Baptist church to mark Passover
by ELIZABETH TAUFA Reporter

Pastor Roland Mills

With Easter this coming Sunday, it's easy to get bogged down in visions of bunnies, eggs and candy.

However, this is one of the most important religious days in the Christian calendar, and the roots of Christianity lie in the Jewish faith.

This history is being embraced by the Shalom Baptist Church, which meets in the VFW Post 416, 18 East Spring St.

The church will hold a Seder meal, the traditional meal of the first day of the Jewish holiday of Passover, at 6 p.m. Saturday, April 7. The meal will include chicken, vegetables and Jewish desserts.

"The Seder meal is used to teach the Jewish roots of the Christian faith," said Pastor Roland Mills. "It's the story of redemption."

Mills noted that the Seder meal can be used to educate those who don't know about the history of the Jewish people, from being enslaved by the Egyptians to their eventual escape and freedom, hence, the redemption of a race of people - including Christians.

"The relationship between Passover and Easter is connected in the meal," Mills said, noting that a Seder meal can be equated to the last supper of Jesus Christ. "It's the most powerful message you can tell, and it's over 35 centuries old."

Mills has his own story of redemption, however.

Approximately a year after moving with his family - a wife and seven children ages 5 to 19 - from North Carolina to start a congregation in Western New York, Mills was diagnosed with acute leukemia and given just a few days to live.

After six months of chemotherapy in 2002, Mills' cancer went into remission, and he began to volunteer at Roswell Park Cancer Institute, where he had been treated. As a chaplain, he helps others in similar situations.

In 2004, however, Mills underwent a bone marrow transplant and is now doing well.

In April 2006, Mills returned to preaching at his church and his mission to emphasize the Jewish history of the Christian faith.

The church congregates at 10 a.m. Sundays and at 7 p.m. Thursdays, except for

the second Thursday of each month.

The Seder meal is free, but reservations are required because seating is limited.

For more information or reservations, call 439-1188.