Baptist World Alliance Day to be Observed on April 30 and May 1

Convention Mission Statement
The Czechoslovak Baptist Convention of USA and Canada
exists 1) to assist in extending the gospel of our Lord Jesus
Christ in lands of central and eastern Europe, particularly the
Czech and Slovak Republics; 2) to support the work of Baptists and other evangelical churches in North America that
minister to persons of Czech and Slovak descent, and 3) to
provide a Christian context for worship, fellowship, teaching,
and appreciation of heritage among those in the United States
and Canada who bear interest in the nationalities we represent.
Misijní poslání konvence
Československá baptistická konvence Spojených států a Kanady
byla ustanovena za účelem: 1) napomáhat v šíření evangelia
našeho Pána Ježíše Krista v zemích střední a východní Evropy,
zvláště v České a Slovenské republice; 2) podporovat práci baptistů a jiných evangelikálních církví v severní Americe, které slouží
českým a slovenským potomkům; 3) předkládat formu bohoslužby,
obecenství a učení, vážit si dědictví těch, ve Spojených státech a v
Kanadě, kterým leží na srdci národy, které reprezentujeme.
Contents:
Editorial–Natasha Laurinc..................................................................... 2
Dr. John W. Upton Letter....................................................................... 3
102nd Annual Czechoslovak Baptist Convention of USA and Canada........ 4
The First Witness–Stan Mantle............................................................. 6
The History of the Czechoslovak Baptist Church
in Toronto, part 3–Natasha Laurinc............................................... 8
Historie Československého baptistického sboru
v Torontě, 3. část–Nataša Laurincová........................................... 9
Letnice a Starý zákon–Miloš Šolc ml.................................................. 10
Youth Scene–Josef Šolc....................................................................... 12
Children’s Corner - The Great Mission.............................................. 14
Dětský koutek - Veliké poslání.............................................................. 15
Shattered but Revived–Neville Callam.................................................. 16
Ladies’ Page–Deborah Mulder............................................................... 17
Meet the Váhalas–Editors........................................................................ 18
Baptist World Alliance Day Observed on April 30 and May 1............... 19
Poenaru Post .......................................................................................... 20
From the President–Robert Dvorak.......................................................... 22
Prorok Malachiáš–Ana Lomen Franka............................................... 23
Glorious Hope/Slavná nadìje
Volume 37, No 2, 2011
(USPS 009334), ISSN 0700-5202
Published Bi-Monthly by
The Czechoslovak Baptist Convention
of USA and Canada.
Periodical postage paid in Philippi, WV.
Editor-in-Chief: Natasha Laurinc
email: [email protected]
You may send articles to above address.
Desktop publishing and art: Vit Malek
Assistant Editors: Janice Cermak, Ondrej Laurinc, Ph.D.
Production Manager: George Sommer
Editorial Staff: George Sommer,
Joseph Novak
POSTMASTER: Send address changes to
A
Love’s Message
nd I have revealed you
to them and will keep on
revealing you. I will do this
so that your love for me may be in
them and I in them. (John 17:26)
The above-mentioned words
were spoken by Jesus Christ as he
was praying for believers. Shortly
thereafter he was arrested, judged and condemned to a
degrading death on the cross. The cross stands in contrast
to love. Love is the fulfillment of the message of Christ.
Loving our neighbour testifies to our love of God.
The story of this dramatic manifestation of love occurred
during the Passover holiday. From a historical perspective,
this particular Passover was a turning point of sorts. The
Israelites were remembering their exodus from Egypt, from
four hundred years of slavery. Other nations perceived this
as a time of nature’s awakening to new life, etc. This led to
the development of certain practices, which became permanent customs and traditions. It concerned every aspect
of a person’s life, from ceremonial fasting and feasting, to
wearing specific attire and costumes.
 Continues on page 21
A
Poselství lásky
já jsem jim dal poznat tvé jméno a ještě dám, aby láska,
kterou jsi mě miloval, byla v nich a já v nich. (Jan 17; 26)
Výše uvedená slova zazněla z úst Pána Ježíše, když
se modlil za věřící. Krátce na to byl zatčen, souzen a odsouzen k potupné smrti na kříži. Kříž stojí v kontrastu s láskou.
Láska je náplní poselství Ježíše Krista. Láska k bližnímu
svědčí o lásce k Bohu.
Příběh dramatické manifestace lásky k bližnímu se odehrál v období velikonočních svátků. Z historického hlediska
byly tyto svátky určitým mezníkem. Izraelité vzpomínali na
odchod z Egypta, ze čtyřista let trvající poroby. Jiné národy
vnímaly toto období jako probouzení přírody k novému
životu a pod. To vedlo ke vzniku různých praktik, které se
ustálily ve zvycích a tradicích. Dotýkalo se to všech oblastí
života člověka—přes ceremonie provázené půstem, hostinami až ke specifickým oděvům a kostýmům.
Velikonoce 21. století jsou směsicí všech možných dochovaných zvyků a praktik. V tomto století se tradiční církev
 Pokraèování na stranì 7
Publication Office:
Glorious Hope / Slavná nadìje
Rt. 4, Box 58D, Philippi, WV 26416-9717 USA.
email: [email protected]
WWW.CZSKBC.ORG
2
Printed on recycled paper
Covers: Photo from newsletternewsletter.com
      Vol 37 No 2, 11
Celebrating 400 Years
of Baptist Heritage
BAPTIST WORLD ALLIANCE
405 North Washington Street | Falls Church, VA 22046, USA
+1-703-790-8980 TEL | +1-703-893-5160 FAX | [email protected] | www.bwanet.org
May 4, 2011
“I look forward to joining my brothers and sisters again at the Czechoslovak Baptist
Convention. It will be a time of renewing old friendships and making many new ones for all
of us. The theme of the Convention is “Decisions of Faith” with a focus on Hebrews 11. Every
sport has its Hall of Fame which chronicles the lives and stories of the heroes of the sport.
Basketball, Football, Soccer, and Baseball all have Halls of Fame. Hebrews 11 is God’s Hall of
Fame. It is a Hall of Fame of those who walked with Him in trusting faith. Through these
heroes of faith God has much to share with us about what the nature of a walk with Him
involves. Scripture will give us very specific guidance and instruction as we seek to be faithful
followers of Jesus Christ. It is my hope as we leave the Convention we will see ourselves on a
pilgrimage like Abraham and like Moses making new refusals and new choices as we journey
our way in faith.”
May the Lord guide you as you and the committee make your plans for the
Convention. See you in July,
John V. Upton, Jr.
President
Baptist World Alliance
      Vol 37 No 2, 11
3
102nd Annual Czechoslovak Baptis
July 14-17, 20
Theme: Decisions of Faith (Hebrews 11)
Enoch’s Believing (Hebrews 11:5-6a)
Noah’s Building (Hebrews 11:7)
Abraham’s Going (Hebrews 11:8)
Moses’ Choosing (Hebrews 11:23)
Guest Speaker: Dr. John Upton
John Upton is a newly elected president of Baptist
World Alliance as well as executive director of the Baptist General Association of Virginia (BGAV) and of the
Virginia Baptist Mission Board (VBMB) in the United
States.
Dr. Upton attended the Baptist-affiliated Averett
College (now Averett University) in Danville, Virginia;
the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky, in the US; and the Taiwan Language
Institute. He received a Doctor of Divinity degree from
the International Baptist Theological Seminary in
Kerrala, India.
For the copy of the more detailed biography, please
visit our web site: www.czskbc.org
WREGISTER ONLINE !!!!
E
N
Visit our web site www.czskbc.org and
follow the link to:
July 14-17, 2011
102nd Czechoslovak Baptist Convention
…or look for printed registration inside this issue
4
www.czskbc.org
      Vol 37 No 2, 11
st Convention of USA and Canada
011, Philippi WV
Tentative Program
Thursday, July 14, 2011
9:00 a.m. General Board Meeting
12:30 p.m. Lunch
1:30 p.m. Budget Committee Meeting, followed by
Publishing Committee Meeting
5:00 p.m. Dinner
7:00 p.m. CONVENTION OPENING SERVICE
Service will be held in Philippi Baptist Church.
Sermon: Donald Shoff
Worship Leader: TBA
Song Leader: TBA
Philippi Baptist Church Choir
Convention Welcome: A-B College President
Sermon: Enoch’s Believing. (Hebrews 11:5-6a) “By
faith Enoch was taken so that he did not experience
death; and he was not found because God had taken
him. For it was attested before he was taken away
that he had pleased God. And without faith it is
impossible to please God.”
Friday, July 15, 2011
9:00 a.m. Ladies Missionary Rally Breakfast
9:00 a.m. Men’s Breakfast with John Upton
12:00 p.m. Lunch
1:30 p.m. Convention Soccer Match
2:00–4:00 p.m. Activity Recess (Swimming, Tennis,
Golf, Soccer)
4:00 p.m. Choir Rehearsal
5:00 p.m. Dinner
7:00 p.m. “BOB DVORAK AND FRIENDS”
Night of traditional-style music, Old
Fashioned Hymns and your music
contributions
Convention Memories
Your music contributions to the program
must be submitted by Thursday 10 P.M.
