Vol 77 Issue 18

Prof. Decker is professor of Practical Theology in the Protestant Reformed Seminary. *Seminary Commencement, June 14, 2001, First Protestant Reformed Church, Grand Rapids. Graduate: Angus Stewart. Polemics may be defined as “the art or science of defending the truth which has as its object the refutation of errors.” Polemics is a bad word among the churches of these days. Toleration is the good word! We ought to tolerate differing views and doctrines because no one has a corner on the truth. Evangelicals can even get together with Roman Catholics. What is much worse is the fact that much of the...

Mr. Wigger is a member of the Protestant Reformed Church of Hudsonville, Michigan. Congregation Activities   Seventy-five years ago this month, the Hudsonville, MI PRC had its beginnings in our denomination. In late May, over the Memorial Day weekend, they celebrated that anniversary.  Over a period of two days Hudsonville’s congregation, along with friends and family members from her two daughter congregations, the Byron Center and Georgetown PRCs, gathered together at the Hudsonville Fair Grounds for a wide range of activities, including a pig roast one evening and a pancake breakfast the following morning, softball and volleyball games between the...

Mr. Kunst is a member of Southeast Protestant Reformed Church. Last summer I joined the Reformed Witness Hour Committee and became one of fourteen volunteers from five different PR churches to serve on the committee. This number includes our present radio minister, Rev. Haak. I suggested that it would be a good idea if someone from our committee would write an article for the Standard Bearer on our work, and also list our stations and times. I was asked to write the article. When I first joined this committee, I was astonished at how much work is done behind the...

Mr. Lotterman is a member of Southwest PRC. In thankful commemoration of God’s faithfulness, Southwest Protestant Reformed Church is pleased to announce the seventy-fifth anniversary of its organization. In celebration of this historic event, Southwest will hold an anniversary program the evening of September 7, 2001, D.V., beginning with a supper for their members and followed by a program of remembrance for the enjoyment of their members and members of the sister congregations. The theme of their celebration is “Thankful Commemoration of God’s Faithfulness,” and they have chosen Psalter number 408, a versification of Psalm 149 as their theme song. Southwest PRC was...

Mr. Kregel is a member of Grandville PRC and serves on the denominational Contact Committee. The motion carries that a committee of correspondence be appointed to perform all preliminary work toward correspondence with the churches in the Netherlands. Revs. J. DeJong, H. Hoeksema, and G.M. Ophoff are appointed by the chair to serve on this committee” (Article 69, Acts of Synod, 1945). Sixty-one years ago, the Committee For Contact With Other Churches had its origin as a “committee of correspondence” with a very narrow mandate from synod. Over the ensuing years, both the committee itself, and, more importantly, its mandate,...

Mr. Clarke is an elder in the Covenant Protestant Reformed Church in Ballymena, Northern Ireland. He spoke as an official representative of this church, a sister church of the PRC. The graduate is a son of the Ballymena congregation. Brothers and sisters, may I first of all bring to you greetings from the Covenant Protestant Reformed Church in Northern Ireland and also express to you our thanks for the invitation to participate in this joyful and special occasion, when we celebrate together the graduation of our beloved brother, Angus Stewart. For all of these involved this is indeed a time...

It gives us great pleasure to address the synod of the Protestant Reformed Churches of America and to bring you the greetings of the consistory, council, and congregation of Covenant Protestant Reformed Church in Northern Ireland. We extend to you our greetings in the most blessed name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. We are greatly indebted to the Protestant Reformed Churches and in particular to the consistory and congregation of Hudsonville Protestant Reformed Church who by the grace of our great God have continued to show great interest in our welfare and development and have provided much assistance...

The 2001 synod of the Protestant Reformed Churches (PRC) met at First Church, Grand Rapids, Michigan from June 12-19. The pre-synodical worship service was led by Rev. Barry Gritters, president of the previous synod. He preached on I Samuel 7:12: “Hitherto hath the Lord helped us.” Officers of the synod were Rev. Charles Terpstra (Holland, MI), president; Rev. James Slopsema (First, Grand Rapids, MI), vice-president; Rev. Steven Key (Hull, IA), first clerk; and Rev. Ron Cammenga (Southwest, Grandville, MI), second clerk. Seminary A highlight of the synod was the oral examination of Mr. Angus Stewart, a senior seminarian at the Protestant...

Rev. Gritters is pastor of the Protestant Reformed Church of Hudsonville, Michigan. This Meditation is the text of the pre-synodical sermon preached by Rev. Gritters in First PRC on June 11, 2001. Esteemed brethren of synod and beloved church of Jesus Christ, if the PRC are anything, they are churches that by the grace of God preach the grace of God—sovereign, irresistible, particular grace, in Jesus, God’s Messiah. If the PRC desire to be known by something, they desire to be known as churches willing to deny themselves and take up their cross for the sake of the defense of...