and they righteousness to the royal son! May he judge thy people with righteousness, and thy poor with justice! May he defend the cause of the poor of the people, give deliverance to the needy, and crush the oppressor” (May & Metzger, p. 709)! Even before he was made king, David cared about those who were being oppressed. Before becoming king David heard that the Philistines were fighting against Keilah so he went to the Lord and asked “Shall I go and attack these Philistines” (May & Metzger, p. 362)? God told him to go.

David was righteous, but as it is with all of us, he had his faults, his sins. God knows we are going to sin and he knew that David would also sin. We see this in 2 Samuel 11 when David covets Uriah’s wife Bathsheba with whom he commits adultery and when they find out she is pregnant with his child he has Uriah murdered. After being rebuked by Nathan David admits his sin and by God’s grace is spared. The child that was born to Bathsheba dies after which David “went into the house of the Lord, and worshipped” (May & Metzger, 1977, p. 390).

Was David God’s “ideal king?” He likely was God’s ideal earthly king, but not his “ideal king.” God knew David’s limitations and he knew that David would fall short. No one on earth could fill this role.

A king’s sovereignty

God’s sovereignty is not limited to ruling over a region or a people. “God’s sovereignty is not morally and theologically neutral” (Birch et al., 1999, p. 220). By the time the Israelites were demanding an earthly king they no longer understood God’s kingship. An earthly king was incapable of maintaining the neutrality that God could. How could they? They had not created the heavens and the earth. God set the moral standard and there has been no one in since the beginning of time that has been able to live up to that standard except for Jesus.

Saul and David were both chosen by God to be king. This immediately limits the extent of their sovereignty to what God wants it to be. God sent the prophets to guide the kings. The earthly kings’ sovereignty is much different than God’s.

Today we say that nations are sovereign. This sovereignty is similar to that of the kings of ancient Israel in that the sovereignty covers a specific area and people. They differ because the kings of ancient Israel were appointed by God. Today Kings are in power because of their lineage, not divine appointment. Nations are sovereign because, not because of God, but because in most cases the land that they hold was either bought or taken by force.

Conclusion

The Israelites should have listened to the warning that Samuel gave them from God about the earthly kings. Whereas God is not susceptible to sin, we are. God is the same today as he was yesterday, but man changes many times over the course of his life based on the many influences that he will experience. We see over and over in the scriptures man’s inability to keep covenants with God or with other men. The constant pressures that we face each day prevent us from ever being able to fulfill the role of the “ideal king.” God’s “ideal king” came to be in Jesus Christ and who is sovereign over all creation and whose kingship is for all eternity.

References

Birch, B. C., Brueggemann, W., Fretheim, T. E., & Petersen, D. L. (1999). A Theological Introduction to the Old Testament. Nashville, TN: Abington Press.
Grand Canyon University (2007). BIB 113 Lecture Five, Monarchy and God's Sovereignty. : .May, H. G., & Metzger, B. M. (1977). The New Oxford Annotated Bible with the Apocrypha Expanded Edition and Revised Standard Version. New York, NY: Oxford University Press, Inc.

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April 2008 Newsletter

A History of Hus Memorial Presbyterian Church, part 6

Cedar Rapids, Iowa.

Adapted from a Historical Treatise Written by Charlotte Stelcik

The Second Church

In 1906, when plans were formulated for a new church, a building fund was created. Eight years later, in 1914, a total of $5,000 was on hand. On June 23, 1915, the old church building was sold and moved away to make room for the new structure. On July 6th, Jan Hus Day, ground was broken for the new Bohemian Presbyterian Church.

On July 15, 1915, the elders met in the German Evangelical Church where the congregation held services while the new church was being built. The corner stone was laid on August 21, 1915. The building, complete with furnishings, was to cost $24,000 but actually the final total reached $30,000. On Sunday, January 9, 1916, Hus Memorial Presbyterian Church was dedicated free from debt. Dr. J. Bren preached the dedicatory sermon assisted by visiting ministers from Cedar Rapids and vicinity, and other Czech churches in the Middle West.

