Citadel Service

This is a worship service conducted at Citadel Nursing Home. The Citadel service usually has between 15 and 20 in attendance. They are mostly saved but unable to get out to churches.


"Preaching the gospel in many nursing homes has been the most delightful experience in my life for most of the 25 years I have been saved. The weekly Citadel services are as much like the services at Calvary Baptist Mesa as I can make them. There are about a dozen who faithfully attend almost every service and perhaps 15 others who are only able to attend intermittently. The room where we meet can only accommodate about 20 and is full for most of the services. The activity director is a Christian. She and her staff are wonderful to bring the residents in to the services. We have large print song-books for the residents. Some residents still can't see the words but have the hymns well memorized. I strum a guitar to help keep us on key during our song-service. There is a karaoke to amplify my voice and guitar which is helpful for those with hearing loss. Sometimes I sing special songs for them before the Bible message.

Being loved by the residents, fellowshipping with them, their enjoyment of the music, their attentiveness to the Bible, their testimonies, their participation, their encouragement, their appreciation, and their questions fill my heart with joy. Perhaps about half of them have received Christ during our services. Several are life-long Christians with glowing testimonies. It is joy beyond explanation to see someone receive Christ who has had Satan for a taskmaster for a lifetime. I have seen a multitude of eleventh hour decisions for Christ, within days, weeks or months of their death. I MUST give an invitation at every service. We never know when a precious soul will pass into eternity. Some residents are heavily sedated. The Lord is able to make them alert for a time and save them. I have seen some receive Christ and then go back into a drug-induced stupor. I never see them alert again. Many lost people drive up and down the streets around Calvary Baptist Church and never come in to hear the gospel. Many lost Citadel residents roll up and down the halls and never come in to hear the gospel. We all need a great sense of urgency in our prayers and our witness."


- Brother Ron Berg, Citadel Ministry