School Activities

The Nex Gen fund-raising com­mittee for Genesis PR School in Lacombe, AB, Canada sponsored their first annual Winter Cup Pond Hockey Tournament on Saturday, February 25. In addition to the day of hockey, Nex Gen also provided a Toonie Town for their younger, non-hockey playing guests. For our non-Canadian readers, Toonie Town is the name the fundraisers gave to what we would commonly call a Kiddy Carni­val, which costs two dollars (a toonie) for admission, so the name seemed to work. Toonie Town included all sorts of interesting games for the kids to play. Ice fishing was in the works, not on the ice the hockey teams were skating on, but rather a man-made construction. Also featured was a whack-a-mole game, a laser game, and spray-painting pictures in the snow. Our contact person in Lacombe re­ported that the tournament itself was a success—the fundraisers raised over $2,000 for Genesis PR School. But as it was -15 Celsius (5 Fahrenheit, for our non-Canadian readers) and snowing like crazy, parents were not too keen on taking their children out in the elements. Hopefully the weather next year will be better. The winning hockey team received a cash prize and a pizza party, and they got their team-name engraved on the cup. Tournament MVP honors were awarded to Steve Zylstra, a member of Immanuel PRC. All in all it was a fun day, but it took about twenty-four hours for everyone to thaw out.

The Loveland, COPR Christian School 6th-10th grade choir presented a program entitled, “The Mountains Show Forth…” after their church’s evening worship service on February 19. The program featured beautiful choir music along with a PowerPoint presentation showing pictures of God’s marvelous creation.

Young Adult Activities

We usually do not include, as news, items that were canceled, but we thought this activity was worthy of an exception, since we had never seen it before. Due to the warmer weather, the young adults of the Calvary PRC in Hull, IA canceled their plans to go ice fishing. Rather, they have made tentative plans for a fishing tournament in late spring.

The Young Adults and Young People of First PRC in Edmonton, AB, Canada enjoyed a combined meeting Sunday, February 26. They discussed the perils of money in today’s society. They hoped to con­sider the subjects of debt, indulgence, bondage, attitudes, and other related topics.

The Young Adults of the Lynden, WA PRC sponsored a Service Auc­tion on February 24 at Covenant Christian School. They promoted the event by asking members of their congregation the questions: What are you good at? Are you good at cooking, or baking? Are you an ex­perienced babysitter? Do you enjoy lawn care or car washing? Or do you have some other hidden talent? This was really a service auction for the entire congregation. Any age could offer a service, not just the young adults. Pies and desserts were also included in the auction. Proceeds went towards the upcoming Lynden Young Adult Retreat scheduled for early July.

Young People’s Activities

The Young People of the Grace PRC in Standale, MI sponsored “A Night of Music” on Saturday eve­ning, February 25, at Grace Church. The night proved to be an enjoyable hour of music, featuring performanc­es by Michelle Pipe, Jim Daling, Dan Van Dyke, Eric/Christa/Gabrielle Phelps, a String Quartet, as well as various numbers by the Grace Young People. A freewill offering was taken to help defray the costs of this year’s convention.

The Young People’s Society of First PRC in Holland, MI planned an El­egant Dinner and Silent Auction for February 17.

Congregation Activities

The ladies from the Junior Adult Fellowship of Faith PRC in Jenison, MI planned a Ladies Game Night for the elderly women of their church on February 29. It was held at nearby Sunset Manor in their Town Square.

The Junior Christian Fellowship of the Hudsonville, MI PRC invited the senior members of their congregation to join them for their annual game night on Saturday evening, March 3. In addition to fellowship and games, a potluck supper was also provided.

The Southwest PRC in Grand­ville, MI enjoyed an evening of Chris­tian fellowship on Friday, February 24, with their annual Pot Luck dinner. A short program followed the sup­per.

The India Outreach Committee of the Byron Center, MI PRC held an introductory meeting in mid-Feb­ruary for members of their congrega­tion who had signed up as sponsors of boys at the home they support in India. During Byron’s monthly Skype calls to Rajastephen in India they received his thanks to Byron Center’s Sunday School for the books recently received and distributed to the boys at the home as well.

Denomination Activities

The Voices of Victory male quartet hosted a benefit concert on Sunday evening, February 19, at Grace Community Church in Hudsonville, MI. Joining the Voices of Victory were Eric and Crista Phelps (cello/piano) and With One Voice (women’s quar­tet). All proceeds from that concert were given to the families of Leah Griess and Nicole Kooienga, mem­bers of the Loveland, COPRC, to assist them with their expenses fol­lowing their car crash this past sum­mer. Over sixteen thousand dollars was raised, and Grace Community Church provided their building and service free of charge.

Minister Activities

Congratulations to Rev. Andrew and Stephanie Lanning, parents of Jason Tyler, born on February 19.

Rev. Clayton Spronk, pastor of the Peace PRC in Lansing, IL declined the call he was considering to serve as the next pastor of the Hope PRC in Walker, MI.