FIRST LIGHT

A NEWSLETTER OF FIRST BAPTIST CHURCH
110 SYDENHAM STREET KINGSTON , ON K7L 3H5

(613) 548-7116
fbckgstn@kingston.net
October 2005

On Sunday, October 23 rd, our Next Generation Pastor, Josh Mutter, will be speaking on Acts 4 and 5 in the evening service. Like the early church, we can learn from Peter and John’s example how to be bold in the face of opposition. Boldness does not mean being a bull in a china shop. Yet I wonder how many of us in trying not to be a bull also lose a spiritual boldness.

On this Sunday of the year we are focused on the International Day of the Persecuted Church. I don’t think any of us want to descend into a tit for tat conflict with other religions in the world. God doesn’t call us to hate those of different religions. In fact Jesus said, “Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you” (Matthew 5:44). If we are called to love our enemies, how much more should we seek to respect those of other religions even if we don’t agree with how they view Jesus Christ.

We must be careful not to fall into the intellectually dishonest trap of saying that all the religions’ teachings say the same thing or are even compatible. Yet, we are to respect people of different religions. Baptists have historically believed in freedom of religion, that it is absolutely necessary if religious faith is to be sincere and genuine. Every freedom can be abused. When I was much younger we watched the news in horror as the details of Jonestown came to light. What is known about the end of Jonestown, Guyana is that on November 18, 1978, Jones ordered more than 900 of his followers to drink cyanide-poisoned punch. He told guards to shoot anyone who refused or tried to escape. Among the dead: more than 270 children.

Yet for every abuse such as that there are countless religious abuses by states or groups within states. Consider the following two recent accounts that come from the Baptist World Alliance:

Nepal Requests Urgent Prayer

A Conflict Management Team from the Nepal Baptist Church Council (NBCC) needs urgent prayer as members meet with Maoist leaders who have locked the doors of the 190-member Dingla Baptist Church since August 26 because the pastor has refused to pay money or allow young men to join their cause.

Jir Man Rai, leader of the NBCC Mission Department says that the church, established in 1992, and in a remote area in Eastern Nepal, has its own church building through the leadership of the pastor Abishan Rai and the sacrifice of the believers. Six months ago, Maoist rebels asked the pastor for money and when he did not give it to them, they closed the church. They promised to keep it shut until their demands are met. Pray for this team as they try to solve this situation.

This is the latest in a series of incidents for the Baptist community in Nepal. Last September, rebels threatened to close the Khotang churches and mutilate pastors if they refused to listen. Thankfully this did not happen and twelve young people who were kidnapped from the Sara Church were later released.

The political unrest between the government in Nepal and the rebels continues to cause much hardship in the country. At the Centenary Baptist Congress held last July 27-31 in Birmingham, England, Baptist leaders from Nepal described how they are affected by the civil war. Churches are closed, meetings cancelled when the rebels shut down areas of the land, pastors beaten or imprisoned.

Through all of this the Church continues to grow. Started in 1993, the NBCC now numbers 90 churches and 12,000 members and hopes to have 1000 churches and home fellowships and 20,000 members by 2010.

EBF Expands: Three New Unions Accepted as Members

At its annual council sessions, which took place in Prague from 22 - 25 September, the European Baptist Federation (EBF) accepted three new unions as members, making it larger than ever before. Unanimously, the largely Baptist Swedish missions movement Interact (Örebro) and the small union of Baptist congregations in Kosovo were accepted as full members. The Baptist congregation in the Iraqi capital of Baghdad became an associate member.

Three small Albanian speaking churches in Prishtina, Rehovec and Jakova belong to the Union of Baptist Congregations in Kosovo. The Baptist congregation in Baghdad has approximately 100 members and as many as 250 persons in attendance. “In the midst of all the violent conflict going on, the Baptist church is growing with a new church plant and several home groups,” wrote Tony Peck, general secretary of the EBF. “In accepting this church, the EBF undertakes to support and pray for the believers there who face many difficulties in the daily lives and in the work of their church,” Peck says.

