Rev. R. Harbach has accepted the call to serve as home missionary. He plans to preach his farewell sermon on May 5 and expects to be in Houston soon thereafter. Rev. G. Lubbers, who is currently working in Houston, has declined the call extended to him from our Prospect Park congregation. Rev. Lanting has accepted the call from Loveland, Colorado. 

Rev. and Mrs. Veldman, at the time of this writing, are in the middle of a four-week stay in Skowhegan, Maine. Rev. C. Hanko and Rev. J. Heys planned to leave on Tuesday, April 16, for a twenty-eight day visit to Jamaica. During that time they hoped to, among other things, examine the students who have studied under Rev. G. Lubbers, and see to their ordination into the ministry in local churches on the island.

As is typical of this time of year, announcements concerning lectures and end-of-season mass meetings are appearing in church bulletins. The annual Spring Lecture held in the Grand Rapids area was scheduled for Thursday, April 18. Prof. H. C. Hoeksema was to speak on the topic “Why Are We Protestant Reformed?” The First Protestant Reformed Church of Holland, Michigan, sponsored a lecture, by Prof. H. Hanko, entitled “The A.A.C.S. (Association for the Advancement of Christian Scholarship) and the Kingdom.” That was to be held in Holland on April 25. At the Men’s League Meeting, held on April 22 in Southwest Church, Rev. Joostens planned to speak on “The Implications of the Sabbath Rest.” Rev. Joostens was also asked to speak for the Sunday School teachers at their spring mass meeting in Hope Church on May 1. His topic was, “The Peace of Nebuchadnezzar.” 

The bulletins of our Grand Rapids’ churches carried invitations “to come to First Church after the Good Friday service for a short but inspiring Cantata ‘On The Passion of Christ.’ ” The program was presented by the Choral Society of First Church, directed by Mr. Roland Petersen.

A March 3 1 bulletin from Hull carried an announcement concerning a meeting of the society of our school in Doon. The meeting, which was to be held on April 3, was called for the purpose of considering a “proposal to hire three full-time teachers for the school year 1974-1975, and to consider the remodeling of the all-purpose room into a third class room.” The Annual Protestant Reformed Young Peoples’ Convention will be sponsored this year by the societies of Hull, Doon, and Edgerton. The convention will be held at the Dordt College Campus, in Sioux Center, Iowa, on August 13-15. 

A scarcity of news makes it possible for us to again pull something out of the box, I notice that the box has been holding, since last October, an interesting newsletter which was distributed by the Evangelism Committee of our South Holland Church. I’d like to lift a paragraph from that letter: 

“It is with deep sense of thankfulness that we take pleasure in announcing to the Congregation the purchase of a Voice of Music CASSETTE TAPE DUPLICATOR. This means that we can now produce, simultaneously, 6 (home use) cassette tapes while we are recording the large reel tape for our Radio Broadcast. (In the past, each request for a cassette tape had to be produced separately, entailing much extra time and effort on the part of the individual who performed this work on his own time.) This new machine will enable your Committee to maintain a cassette library of sermons, lectures, programs, convocation addresses, etc. These will then be available for distribution to shut-ins, sold to members of the Congregation and to fill requests from our Radio audience for $2.00 each (our cost).” 

The newsletter went on to state that, “although this piece of specialized equipment will surely multiply our effectiveness, its cost will reduce our finances to a very low level.” The letter had, in fact, been prepared for distribution on that particular Sunday in order that it might serve as an explanation for the collection which would be taken on that day for the work of the Evangelism Committee. The following week, the Committee reported “with humble thanks to our God . . . that the Special Collection of the last Lord’s Day amounted to $504” — which, by the way, more than paid for the new machine! 

“Besides broadcasting,” the newsletter continued, “we also have a new pamphlet in preparation. It is a reprint of two radio sermons our, former pastor, Professor H. C. Hoeksema, gave on John 3:16: God’s Great Love Toward The World. The supply of our Consolation booklet, God Is Our Refuge And Strength, is depleted and is in need of a fourth printing. The Lord has given us much work to do. Let us ‘work while it is day, ere the night cometh in which no man can work.’ (John 9:4b)” 

D.D.