gary thanked God for an-
swered prayer after the
country's parliament
as a church earlier this year. Legislation effective
on January 1 had cut the number of officially
registered churches from 300 to only 14. The
Salvation Army was not among this number,
despite having worked in Hungary from 1924
to 1950 and again since 1990. An amendment
made to the legislation in February named the
Army as one of an additional 17 organizations
granted church status. Sixty�five groups were
unsuccessful in their applications.
that "Our ministries continue unimpeded. We
continue to enjoy privileges as a recognized
church in areas of taxation, government funding
of our social services, and funding of clerical ac-
tivities such as teaching of Christianity to young
people. The confirmation of our church status
also opens the way for further expansion of our
ministry and services ... the Army's legitimate
status as a church will further endear us to the
people and open greater opportunities to pres-
ent the gospel of Jesus Christ."
ment to ignite spiritual awakening in
America, more than 14,000 churches
are expected to invite people to come
back to church on National Back To
Church Sunday (NBTCS), Sept. 16.
tians, only about 20 percent attend
church on any given Sunday.
more than 15,000 Americans found 67
percent say a personal invitation from
a family member would be effective in
three percent say an invitation from a
friend or neighbor would likely move
them to respond.
representing 34 denominations par-
ticipated in the nationwide effort to
reach out to their communities, invit-
ing millions of people to attend.
bers to get out of their comfort zones
and invite someone to church on
Sept. 16.
how to extend electronic invitations to friends, relatives and colleagues. Organiz-
ers can exchange ideas on www.facebook.com/backtochurch.
caring for patients in the last 12 weeks of their lives. She
witnessed how many of her patients gained "phenomenal
clarity of vision" as they approached death. "When ques-
tioned about any regrets they had or anything they would
do differently, common themes surfaced again and again,"
she noted. According to Ware, these are the top five regrets
of the dying:
Regrets of the Dying
not the life others expected of me.
Ware observed, "This [regret] came from every male
patient that I nursed."
"Many people suppressed their feelings in order to keep
peace with others ... Many [patients] developed illnesses
related to the bitterness and resentment they carried."
"There are many deep regrets about not giving friend-
ships the time and effort they deserved. Everyone misses
their friends when they are dying."
"Many did not realize until the end that happiness is a
choice. They had stayed stuck in old patterns and habits."