Our church in Hull, Iowa has extended a call to Rev. Mark Hoeksema from a trio which included Rev. Dale Kuiper and Rev. Gise VanBaren. 

The following appeared under the heading of ‘Church News’ in the October 10 Edmonton bulletin: “Rev. B. Woudenberg of Lynden, Washington has accepted the call extended to him by our church in Kalamazoo, Michigan. He will leave for his new ‘station’ in the Lord’s service this month. Our minister, Rev. Moore, is the first one to fill a classical appointment in the Lynden church. It is an honor and a joy for us to do this for our sister church in Lynden, as we have received so much from them! God has used their prayers and labours and especially the labors of their minister for our strengthening and comfort in the most holy faith. Rev. Moore is scheduled to Lynden for the Sundays of November 7, 14, and 21.” Rev. Woudenberg made many trips over the mountains between Lynden and Edmonton to meet with the group in Edmonton both before and after they organized as a Protestant Reformed Church. 

Those of us in the United States look forward to celebrating our National Day of Thanksgiving toward the end of November, but did you know that our congregation in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada celebrated the Canadian National Day of Thanksgiving on October 11? 

Many of our churches across the land sponsored public programs in recognition of Reformation Day, October 31. In the Grand Rapids area Rev. M. Joostens spoke in First Church on October 29. His topic was “The Priesthood of All Believers.” Rev. VanBaren, who was chairman for the evening, brought greetings from our congregation in Prospect Park, New Jersey, where he had spoken for a Reformation Day observance meeting the previous evening. The Men’s Society of our South Holland, Illinois church sponsored a lecture on October 27 in their church. Rev. Herman Veldman of our Southwest Church in Wyoming, Michigan spoke on “Evangelism in the Light of the Reformation.” Coffee and doughnuts were to be served afterwards in the church basement. The Men’s Society in Randolph, Wisconsin planned to sponsor a public lecture on November 11 in their church. They invited Rev. George Lubbers of Pella, Iowa to speak on the subject “The Decalogue and the Reformation.” Moving a little farther to the west we find that the consistory of the Hope Protestant Reformed Church in Isabel, South Dakota sponsored a public lecture on October 29 also. Their pastor, Rev. Miersma, was to speak on “The Reformation and the Holy Scriptures.” Our church in Loveland, Colorado commemorated the Reformation with a public program in the Lesher Jr. High School in Fort Collins. Rev. G. Lanting’s lecture topic was “The Reformation, A Liberation of the Bible.” At least some of the lectures mentioned above and many from past years are available to you on tape recordings. Write to the Standard BearerBusiness Office for information. The address is inside the front cover of this magazine. 

The Reformed Witness Hour radio program is now heard at a new time in the Randolph, Wisconsin area. The new schedule is Sunday morning at 8:30 on WLKE, 1170. 

The opening of the new Christian School in Hull, Iowa was celebrated with a dedication program on October 8. Open house was held from 5:30 to 8:00 PM. The dedication program was scheduled to begin at 8:00 and included special numbers by the school children and an address by Rev. Kortering on the subject, “The Educated Pilgrim.” Refreshments followed the program.

On August 21 and 22, 1976, our church in South Holland, Illinois celebrated the fiftieth anniversary of that congregation. In honor of that joyful occasion, the church published a rather attractive booklet. The booklet contains a number of interesting items including a photostatic copy of the records of the official organization meeting of the church on August 24, 1926. This record is written in the Dutch language. For those of us who are not too well acquainted with Dutch, a translation is included. Also included is a message from their present pastor, a brief history of the congregation, pictures of some of the ‘sons’ of the congregation, including Rev. George Lanting and Rev. Gise VanBaren, and 4 young men now attending our seminary and two who are entering preseminary training. Two pages are devoted to a brief history of the Christian School opened by members of the congregation in 1961. A booklet very well done! Our Hudsonville congregation also celebrated their 50th anniversary this past summer. A note in the Randolph bulletin commented on Hudsonville’s anniversary booklet—which I have not seen . . . yet. 

—KGV