The following article appeared in the January 11, 1916 edition of the Cedar Rapids Republican”

“The dedication services of the Hus Memorial Presbyterian Church were celebrated Sunday to the satisfaction of all participating. It was a day long to be remembered by those who were in attendance.

Short services at 10 o’clock in the morning were held before the opening of the gates of the edifice. Many persons from adjoining towns, Center Point, Walker, Vinton, Fairfax, Luzerne, and Mt. Vernon, were present. The meeting was opened with the signing of the Hundredth Psalm after which Rev. A. Paulu of Vining offered up a prayer and Rev. Pokorny of Ely, gave a short address. Miss Marie Pudil presented the keys of the church to its pastor, Rev. V. Hlavaty, the articles being laid on a platter bordered with roses. Rev. Hlavaty, with suitable remarks, opened the doors in the name of God.

The regular service began by the singing of ‘How Amiable are Thy Dwellings, O God,’ and in a short time the auditorium was filled by its congregation. Rev. Hlavaty offered a dedicatory prayer and Rev. Bren, of Hopkins, Minnesota, preached the dedication sermon. Rev. Pokorny read a poem, composed by himself, especially for the occasion. A collection of $1,500 was taken up which leaves but a very small debt. Thirty new members joined the church.

In the afternoon at three o’clock, services continued, this time in the English tongue. After the opening hymn, Rev. F. H. Shedd conducted a session of scripture reading and Rev. Dr. Ferguson followed this with prayer. Two quartets form the Sinclair Memorial Chapel rendered two songs. Rev. R. B. A. McBride spoke at length on ‘The Church of Today’ and Rev. E. R. Burkhalter spoke on ‘What the World Owes Bohemia from the Religious and Historical Standpoint.’

A second hymn by the congregation followed the close of this address. Rev. A. M. Jayne spoke on behalf of the Ministerial Union and with singing of America and the benediction by Rev. E. R. Burkhalter, the services were closed.

In the evening the third service consecrated. Short addresses were given by Rev. Paulu, Rev. Dudycha, and Rev. Bren. Rev. M. Spinka, pastor of the Reformed Bohemian Church, extended greetings. Several songs by the choir, under the direction of Joseph A. Popelka, were thoroughly enjoyed. Rev. Hlavaty brought the celebration to a close by his speech of thanks to the contractors, the building committees and the ladies who so generously prepared and served dinner and supper to the guests.”

The church was a brick structure (which is still standing and being used for worship by another congregation) which measures thirty-six by thirty-six feet. It was divided in the middle by a door which could be raised or lowered. The auditorium seated five hundred people. Above the main sanctuary, on the balcony, were four rooms used for Sunday School. In the basement there was a large hall in which dinners were served, meetings held, programs given, and plays presented. Adjoining this room was an adequately equipped kitchen. On the other side of the large hall there was a smaller room which was used for recreation, and half of the room served as the nursery for the youngest group in the church.

On December 12, 1916, an interesting meeting of the Czech people was held in the church which was filled to capacity. Dr. Bohumil Simek, a professor at the University of Iowa, was the speaker. The purpose of the meeting was the liberation of the Czech people from the Austro-Hungarian Empire. The people of the church always try to help in the old country’s freedom—morally, politically, and financially. A collection of $379 was taken.

In the winter of 1917 the church installed a new organ at the cost of $2,100. It was finished on December 15th and dedicated at a special program on December 24th of that same year.

In October, 1916, the girls decided to organize a society. Thirteen girls then established a club which they called Esther. Their purpose was to help needy families. This organization, like several others, faded away in time. The Boy Scouts undertook their first organization under the auspices of the church in 1916.

The Christian Endeavor organization can be traced back through the minutes almost to the very beginning of the church. In addition to their program of religious education and fellowship, they sponsored ice cream socials, presented plays, and presided over booths at the bazaars. In the late 1940’s the group changed their name to the Westminster Youth Fellowship. This group also faded away in time.

