It was my privilege to be in Doon at the time of the dedication of their new and beautiful church building. Rev. R. Moore sent the following article and pictures for publication in the Standard Bearer. Our readers share with Doon congregation their joy in this evidence of God’s goodness to them and pray that they may find their delight in the favor of our God in the way of His truth.

—H. Hanko

May sixteenth was a very special day in Doon, Iowa. Our Protestant Reformed Church in Doon had the blessed privilege of dedicating their new church building. Indeed it was an inspiring time for the congregation of Doon, for it brought us face to face with God’s covenant faithfulness. He has richly blessed us with covenant seed and has kept us in the faith so that the need arose for a new church edifice in which to worship Him.

In the year 1926, in March, God gathered together seven families and two individuals to organize our congregation in Doon. A few years later, about 1932, our small congregation was able to purchase the church building where we have worshipped until this May. For many years the old church building served us well, and it pleased God to gather together His people there under the preaching of His Word.

The Lord richly blessed us through these forty-nine years of existence. There was steady growth in our congregation. Much of this growth came from within as God gave to our congregation an abundance of covenant seed. He also worked in their hearts to remain faithful to the truth and gave them opportunity for employment in the immediate area. Our congregation presently numbers thirty-four families and one hundred fifty-nine souls. As a result of this steady growth and on account of the age of our old building the Lord led our congregation to undertake the construction of a new place of worship. Our covenant God also gave us the means to undertake this work even when it seemed so difficult for a small congregation, and on May sixteenth we were able to have dedication!

Our congregation asked our minister emeritus, Prof. H. Hanko to join us on this joyful occasion to speak for our dedication. He exhorted us from God’s Word in I Sam. 4 to maintain faithfully the truth, giving our glory to God in all things. Particularly he instructed us to proclaim faithfully the gospel of Christ, lest the name Ichabod appear over the doors of our new church building. Ichabod means, “The glory is departed.”

There were letters from our sister congregations of Hull and Pella who joined in our joy in the praise of God’s covenant faithfulness. Further, many members of our Hull and Edgerton congregations came together with us to join in our thanksgiving. Thus our new building was filled to capacity on this joyous occasion for fellowship. In the afternoon there was an open house at which time the general public had opportunity to visit with some of our people and see the new building.

We invite all the readers of our Standard Bearer to stop in Doon and worship the Lord together with our congregation. We now have room for you to come together comfortably for worship with us. We are still struck with awe as we come together in worship. It impresses us with the wonder of God’s grace, for we do not deserve such a blessing. But this is the wonder of His grace, for Christ’s sake God blesses His own, blotting out their sin in the blood of the cross. Our prayer is that we may truly dedicate this building unto the service of God, and that we may have grace to continue to go forward in faith, until He brings us into the heavenly tabernacle, not made with hands, which our Lord hath before prepared for us! May all our glory be in the Lord.