Mr. Wigger is an elder in the Protestant Reformed Church of Hudsonville, Michigan.

Mission Activities

Our readers can well imagine the amount of work that is required to send Rev. R. Hanko, his wife, and family to Northern Ireland as missionaries of our churches. All kinds of details have to be worked out.

We can report that Rev. Hanko applied for his passports on December 8th. Upon receiving them he can apply for his work permit, which process will take from six to eight weeks. He believed that by the first of this year he would have a better picture of the situation, especially with regard to dates. He presently expects to be ready in early March. However, should all details come together sooner, he would be willing to go then.

Classis West meets March 3 in South Holland, IL, and if possible Rev. Hanko would like to attend this meeting as he and his family travel to Michigan. Rev. Hanko is stated Clerk of Classis West and this would enable him to pass his duties over to the assistant clerk in an orderly manner.

We are also able to report at this time that, with the help of Rev. G. VanBaren and members of the CRF of Northern Ireland, a home has been purchased for the Hankos on the mission field.

Buying a home was the most advantageous way to go, primarily because rental property of the size needed for the Hanko family is not easily available. And there are Synodical monies in escrow for this purpose.

In a letter from Northern Ireland dated December 9, Rev. and Mrs. G. VanBaren write to their congregation in Hudsonville, MI that “The sun did shine most of today, . . . rather unusual. Today the sun sets at 3:58 p.m. and rises tomorrow at 8:35 a.m. That makes for a day shorter than you have in Michigan.”

Congregational Activities

The congregation of the Grandville, MI PRC held a welcome program for their pastor, Rev. A. Spriensma, and his family, on December 17th. A short program was planned, followed by refreshments and a get-acquainted hour.

The Council of the South Holland, IL PRC approved a request from their choir that they be given more opportunities to sing for their congregation by periodically presenting several numbers from the balcony prior to the evening worship services, in place of the organ prelude. The Council has agreed to allow the choir to try this for this choir season.

At a recently held congregational meeting the members of the Peace PRC of Lynwood, IL approved the proposed general building plan for their new, church building.

It is also interesting to note that on Sunday, November 29, the congregation of Peace was faced with two reading services due to their pastor’s sudden illness. Instead of these, they were able to watch two sermons on video provided by the Hudsonville, MI PRC, with Rev. Flikkema preaching. Those videos were made this past summer when Rev. R. Flikkema preached for Hudsonville while their pastor was on vacation.

We can also include here a comment or two about the new proposed church in the Georgetown area, north and west of Hudsonville, MI. In its search, the steering committee has located two possible locations in which to hold worship services. The first is a Seventh Day Adventist Church, and the second an elementary school, both located in Bauer.

We can also inform our readers that the steering committee has been unable to propose a starting date to the Hudsonville Council due to the concern of obtaining suitable pulpit supply. With Hudsonville’s pastor in Northern Ireland, there just are not enough ministers or professors available to fill all the pulpits in West Michigan every Sunday. And it seems like a bad idea to start a new church with reading services. Until more is learned about Rev. VanBaren’s return, there is no definite date for the beginning of these services.

Young People’s Activities

The Hull, IA PRC’s Young People’s Society is sponsoring a “Pennies of Participation Program” to raise funds for the upcoming convention.

During the Christmas season many of our churches’ young people get together and spend a night delivering cards to their churches’ elderly, shut-ins, widows, and widowers. I know that it is not always easy to do this, but the people visited really appreciate the cards and singing of carols, as well as just being remembered by the young people.

School Activities

This year the Hope PR Christian School in Walker, MI and Heritage Christian School in Hudsonville, MI took collections for the proposed Protestant Reformed School in Randolph, WI. The money collected came from the students themselves and was intended to encourage a sense of giving to the students.