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The Continuing
Story
by Ruth
Joy Capozzi
Following
the home-going of Robert D.
Kalis, January 12, 1994, the
congregation of Emmanuel Pentecostal
Church dwindled. Parishioners
had moved away, the ministry
was mainly to teenagers off
the streets involved in gangs.
There were not enough parishioners
to warrant keeping a building
of such magnitude. It was a
dark night for Emmanuel. "Weeping
may endure for a ngiht but JOY
comes in the morning!"
After every attempt had been
made to keep the work their
alive, in 1998 the building
was placed on the market for
sale. In March of 1999 it sold
to a Haitian Church of God called
"Smyrna Church of God."
Through a series of small miracles,
God led us to some beautiful
property in Pennsylvania where
literally a re-birth is taking
place. We are thankful that
the work of the Kingdom of God
is still on-going in the physical
building in New Jersey, but
also here in Pennsylvania, the
story follows!
Joy
Bringer Ministries, Inc., birthed
in 1999, is actually a re-birth
to a ministry started 65 years
ago by my grandparents. Rudolph
& Anna Kalis who came to the
east to assist in a church in
New York when a call came from
a troubled church in New Jersey.
Would they come and help the
struggling church out? They
responded to that call and ended
up spending the rest of their
lives laboring for the Master
in Elizabeth, New Jersey as
pastors of Emmanuel Pentecostal
Church. Their firstborn son,
and my father, Robert D. Kalis,
eventually joined them in the
ministry with my Mom in 1955.
In 1975
after the death of his father,
Robert with his wife Ruth Kalis became
the pastors and continued in
that capacity until 1993 when
my Dad suffered a massive stroke
and lived and suffered for 9
more months. Through the years
the church fluctuated with highs
and lows as does any work. Towards
the end of my Dad’s life many
families had moved out of the
area surrounding the church
and the area had changed drastically.
Eventually, it became apparent
to those of us who were left
that we would have to sell the
building and look for God’s
direction as to where and what
to do. It was a long and painful
process but finally a buyer
was found and a closing date
was drawing near. “Weeping may
endure for a night, but joy
comes in the morning.”
The year of our Lord 2000 dawned
as a year of new beginnings
and sequence of God’s miraculous
leading. A customer of my husband,
frequently urged him to visit
her in the Pocono Mountains
of Pennsylvania. When finally
we visited her, God began to
open a new door of opportunity
for us.
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The
Continuing Story
Alfred
& Ruth Joy Capozzi
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At
a Pastor’s Couples conference
in Branson, Missouri at the
Gary Smalley Relationship Center
the beginning of March of 2000,
God confirmed to our hearts
that we should move forward.
A day or two before we were
to fly out of town we received
word that the closing of the
church building in Elizabeth
was to take place while we were
away. This was actually God’s
minute care for me. Having
literally “grown up in the church”
it being like a second home
to me—I had often wondered how
it would be possible to do that
last “walk through” and then
have to turn the key in the
door for the last time and walk
away. I never had to do that.
Our lawyer had us sign the necessary
papers and he went to closing
for us and assured us he would
call us on our cell phone the
moment all was done.
We were
in the conference morning session
that had started by us singing
a chorus, “I will restore to
you all this and more”. H. B.
London was speaking to us about
not losing our dreams. He related
how often pastors, through the
process of life lose their dreams.
He went on to remind us Joseph
in the Bible who never stopped
believing his dreams! It
was at this moment that our
cell phone rang with our attorney
at the other end saying “all
is well, the closing has transpired.”
It was a moving moment. At the
close of this session we sang
twice more “I will restore to
you all this and more!”
We moved
to Mt. Pocono in the year of
our Lord 2000! Through the ministries
at Joy Haven, (Christian Coffeehouse,
Christian Encouragement Center,
Hospitality Home, Ministerial
Coalition) many divine connections
were made. Much healing and
restoration took place. Through
these connections God has once
again led us on to Pastor
in Bloomsburg,
PA. His truth is marching on! |
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