Trivia question

Which PRC minister has been the mentor of the most seminary interns? Answer later in this column.

Minister activities

On Resurrection Sunday, April 1, emeritus pastor Wayne Bekkering was taken to glory at God’s right hand. Rev. Bekkering served his Lord faithfully as husband, father, and minister of the gospel of grace. He served PRC congregations at Randolph, WI; Houston, TX; Faith in Jenison, MI; and Pella, IA, as well as serving as a missionary to Ghana. He was ordained in 1972 and became emeritus in 2005. Funeral services were held April 5 at Hudsonville, MI PRC. We express our sympathies to his wife Phyllis and the Bekkering family, and thank God for the labors of this faithful servant.

Rev. Martyn McGeown, missionary-pastor of our sister church in Northern Ireland, was joined in marriage in early April to Larisa De Jong. May God grant them a long and blessed married life! Rev. McGeown is serving in Limerick, Republic of Ireland and traveled to the USA to be married. Candidate Jonathan Langerak filled the pulpit in Limerick during this time.

Our home missionary, Rev. Audred Spriensma, spent three weeks in March/April preaching for a group in St. Petersburg, Florida.

On April 15 Rev. Allen Brummel announced his acceptance of the call extended to him by Calvary PRC in Hull, IA. We are thankful to God for a clear revelation of His will in this and pray for His blessing on the Brummel family as they transition to their new place of service. We also pray for Heritage PRC in Sioux Falls as they are now vacant. After the Council formed a trio of Revs. E. Guichelaar, S. Key, and Cand. J. Langerak, Candidate Langerak received this call on April 29. We thank God for providing places for all seven of our 2017 seminary graduates.

Congregational activities

The congregation in Byron Center, MI PRC, with their children, spent time enjoying their pine-box derby car races on a recent Saturday.

Southeast Protestant Reformed Church (formerly Fourth PRC) will be celebrating 75 years of existence in March of 2019. A book is being prepared to commemorate this event. If you have memorabilia, pictures, anecdotes, etc. relating to this history and are willing to share, please contact Tim Pipe, Sr. at 616-890-2545 or email tpipe9@hotmail.com.

Many congregations in West Michigan cancelled their morning worship services on April 15 due to an ice storm in the area. The Siouxland area congregations were the recipients of a “Sprinter” (spring/winter) blizzard on the 14th. Most were able to hold services the next day. We are reminded that although our calendars indicate Spring is here, God reigns supreme and none can stand before Him no matter the time of year!

Family conference

The dates for the 2018 Edmonton Family Conference have been finalized! First PRC plans to host the conference July 20-22, 2018 D.V. Hear from the three speakers, Revs. B. Huizinga, N. Langerak and J. Marcus on the topic of “Seeking the Lord.” Mark your calendars and plan to attend what promises to be a spiritually encouraging time of growth and fellowship with saints from Canada and abroad, as well as an opportunity to see some of the beauty that God has created in Canada. For more information or to register, please visit their website at https://edmontonfamilyconf. wixsite.com/conference2018, or contact Scott Ferguson at EFC2018@outlook.com.

Young people’s activities

From a recent bulletin of Trinity PRC in Hudsonville, MI: “Thank you from the young people for your support at our recent Culver’s fundraiser. Our final fundraiser for the season is the Aussie Burger Fry and Bake Sale Fundraiser, which will be Saturday, April 21, 5:00-6:30, in Heritage’s small gym. The menu includes all your favorite Aussie toppings (egg, beets, pineapple), along with hot dogs, chips and salad. And for dessert, enjoy Aussie Anzac cookies with an ice cream bar. Baked goods will also be available for your Sunday coffee. Proceeds are for this summer’s convention.” Ah, yes, Aussie Anzac cookies. They alone are worth the trip!

Young adult activities

California Young Adults Retreat: Registration is now closed for the retreat being planned for July 2-5, 2018, in Redlands! Capacity was limited to the first 69 applicants. We see this as a good sign of the interest in a wonderful opportunity for fellowship and spiritual growth with fellow believers.

School activities

Wow! Was that a treat! Protestant Reformed secondary education is precious to us, and there was a blessed opportunity to experience the unity of it on April 12. The six choirs of our Protestant Reformed high schools (Covenant [Grand Rapids, MI], Heritage [Dyer, IN], Hope [Redlands, CA], Faith [Randolph, WI], Loveland [Loveland, CO] and Trinity [Hull, IA]) presented a combined concert of edifying choral music in the B.J. Haan Auditorium of Dordt College in Sioux Center, IA. The voices of 283 of our covenant youth joined together to sing the praises of their heavenly Father! And what a beautiful noise it was! Directors David Baldwin, Eric Gritters, Laura Kuiper, Joel Langerak, and Stephanie Uittenbogaard are to be recognized for their tireless efforts. After five other numbers by the mass choir, the evening ended with Psalter 369, “Brotherly Love” and closing prayer by Rev. Brian Huizinga who happened to be providing pulpit supply for Calvary PRC in their vacancy. Many also profited by watching the event via live-streaming. Now the burning question from all those who attended: When will it happen next?!

Covenant Christian High School of Grand Rapids Michigan held a 50-year anniversary celebration at Fair Haven Church in Jenison, MI on Friday, April 27. There was also an open house at Covenant Christian High School on Saturday, April 28. Many attended and much reminiscing took place. Dessert and beverages were available in the gym, as well as plenty of time to see and talk with classmates, teachers, and supporters. Thanks to God for His covenant faithfulness in the education of His children!

Trivia answer:

Actually, two ministers in the PRCA have each mentored four (4) seminary interns. They are Rev. Steven Key and Rev. Kenneth Koole. Rev. Key worked with two interns in Hull, IA PRC and two in Loveland, CO PRC, while Rev. Koole worked with one in Faith PRC and three in Grandville, MI PRC. More trivia next time.