Sermon: Robert Dvorak
Sermon: Noah’s Building. (Hebrews 11:7) “By
faith Noah, warned by God about events as yet
unseen, respected the warning and built an ark to
save his household; by this he condemned the world
and became an heir to the righteousness that is in
accordance with faith.”
      Vol 37 No 2, 11
Saturday, July 16, 2011
8:00 a.m.–4:00 p.m. Annual Youth Picnic at
Blackwater Falls State Park
9:00 a.m. Prayer Time and Bible Study
10:30 a.m. Business Session
12:00 p.m. Lunch
2:00–4:00 p.m. Activity Recess (Swimming, Tennis,
Golf, Soccer)
4:00 p.m. Choir Rehearsal
5:00 p.m. CONVENTION BANQUET
7:00 p.m. YOUTH NIGHT
Night of contemporary-style music
Special youth and children’s program.
Your music contributions to the program
must be submitted by Thursday 10 P.M.
Sermon: John Upton
Sermon: Abraham’s Going. (Hebrews 11:8) “By
faith, Abraham obeyed when he was called to set out
for a place that he was to receive as an inheritance;
and he set out, not knowing where he was going.”
MOVIE NIGHT–Facing the Giants
Following the evening service.
Sunday, July 17, 2011
9:00 a.m. Memorial Service
9:15 a.m. Devotional
10:00 a.m. CHOIR REHEARSAL
10:30 a.m. Morning Worship Service
Sermon: John Upton
Worship Leader: TBA
Combined Choir
Communion
Sermon: Moses’ Choosing. (Hebrews 11:23) “By
faith Moses, when he was grown up, refused to be
called a son of Pharaoh’s daughter, choosing rather
to share ill-treatment with the people of God than to
enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin.”
Convention picture
12:00 p.m. Lunch
5
The First Witness
Rev. Stan Mantle
John 20:1–18
E
aster, the very word
beams hope and life
calling all to come near
and hear what God says, see
what God has done. Happily
we turn our eyes once more to
the familiar scene in the garden where Mary Magdalene
was the first to encounter the
risen Lord. John’s telling of
the events of that first Easter
morning gives particular attention to Mary. The spotlight, as
it were, shines brightly on her and we are given to observe the
wonder of the resurrection as it affects her personally. We may
be grateful for this beautiful closeup, for Mary was the first
to see Jesus alive again after He had died. She was the first
witness of the resurrection. The gospel of Mark puts it plainly:
“When Jesus rose early on the first day of the week, he
appeared first to Mary Magdalene…” (Mark 16:9)
We may wonder why Mary was chosen as the first to see
Jesus alive again. What kind of a woman was this whose
name and memory so stands out among the first followers
of Jesus? Let us see what this, the first witness of the resurrection, was like. Let us see what the risen Lord would teach
us through her.
First, observe how she was not distinguished. We have no
record that she was well-educated or accomplished. There is
no indication that she came from a good family or had made
a success out of life. In fact, rather the opposite is apparent,
for we are told that Jesus had driven seven demons from her.
The first witness, the one Christ chose first to reveal Himself to after His rising from death was one who lacked the
qualifications, the credentials normally desirable in a witness.
Modern advertisers desiring to launch a publicity campaign
seek out a spokesperson whose face is recognized. If someone
were to speak on our behalf we would wish them to possess
respect and credibility. Mary Magdalene lacked all of these.
First of all, she was a woman in a world where a woman’s
word as a witness didn’t count for much. Second she had
been possessed of demons. Her mind had been in bondage,
oppressed and out of her control. All of this would allow
others to dismiss her. She was no good to them. She had a
history, she had baggage, she had an unsavoury background
that made some folk nod and whisper and wink when she
went by. Her testimony was of no use, except as a source of
ridicule and laughter.
6
But Jesus doesn’t think that way. He chose Mary as His
first witness because He loved her. He saw what she might
be. He had begun a healing work in her when He freed her
from the demons, but that was only the beginning. Where
others focus on outside criteria for acceptance, Christ looks
on the inside.
He saw the devotion which flowed in her for Him since
her liberation. He understood the look of gratitude in her
eyes as she watched Him teach or reach out to heal some
other sufferer. He knew the fierce flame of loyalty for Him
which burned in her breast, loyalty which found her beholding with untold sorrow the public spectacle at Calvary and
staying on to follow the lifeless body to where it was laid at
last in Joseph’s tomb.
Jesus observed the same tired frame, faithfully making its
way back to the tomb before dawn early Sunday morning.
He discerned the hidden spring within, swollen and choked
with sorrow, yet still gushing forth a torrent of love. No,
the first witness to Jesus’ resurrection was not distinguished
except by her devotion to her Lord.
A second thing to note concerning the first witness is
that she was not deserted. Now we don’t know what were
the contributing factors to the seven demons taking up
residence in Mary Magdalene. We don’t know what circumstances or events opened the door for her life to become
disarrayed, torn apart and dominated. Had she made some
bad decisions? Had relationships gone sour? Had she been
deserted by someone or a whole cycle of someones? Had
she been used and then cast aside? We can wonder but we
just don’t know.
In Jesus, however, Mary had found someone who
changed her life around completely. Her new life with order
and purpose centred on Him. He was the focus of her love
and gratitude. She wanted no more than to serve Him, follow Him, be with Him, for it was safe when He was near.
The old trouble, the danger could not threaten her while
He was present.
And then suddenly, terribly HE WAS GONE.
They had killed Him and now even His body… even His
body was taken away. To the angels who asked her why she
was crying, pitifully Mary answers:
...“They have taken my Lord away and I don’t know where
they have put him.” (John 20:13)
Jesus knew as no other what all this was doing to Mary.
He knew her dependance on Him, her love for Him, her
confidence in Him, and so to her first He comes, with the
      Vol 37 No 2 11
blessed reassurance that He has not deserted
her.
What a precious scene is this meeting in
the garden between Mary and Jesus. Overwrought with grief she thinks Him the gardener and addresses him formally:
…“Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me
where you have put him, and I will get him.”
(John 20:15)
And to this Jesus answers affectionately,
personally: “Mary.”
All at once her heart leaped. It was Him.
He was here and joyously she blurted out:
“Rabboni.”
Jesus came to Mary not with money, not
with news she had won the lottery. To listen to
the advertisements you would think that winning
the lottery had the capacity of healing broken hearts.
No, He came to her with the one thing she most needed
to hear and know…that He was alive, that He had not
deserted her…would never desert her.
This is what people foremost need, not more things, not
success, not even material security. They need, I need, you
need to know that He who knows all about you, He who
has followed your course from before birth to the present
and in Whose presence is healing and acceptance and safety…
is ALIVE, and will never desert those who put their trust
in Him. The first witness was not deserted.
Finally the first witness was not disobedient. When Jesus
called her “Mary” we may be sure she instinctively reached
for Him. She wanted to hold Him, clasp onto Him and never
ever let Him go. But Jesus knew it wasn’t to be like this.
The time of their knowing Him physically was just about
over and a new age about to begin. Shortly He would pour
out His spirit upon those who were His, but first He had
to return to the Father. And so He gave Mary instructions
which must have been very hard to receive:
…“Do not hold on to me… Go instead to my brothers and
tell them I am returning to my Father and your Father, to
my God and your God.” (John 20:17)
“Let me go,” Jesus was saying, “and go and tell my brothers.” Surely Mary would dearly have loved just then to keep
Jesus to herself, or failing that at least to have had Him
accompany her back to tell the others. But that was not the
way Jesus put it. He wanted Mary to learn to walk with Him
by faith. He had a great part for her to play in spreading the
news. And Mary proceeded to carry out her assignment.
She went to the disciples with the news:
“I have seen the Lord!” (John 20:18)
The first witness was not disobedient.
And so as we have seen, the one the risen Christ chose
as his first witness
      Vol 37 No 2, 11
was not distinguished,
was not deserted and
was not disobedient.
Since then many others have encountered the risen Lord.
He has come and met them also at their point of need.
They have not often been distinguished. Not one has He
ever deserted and all He has sent to be His witnesses. This
Easter we will do well and be richly blessed if like Mary
before us we come to the empty tomb, not as distinguished
witnesses but as obedient ones, ones whom our risen Lord
will never desert.

Editorial… Pokračování ze strany 2
stává přežitkem. Mladou generací je církev častěji odmítána
než přijímána. Poselství Velikonoc je tak tlačeno do pozadí,
až se stává neznámým. Na otázku, proč se vlastně slaví Velikonoce, se odpověď většinou týká jara. I přes dramatičnost
událostí v tomto období před dvěmi tisíci lety, člověk neví.
Uniká mu poselství Velikonoc naplňující poselství Vánoc. V
tomto století, o kterém se hovoří jako o století nepředstavitelných možností, člověk postrádá to základní—mít soucit s
bližním, s druhým člověkem. Uniklo mu poselství lásky.
Pán Ježíš Kristus mezi lidmi žil, vyučoval o Bohu, dával
praktické rady k životu, vedl ke vzájemné snášenlivosti a
lásce k bližnímu.
S odstupem doby toto poselství lásky oslovuje se stejnou
naléhavostí. Jen Boží láska zjevená skrze Pána Ježíše Krista
a praktikována jednotlivci může vystihnout náplň Velikonoc.
