Preaching on Islay

Islay Baptist Church would like to invite SBLPA lay preachers who are interested in visiting them for a weekend, or longer, to take Sunday services. They have the manse flat available (no charge) for accommodation. If anyone fancies a short break on the sunny (?) Isle of Islay then please make contact with Glen Cartwright who be pleased to pass on the contact details. Jim McNulty writes about his visit there in the June 2007 edition of news & views - please see the archive on the right hand column.

Prayer, paprika and ‘papagajs’!

Professor Emeritus Jim Parratt, Active Member Castlehill Road Baptist Church Bearsden – Formerly Honorary President of SBLPA

A few weeks ago my wife Pam and I said ‘goodbye’ to our many friends in Hungary – for the third time! This is a country I first visited forty years ago, in communist times of course, and where we have lived and worked on and off since the fall of that regime in 1989. If I were preaching, and not writing, my text would be from Proverbs 10:25 …’when the storm swept by the righteous stood firm’ because this is how I see the church that survived forty years of communism and is now reaching out in evangelism in some quite unique ways. Let me explain!

My first visit, and the first of many visits behind the ‘iron curtain’ in the 1970’s and 80’s, was as a guest of a Professor, party member of course, in the Medical School in Szeged, an attractive city near the southern border with Serbia and Rumania. Our friendship has led to a fruitful and enjoyable scientific collaboration in the field of basic heart research, especially on those disorders of cardiac rhythm that lead to sudden cardiac death.

During those early days open witness to Jesus was forbidden but there were, even then, interesting opportunities to share one’s faith. Those years were times of oppression, little freedom of speech, of movement, and for writing; someone once described it as ‘living in a straight jacket’. And when the people rebelled against the system, as they did so bravely in 1956, the Soviet occupation led to the death of over 40,000 people. It was a time when the church was squeezed, when ‘licences to preach’ were withdrawn, when pastors were imprisoned, when no bibles were published and when there was infiltration of party members into the church. Some of my friends lost their homes, possessions and family heirlooms. It was a time when believers were drawn together; there was especial emphasis on prayer, fellowship and the support of one another. One of the things that most struck us in our early experiences of Baptist church life was this emphasis on prayer; how many Baptist churches in our own country begin the Sunday worship with the whole fellowship gathering beforehand for an hour of prayer prior to the morning service beginning?

In 1989, during yet another visit, the SBLPA asked me to take an financial gift to help support the foundation of a proposed Baptist lay college in Budapest. This meant a visit to the BU headquarters and to the discovery that there was a Baptist church in Szeged, where I was to work during my sabbatical year from my home University. Moreover, I was told, the pastor spoke my own mother tongue. In fact, he had been given permission to study for a short time in London at Spurgeon’s College. This began a deep friendship with the family of Arpad Revesz and our own family and led to our eldest son Stephen teaching in Hungary for seven years. Indeed, two of our granddaughters were born there and the other, elder two began their education in a Hungarian primary school.

Tenth anniversary celebration of the recommencement of student witness after forty years of communist rule
Also on that 1989 visit, and because of our long-standing interest in Christian work among students, we met up with the first two staffworkers of MEKDESZ, the equivalent here in Scotland of Christian Unions in universities and colleges. We have supported this vital and growing work ever since; there are now around forty groups in these places of higher education and some wonderful stories of conversions and of growth in Jesus. Especially in those early days following the fall of communism there were interesting opportunities to share one’s faith and it was a great joy when my closest colleague in the Medical School came to faith in Jesus. It is wonderful to have someone at work to share and pray with!

Arpad, after serving as President of the Baptist Union, felt God’s call to become a full-time evangelist and he now preaches the gospel, not only in Hungary, but also in the surrounding countries with significant hungarian speaking populations (Rumania, Ukraine, Slovakia) and many have come to Christ through his ministry. He often asked me to ‘serve’ (preach) for him and I have now preached in many Baptist churches throughout Hungary. Now of course hungarian is one of the five most difficult languages in the world and I have never preached in it. Nor am ever likely to do so! Except in heaven of course. We all know that that is the language of the angels! I have however spoken in churches in hungarian, including acting as ‘father’ for a young friend whose own father had died. Taking the young lady down the aisle and then speaking to the couple in well prepared hungarian was a particular joy. There is a video to prove it!

