Baptistic Theologies, 2009

er of thanksgiving the whole congregation sang ‘Zjednoczyl dzis ze wszystkich stron Duch Swiety nas przed Boski tron’ (Today We Are United by the Holy Spirit Before the Divine Throne). This wonderful song was to emphasize our unity in Christ. All differences of nationality were forgotten. There were about twenty Jewish people in the Baptist church in Lodz. 64 In our church especially there are many nationalities. But there is ‘One Lord, one faith, one baptism’. He has made us one. 65 Later in the article more detail is given: ... as well as the choir and the string orchestra, the programme included songs performed by soloists, duets, and poems were also recited. The Men’s choir sang in Polish, Russian and Czech. One of the most beautiful parts of the service was a poem written by our national poet M. Konopnicka ‘Przed Sadem’ (Before Judgment) recited by brother T. Radomski. There was a violin duet, and after a congregation hymn, a sermon preached by M.S. Lesik, entitled: ‘The Purpose and Goal of the Local Christian Church’. Many of the people heard for the first time 63 Trip Report, Slowo Prawdy, August 1925, No. 8, p. 53. 64 Gutsche, The Beginning of my work in Poland, p. 31. 65 From the church in Lodz, Slowo Prawdy, No. 4, April, 1928, p. 6. 98 Baptistic Theologies what a true living church really is and what its missional task and purpose is. In the last part of the service the voice of the youngest was heal'd. Parents clearly understood that children also belong to the Lord. Four-year-old Aluz Petreniow sang a solo and seven-year-old Adelcia Burchartowna recited a poem. 66 This report stresses the mixed nature of the congregation. The men’s choir sang in three different languages. At the same time, there was a sense of unity in being Polish, as evidenced by the reference to ‘our national poet’. Children as well as adults took part. The whole was intended, as the sermon emphasised, to express the worship of ‘a true living church’. Polish choirs co-operated with German ones after the war. But the German style was somewhat quieter than the Polish style. The Germans emphasised that ‘...when we come for the service we should come with prayer in our hearts, without a secular spirit. A true service needs special silence and meditation. The Holy Spirit can work only in the quietness of our hearts. Only in a time of silence we can truly worship God.’ Many German songs and hymns were translated into Polish, but there was also a desire for a more explicitly Polish expression of praise. It is this that zro ultimately prevailed. Education At the same time as encouraging musical involvement, Baptist leaders took seriously the challenge of raising educational levels in the congregations. In wider Polish society, education, or lack of it, had a powerful impact on all new institutions like schools, civil services, and churches. In the educational sphere, daunting problems faced the new authori