All Articles For Vol 96 Issue 07 1/1/2020

Trivia question Which is the smallest PRCA church to have and use a pipe organ? Answer later in this column. Sister-church activities Recently the CERC (Covenant Evangelical Reformed Church) in Singapore observed its 32nd Anniversary. Their confession indeed is “Great is Thy Faithfulness.” In these 32 years, Covenant went through many trials in her journey and, yet, the Lord in His graciousness has kept them until this day. As they gave thanks for His goodness to them in the past, they also continue to pray for grace in the future. The road ahead of us, as indicated in the Word...

Our Lord calls all of us to witness to Him and the gospel of salvation from sin and death by Him; and calls not only those who hold the office of minister, but all who hold the office of Christian; and to do that not only passively but actively; not only by mouth but by deed; and not only some days but every day of our life. This calling is not optional, something to choose to do or not do, accept or reject. If we are a Christian in whom the Spirit of Jesus dwells by faith, we must and...

At the title indicates, this series of editorials examines the harmonious relationship between the doctrine of God’s covenant of grace and the Canons of Dordt. The premise continues to be that the doctrine of the covenant of grace must agree with the doctrines of sovereign grace taught in the Canons. For the truth of God is one, unified body, and no part in it conflicts with another. In addition, God’s covenant of grace is intertwined with God’s saving work. God saves His people and brings them into the living relationship of friendship, which is His covenant life. The doctrine of...

“For the land, whither thou goest in to possess it, is not as the land of Egypt, from whence ye came out, where thou sowedst thy seed, and wateredst it with thy foot, as a garden of herbs: but the land, whither ye go to possess it, is a land of hills and valleys, and drinketh water of the rain of heaven: a land which the Lord thy God careth for: the eyes of the Lord thy God are always upon it, from the beginning of the year even unto the end of the year.” Deuteronomy 11:10–12 2020! Time speeds...

[With this issue we begin our church profiles. The early bird gets the worm, they say, and Edgerton was the first to submit a profile. Therefore, we publish theirs first. Thanks to Al Brummel from Edgerton for submitting this interesting information.] In 1936 the Mission Committee of the Protestant Reformed Churches sent out the first home missionary, Rev. B. Kok. As a result, the congregation here in Edgerton, Minnesota was organized in 1938 with 13 fam­ilies. After meeting for a short while in a community building, we built a church and parsonage, which are still in use today. The parsonage...

Rev. VanBaren. PRCA.org. RBO. P.R. Special Ed. Not many today, I think, could put those four enti­ties together in one short sentence. But it can be done. In fact, the Covenant Reformed News could well be added to the mix. Protestant Reformed Special Ed plays an important part in the work of many of our Protestant Reformed schools. Who today remembers, or even ever knew, that it was Rev. Gise J. VanBaren whose initiative led to the formation and development of the Special Education So­ciety. Four girls at Hudsonville, way back when Rev. VanBaren was pastor there, needed special catechism...

Previous article in this series: November 15, 2019, p. 93. “And it shall come to pass in the last days, that the mountain of the Lord’s house shall be established in the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow unto it. And many people shall go and say, Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob…for out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem. And he shall judge among the...

Previous article in this series: December 1, 2019, p. 111. The Scriptures do not fear examination If you have ever let Mormon missionaries through your door, you will have noticed that they urge upon you something that at first seems similar to the Reformed faith’s “Internal Testimony of the Holy Spirit.” Before they read the Book of Mormon to you or tell you the story of Joseph Smith, they will attempt to prepare you for what they call, “the burning in the bosom.” “This,” they say, “will be a feeling you will get as we read or talk to you....