Faith and Blessing in Hyde Park

We hadn’t planned to attend two church services last Sunday. But, that’s the way it turned out.

After attending Beca’s church (see our previous post,) we drove into Hyde Park, a section of SE Boston, where we had started our lives as a family 40 years ago.

While we lived in Hyde Park, I (Bas) was called by a small church in the area to be its pastor. I had left my full-time job as executive director of The Salvation Army Harbor Light Center and was working at several part-time jobs as well as pursuing my MBA in healthcare management at Boston University.

The name of the church was Blue Hill Community Church. It was the only Protestant church in the Readville area of Hyde Park. It dated its origin back to 1888.

The church building was very old and not in good shape.  Average attendance on a Sunday was about 15-20 people. We sang hymns with the accompaniment of an old pump organ that must have been installed when the church was built. While we were there, they installed a tie rod just below the roof along the front of the church to keep the walls from bowing out. The church had a fellowship room, a kitchen and two very old toilets in the basement.

Lynn and I served at the church for four years. At the beginning, Matt and Alisa were the only children who came. With time, other families joined the church and brought their children. We had Sunday school for the children in the kitchen and in the basement outside the toilets. Attendance grew slowly to about 25-30 people at each service.

After four years, I completed my studies at Boston University and we moved to Wheaton, where I joined the staff of World Relief. We kept in touch with various people who had attended the church but gradually lost contact with anyone we had known there.

Last Sunday, when we drove past the church, we didn’t know what to expect. We even wondered if the church building would still be there.

Imagine our surprise to find cars parked on the church yard as well as along the street next to the church. The sign outside the church advertised a service that started at 11:00 am. We were there at about 12:15 pm and said to each other, “Let’s wait until the service is over and go inside to see what the church looks like now.”

After a few minutes, Lynn peeked inside the front door of the church. The pastor was still preaching. Some people came out and invited us inside. Reluctantly, we agreed because we didn’t want to disturb the congregation.

As we entered the church, it was clear that very little had changed. The familiar pews were still there. The pump organ still occupied its place, although an electronic keyboard and drum set sat in front of it.

What had changed was the congregation. The pews were full of worshippers. That was certainly new and unexpected. But what was really surprising was that almost the entire congregation, including the pastor, had immigrated to the U.S. from India.

The pastor was preaching from the first chapter of the book of Revelation. As he spoke, people echoed his comments with “Alleluias.” Women sat on one side of the congregation, wearing scarves over their heads. Men sat on the other side of the congregation.

The service ended about 30 minutes after we arrived. At that point, we met the pastor and his wife. He was so excited to see us that he called his congregation back together and introduced us to them. We had an opportunity to share a few words of encouragement and to pray for the church.

Lynn and I were so struck to see such an active congregation meeting at a church that we thought might have closed. Not only were there many people, there were many children. Truly, the church was active and alive—a testimony to God’s grace and blessing.

But, that’s not the whole story.

As we talked with the pastor, we learned that he had first come to the church about 12 years ago. He was completing his PhD studies in pastoral counseling at Boston University and was asked to preach at the church. When he came to preach, the congregation was only three women. We knew each of these women from our time at the church.

After the service, the women told the pastor that they were going to close the church but would keep it open if he agreed to serve as its pastor. Despite many reservations, the pastor felt God’s leading to accept this call, and so he began to serve the church.

Some time later, the church faced a crisis. There was no more money in the budget to pay for church expenses. The pastor met with the board after a worship service to discuss the situation. As they were praying about what to do, two women came into the church.

They were from another Hyde Park church that had recently sold its building. The group had decided to divide the proceeds from the sale of the church and give it to the other churches in Hyde Park. They had some money left over and didn't know what to do with it, when someone reminded them of the Blue Hill Community Church. So the two women had come to the Blue Hill Church to talk with the leaders.

The pastor and the leaders of the Blue Hill Church told the women that the church was still meeting but that it had serious financial needs. The women then gave the group an envelope. Inside was a check—for $50,000.

This unexpected gift convinced the pastor and the church leaders that God still had a plan and purpose for the church. And, so they continued to meet.

The pastor told us that the church is not without its challenges today. It was clear that those involved in the church were continuing to do so at great personal sacrifice that required great faith. 

But, Lynn and I were overwhelmed with what God had done at the Blue Hill Community Church since we had left 30 years ago. God has truly honored and blessed the efforts of faithful people committed to Him and to this small church in unexpected and wonderful ways over the years.