Nataša Laurincová, šéfredaktorka 
7
The History of the Czechoslovak
Baptist Church in Toronto
Part Three
A
fter the departure of Josef Novak, the church
went two and a half years without a pastor. In this
period, several pastors took turns leading the congregation. Dr. Josef Solc was the pastor for the first three
months in 1979. Then Josef Hynek took over the spiritual
administration of the church.
A number of brothers became
actively involved in the church:
Anthony Springle, John Alac,
Peter Vesely, Milan Sury, Ken
Kupisz. In December of the
same year, Milos Solc Sr. from
Prague took his place as pastor, although he was already
retired. In August 1980 he
had to return to CzechosloJozef Hodul
vakia. In the meantime the
church asked Jozef Hodul,
a member of a church in
Windsor, and Paul Jedlicka,
a major in the Salvation
Army in Montreal, to preach
God’s Word. J. Hodul drove
into Toronto three times a
month and P. Jedlicka, once
a month. At the same time
Paul Jedlicka
they approached Milos Solc
Jr., who for some time could not get government officials
to renew his pastor’s licence. Permission to preach in other
countries had to be obtained from the Ministry of Culture.
In light of the political situation in the country it was
impossible to hope for a favourable response. However,
within six months, official permission was obtained, and in
March 1981 Milos Solc Jr. and his family moved to Toronto.
With the arrival of a new pastor, the Toronto congregation (at 47 members) entered its third phase. This was
also the time of the last wave of emigration from Czechoslovakia. A number of young families with children also
moved to Toronto. Once again, the mother tongue found
its application. The church in Toronto was the last church
on the North American Continent where sermons were
preached in the Czech language. Sunday school was taught
in Czech, Slovak and English. The need for the presence
of the English language during services could not be
8
overlooked. Before the main sermon, Ken Kupisz regularly
had a Biblical introduction in English. Each sermon was
translated into English, Czech, or Slovak. In January 1987,
an English-speaking group named Annette Street Baptist
Church was formed under the leadership of Martin Alac
and Gordon Springle. Its activity was discontinued in the
summer of 1989.
The Solc family was known in Czechoslovakia for their
charisma. In serving at the Toronto church, the Solc family had the opportunity to fully use all their talents. At
first it was the younger son Josef, then the father, Milos
Sr., and finally the older son, Milos Jr. Their shared love
of sports enabled them to work closely with the younger
generation. The start of a whole series of concerts and
other programmes, which caught the attention of Czech
and Slovak emigrants city-wide, was thanks to Pastor Milos
Solc Jr.’s musical talents. A two-week-long summer camp
for children and youth with lectures in Czech and Slovak
national history, books of the Bible, sporting tournaments
(in tennis, swimming and in January hockey), tennis lessons, skiing trips, camping trips, trips taken as a congregation all became a part of the church’s regular activities.
The Czechoslovak Baptist Church in Toronto became an
inseparable part of Czech and Slovak life in Toronto and
its surrounding areas.
 Continues on page 13
Šolc family
      Vol 37 No 2, 11
Historie Československého
baptistického sboru v Torontě
3. část
P
o odchodu Josefa Nováka byl sbor dva a půl roku bez
kázalo česky. Nedělní
kazatele. V tomto období se ve vedení sboru vystříškola byla vyučována v
dalo několik kazatelů. První tři měsíce v roce 1979
češtině, ve slovenštině
byl kazatelem Dr. Josef Šolc. Potom se duchovní správy
i v angličtině. Potřeba
sboru ujal Josef Hynek. Do činnosti sboru byla aktivně
angličtiny
během
zapojena celá řada bratří: Antonín Špringl, Ján Aláč, Petr
bohoslužeb nemohla
Veselý, Milan Surý, Ken Kupisz. V prosinci téhož roku na
být přehlížena. Před
místo kazatele nastoupil Miloš Šolc starší z Prahy, toho času
hlavním kázáním prav důchodu. V srpnu 1980 se však musel vrátit do Českoslovidelně sloužil bibvenska. Na přechodnou dobu požádal sbor Josefa Hodula,
lickou úvahou Ken
člena sboru ve Windsoru, a Pavla Jedličku, majora Armády
Kupisz v jazyce angspásy z Montrealu, o službu Božím slovem. J. Hodul dojížděl
lickém. Každé kázání
do Toronta třikrát měsíčně a jednou do měsíce P. Jedlička.
bylo překládáno do
Zároveň bylo zahájeno vyjednávání s kazatelem Milošem
angličtiny nebo do
Šolcem mladším, kterému v Československu státní orgány
češtiny a slovenštiny.
Josef Hynek
neprodloužily souhlas k výkonu kazatelské služby. Povolení
V lednu 1987 došlo k
ke sluzbě v zahraničí muselo jít přes Miniustanovení anglicky hovořící skupiny Annette
sterstvo kultury. Vzhledem k politické situBaptist Church pod vedením Martina Aláče a
aci v zemi se zdálo téměř nemožné doufat v
Gordona Špringla. Činnost této skupiny byla
kladné vyřízení žádosti. Do šesti měsíců však
ukončena v létě 1989.
úřední povolení bylo uděleno a v červnu 1981
Rodina Šolců byla v Československu známa
se celá rodina kazatele Miloše Šolce ml. přesvou charismou. Ve službě v torontském sboru
stěhovala do Toronta.
měli možnost svého obdarování Šolcovi plně
Příchodem nového kazatele vstoupil
využít. Nejprve to byl mladší syn Josef, potom
torontský sbor (čítajíc 47 členů) do třetí etapy.
otec Miloš a nakonec starší syn Miloš. Jejich
Ve stejné době došlo k poslednímu záchvěvu
společná láska ke sportu jim umožňovala
emigrace z Československa. Do Toronta přiúspěšnou práci s mladší generací. Hudební
Miloš Šolc st.
šlo několik mladých rodin s dětmi. Mateřský
obdarování kazatele Miloše ml. se zasloužilo o
jazyk krajanů znovu našel své uplatnění. Torontský sbor byl
odstartování celé řady koncertů a dalších programů, které
posledním sborem na severoamerickém kontinentě, kde se
upoutaly krajanskou veřejnost. Pořádání dvoutýdenních
letních táborů pro děti a mládež s vyukou historie národů
(Čechů a Slováků), seznámování s Biblí, sportovní turnaje (v
tenise, v kopané i v ledním hokeji), tenisové výcviky, lyžařské
zájezdy, stanování a společné sborové výlety doplňovali činnost sboru. Torontský československý sbor baptistů se stal
neoddělitelnou součástí krajanského života v Torontě a jeho
okolí.
Kazatel Miloš Šolc ml. se zasloužil o ustanovení bohoslužeb pro krajany jednou v měsíci v městě Kitchener (100
km od Toronta). Každý rok na jaře se uskutečnilo setkání
tři sborů – Windsor, Kingsville a Toronto. Během třinácti
let působení Miloše Šolce ml. v Torontě se sbor rozrostl na
85 členů.
Pád železné opony mezi východem a západem se postupně
začal
odrážet nejen v Československém sboru baptistů, ale i
Young Couples
 Pokraèování na stranì 13
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9
Letnice a Starý zákon
Skutky 2, l–4
P
ro každého křesťana jsou
Letnice známým církevním
svátkem, ve kterém si Boží lid
připomíná seslání Ducha svatého
a tím zrození církve Pána Ježíše
Krista. Pravděpodobně však ne
každému je zcela jasné, že mají Letnice své pozadí ve Starém zákoně.
Čteme o nich
ve 3. Mojžíšově
23, 15–21. Jejich význam je dokonce
takový, že byly jedním ze tří svátků, při
kterých se měl každý muž „postavit před
Hospodinem“.
Letnice byly původně slavností žně,
při které se obětovaly „prvotiny“, to je
první chleby z pšeničné sklizně, a proto
se také nazývaly „den prvotin“. Užívanější názvy jsou však „Den padesátý“
anebo „Slavnost týdnů“.
Bylo to zcela náhodné, že k založení
církve došlo právě při starozákonním
svátku Letnic? Jistě ne! Vždyť za každým
ze svátků uvedených ve zmíněné kapitole
lze vnímat Boží poselství ukazující k
Pánu Ježíši Kristu. Vedle Slavnosti odpočinutí (soboty), to je sedm svátků: Hod
beránka, Slavnost nekvašených chlebů,
Snopek prvotiny žně, Letnice, Den troubení, Den smíření a Slavnost stánků.
Nový zákon nás učí porozumívat
prorockým obrazům, které za těmito
slavnostmi jsou. V listu Koloským 2,17
čteme v souvislosti se starozákonními
svátky: „To všechno je jen stín budoucích
věcí, ale skutečnost je Kristus.“ Smyslem
starozákonních svátků bylo především prorocky ukazovat k Pánu Ježíši
Kristu a jeho dílu! Tak například v 1.
Korinským 5,7 čteme: „Odstraňte starý
kvas, abyste byli novým těstem, vždyť
vám nastal čas kvašených chlebů, neboť
byl obětován náš velikonoční beránek,
Kristus.“ Jsou zde tedy jmenovány hned
dva ze sedmi svátků s ohledem na Ježíše
Krista–Slavnost nekvašených chlebů a
Hod beránka.
10
Den slavení Letnic se odpočítával od svátků, které mu
předcházely—Svátku prvotiny žně a od Hodu beránka.
