David Harbach is a teacher at Adams St. Prot. Ref. Christian School, Grand Rapids, Michigan.

There has been a change in the speakers for the conference on the subject of “Marriage: For Better, For Worse.” The speakers will be Rev. Jason Kortering, Rev. D. Engelsma, and Rev. J. Slopsema. Each of these ministers will speak twice. The meetings will be held at the Holiday Inn, Elmhurst, Illinois. Registration forms will be forthcoming. The conference, which will be held November 22 & 23, is sponsored by the Northwest Chicago Mission Field and South Holland’s Evangelism Committee. Plan now to attend this instructive and enjoyable conference.

How are Rev. Joostens and his family doing in Jamaica? As was expected, they stayed with the Bruinsmas until they obtained a house for their own use. They are able to get around with a cheaply rented car. But until they have their own address, please send your letters to: Rev. Joostens, c/o Rev. Bruinsma, Ferris Heights, Cave P.O., Westmoreland, Jamaica, West Indies. It is obvious as churches that we do take good care of and are concerned for all our missionaries.

Rev. den Hartog has a new telephone number—(011-65-224-8577). This is a direct dialing number to Singapore.

Synod of 1985 instructed the Mission Committee to seek contributions from the churches in an agreeable amount of $10,000 to cover the medical needs of Missionary Houck and his family through the remainder of 1985. If each family in the denomination were to give $8.20, the $10,000 goal would be easily reached. May God bless us that we may give of what is His to support our missionary and his family.

I received a copy of a letter from the Evangelism Society of Southeast Church, Grand Rapids, Michigan that was written to their congregation. There are several items worth sharing with you that you will enjoy reading. “To begin, our radio program has just completed its first year of operation and, as evidenced by listener response and your continued wholehearted support, the Lord has clearly blessed this work. The manager of WMAX tells us that based on calls into the station, our program is one of the two most popular in WMAX’s lineup.

“. . . A special thanks to all who have made a point of taking and distributing radio program cards.

“. . . Our literature distribution efforts have been very successful, more so than we could have imagined. Thanks to the work of Mr. H. Van Hattem (remember ‘Van, the Radio Man,’ on WFUR?) our pamphlets are currently placed in forty-two area businesses.

“. . . A Christian Reformed minister in Grandville (Michigan, DH) tells us that he takes copies of Rev. Hoeksema’s God is Our Refuge along with him when he visits the sick.

“. . . We recently learned that Pastor Haak’s pamphlet, Our Only Comfort, is being distributed to the female inmates of a Virginia state penitentiary by the prison chaplain’s wife.”

Rev. Van Overloop will have visited Southeast to speak about “Mission Methods and Congregational Evangelism” the evening of October 17. Who knows, maybe a tape will be produced of this meeting. It is certain that God has blessed the work of our many evangelism societies and church extension committees over the years.

Grandville Church, Michigan, is seeing the building of the church’s parsonage moving at a steady pace. As one young member of the congregation put it, “That hole was huge. It must be a big house.” Because of the emphasis on God’s covenant, there is something special about building a parsonage for a minister’s possibly large family.

First Church, Grand Rapids, Michigan, is a beautiful church to visit while in the G.R. area. Work on the inside is progressing at a rapid rate, so that the rooms downstairs are taking shape. The high peaked roof in the sanctuary reminds me of praying hands.