An annual event of the church is the Christmas program which was given on the Sunday evening preceding Christmas. All age groups form the Sunday School took part. The church platform in the main sanctuary was decorated and in the afternoon of the day of the program two Christmas trees were decorated by the young people. The program, which was directed by the superintendent of the Sunday School, consisted of recitations given by individuals, and usually exercises were offered by various age groups. Each Sunday School group had something to offer. The choir also took part in the program. It was customary for several children each to recite a poem or some small selection in Czech.

In 1918 a number of Sunday evening programs were held by the congregation. These were not necessarily religious in nature but consisted of lectures of educational nature. Various speakers came to talk to the people on these evenings.

Because of Him ~ Terry

¹⁹This is what the Lord All-Powerful says: "The special days when you fast in the fourth, fifth, seventh, and tenth months will become good, joyful, happy feasts in Judah. But you must love truth and peace." Zechariah 8:19 (NCV)

2008 Holy Week Worship Schedule

The above schedule is for Hus Presbyterian Church. Hus Presbyterian Church and Christ Church Presbyterian are joining with one another for the Maundy Thursday Service and the Good Friday Service. Please visit both churches websites for more information:

• Hus Presbyterian Church (directions to the church)
• Christ Church Presbyterian (directions to the church)

March 2008 Newsletter

A History of Hus Memorial Presbyterian Church, part 5
Cedar Rapids, Iowa.
Adapted from a Historical Treatise Written by Charlotte Stelcik

The First Church
The year 1889 was the most important year in the history of the church. On March 10, 1889 the church permanently organized as a Reformed Church with about one hundred members. By-laws were written and the church was incorporated. The brethren at once began thinking of building their own sanctuary. It so happened at the time that the Congregational Church wanted to sell their building; therefore on May 2nd this church was bought for $1600 and moved to its new site on the corner of Ninth Avenue and Seventh Street SE. On July 7th the church was dedicated by Rev. Kun and several American preachers before a huge crowd of people.

On September 29, 1889, this church became part of the Cedar Rapids Presbytery which did much to help the Protestant Czech work. Until 1910 the church was a member of the Cedar Rapids Presbytery; in that year it became part of the newly organized Central West Bohemian Presbytery which was talked about earlier.

In the summer of 1890 Vaclav Dudycha, who was the son of one of the first elders and a student at Union Theological Seminary, preached without remuneration in this new church. That fall Vaclav Hlavaty came to the United States as a candidate of theology. He was born in Bohemia, studied in the gymnasia in Kolin, Bohemia, and had studied theology in Vienna and Edinburgh. He came to Cedar Rapids during the Christmas holidays and preached in this newly organized church. On January 7, 1891, the congregation called him to be their minister and on January 25th he was ordained by the Presbytery of Cedar Rapids and installed. From that time on services were held every Sunday and the work of God continued favorably but many times with difficulty. A few months after Rev. Hlavaty’s ordination, a debt of $735 on the church property was paid with the help of the First and Second Presbyterian Churches. After a thirty year struggle to attain their goal the people of this congregation at last had their own place of worship and a regular minister of their own nationality.

The church maintained a preaching station in Walker, whose population consisted of about seventy Czech families, and in 1892 Rev. Hlavaty was requested to visit the community and preach the Word of God. From that time on he visited them regularly and preached in the country school, four miles southeast of Walker. About thirty-five members composed the congregation while most of the others deserted Christianity for atheism. Services however were well attended. This work stopped after Rev. Hlavaty ceased to work in Cedar Rapids.

Rev. Hlavaty’s ministry was an epoch of progress for the church. Within a period of two years, 1891 to 1893, the enrollment of the Sunday School grew from twenty-five to one hundred fifty members and from 1891 to 1900, the church membership increased from ninety to 220 people. In the spring of 1892 a Christian Endeavor, which met on Sunday evenings, was organized with fifty members. By 1900 this organization had grown to seventy members. On Wednesday evenings, biblical and prayer meetings were organized. In 1900 the church had 220 members; 150 pupils in Sunday School with 15 teachers. The following brethren, F. Nemecek, Jos. A. Popelka, V. Horak, John Dudycha, Jos. Troyak, and Frank Stary served as elders.