In spite of opposition, Christ’s church is growing in places like Nepal, Albania, and in Baghdad. Let us also remember the Baptist church in Izmir, the ancient community of Smyrna, where Sara Brandao is this year. Not every situation seems as encouraging as the situations mentioned above. However, God is still working in every situation.

I want to draw your attention to the earthquake relief in Pakistan. Donations to the Sharing Way of Canadian Baptist Ministries will be forwarded to Baptist World Aid relief work. Pray for the tiny and persecuted church in Pakistan.

Baptists Are Running Against Time to Help in Pakistan - BWAid Rescue24 is Searching For Survivors

By Bela Szilagyi of Hungarian Baptist Aid and Paul Montacute : Director of Baptist World Aid – “ I have never seen anything like this even though I have commanded 12 rescue operations after natural disasters from Columbia and Turkey to India and Iran . The earthquake was so strong that it tore the mountain in two parts and dozens of houses fell into a cleft 50 to 100 meters deeps ” – said Laszlo Pavelcze, commander of BWAid Rescue24, the special search and rescue team of Baptist World Alliance over his satellite phone from Pakistan, 30 km from the epicentre of the earthquake.

An earthquake, measuring 7.6 on the Richter scale occurred on Saturday October 8, 2005 , and affected large areas in northern Pakistan . The Pakistan government accepted the offer of the team at 10am on Sunday morning, October 9, and by 6.50pm Sunday evening, the team was on its way from its base in Budapest, Hungary.

The 10 rescue specialists, 2 rescue dogs and 2 metric tons of equipment of BWAid Rescue24 had to wait for hours and hours after they arrived at Islamabad Airport on Monday afternoon. The quake destroyed the roads leading to the area most devastated so it made no sense to leave by truck. Ultimately heavy hail storms and the lack of helicopters kept the Pakistani authorities from taking rescue teams immediately to the disaster site.

BWAid Rescue24 was taken to the (Gali) Bagh area, some 30- 50 km from the epicentre of the earthquake. They immediately started to search a dormitory where some 60 students were believed to be stuck in the building. The team works in two shifts day and night. “ People in the villages and the city here cheered when they saw us in our red rescue uniform. But at the same time they were hysterical because food ran out, they lost their homes, had no blankets, and signs of malaria and other diseases began to be seen. They are afraid of being left alone since relief teams are delayed by the devastated infrastructure.” – shared Pavelcze. David Gal , a senior relief officer of Hungarian Baptist Aid, partner to BWAid told us that “ the greatest need at the moment seems to be tents, heavy blankets, basic food and medicines. Nights are becoming colder here in the mountains and many people have no place to sleep. The doctor and nurse on our team started to provide first aid, but we do not have many medical supplies on us now. Food is scarce and diseases attack. We are running against time to find survivors and take care of them once they are alive”

International experts and Pakistani authorities believe that the earthquake left some 30,000 to 50,000 dead and at least 2 million homeless.

Another team, a Medical and Relief Team left Hungary on Wednesday, October 12 for Pakistan . Baptist relief teams from North Carolina previously spent time in Hungary being trained in search and rescue techniques. North Carolina Baptists sent two of their best rescue specialists to join BWAid Rescue24. Two other experienced doctors and two relief workers from Hungary went to work alongside the first team. They will focus on medical care and assessing the need and ways Baptists could get involved helping the victims of the disaster. The teams took USD $20,000 to purchase and provide aid and relief.

Baptist World Aid and its partners want to provide immediate humanitarian aid and also long term assistance to the victims of this devastating earthquake.

Paul Montacute , the Director of Baptist World Aid spoke with Gal in Bagh on Wednesday morning, and sensed the tension of the situation in his voice. “We must do more,” said Montacute. The search and rescue work will sadly soon be over, and now we need to help to provide shelter, water, food and medicines.”

Blessings,

(Rev) Kevin Smith
Pastoral Team Leader