Hod beránka nám srozumitelně poukazuje na oběť Pána
Ježíše na kříži. Když tento svátek Pán Ježíš slavil se svými
učedníky, řekl o kalichu: „Tento kalich je nová smlouva
zpečetená krví, která se za vás prolévá.“ Jeho krev tedy
byla naplněním zákonního obrazu Hodu beránka. A Svátek prvotin odkazuje na vzkříšení Páně! V 1. Korintským 15,20 je
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Pán Ježíš výslovně nazván „prvotinou“ ve smyslu budoucího vzkříšení věřících. Když se tedy naplnil prorocký
obraz Hodu beránka a Svátku prvotin v novozákonní
době, je namístě, abychom si kladli otázku, jak se naplnil
prorocký obraz Letnic!
Nezbývá, než se zahledět na událost tak, jak je nám
podána v Novém zákoně a pak ji promítnout do popisu
starozákonního svátku. Co se tedy stalo o prvních Letnicích po dokonání spasitelného díla Pána Ježíše Krista?
Shromáždění ctitelé Pána Ježíše Krista byli naplněni
Duchem svatým a ve vytržení začali mluvit nejrůznějšími
jazyky o velikých skutcích Božích. Naplnilo se tak zaslíbení Pána Ježíše, když je vyzval, aby z Jeruzaléma neodcházeli, ale čekali na Otcovo zaslíbení: „Jan křtil vodou, vy
však budete pokřtěni Duchem svatým, až uplyne těchto několik dnů.“ Na Petrovo kázaní se obrátilo na tři tisíce lidí z
nejrůznějších národů, všichni byli pokřtěni a připojili se k
apoštolům! Tak došlo k zrození církve Pána Ježíše Krista!
Když se začteme do statě ve 23. kapitole 3. Mojžíšovy,
která pojednává o starozákonních Letnicích, zjistíme,
že se věnuje popisu nejrůznějších obětí, které Pán Bůh
ustanovil pro tento den. Popis obětí začíná obětováním
dvou kvašených chlebů. Victor Buksbazen ve své knize
„The Gospel in the Feasts of Israel“ (Evangelium ve svátcích Izraele) vykládá obětování těhto dvou kvašených
chlebů následovně: „Proč kvas? Proč dva kvašené chleby?
Kvas je přece symbolem hříchu! Chléb při Hodu beránka
byl kvašený! Ten však hovořil o těle Krista, které bylo
bezhříšné a stalo se hříchem pro naši spásu. Dva kvašené
chleby však byly symbolem Izraele, který je hříšný. Jde
však výslovně o dva chleby! Proč? Protože církev Páně
je tvořena jak ze Židů, tak i z pohanů. Kvas jako symbol
hříchu nám připomíná lidskou hříšnost a varuje nás před
tím, abychom hleděli na církev ve smyslu dokonalosti. Jen
při Pánu Ježíši je naprostá dokonalost, v něm kvas není. “
Tyto dva chleby byly nazvány „prvotinami Hospodinu“
a v povstalé církvi se jednalo o první ovoce Ducha svatého—o jakousi první žeň. Jednalo se o přinášenou oběť,
protože i věřící jsou svými osobnostmi obětmi, tak jak o
tom svědčí apoštol Pavel v listu do Říma 12,1: „Vybízím
vás bratří, pro Boží milosrdenství, abyste sami sebe přinášeli jako živou, svatou, Bohu milou oběť; to ať je vaše pravá
bohoslužba.“
Nezapomeňme však, že ony dva chleby byly obětovány
s krvavými obětmi, které pro prolitou krev ukazují k oběti
Pána Ježíše na kříži, pro kterou jsme očištěni a stáváme se
Božími dětmi.
Ano, Letnice byly naplněním jedinečného prorockého
obrazu dne padesátého, jak byl po staletí slaven. Pro
dokonané dílo Pána Ježíše Krista mohla sesláním Ducha
svatého povstat církev, která vidí své poslání v odevzdání
se Pánu Bohu.
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Dále je užitečné, abychom si řekli, že Židé během
Letnic čtou knihu Rut. Činí tak ze dvou důvodů: Předně
proto, že kniha Rut je situována na venkov—do Betléma
v čase žně. Proto je vhodná pro slavnost sklizně. Dále je
kniha čtena pro skutečnost, že hovoří o Rut, která byla
Moábka, pohanská žena, která přišla k poznání Boží
lásky prostřednictvím Noemi–Židovky. Zde dochází ke
spojení naděje a proroctví. Vyhlíží se den, kdy budou Židé
a pohané uctívat Hospodina společně prostřednictvím
„zastánce Krista“ zastoupeného v Bóazovi, který pojal za
manželku pohanku Rut. (Opět čerpáno z dříve uvedené
knihy Dr. Buksbazena.)
Závěrem si ještě řekněme, že pozdní židovstvo zdůvodňuje Letnice duchovně ve smyslu vydání Zákona na hoře
Sinaji a chápou tento den ve smyslu zrození Izraele. A my
můžeme na podkladě Písma svatého užít i tuto skutečnost
ve smyslu novozákonního poselství. Smrtí Pána Ježíše
na kříži byl naplněn Hod beránka a ve skutečnosti Stará
smlouva. Lidé přijatí Pánem Bohem již nejsou závislí na
starozákonních obětech zvířat. Letnicemi byla nastolena
Nová smlouva—Zákon Ducha! Ve 2. Korintským 3,6 apoštol Pavel píše: „(Bůh) nás učinil způsobilými sloužit nové
smlové, jež není založena na liteře, nýbrž na Duchu. Litera
zabíjí, ale Duch dává život.“ A ve 3. verši téže kapitoly
apoštol ukazoval na rozdíl mezi oběma smlouvami poukazem na to, že první byla psána na kamenných deskách,
zatímco druhá je psána na živých deskách lidských srdcí.
Jedná se tedy o zásadní rozdíl—přímo o dějinný přelom,
ke kterému právě o Letnicích došlo.
Jak jsme si již řekli, Letnice byly jedněmi ze tří svátků,
při kterých se měl každý mužského pohlaví ukázat před
Hospodinem (5. Mojžíšova 16,16), tedy přijít do Jeruzaléma. Proto byly v Jeruzalémě shromážděny obrovské
zástupy lidí. A tak dříve než začali apoštolé ve zmocnění
Duchem svatým plnit pověření nést evangelium do celého
světa, přivedl Pán Bůh „svět“ k nim! Obyvatelé ze všech
končin Římské říše byli svědky seslání Ducha svatého a
slyšeli Boží poselství o smrti Božího Syna, o jeho vzkříšení a nanebevstoupení, a roznesli o tom zprávu do míst,
kde žili. I tato skutečnost je mocným svědectvím o Boží
moudrosti a předivnosti Božích záměrů.
Letniční událost nás učí nejen vidět Boží moc v minulosti, ale také s ní počítat v přítomnosti. Nejen apoštolům,
ale i nám jsou určena slova: „Ale dostanete sílu Ducha
svatého, který na vás sestoupí, a budete mi svědky…“
Kazatel Miloš Šolc ml.
Z knihy
37 kázání aneb ohlédnutí za 37 lety služby na Božím díle

11
Similarities Between Christianity and Sports
from the book Communicating on the Playing Field by Dr. Josef Šolc
C
ommitment is the next similarity.
Christianity demands total commitment to Christ and His teachings.
“Then Jesus said to his disciples, ‘If anyone would
come after me, he must deny himself and take
up his cross and follow me. For whoever wants to
save his life will lose it, but whoever will lose his
life for me will find it,’” (Matthew 16: 24–25
NIV). There is no greater commitment than
to be willing to die for someone else in order
to propagate his teachings. And that is exactly
what Christ asks for in this statement. Nothing less will do. Many Christians either do
not know about this demand, or are not quite
ready to live that way. But history teaches us
that Christian martyrs were willing to offer
this ultimate sacrifice because of their
total commitment to Christ. The great
athlete shows a similar attitude. His
life is completely focused on his
training and involvement in
the sport where he wants
to prove his superiority
and world domination. He
pays no attention to the distractions of everyday life because he knows that
without single-minded devotion and commitment to his sport there is no ultimate victory.
No wonder Paul uses athletes as examples to
Christians on how to live the Christian life.
“Everyone who competes in the games goes into
strict training. They do it to get a crown that
does not last; but we do it to get a crown that
will last forever,” (1 Cor. 9:25 NIV). In 2
Timothy 2:5, Paul writes, “Similarly, if anyone
competes as an athlete, he does not receive the
victor’s crown unless he competes according to
the rules.” Commitment within the rules is the
ideal. Christianity has a great opportunity in
this area to correct some of the aberrations in
modern sports.
Large institutions are vital for sports and
Christianity. The church grew rapidly in the
first century, but it was not until Christianity became the state religion of the Roman
12
Empire in 375 AD that a hierarchical system
of authority developed and became a powerful
insti- tution influencing not only the church
but the world as well. Squabbles over who
should run the church resulted in a major division between the West and the East. Tradition
and false teachings gained acceptance among
many Christians, and
the church had to
correct its teachings through
a major
reforming effort led by Martin Luther in
Germany. With the Reformation in place,
new denominations formed and the Roman
Catholic Church had to accept competition
from Protestant churches. Catholics have a
pope, cardinals, bishops, and priests. Protestants have presidents, chairs, pastors, elders,
and lay leaders. At the present moment, there
is no institution in place that would truly unite
and guide all Christians. Sports had to wait
much longer for an effort to create national
sports organizations. England led the way in
the middle of the nineteenth century. International organizations followed and the crowning
result of this development was the birth of the
International Olympic Committee in 1894.