In the fall of 1892, a fine new manse was built for $1600. This parsonage, which was built on the lot adjoining the church, was erected mainly through the efforts of the women of the church to raise the money.

On August 21, 1906, the Brotherhood of American Yeomen was founded and the local chapter “Jeronym” was established in this church. The name Jeronym was chosen to venerate the name of a professor at Prague University in 1416 who was later burned at the stake. The organization was a secret lodge which was conducted for insurance as well as fellowship of Protestant people. It was in existence until 1918.

The highest number of church members was reached in 1913 with 297 making up the congregation. It is also evident from the minutes that the church partly supported a Czech Home Missionary, Miss Mary Belerad.

In October, 1913, several women decided to organize a ladies society. They gave their club the name “Martha.” Soon they changed it to “Tabitha,” the name it held until it no longer had any members. The organization began with nine members but by 1915 had grown to twenty-two. By 1949 there were ninety-two members. In 1915 the annual bazaar was started and became one of the main events of the organization. They also served a supper that was attended by a large crowd each year.

Because of Him ~ Terry

³⁴Peter began to speak: "I really understand now that to God every person is the same. ³⁵In every country God accepts anyone who worships him and does what is right. ³⁶You know the message that God has sent to the people of Israel is the Good News that peace has come through Jesus Christ. Jesus is the Lord of all people! ³⁷You know what has happened all over Judea, beginning in Galilee after John preached to the people about baptism. ³⁸You know about Jesus from Nazareth, that God gave him the Holy Spirit and power. You know how Jesus went everywhere doing good and healing those who were ruled by the devil, because God was with him. ³⁹We saw what Jesus did in Judea and in Jerusalem, but the Jews in Jerusalem killed him by hanging him on a cross. ⁴⁰Yet, on the third day, God raised Jesus to life and caused him to be seen, ⁴¹not by all the people, but only by the witnesses God had already chosen. And we are those witnesses who ate and drank with him after he was raised from the dead. ⁴²He told us to preach to the people and to tell them that he is the one whom God chose to be the judge of the living and the dead. ⁴³All the prophets say it is true that all who believe in Jesus will be forgiven of their sins through Jesus' name." Acts 10:34-43 (NCV)

February 2008 Newsletter

A History of Hus Memorial Presbyterian Church, part 4

Cedar Rapids, Iowa.

Adapted from a Historical Treatise Written by Charlotte Stelcik

Early Beginnings In Linn County

In 1860 there were about 6,000 people in Cedar Rapids when Czech immigration began. By the middle of the 1860’s there was a goodly number of Czech Protestants in Cedar Rapids. The first beginnings of religious worship were difficult for the Czechs because many of them severed their relations with the Catholic Church. These people were led by atheists who made the word Christian despised by the Czech people. Fanatic atheists roamed among the Czechs in Cedar Rapids preaching mostly concerning the denial of Christianity and claimed that the expedient plan would go back to Greek culture. For this reason the Cedar Rapids Czech community came to be called Czech Athens. Among the first immigrants there were very few Protestants. Many became atheists because they were afraid to stand for the faith of their Hussite forefathers. They were known as the Evangelicals of the Reformed church. These people did not at first publicly espouse their religion but by holding meetings in their homes, they met and strengthened one another. Because of their poverty, it was years before they were able to afford a building in which to hold their religious services; therefore they met in homes to sing hymns to the accompaniment of a violin.

Occasionally these Protestants walked to Ely, nine miles from Cedar Rapids, to hear sermons by the Reverend Francis Kun, the minister of the Reformed Church in that rural community. This church, which had been organized in 1858, was the first Czech Protestant church in the United States.

