J.C.

This blog post is in honor of 3 people whose initials are J.C., who have been on my mind a lot lately -

1. JC = Jesus Christ
Last week we were in Vajta for the annual Foundations Conference, for church leaders from Eastern Europe.
7 of us from our church went, and we had a really blessed time. For me, this conference is one of the highlights of the year - because its a great time of fellowship with like-minded people whom we don't get to see very often, and the teachings are directed at our unique situation, as missionaries and church planters.
But more than anything else, the conference was great because of the presence of Jesus Christ. The reason the teachings were good, was because they were about Jesus Christ - about living for Him and serving Him. The reason the fellowship was good, was because of our common love for and commitment to Jesus Christ, just like 1.John 1:3 says: That which we have seen and heard we declare to you, that you also may have fellowship with us; and truly our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ.


2. JC = Joe Cady
My dad. Last Sunday was Father's Day in America. For me, this was my first Father's Day - and for my dad, it was his first as a grandfather.
Also, last Friday was his B-day. Happy Birthday dad! I love you! Thanks for being a great dad and grandpa.


3. JC = Jean Cauvin (AKA John Calvin)
The building our church meets in now is called the Kálvin Ház (Calvin House). It was built in 1711 originally as a brewery, using the water of the Eger Creek, which flows out of the nearby hills (Hungarians call them mountains - I obviously disagree with that designation!).
The building was later purchased by the local Reformed and Lutheran believers, and they lived there (there weren't all that many of them) and held their church services there. It was during this time that the upper floor was added. Later both the Reformed and Lutherans built their own separate buildings, and used the Kálvin Ház for offices and private residences.
During Communism the building was taken away from the Reformed church, and they were just able to get it back, less than 10 years ago.
We have the great blessing of using this building, which is right in the center of town, for our church.
The building is named after John Calvin (born Jean Cauvin), a French Theologian and Reformer. Calvin's "magnum opus" was Institutes of the Christian Religion, a book about Protestant Systematic Theology; originally published in 1536, and is still widely studied by theology students today.
Although I don't agree with Calvin on every theological point, I look up to him and respect him as the champion of such great doctrines as Justification by faith alone, Christian liberty, and the Sovereignty of God.
And, on top of all that, we have a great statue of JC in the courtyard of the building. Nice beard!