Many nations saw the need to establish a
governmental sports bureaucracy to control
 Continues on page 19
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History… Continues from page 8
Historie… Pokračování ze strany 9
Pastor Milos Solc Jr. started holding a service for fellow countrymen once a month in the city of Kitchener
(100 km outside of Toronto). In thirteen years under
Pastor Milos Solc Jr.’s leadership, the congregation grew
to include 85 members.
The fall of the iron curtain between the east and the
west gradually began to be reflected not only in the
Czechoslovak Baptist Church, but also in other ethnic
religious groups. Emigration stopped, and with it, new
members. Use of the mother tongue likewise began to die
out. Pastor Milos Solc Jr. felt that his calling in Canada was
coming to an end. In 1994 he returned to his homeland,
to Prague, where he accepted the position of pastor in
Prague Baptist Church, once headed by his father, Pastor
Milos Solc Sr.
The Toronto church was once again looking for a
pastor, and once again brothers in the church were sharing the pastoral duties. In the transitional period that
followed, Martin Alac, a theological seminary graduate,
became pastor. He preached in both English and Slovak.
In 1997, Jan Banko from Slovakia became the pastor.
Under his leadership a generation of youth in the church
grew up, and a larger language barrier developed. The
recession coupled with students leaving for universities
or work placements caused the departure of the younger
generation. The relentless accumulation of years became an
obstacle to the older generation attending regularly. This
caused a weakening in the church’s fellowship.
The situation that the church found itself in was a natural progression. The Toronto church had been established
in order to create a spiritual home and meet the spiritual
needs of fellow countrymen. For 68 years countrymen had
found refuge and needed assistance, spiritually as well as
practically. The mission of this church and its congregation
was fulfilled. The church building became an object of
interest to builders of modern living space. For historical
reasons, of course, the façade of the church remains. In
July 2010 the church had its celebratory closing service.
With that the third phase of the Czechoslovak Baptist
Church in Toronto came to a close. At this time the congregation, small in number, gathers every fourth Sunday
in St. Paul’s Slovak Evangelical Church in Toronto. Pastor
Jan Banko, Reverend Edmund Bauer and Ales Brezina take
turns preaching God’s word.
Natasha Laurinc
Translated by Elizabeth Jane Fields
u všech etnických náboženských skupin. Emigrace se ukončila, a tím skončil i příchod nových lidí do sboru. Začala se
vytrácet potřeba mateřského jazyka. Kazatel Miloš Šolc ml.
cítil, že se jeho poslání v Kanadě chýlí ke konci. V roce 1994
se vrátil do svého rodiště, do Prahy, kde přijal místo kazatele
v pražském baptistickém sboru, kdysi působišti jeho otce,
Miloše Šolce staršího.
Toronský sbor znovu hledal kazatele, znovu se služby ujali
sloužící bratří. Na přechodnou dobu se stal kazatelem Martin Aláč, absolvent teologického semináře. Sloužil anglicky
i slovensky. V roce 1997 se služby ujímá kazatel Ján Banko
ze Slovenska. Za jeho působení dorostla mládež sboru a
vzrostla i jazyková bariéra. Hospodářská krize, odchod za
studiemi či za prací zapříčinily odchod mladé generace.
Neúprosně přibývající léta se staly překážkou v pravidelné
účasti na bohoslužbách u generace starší. To zapříčinilo
velké oslabení sborového obecenství.

      Vol 37 No 2, 11
Šolc and Zeman families
Situace, ve které se sbor ocitl, byla výsledkem přirozeného vývoje. Torontský sbor vznikl na základě potřeby
duchovního zázemí pro krajany. Po dobu 68 let krajané v
něm nacházeli útočiště a potřebnou pomoc jak po stráce
duchovní, tak i existenční. Poslání tohoto sborového společenství bylo naplněno. Budova kostela se stala zajímavým
objektem pro moderní bytovou výstavbu. Průčelí kostela je
však z historických důvodů zachováno.
V červenci roku 2010 se v kostele konaly slavnostní bohoslužby. Tím se uzavřelo třetí období Československého baptistického sboru v Torontě.
V současné době se sbor, v malém počtu, schází každou
čtvrtou neděli v měsíci ve Slovenském evangelickém kostele
augsburského vyznání sv. Pavla v Torontě. Při službě Božím
slovem se střídají kazatel Ján Banko, farář Edmund Bauer a
Aleš Březina.
Nataša Laurincová

13
The Great Mission
Use the code chart below to finish the verses. For example, letter M = 24.
Then he opened _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ so they could understand the
32 18 15 19 29
24 19 25 14 31
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ . He told them, “This is what is written: _ _ _
31 13 29 19 27 32 33 29 15 31

32 18 15
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ will suffer and rise from the dead on the _ _ _ _ _
24 15 31 31 19 11 18
32 18 19 29 14
_ _ _ , and _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ for the _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
14 11 37
29 15 27 15 25 32 11 25 13 15
16 26 29 17 19 34 15 25 15 31 31
_ _ _ _ _ _ will be _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ in his name to all _ _ _ _ _ _ _,
26 16
31 19 25 31
27 29 15 11 13 18 15 14
25 11 32 19 26 25 31
beginning at _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _. You are _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ of these
21 15 29 33 31 11 23 15 24
35 19 32 25 15 31 31 15 31
things…” (Luke 24:45-48)
1A
2J
3S
14
1
B
K
T
2
C
L
U
3
D
M
V
4
E
N
W
5
F
O
X
6
G
P
Y
7
H
Q
Z
8
I
R
9
      Vol 37 No 2, 11
Veliké poslání
Dokončete verše pomocí níže uvedené kódové tabulky. Napřiklad písmeno M = 32.
Tehdy _ _ _ otevřel _ _ _ _ , aby porozuměli _ _ _ _ _ _ .
28 26 32
32 53 42 31 36 27 42 32 48 32
Řekl jim: „Tak je psáno – _ _ _ _ _ _ musel trpět a _ _ _ _ _ _ _
32 18 42 26 12 43
44 39 18 44 27 24 34
_ _ _ vstát z mrtvých. Počínaje od _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ pak v jeho
16 33 18
28 18 38 46 55 11 31 19 32 11
jménu musí být _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _
a_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
29 12 55 12 33 34
36 34 29 12 33 27
34 16 36 46 43 44 21 33 27
_ _ _ __ _ všem _ _ _ _ _ _ _ . Vy jste toho _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ …”
24 39 27
25
48
33 12 38 34 16 48 32
42 49 21 16 29 34 49 19
(Lukáš, 24; 45-48)
1
1A
2Ě
3L
4Ŕ
5W
2
Á
F
M
S
X
B
G
N, Ň
Š
Y
3
C
H
O
T
Ý
4
Č
CH
Ó
Ť
Z
5
6
D
I
P
U
Ž
Ď
Í
Q
Ú
7
E
J
R
Ů
8
É
K
Ř
V
9
Veľké poslanie
Dokončite verše pomocou vyššie uvedenej kódovej tabuľky. Napríklad písmeno M = 32.
Vtedy _ _ otvoril _ _ _ _ _ , aby pochopili _ _ _ _ _ .
26 32
38 34 55 46 32
36 27 42 32 11
Riekol im: Tak je napísané, že _ _ _ _ _ _ _ musel trpieť a na _ _ _ _ _
29 38 26 42 44 46 42
44 38 18 44 27
_ _ _ vstať z mŕtvych a že sa musí _ _ _ _ _ v Jeho mene _ _ _ _ _ _ _
16 18 33
29 12 55 11 45
na _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
34
16 36 46 42 44 18 33 26 18
36 34 29 12 33 26 18
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ všetkým _ _ _ _ _ _ _ ,
24 38 26 18 25 34 49
33 12 38 34 16 34 32
počnúc od _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ . Vy ste _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ toho…”
28 18 38 46 55 11 31 18 32 11
42 49 18 16 29 34 49 26 11
(Lukáš, 24; 45-48)
      Vol 37 No 2, 11
15
Shattered but Revived
I
n Matthew’s account of the trial of Jesus, one memorable moment the evangelist captures presents Pilate
washing his hands (Matthew 27:24). The governor’s
wife had sent him word of a warning she had received in a
dream and Pilate appears to have wanted to avoid having
anything to do with Jesus.
Throughout the passion narrative, Matthew depicts
Jesus as the person in control of the situation. Our Lord
is accused, arrested, sentenced, and crucified, but none of
this comes as a surprise to the one who comes with royal
splendor to accomplish the will of the Father.
Pilate appears to have decided to use the
provision of a Passover amnesty as a means
of freeing himself from the difficult bind in
which he found himself. When this strategy
failed, Pilate washed his hands, in a gesture
aimed at creating distance between himself
and Jesus’ verdict of guilt.
Whatever the reason for Pilate’s action—
and speculations are many—the governor was
unable to evade responsibility for what he
had done. He, too, had a share in the guilt
of those who desired, and made possible,
the execution of the Messiah.