To preach through an interpreter is another quite special experience and joy. If the interpreter is fluent in both languages, like Arpad, then not too much joint preparation is necessary – except prayer. Sometimes, and this has resulted in really blessed times, it is possible to spend more times with the one translating, sharing what the Lord has put on one’s heart. In this kind of preaching the ‘secret’ is to speak using only short sentences or phrases – like firing from a machine gun! Remember too that a 20 minute message will take, at least, twice that time to preach. Fifteen minutes is really maximum.

During the period when we lived in Szeged an English speaking Lutheran pastor and I were asked to give a series of Bible readings on the letters of James and Peter to folk from the main Szeged churches – including Reformed, Lutheran and Roman Catholic. These were again delightful opportunities to share God’s word with folk who really wanted to grow in the Lord

Szeged holds the world record for the longest 'paprika chain' - probably the only world record Hungary now holds!
If anyone of you ever has the opportunity of sharing God’s word in another tongue do take it. However, it may be that your hearers will receive two quite different messages. At least this is what the hearers of some of the times Arpad and I have ‘served’ together have told me. Only joking I think. Or hope!

PS Anyone really interested in these experiences in Hungary can read about them in several editions of the Castlehill Baptist Church magazine – or you can invite me to share in your own church! Incidentally, ‘papagajs’ is hungarian for parro(a)tts!

Some thoughts on the ‘Walk the Talk’ weekend at Scottish Churches House (held 23rd – 25th May 2008)

George Petrie, Active member, Broxburn

I feel blessed for having spent 45 hours at Scottish Churches House in Dunblane on the weekend of 23 – 25 May 2008. The weekend followed a hectic, frustrating, intensely challenging week at work and at home - was I up for what lay ahead. I had no real idea how the weekend would pan out.

The journey to Dunblane was the usual challenge on our Scottish roads on a late Friday afternoon, heavy traffic, road works and diversions.

It all changed as I drew into Kirk Street in Dunblane, in the shadow of the Cathedral, in good time for the Walk the Talk weekend. I took the one remaining parking place at the front door of Churches House - the car never moved ‘til I left for home on the Sunday afternoon.

The weekend turned out to be a thought provoking, challenging, engaging and spiritually refreshing. There was space, peace, quietness and thought provoking. It was hard work in the sense that those present had to be fully engaged with the contribution from both Larry Hurtado, Professor of New Testament at New College, Edinburgh and Alison Moody who works in spiritual direction and is a member of the Epiphany group which is rooted in the Ignatian tradition.

At a brief introduction after supper, on the Friday evening, we were encouraged to write down what we were expecting from and bringing to the conference. Alison then led a session to set the scene entitled ‘Who is God for us today?’ The time of quietness, the various spiritual exercises and the meditation enabled the group to focus and wait on God. Before a social time then bed, a moment to reflect, and write thoughts on ‘Who is God for me today?’

This was no weekend break. In two session on Saturday morning Larry provided three hours of input exploring the topic of earliest Christian, Jesus Devotion. The session was enlightening. Is was affirming to be reminded that Jesus is Lord but that affirmation came through a thorough investigation of Scripture.

Free time on a glorious afternoon was relaxing and uplifting. It provided space to mull over what Larry had said in the morning as well as the chance for a walk and a blether, and a coffee.

A session entitled ‘Who is Jesus for us today?’ led by Alison together with individual reflection on the input of the day and a Plenary discussion with the two weekend speakers brought together a tremendous day.

Having spend and Friday evening and a Saturday together we were getting to know each other and appreciated an informal late night chat over wine and nibbles.

‘Looking ahead’ was the title for the hour and a half after breakfast. This included closing comments from the speakers and a number of small group discussion sessions. The closing Eucharist was uplifting and an appropriate end to the formal sessions, and it was with some sadness we ate lunch tighter recognising that our couple of days together was over.

As I drove home I wondered ‘Why did the weekend work for me?’ Well, I went with no fixed expectations other than trusting to God that through His people gathering over the weekend I would be blessed. I went with an openness and a willingness to think and reflect and listen to others without being judgemental. The result for me was a real feeling of the presence of God and having a new appreciation that Jesus is Lord, an appreciation of his presence in my heart and a good basis on which to go home and seek with the help of the Holy Spirit to ‘Walk the Talk'.

Have a read at a passage we read several times during the weekend Philippians ch 2 vv 5 – 11.