He Made Seven Telephone Calls and Never Spoke the Same Language Twice
Part Five of Stories as Told to or Experienced by George Bullard About Baptist Ministry North of the Mason Dixon Line
He Made Seven Telephone Calls and Never Spoke the Same Language Twice
His name was Elias Golonka. He was a native of Poland. He served as a pastor in Europe, an officer in the Polish army, a chaplain to displaced persons following World War II, and was imprisoned during the war by both the Russians and the Germans.
He was a linguist as he spoke seven languages—primarily Slavic languages.
He was sitting in the dining room of our home just north of Philadelphia at the telephone desk. He was a staff member in the Language Missions Department of the Home Mission Board (Southern Baptists).
His focus that afternoon was to make telephone contact with Slavic pastors in the Philadelphia area who were related or would become related to our association of Baptist churches.
I sat on the sofa in the living room in full view of Golonka as he made seven telephone calls and spoke a different language on each call. I was awed by his language ability, intrigued by this missional effort, and in love with what we were able to do in our new ministry setting north of the Mason Dixon line.
At the time of these calls, I was in high school and seeking to clarify my own spiritual call into Christian ministry. My father was the director of the relatively new Delaware Valley Baptist Association. Around a dozen churches in the latter part of the 1960s.
A New Start in an Old Area of the USA
One of the great advantages of engaging in what Southern Baptists at that time called “pioneer missions” was the ability to look at the open doors of missional opportunity without having to be overly concerned about the cultural captivity of churches. Or old churches who were in significant decline.
We could look for new and open doors with few or no boundaries.
Thus, in Philadelphia and surrounding counties, as in other places north of the Mason-Dixon line in the northeast USA, the ministry was not just among middle-class white people for very long.
Early and quickly the ministry broadened to include racial and ethnic diversity.
Ukrainian Baptists
One of the calls Golonka made that day was to a Ukrainian pastor in Philadelphia. I do not know if the call was to John Berkuta or not. However, I do know that within a few years we had five Ukrainian Baptist churches as members of our association.
These churches saw Berkuta as their leader. He worked closely with my father to develop these congregations and reach many Ukrainian immigrants. Even today—almost 60 years later—these churches are alive and active in the area.
Elias Golonka in Later Years
As I became a young adult and was actively networking in Southern Baptist missions work, I was pleased to call Golonka a ministry colleague and part of my active network. I would see him once or twice each year.
By 1974 he moved on to a new role where I continued to network with him. He was the Southern Baptist chaplain at the United Nations in New York City.
This role gave him global exposure and influence. I am thankful to have known him. He moved on to his heavenly reward by the mid-1980s, leaving behind a great ministry heritage.
Part One Post: Reflections on Southern Baptist Missions Efforts North of the Mason-Dixon Line
Part Two Post: Starting Churches in Motel Bedrooms North of the Mason-Dixon Line
Part Three Post: Looking for North Carolina License Plates North of the Mason-Dixon Line
Part Four Post: We Don’t Want Those Snake Handlers in Our Neighborhood!