THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, January 1, 1995 TAG: 9412300244
SECTION: VIRGINIA BEACH BEACON PAGE: 08 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY GARY EDWARDS, CORRESPONDENT
LENGTH: Medium: 77 lines
Burton Katzelnik was born in the Bronx of Russian Jewish parents and grew up in a household where Russian, Hebrew and English were spoken.
He met and married his wife, Pilar, in Puerto Rico and added Spanish to his multilingual abilities. It seemed only natural then when Katzelnik opened a ministry to address the needs of Spanish-speaking evangelicals.
Centro Evangelista Hispano is an Assembly of God church on Kempsville Road near Indian River Road. Housed in a former single-family dwelling turned doctor's office, the resource center opened as a church about a year ago. It is small. About 70 people can fit in the sanctuary.
Though it is an evangelical church, it is more than just that, Katzelnik said.
``According to the 1990 census, there were 32,000 Hispanics in Tidewater, 12,000 in Virginia Beach,'' Katzelnik said, traces of the Bronx still in his rapid speech. ``No bookstore for this Spanish-speaking population and very few churches. Two churches for Spanish-speaking evangelicals. Ours and one at Fort Eustis.
``We want to provide a full-service Christian organization for Hispanics,'' said Katzelnik. ``Counseling, food for the needy, every way we can think of to help this population.
``We want to gather together and take care of Hispanic needs.''
Toward that end, the Katzelniks recently opened the only Spanish-language Christian bookstore between Atlanta and Washington, D.C. Called ``Libreria El Centro,'' it is the latest phase of the Katzelnik's vision of an ``Hispanic Resource Center.''
The bookstore, located inside the same building as the church, was started by a $5,000 donation.
``It came from a working-class Hispanic woman, not a rich person by any means,'' said Katzelnik. ``She told us, `I believe in what you're doing.' ''
The bookstore shelves are filled with Bibles, greeting cards, Christmas cards, religious books and tapes - all in Spanish. Along one wall, racks of old 33 1/3 albums rest in their tattered jackets. These were salvaged from a radio station that the Katzelniks ran in Puerto Rico. The albums feature Spanish-language versions of Christian singers, such as Amy Grant and Andre Crouch. Some of the cassettes in the counter case are recordings of Pilar.
The bookstore is open to the public from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays and from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday.
``This is just a start. We'll have more merchandise. In fact, we have some on the way,'' said Katzelnik.
Eventually, the store will offer books that aren't religious, maybe literary classics in Spanish, he said.
``As long as they're suitable and appropriate,'' added Pilar Katzelnik.
Burton Katzelnik first embarked on a career as a television producer. He married Pilar, a singer whom he met through show business contacts. But they didn't live happily ever after, he explained.
``We had the money, the house, the cars. Fortune and fame,'' he said. ``After 18 years of marriage, we were ready to divorce.
``Twenty-two years ago, we came to the Lord. Pilar first and then me,'' said Katzelnik. Katzelnik, a successful Jewish boy from the Bronx, became an ordained minister in the Assembly of God Church.
Since then, the Katzelniks have lived in Puerto Rico and traveled around the world spreading the Word. They once lived the good life; now they live on faith and for the good of others.
And the Katzelniks said that the Hispanics are a good group with which to start.
``We believe in missions in other lands, but we have one of the biggest mission fields right here in our own back yard,'' said Burton Katzelnik, ``a neglected group: Hispanics.'' ILLUSTRATION: Photo by GARY EDWARDS
``We want to provide a full-service Christian organization for
Hispanics,'' says Burton Katzelnik, with his wife, Pilar.
``Counseling, food for the needy, every way we can think of to help
this population.''
by CNB