Many are the situations in which we may
face the dilemma of making difficult choices.
Yet, there is no escaping responsibility for
the decisions we make. The complex challenges of the decision-making process—
developing an accurate definition of the
situation, clarifying the loyalties informing
our values, applying sound reasoning, and
so on—do not release us from responsibility
for the choices we make.
Jesus’ refusal to choose the path of selfdefense did not make Pilate’s dilemma any
easier. His majestic silence bespeaks his resolute decision to do the will of the Father. In
the circumstances, Jesus decided to remain
loyal to his Father, whatever the cost. As it
turned out, our Lord faced the terror of the
cross. He suffered the death of a criminal!
Yet, suffering does not have the last word
when we are guided by the Holy Spirit to
make hard choices. On Easter Day, Jesus rose
from the dead unveiling for our benefit that,
sometimes, sovereignty is mediated through
brokenness.
When we have to make painful decisions,
16
we may need to remember that, in the end, the purity of
our motives and the defensibility of our actions may be
vindicated.
Easter reminds us that, from the crucible of harsh
choices, we may rise with confidence and joyfully take
hold of the future that God unfolds before our eyes. The
resurrection of our Lord Jesus reveals that life trumps death
and truth shines brightly when, by the grace of God, we
refuse to avoid the path of costly discipleship.
Neville Callam, General Secretary,
Baptist World Alliance

      Vol 37 No 2, 11
N
o matter what is happening to us, we always
have the ability to extend grace to others as our
Father daily extends grace to us….
Life is good—we get an increase at work. Life is hard—
we hear a prognosis that we’d rather never hear. Life
is full of amazing moments, challenging moments and
struggles. Life is dotted with things that frustrate, things
that encourage, things that exhilarate…Up and down and
up and down…a bit like a yo-yo. But as I’ve been going
through one of those yo-yo seasons in my life, I’ve come
to realize (or I should admit, I’ve come to remember)
that we have a choice in how we
handle life.
It’s funny how I can cheerfully wake up in the morning,
determined to keep a good attitude and surrender my day to the
Lord. “Lord, use me today. Help
me to show your love and your
grace today.” But then I’ll open
my e-mails and see a hurtful message about the music last Sunday,
a dissatisfied parent will call about
their child’s mark on a report card,
someone at work will gossip about
me… and all of a sudden my attitude doesn’t stand up under the
negativity, and my good attitude
and best intentions disappear. My
heart is snagged. My emotions
run over… can you relate? Maybe
you’ve been there?
I ask the Lord, “ Why do I always
seem to have little pieces of brokenness
in my life every day?” Naturally the answer came to me in
the form of Scripture, one that for me was a little obscure.
“Sow for yourselves righteousness, reap the fruit of unfailing
love, and break up your unplowed ground; for it is time to
seek the Lord…” Hosea 10:12 (NIV).
Sow for yourselves righteousness…
I’m thinking that I must sow righteousness into my
life—I need to consistently and conscientiously make right
choices that honour God. I have to remember I always
have a choice in every situation. I can choose to honour
Jesus in the midst of it all.
Reap the fruit of unfailing love…
There will be fruit in the midst of every choice that
honours God. It will be the fruit of being able to remember God’s unfailing love. It might not seem like a huge
      Vol 37 No 2, 11
blessing, but our God’s unfailing and unconditional love
set Him apart from all other gods. In Romans Chapter
8 I read that nothing shall separate me from the love of
God. Yet, that is Satan’s great tactic to get me entangled
in little things, making me forget or doubt God’s unfailing
love. I need to remind myself of that daily!
Break up your unplowed ground…
My grandfather was a farmer, but being a city girl
I know very little about farming. I do know, however,
that the farmers need to leave fields fallow for certain
periods of time. After a time, breaking up the unplowed
soil will allow the crops to absorb
the untapped minerals from the soil
and the crops will grow strong and
healthy. The unplowed ground of my
heart will make it ready for new life
and most importantly, new growth—
and hopefully greater maturity. I need
to actively prepare the place where I
want the Lord to work.
For it is time to seek the Lord…
It’s time for me to actively seek
God. When the circumstances of
life leave me dry, I need to see this
emptiness as an opportunity. Instead
of reacting out of emptiness, I can
choose to see that this emptiness is
the perfect spot for grace to grow
deeper and more widespread in my
life.
Spring has sprung (and that’s an
exciting time here in the Great White
North) and summer is just around
the corner. I would love to encourage
you all to set aside the dates of our annual convention
July 14–17, 2011 in Philippi, West Virginia. You’re certain
to be blessed!
Deborah Mulder, Ladies President 
MOVING ?
Please write to:
Glorious Hope
Rt.4, Box 58D
Philippi, WV 26416 USA
or send email to : [email protected]
Include your mailing label from a recent
issue of Glorious Hope for faster service.
17
Meet the Váhalas
Bringing the Gospel back to the Czech Republic
A
nthony and Jamie Váhala attended our Convention in
July 2010. At the Convention they shared their vision
about the work that God has called them to do in the
Czech Republic.
Anthony visited the Czech Republic in order to begin to
solidify the vision for ministry in the country. He met with
other believers who are already at work there. The meeting
went really well, new friendships were formed and a future
partnership is, Lord willing, only a matter of time. Anthony
also visited the city of Přerov, which is the potential place of
their residence. This city has over 53,000 people and there
is not one Bible-believing church, a perfect place to plant a
church.
Being in the Czech Republic served many purposes.
Anthony was able to share the gospel with many people,
including his parents and old friends. The tension of being a
missionary is quite interesting. On the one hand, there is sad-
The Váhalas at the 2010 Convention in Philippi
ness over the lostness of the vast majority of people that one
comes in contact with. On the other hand, it is very refreshing and invigorating to know that every conversation has the
potential of becoming a life-giving encounter. Being there
further confirmed their call and desire to go and minister there.
Anthony has recently finished writing his dissertation
and is now in the editing stage of his work. After the editing
is complete, he will submit the dissertation to his advisor;
then it will go on to other selected readers and Anthony will
defend his dissertation. Anthony is preparing to graduate
from Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary in May 2011.
As we are approaching the end of the PhD program we are
now looking ahead more closely at partnering with you and your
18
churches to reach the people of the
Czech Republic with the gospel of
Jesus Christ. We look forward to
sharing with you more about the
vision we believe that God has
given us for ministering in the
Czech Republic and how you can
be a part of that for God’s glory.
Isaiah Luke Váhala
We have been looking forward
7lb 5oz., 19.5 inches
December 19, 2010
to sending you this newsletter for
quite some time so that we can
share with you the exciting things that have been happening
around here.
On December 19th, right on his due date, our son Isaiah Luke
came into this world. We are all excited about having another
little Váhala joining the clan. As some of you know, it was quite an
entrance. Although we tried to make it to the hospital for the birth,
we did not get there. Jamie’s contractions sped up
very quickly and she knew we would not make it
to the hospital. The nearest hospital from where we
live is about a 40-minute drive depending on traffic.
So, on our way to the hospital we called 911 and
coordinated with the dispatcher where to pull over
and wait for the ambulance. We were instructed to
pull over on one of the main highways from Wake
Forest to Raleigh right under an over-pass. A few
minutes later a fire truck pulled up and shielded
us from the passing traffic and soon afterwards
an ambulance pulled up and placed Jamie onto
a stretcher and into the back of the ambulance.
To make a long story short (or really not so long
story!), the EMS workers had just enough time
to put on their gloves and little Isaiah was born.
Anthony was just minutes away from having to
deliver our baby in the front seat of our van. Isaiah was born
under a bridge (inside the ambulance), which has now become
a very special place to us as you can imagine. (from Váhalas’
Newsletter, March 2011)
The plans to partner with other workers in the Czech
Republic are coming together and are very exiting. Anthony
created a video presentation Ransom for Many The Czech
Republic that they hope to show to any individual or church
interested in the gospel work in the Czech Republic. This video
will better inform you of the work they hope to do there. It
can be seen on: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EtZCTRxu
M4I&feature=youtube_gdata
Natasha Legierski 
      Vol 37 No 2, 11
Baptist World Alliance Day to be Observed on April 30 and May 1
B
aptist World Alliance
Day was originally called
Baptist World Alliance
Sunday. It was begun in the
mid-1920s, and was to be a day
of “World-wide Fellowship in
Praise and Prayer.” The Baptist
Times first reported on the event in England on February
7, 1926. Quickly becoming an important tradition, BWA
Day is now observed on either Saturday or Sunday worship
days, and provides an opportunity for people around the
world to join in prayer for the wider Baptist family and
especially to remember those Baptists who are suffering
persecution and deprivation. This is also the one day each
year when churches are encouraged to collect an offering
for the global work of the Baptist World Alliance.
In 2007, BWA Day moved from the first Sunday in February to the first worship day in May to provide a mid-year
emphasis for the Baptist world family among the churches.
The celebration now includes the Saturday prior to the first
Sunday, for the Seventh Day Baptists in our global family.
2011 BWA Day worship materials have been composed
by Myra Blyth, Tutorial Fellow in Worship and Pastoral
Studies at Regent’s Park College, Oxford, England, contemplating our quinquennial emphasis, “In Step with the
Spirit.” Blyth has been a deputy general secretary of the
Baptist Union of Great Britain and was a featured speaker
at the BWA’s 2005 Baptist World Congress in Birmingham,
England. She is a well- known Baptist author, songwriter,
and minister involved in ecumenical work.