Since the long trek to Ely was difficult for these people, they began to think of a place of their own for meeting. This couldn’t be realized, though, because in 1869, F. B. Zdrubek, with his newspaper, “Pokrok,” which means advancement, attacked the religious people, the word of God, and led the Czech people to the desecration of the Lord’s Day in a disgraceful manner. It became a day for picnics, drinking, parties, which became so disgraceful that in many cases public officials had to take action. Only after this man left Cedar Rapids did the American people begin to notice the small group of Christians among the Czech and their efforts to establish a church.

In 1868 Miss E. J. Lund, a public school teacher, reported to her pastor, Reverend James Knox of the First Presbyterian Church, that only a few of her pupils attended any form of religious services. As a result a Sunday School for theses Czech children was organized in July of that year and conducted in a small house on the corner of Seventh Avenue and Fifth Street near the Adams school. It was later held in two rooms of the Second Ward School. The whole congregation gladly accepted the friendly hand that was extended to them by Rev. Knox and some other of the English-speaking ministers in Cedar Rapids who took interest in the Czech people and served them. Our brethren began to meet in the old, empty building of the First Presbyterian Church. There they continued to hold services until the old church was torn down. To this old church Rev. Kun walked from Ely and preached three or four times a year.

After 1870, because the children lived too far away from the old First Presbyterian Church, attendance at the Sunday School decreased rapidly. Then in the year 1874, the Czech Evangelical people found a good friend in T. M. Sinclair, the owner of a packing plant where many of these people were employed. Sinclair was a devoted Christian and philanthropist. He gave the group fatherly care and because there was no better place, he made it possible for the group to meet in the factory in a shop where boxes were made. Here the congregation used boxes as seats and continued services for two years. Sinclair encouraged Czech Protestants to persevere in their efforts and invited workers to services; furthermore, in 1877 he built the Hope Mission Chapel (Third Presbyterian Church) on the hill in back of Saint Wenceslaus Church. Here at three o’clock Sunday School classes were taught in the English language, and at four o’clock church services were conducted in Czech. Rev. Kun cam occasionally to preach and with the support of Sinclair, the little group increased and prospered.

During that same year, Rev. J. E. Szalatnay, superintendent of the Reformed churches in Bohemia, visited the Cedar Rapids congregation. Mr. Sinclair tried to persuade him to remain as the local pastor and even guaranteed him a salary, but Rev. Szalatnay found it impossible to comply with this urgent request. Because it was impossible for him to remain in Cedar Rapids, he searched for a preacher in Europe, mainly in Edinborough, where Czech theologians studied, but he met with no success.

Two years later, on September 12th, with the aid of Mr. Sinclair, this little group of Protestants formally organized a Czech Reformed Church with Frank Nemecek, Jan Dudycha, and Karl Hromatka as their first elders. Services continued in the Hope Mission Chapel, conducted either by visiting ministers or by elders. Finally a Russian, Rev. Bonekempr, who offered to preach to the Czech congregation, came to the city at the expense of Mr. Sinclair. Since Rev. Bonekempr’s knowledge of the Czech language was poor, it was only with difficulty that the members of the congregation were able to understand him. Because of that difficulty his work was not successful. He preached his last sermon July 2, 1882. In the meantime Mr. Sinclair’s sudden death on March 24, 1881 brought sorrow to the congregation who he had so ably assisted.

After Rev. Bonekempr’s brief pastorate, the church was often aided by Rev. Edward R. Burkhalter, the minister of the First Presbyterian Church. From 1883 to 1890 Rev. Kun again preached in the Hope Mission Chapel once a month. When he came, services were well attended. Other people who conducted services during that time were Rev. Schauffler of Oberlin College; John Rundus, John Musil, and F. T. Bastel, theological students at Oberlin; and Frank Rundus from Park College in Missouri.

Because of Him ~ Terry

I urge you to pray for absolutely everything, ranging from small to large. Include everything as you embrace this God-life, and you'll get God's everything. And when you assume the posture of prayer, remember that it's not all asking. If you have anything against someone, forgive—only then will your heavenly Father be inclined to also wipe your slate clean of sins." Mark 11:24-25 (MSG)

... a li'l bit of scripture just to get you through the day

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A Li'l Bit was created by some youth workers that are all about authenticity and truth. These guys wanted to provide a weekly podcast where kids could simply hear God's word presented in a real and relevant way. Nothing crazy, nothing too hard to understand... just pure truth shared in 10 minute "easy to understand" segments.

