Sunday, July 8, 2001
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Sunday, July 8, 2001 |
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Influence of Berachah
Bible Church felt around the world By CAROLYN CARY
The "Berachah" in the name of the Berachah Bible Church comes from II Chronicles: 20-26 in the Old Testament and means "blessing." The church celebrates its 30th year and has been a blessing both not only in the community in which it serves but also throughout the world. As usual, members of the congregation are going in all directions this summer both on a local basis and around the world. Several of the youth will be conducting backyard Bible studies all during July. Specially trained, they will visit various host homes to which neighborhood children have been invited and will spend a week at each place teaching Bible stories. One member has been in China since last summer and will return soon. She has been teaching English, mindful of the fact that she cannot act as a missionary. However, if a student should ask a question about religion, she is allowed to answer. One can either teach English in a school or stand in the center of town at a "talking place." Two men from the church have left this week for China and will be gone until the end of the month. Not to be outdone, Dr. Howard E. Dial and his wife, Beth, traveled last fall to Kazakstan where he taught for a month in a seminary. This November they will head for Romania to do the same. Dial serves as senior pastor and has been with the church since its inception. He has seen it grow from a few interested families in 1970 to nearly 300 members. A youth pastor has recently been added the Rev. Bryan Ryan, his wife, Carla, and three children. He has organized a number of visits to summer camps where children can enjoy new fellowship as well as participate in evangelism. A number of the men and their sons and grandsons are looking forward to a retreat at Shocco Springs, Ala. They will be fishing, canoeing and just enjoy being together. One couple, the Rev. Frank and Carol Pass, is about to head to Siberia for a teaching assignment. They will be there from September through next May, come home for the summer and head back the next September. He is a recent graduate from seminary and grew up in Fayette County. Dial ran his 28th Peachtree Road Race this past Wednesday. He estimates that he has run over 30,000 miles in his lifetime and feels that it keeps both his body and his mind fit to continue serving the church that is a "blessing." Running with him is Bill Thorn, a coach at Landmark Christian School, who has run in all of them. "I'm thankful for a lot of things," he said, "and one of them is our opportunity to serve our multicultural community. It is most gratifying to minister to a diverse congregation and we learn from each other." Worship services are at 9:30 a.m. and Sunday School is at 11:15 a.m. Sunday evening worship is at 6. The church is at 310 Corinth Road and can be reached at 770-461-2466.
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