Prorok Malachiáš… Pokračovanie zo strany 23
Similarities… Continues from page 12
len prvorodenstvo malo na Blízkom Východe veľký význam
a vysokú cenu. Prvorodenému synovi patrilo pri jedle prvé
miesto pri otcovi, čo jasne hovorilo o jeho postavení v
rodine (Gen.43:33). V otcovej neprítomnosti prvorodený
syn bol hlavou rodiny, predstavoval otcovu autoritu, jeho
slovo sa rešpektovalo a patrila mu veľká úcta (Gen.37:2130). Prvorodenénu patrilo aj zvláštne požehnanie, ktorým
ho otec požehnal, prv než zomrel (Gen.27:35), a po otcovej
smrti dvojnásobok dedičstva (Deut.21:15—17). Keďže
Ézavovi nikdy nezáležalo na prvorodenstve, Jákobovi sa
podarilo uchvátiť si to, po čom tak veľmi túžil. Jákob si
vedel vážiť prvorodenstvo, čo ho aj veľa stálo.
Za čias Malachiáša akoby sa zopakoval Ézavov príbeh.
Izrael bol natoľko vysilený, natoľko unavený a sklamaný,
že opovrhoval svojím vyvolením tak, ako kedysi opovrhol
prvorodenstvom Ézav. Len preto, že sa veci neodohrávali
podľa ich predstáv, sklamali sa v Bohu a odovzdali sa apatii
konštatujúc: Čo máme z toho, že sme vyvolení, že je Hospodin s nami? Z trosiek voľakedajších nádherných hradieb,
ktoré Nabuchodonozor zbúral a spálil ohňom, horko-ťažko
obnovili Jeruzalem, ale keď sa naň dívali, jeho vzhľad ich
nútil k plaču a cudzincov k smiechu. Očmudené, polámané
kamene a hrady vyvolávali dojem veľkej biedy. Ľudia sa
nemohli tešiť z práce svojich rúk. Nemohli očiam a rukám
dopriať odpočinku, lebo nepriatelia stále útočili, okrádali
ich o sebadôveru, o pokoj a hmotné statky. Trpeli nedostatkom, a k tomu stratili aj to najzávažnejšie–dôveru k Bohu.
Prestali mu dôverovať. Pochybovali o tom, či ich miluje, či
je vôbec s nimi a či svoje zasľúbenia vyplní. Pochybnosť a
nedôvera narušili ich vzťah s Bohom—podrezali im vitálnu
žilu, a oni začali duchovne chradnuť. 
and regulate national sports through a central institution.
A major sports powerhouse, the United States of America,
is the exception, as if Americans did not need a central
agency. The only time sports administrators try to cooperate in their efforts is once every two years in order to create an American Olympic team
representing the United States
in the world forum. Hopefully,
the American individualistic
spirit will give in to the cooperative effort to facilitate a network
that would provide for the best
sports competition in all states
and throughout the world. It is
interesting to note that even the
church denominations in America do not have a nation-wide
church organization that would
be acceptable to all Christians.
The World Council of Churches
is looked upon with suspicion
by conservative denominations such as the Southern Baptist Convention, the largest Protestant denomination in
America. Since there is nothing comparable to the Olympic
Games in Christianity, there is just about no constructive
effort made to create a world-wide event that would bring
all churches together for a worshipful celebration where the
ritual would be acccepted and enjoyed by all.
To be continued.
Drawing George Branda 
      Vol 37 No 2, 11

19
April 2011
P
OENARU POST “Diamonds last forever, but cleft
lips last a lifetime”. I learned
this pithy saying in India last
month, during a three-week work
visit sponsored by SmileTrain to
learn cleft surgery from “the masters.” In this case the “master” was
an 80-year-old surgeon who had
done over 10,000 cleft lip and palate
surgeries–but more importantly, he
had set up an excellent cleft program,
with meticulous care, long-term
follow-up, and full commitment to
these precious little patients.
Observing the excellent results
and superb quality of care at the
Charles Pinto Centre for Cleft Lip
and Palate in Kerala, I couldn’t
stop asking myself–why can’t we at
BethanyKids have similar results in
Kenya? Don’t African children have
the same right to excellent care?
And yet, for now what we have are
mediocre results, and above all almost
no follow-up. Our patients come to
have their cleft lip repaired, but seldom return for palate repair, nose deformity
correction, dental work, or speech therapy.
So, with help again from SmileTrain, we will
embark on the slow journey of improving our
cleft care, so that these precious children too
will have pleasing faces and be reintegrated into
society. Please pray for us as we try to bring
both “healing and hope” to these children and
their families.
REASONS TO PRAISE
GOD
- visiting surgeons and
others: We have just finished
almost three weeks of hard
work with Ron Sutherland,
a superb pediatric urologist
from Hawaii on his fifth trip
to Kijabe. Ron did 44 major
surgeries, a veritable surgical
tour de force which included
many unusual and complex
cases. Besides, Ron taught
the entire time, not only our
20
pediatric surgical trainees but also Erik and Ruth, the new
BethanyKids surgeons who, like me,
never did pediatric urology procedures in North America...We also
had great visits from Malcolm and
Barbara Robinson, overall administrative director of BethanyKids, and
Don & Terri Davis, involved with
fundraising and administration for
BethanyKids USA.
- Joshua the pastor in Ndabibi:
You may recall Joshua’s colourful
wedding two years ago (with Dita
providing all the wedding cakes).
Well, he and his wife Tabitha have
just had their first child, a lovely baby
girl whom they named... Dita! (after
Dita whom they call their “spiritual
mom”).
Ndabibi church hall: After almost
a year of effort, the church hall at
Ndabibi was completed last month,
with a colourful ceremony! The fullday event included a festive “exodus”
march with dancing through the little
village, “double” preaching (Rev.
Barbara Robinson in the old mud hut and Dan
in the new hall), dedication plaque unveiling
and ribbon (actually rope...) cutting, Maasai
dancers, and of course a huge feast for all with
goat stew... The theme of the new building
came from 1 Peter 2:5: “You also, like living
stones, are being built into a spiritual house to
be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.”
Many thanks to all those who
contributed towards the brick
machine and the other building
expenses! Now the challenge
for this little church community is to fill the big hall with
people who can find there the
love of Jesus...
-Heuric: As you may recall,
our first fellow (trainee) was
from Madagascar, and his
desire and plan all the way
along was to return to his home
country after completing train      Vol 37 No 2, 11
ing. So last month Heuric left us, ready to begin work in
Mahajanga, a large coastal city in the north of the country.
He will be only the third trained pediatric surgeon for a
country of over 20 million people! Please pray for Heuric
as he starts a pediatric surgical service working in conjunction with the Lutheran Malagasy Church.
FOR PRAYER
- BethanyKids
Africa: Our
desired work in
both Ethiopia and
Tanzania remains
uncertain, with several possibilities but
no clear direction
from God. Please
pray for us as we
plan to travel to
these countries and seek God’s direction through meetings
with various potential partners.
- BethanyKids finances: For the past few months, giving has not kept up with our budget, particularly for the
needs of our surgical work at Kijabe. We appreciate your
prayers and gifts to help us continue the work! Online
donations can be made directly on our web site www.
BethanyKids.org.
- our boys: Daniel is finishing his first year of studies at
McGill and needs to decide how and where he will spend
the summer. He hopes to return to his beloved Kenya
for the graduation of his brother Chris. As for Chris, his
anxious wait for replies from universities came to a joyful
ending when he was accepted (so far) to three engineering schools, including Waterloo (the “MIT of Canada”).
Please pray for wisdom in following God’s choice for him!
- educational leave: As some of you already know, after
Chris’ graduation in July this year we will return to Canada
for 12 months. This is an education leave granted to us by
AIM, which will allow both Dita and me to complete our
current professional studies. We will also be closer to Dita’s
      Vol 37 No 2, 11
family and our boys in Canadian universities. Finally, we
want to take time to review our ministry in Africa for the
past eight years (yes, it’s been that long since we left!) and
discern God’s will for the years in Africa ahead. During this
upcoming year Dan hopes to take a couple of trips back
to Africa to oversee the work of BethanyKids. He will also
join the McMaster faculty in research, and work at McGill
for a short while to help with finances. This arrangement
will hopefully allow us to fund our own personal expenses,
and therefore your gifts to us will be used fully for missionrelated needs during our year in Canada. God willing, we
plan to return to the mission field in Africa in the second
part of 2012.
On behalf of our family and the thousands of children
cared for by BethanyKids, we thank you for your partnership in the work and the gospel.
In this Easter season, we are reminded that “if Christ
has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your
sins...If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are to be
pitied more than all men,” (1 Corinthians 15:17,19).
But Christ is risen!
In the strength of Christ’s resurrection,
Dan, Dita, Daniel and Chris

Editorial… Continues from page 2
Easter in the 21st Century is a mesh of all sorts of spiritual customs and practices. In this century, the traditional
church perspective is becoming somewhat of a relic. The
church is more rejected than accepted by the younger
generation. The message of Easter is so pushed to the background that it is becoming unknown. The popular answer
to the question of why we celebrate Easter is usually that
it is regarding the coming of spring. Despite the dramatic
events during that first Easter two thousand years ago,
people don’t know; the message of Easter which fulfills the
message of Christmas escapes them. In this century, which
is described as the century of unimaginable opportunity,
human beings lack the foundation to enable them to have
compassion for their neighbour, for other human beings.