We chose iTunes as our vehicle for communicating this truth because we see more kids carrying iPods with them than Bibles. So we figured that this would be a good way to get the truth into the ears of a generation of young people who are going to make an impact in this world.

For more information about who these youth workers are, click here for information about TheSourceForYouthMinistry.com.

I pray you find this helpful in your walk with Christ.

Because of Him ~ Terry

Claiming the Promised Land

Introduction

God said to Moses, “I have come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians, and to bring them up out of that land to a good and broad land, a land flowing with milk and honey, to the place of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Per'izzites, the Hivites, and the Jeb'usites” (May & Metzger, 1977, pp. 69-70). God promised the Israelites a land of their own. How they got there was an ordeal in itself, how they get the land is another. “Real land, unlike theologically promised land, is always contested, disputed, and conflictual” (Birch, Brueggemann, Fretheim, & Petersen, 1999, p. 180). Was the land of milk and honey taken by conquest, infiltration, revolt, or a combination of the three?

The Conquest

Moses has died and it is now time for Joshua to take the Israelites into the Promised Land. The people that were occupying this land had no idea that the Israelites were about to cross the border and begin to take this land that God had promised to them. If a country is being invaded by foreigners they are, with some exceptions, going to resist. That resistance which ultimately leads to war makes the fact that “this model (conquest) takes the biblical texts at face value” (Grand Canyon University [GCU], 2007, p. 2) make sense. The hypothesis “that the “conquest” of the land of Canaan by Israel under Joshua was a wholesale military onslaught, whereby Israel invaded the land as an effective occupying force and seized much of the land for Israel” (Birch et al., 1999, p. 181) was dominant in the first part of the twentieth century. There have been archeological discoveries that support this hypothesis, including excavations by W. F. Albright. “Albright's own excavations in the 1920s and 1930s at Beitin and Tell Beit Mirsim (which he believed to be the sites of biblical Bethel and Debir respectively) unearthed destruction levels which he associated with the traditions of the conquest” (Bimson, 1989, p. 1). This method has come under historical scrutiny especially since Albright, who had initially held to the date of conquest around 1400 B.C., “faltered and finally moved to a later date for the conquest (c. 1250 B.C.)” (Brantley, 1994, pp. 1-2).

Infiltration

After the destruction of Jericho and Ai, the Gibeonites tricked the Israelites into making a treaty with them. When the Israelites realized what had happened they were upset with their leaders. “The leaders said to all the congregation, "We have sworn to them by the LORD, the God of Israel, and now we may not touch them. This we will do to them, and let them live, lest wrath be upon us, because of the oath which we swore to them" (May & Metzger, p. 274). The Gibeonites were spared and lived among the Israelites.

Joshua 13 alludes to the fact that not all of the land was conquered when the Israelites first crossed the Jordan. “Now Joshua was old and advanced in years; and the LORD said to him, "You are old and advanced in years, and there remains yet very much land to be possessed” (May & Metzger, p. 278). Verses 2 through 6 further define the land that they have yet to possess. In addition to this “there are records of areas of the hill country, such as the region around Shechem, which Israel is portrayed as occupying in the book of Joshua (8:30-35; 24:1, 32), but for which there is no account of conquest. This may attest to a peaceful settlement in such an area. Advocates of the peaceful infiltration hypothesis have recently emphasized the continuous presence of nomadic groups living in symbiotic relationship with the settled inhabitants throughout the Fertile Crescent. These groups could easily move into the hill country of Palestine and occupy it during the period in question” (Hess, 1993, p. 495). It would have been easy for the Israelites to meet up with these nomadic groups and come make covenants with one another including aiding one another in battle. The German scholars Albrecht Alt and Martin Noth “concluded that the Israelite settlement of Canaan was due to a gradual immigration into the land, not a military offensive. Alt and Noth further theorized that the Israelites must have been pastoral nomads who slowly filtered into the settled land from the desert, seeking pastures for their sheep” (Brantley, 1994, p. 2).

