Mr. Wigger is an elder in the Protestant Reformed Church of Hudsonville, Michigan.

Congregational Activities

In mid-September, the consistory of the Hudsonville, MI PRC decided to present a survey to their congregation to help them understand the feelings of their members concerning the possibility of organizing another daughter congregation in the future.

Hudsonville currently has about 150 families, with a total membership of about 580. Sixteen years ago, when Byron Center PRC was organized, Hudsonville was about 150 families; and she was around 160 families when Georgetown PRC started. In addition to this, Hudsonville often has to set up chairs in their narthex to be able to accommodate everyone in a worship service. The crowding will only get more severe as their children and families grow. Hudsonville’s consistory has since appointed a committee to consider the survey results and make recommendations on which direction to take.

Somewhat related to Hudsonville and their growth “problems,” we couldn’t help but notice that recently six fathers of the Hope PRC in Walker, MI appeared before their consistory at its October meeting to request baptism for their newborn children. We don’t keep track of this sort of thing, but six at one time may be a record for our churches. We rejoice with them, and with all of our families, in Jehovah’s covenant blessings as taught in Psalm 102:28, “The children of thy servants shall continue, and their seed shall be established before thee.”

The Young People of the Covenant PRC in Wyckoff, NJ invited their congregation to a day of activities on Saturday, October 23. In the afternoon they planned to go apple-picking in New York State, followed by a hayride that evening.

During this year’s Teachers Convention (Oct. 21-23), the members of the Georgetown PRC in Hudsonville, MI got together for a Fall Church Camp-Out at the Christian Reformed Conference Grounds on the shore of Lake Michigan.

By the time you read this issue of the “News,” Georgetown will have been, the Lord willing, in their new church home for about a month. One thing they have added to this building is a library, something they could not have before, meeting as they were at Heritage Christian School. Apparently they asked for and received an overwhelming response from their congregation for books. But they are still looking for more. They are especially interested in finding bound volumes of the SB, as well as good commentaries, e.g., Calvin or Matthew Henry, and also hymnals. If you have any of these materials you would like to donate, please contact their pastor,

Rev. R. VanOverloop

4510 Bridgeville Ct.

Hudsonville, MI 49426

616-662-0257.

The council of the Cornerstone PRC in Schereville, Indiana recommended to their congregation an evening Bible Study to which all were invited. Their Evangelism Committee proposed that, for the first three meetings, they study the three SB articles by Rev. Kortering on mission enthusiasm. This would give the new society a few weeks to choose a part of Scripture to study. And it would also provide an opportunity for Cornerstone to grow together as a church as they studied their calling towards evangelism.

Mission Activities

Rev. D. Kleyn and Rev. R. Miersma report that they arrived safely in the Philippines. In Manila they were able to lead a three-hour Bible Study discussion with a Berean Bible group whose leader is Mr. Rodolfo Sy. They have traveled to the Daet area to do more work and preaching on the Lord’s Day.

Rev. R. Moore reports from Ghana that he will be speaking at a public seminar October 21, 22, and 23 in Adukrom. The two main topics he was planning to speak on were “The Calling of Man” and “The Fall of Man in the Garden of Paradise.”

Rev. Moore also writes that they continue to work toward finding a property or building to rent for their worship services.

Rev. R. Hanko, our churches’ missionary to Northern Ireland, reports that the congregation of the Covenant PRC in Northern Ireland continues to make progress towards the actual purchase of property in Ballymena. The Lord willing, that will all go through in January. Tentative planning permission has been obtained, and a price agreed on. Covenant is now waiting for plans, formal planning permission, and the rest of the legal red tape.

Evangelism Activities

Prof. D. Engelsma spoke October 14 at the Loveland, CO PRC on the subject, “The Second Coming of Christ: The Christian and the Reformed View of the Millennium.” He spoke again the next evening on, “The Second Coming of Christ: Not Premillennial.” He concluded his series with a sermon Sunday evening, October 17, entitled “Waiting for the Lord Jesus, the Parable of the Ten Virgins.”

The Evangelism Committee of the Hope PRC in Redlands, CA continues to receive good response to their mailers. In past months they received five requests for Mrs. Hoeksema’s Bible Story Book, one all the way from Greece. This work has also resulted in a number of interesting contacts, including a group of four families in Medera, CA, who would very much like to see PR mission work in their area.