The message of love has escaped him.
Jesus Christ lived amongst people, taught them about
God, gave practical advice on how to live, led people to
tolerate one another and to love one another.
Even after all this time, the message of love speaks with
the same urgency. Only God’s love revealed through Jesus
Christ and practiced by individuals can realize the meaning of Easter.
Editor-in-Chief Natasha Laurinc
Translated by Elizabeth Jane Fields

21
A
ccording to John 20:16, when
Jesus came free of the tomb on the
morning of the resurrection, Mary
Magdalene was at the cemetery near his
grave. It had been a bitter weekend for her:
a great friend gone, many hopes for the
future dashed. And now, on top of everything else, the tomb had been opened and
Jesus’ remains were missing. That very low
moment is exactly when the Lord spoke
her name: “Mary!” He knew her instantly,
and by his vocal tone she knew it was he.
Everything became different.
The miracle of Jesus in our faith, life, and times is that
he knows us by name, calling personally on us and to us.
When the Lord calls a name, an invitation immediately
follows – to go with him where he leads, to work hand in
hand with his purposes for redeeming all things. Centuries
ago, God spoke the child Samuel’s name three times in the
night. Before that, at the flaming, but unburnt, bush, the
same thing happened for Moses. And even earlier, God
called out once to Abram saying, Go out now to a new
home far distant.
Easter morning is another in these personal name patterns. So to speak, “Mary, dear Mary, I am here with you.
Believe with me that, with God, all things are possible.”
You, I, and all our Christian brothers and sisters in this
blessed Czechoslovak Baptist Convention have long known
the name of Jesus. To us his name is so familiar. And we
have called it out frequently down through the years of a
lifetime. Some of our best hymns celebrate our close attachment to the name that is above all names. (“Jesus, Jesus,
Name Most Precious,” “There Is a Name I Love to Hear,”
“Jesus Is the Sweetest Name I Know,” “At the Name of
Jesus.”) We hold onto his name dearly in the
relationship with him of trust and faith. But
equally profound – he knows our names as
well. What could be better news for us. As
he spoke to Abram, Moses, Samuel, Mary,
and to so many persons noted in Scripture,
his voice comes quite personally directed
also to us, lo these many centuries later.
“Jesus Calls Us O’er the Tumult” (that
would be: tumultuous days through which
we now are living).
You know how sometimes you feel
embarrassed upon reconnecting with
another person whose name you really should know, but
which has temporarily skipped away from your mind? And
you work and work in your head to recall the name before
that other individual comes to the conclusion that you
have actually forgotten. In those few seconds the harder
you work through your brain cells, the farther that name
drifts away. But it does not happen that I know of for
anyone calling on Jesus. Has anybody ever forgotten his
name? And most certainly the problem does not exist for
Jesus. We are so thoroughly known to him that his recall
of us penetrates right down to our very nicknames. So he
does not pause to call out our names whenever urging us
that there is something to do, somewhere to go, someone
whom we are supposed to become before God and in the
presence of many around us.
Christ, risen from the dead, immediately called out to
Mary, one of his own. Hope you too have heard his voice
speaking your name recently. Easter time, for sure.
Robert Dvorak

Donations
Mail your US contributions in enclosed envelopes. Do not mail them to Detroit address!!!
All donation should be send in enclosed envelope.
The checks will be delivered to right financial secretaries (Vera
Dors, Henry Pojman, Marija Sommer or Donna Nesvadba).
! Gifts for Ladies’ work—make check payable to Czechoslovak
Baptist Women’s Missionary Union.
! Gifts for Convention—make check payable to Czechoslovak
Baptist Convention. On the bottom of the check mark to what
account you are sending your contribution: Convention, Glorious
Hope, Trust Fund, or Scholarship Fund.
 You may send separate check (one for Ladies and one for Convention accounts) in the same envelope.
 If you are sending contributions for Convention (Convention,
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Glorious Hope etc.), you may send only one check,
and write on the bottom how you want to divide the
amount (for example: Total $150; $100 Convention, $50 Glorious Hope etc.). You do not have
to send two separate checks.
For your information, financial secretaries’
addresses are as follows:
USA:
Vera Dors
6621 Elmdale Rd.
Middleburg Hts, OH, 44130
Canada:
Henry Pojman
1305 Inglehart Dr
Burlington, ON L7M 4X6
      Vol 37 No 2, 11
Prorok Malachiáš
Ana Lomen Franka
Duchovná letargia
Malachiáš1:1-5
Pokračovanie z minulého čísla
niha proroka Malachiáša je akoby rozhovor
dvoch veľmi blízkych osôb, medzi ktorými
prišlo k narušeniu vzájomného vzťahu. Je to
rozhovor medzi Bohom a Izraelom. Pán Boh chce
doviesť ten vzťah do poriadku a prvý sa prihovára Izraelovi. Prihovára sa mu nežne a vyjavuje
mu svoju lásku: Miloval som vás–vždy som vás
miloval. Izraela však nedojíma výjav lásky. Otupený ľud pozostalého Izraela zabudol na všetky
slávne deje a udalosti, na všetky dojímavé prejavy
Božej lásky počas dejín. Vyvracia Božie tvrdenie
slovami: A čím si nám dokázal lásku? Vtedajší
Židia, navrátilci z babylonského zajatia, zápasili
s ekonomickými ťažkosťami a boli pod stálymi
útokmi opozície. Nehemiáš v zajatí počul, že
pozostalí, ktorí zostali po zajatí, nachodia sa
tam v kraji vo veľkej tiesni a potupe; hradby
Jeruzalema sú zrúcané a jeho brány sú spálené ohňom (Neh.1:3). Keď sa národ vrátil
zo zajatia, začal obnovovať Jeruzalem, a to
pod stálym dozorom nepriateľsky naladených
pohanov, ktorí im veľmi prekážali v živote a v
práci. Sťažovali im už aj tak veľmi ťažký život a hatili
obnovu krajiny. Nehemiáš o nich zapísal, že ...vzplanuli
hnevom a posmievali sa Židom: Čo to stroja títo bezmocní
Židia? Dovolia im to? Budú môcť obetovať? Dokončia to
za deň? Či oživia kamene z hromady zrúcanín? Veď sú
spálené! Aj keď budujú, líška im zrúti kamennú hradbu,
ak vyskočí na ňu. (Neh.3:33—35). Za takýchto neprajných
okolností žili a obnovovali svoju spustnutú krajinu Židia,
ktorí sa vrátili z babylonského zajatia. Vyčerpalo ich to
fyzicky, duševne i duchovne. A práve týchto zmalátnených a
sklamaných, letargických Židov Malachiáš ponúka pozrieť
sa na súdobý národ Edóm, ktorého otcom bol Ézav, brat
ich otca Jákoba.
Edóm bol ovládnutý a pokorený Babylonom, takisto ako
Júda, ale nikdy viac sa nepozdvihol, nikdy sa neobnovil. O
súde a príčinách súdu nad Edómom prorokoval Obadiáš.
Izrael bol jediný národ jedinečného otcovsko-synovského
vzťahu s Bohom. Za čias Malachiáša Izrael týmto krásnym
vzťahom opovrhoval. Opovrhoval Božím vyvolením tak, ako
Ézav pohrdol svojím prvorodenstvom. V Genesis 25:27—34
je zaznamenaný údaj o Ézavovi, ktorý sa vrátil z poľa a
ktorý bol natoľko vyčerpaný, natoľko vysilený a unavený, že
K
      Vol 37 No 2, 11 bol schopný za obyčajné občerstvenie dať čokoľvek. Misa
červenej šošovice podľa jeho hodnotenia mala väčšiu cenu
než jeho prvorodenstvo. Vymenil s bratom Jákobom provorodenstvo za misu šošovice. Veď za prvorodenstvo sa vôbec
nenamáhal, ani zaň nezaplatil vysokú cenu.
Nemusel zaň slúžiť, ani ho odplácať či odrábať, nemusel
sa snažiť ani len byť dobrým. Prvorodenstvo získal jednoducho tým, že sa manželom, Izákovi a Rebeke, narodil
ako prvé dieťa. Aký mal Ézav osoh z prvorodenstva? Je
pravda, že zaň nič nedal, ale ani prvorodenstvo mu veľa
neposkytlo–aspoň nie za otcovho života. Nepridalo mu
krásy, bohatstva ani šťastia. Kým otec žil, prvorodený
prakticky nemal z neho nijaký materiálny zisk. Keď otec
zomrel, pripadol mu dvojnásobný diel z dedičstva. Prvorodenstvo sa viac-menej vzťahovalo na synovo postavenie v
rodine—bol to jeho titul, ku ktorému ho viazali určité práva
i povinnosti. Ézav bol pravdepodobne človekom, ktorý si
vážil veci podľa toho, aký zisk prinášajú. Ak neprinášajú
konkrétny alebo materiálny zisk, nie sú cenné. Aj keď Ézav
v prvorodenstve nevidel veľkú zvláštnosť a cennosť, predsa
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