Revolt

One theory “suggests that there was no major invasion of Canaan from an outside force but simply the immigration of a small group of people who inspired a revolt of the Canaanite peasants” (Ellis, 1991, p. 2). Yet a look back at history shows many people who were oppressed by their rulers and they revolted against them in an effort to have a better life. This would support a theory that the Israelites were able to join together with those in that were on the fringe of society and easiest to befriend. The story in Joshua 2 “about a prostitute named Rahab who harbors Hebrew spies in her home in the city wall” is a good “example of how marginal, fragile people joined with the incoming Egyptian refugees to create a new society” (GCU, 2007, p. 2). This method “helps to understand why some cities fell to Israel without any reported military attack” (Catholic Internet Mission [CIM], n.d., p. 1). The trouble with this method is that there is little to be found in the scriptures to support it.

Challenges

The Israelites would face challenges once they had entered the Promised Land. Joshua had the task of dividing the land between the tribes that had crossed the Jordan. There were nine and one-half tribes to distribute land to. This is because “Moses had given an inheritance to the two and one-half tribes beyond the Jordan; but to the Levites he gave no inheritance among them” (May & Metzger, 1977, p. 280). Joshua and the leaders also had to help the people keep the covenant with God or risk losing what they had been given. “Obedience to Yahweh’s Torah makes land reception and maintenance possible” (Birch et al., 1999, p. 203).

Conclusion

Outside of the biblical texts it is difficult to pinpoint exactly how the Israelites came to possess the land of milk and honey. Just like the covenants that God made that promised this land to the descendents of Abraham it takes faith. We have to believe. “Jesus said to him, "Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet believe" (May & Metzger, p. 1317). The blessings that the Israelites received were given because they believed.
Was the land of milk and honey taken by conquest, infiltration, revolt, or a combination of the three? Scholars will continue to try and prove or disprove each of these methods on how the Israelites claimed the Promised Land. They will continue to make archeological discoveries that may prove or disprove a particular theory. It is important that we hold to the truths that God has given us and doing that requires us to hold to the biblical account how the Israelites came to claim the Promised Land. Yet, how the Israelites came to claim the land may not be as important as the fact that God kept his covenant with them.

References

Bimson, J. J. (1989, October). The Origins of Israel in Canaan: An Examination of Recent Theories. Retrieved November 25, 2007, from http://www.biblicalstudies.org.uk/article_canaan_bimson.html

Birch, B. C., Brueggemann, W., Fretheim, T. E., & Petersen, D. L. (1999). A Theological Introduction to the Old Testament. Nashville, TN: Abington Press.

Brantley, G. K. (1994, October). The Conquest of Canaan: How and When?. Retrieved November 25,
2007, from http://www.apologeticspress.org/articles/433

Catholic Internet Mission (n.d.). "The Promised Land" - Three Theories of Israel's Conquest of Canaan. Retrieved November 25, 2007, from http://www.pcentral-online.net/scripture/canaan-conquest.html

Ellis, B. R. (1991). "Entry for 'CONQUEST OF CANAAN'". "Holman Bible Dictionary". Retrieved November 25, 2007, from http://www.studylight.org/dic/hbd/view.cgi?number=T1386

Grand Canyon University (2007). BIB 113 Lecture Four, Covenant Life and Canaan.

Hess, R. S. (1993). Early Israel in Canaan, A Survey of Recent Evidence and Interpretations. Palestinian Exploration Quarterly, 125, 492-518. Retrieved November 25, 2007, from http://individual.utoronto.ca/mfkolarcik/jesuit/richardhess.htm

May, H. G., & Metzger, B. M. (1977). The New Oxford Annotated Bible with the Apocrypha Expanded Edition and Revised Standard Version. New York, NY: Oxford University Press, Inc.