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

I just found A Li'l Bit. The following is from their website:

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.