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

Congregational Activities

The Hull, IA PRC recently adopted a proposal to build a new parsonage. Their building committee is now in the process of letting out the project for bids. It is hoped that this new home can be completed by June of next year.

On Saturday, September 16, the walls of the Bethel PRC in Itasca, IL were raised. This, after a week when men from Bethel worked every day at the new church site, cutting, drilling, and laying out the top and bottom plates for those exterior walls.

Of course, this being mid-November, we can only assume that work has continued at Bethel way beyond the point of wall raising. If you have access to a computer you can check it out for yourself on Bethel’s web site. They have many pictures which show the progress. Simply go to our denominational web site at www.prca.org, then go to Bethel under the listing of churches and click on their “new location.”

Work also continues at the new church site of the Georgetown PRC in Hudsonville, MI. The bulletin of October 4 reported that the bricklayers were continuing to lay the exterior walls. The storm line has been placed in the parking lot, and water and sewer lines have been brought to the building.

This time of year many of our congregations are holding their annual congregational meetings. The Grace PRC in Standale, MI recently held theirs, and we are thankful that we can report that their budget for 1999 was approved with no General Fund subsidy being requested from Hope Church. We join in their thanks to God for reaching this milestone of being self-supporting, as well as thanks to Hope, their “mother church,” for the years of generous assistance that she provided.

On October 16 the Covenant Ladies Circle of the First PRC in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada sponsored an evening of fellowship for women from their congregation, and their teenage daughters, as well as those from Immanuel PRC in Lacombe and women from the area. Rev. M. DeVries gave a short meditation on the topic, “The Godly Woman: A Life of Self-Denial or Self-Fulfillment.” A lunch followed, as well as some special numbers provided by various members of the group.

Evangelism Activities

The congregation of the Kalamazoo, MI PRC were encouraged to set aside Thursdays in October to attend their churches’ “Fall Seminars.” The theme for this year’s three seminars was “The Church: God’s Glorious Bride.” Rev. W. Bruinsma presented the first seminar, October 8, on “The Church and Her Role in Society.” Following one week later was Rev. B. Gritters, speaking on the subject, “The True Versus the False Church.” Rev. Bruinsma concluded the short series October 22, speaking on the theme of “Our Calling Toward the Church.”

The Evangelism Committee of the Grandville, MI PRC recently hosted a fall lecture in Grandville, with Prof. R. Dykstra speaking on the topic, “God’s Priceless Gift—The Family.”

On October 16 Rev. M. VanderWal, pastor of Covenant PRC in Wyckoff, New Jersey, gave a lecture entitled “Jesus Christ: Victor Over Hell.” This was the final lecture in a three-part series sponsored by Covenant’s Evangelism Society.

A group of men from the Southwest PRC in Grandville, MI, the calling church for our mission work in Pittsburgh, PA, traveled there in late September to work on the home recently purchased for our missionary, Rev. Mahtani, and his family. Various repairs and renovations were planned and a study was built in the basement.

One of the special projects the Young People’s Society of the First PRC in Holland, MI is busily engaged in this year is the writing of monthly letters and or cards to our missionaries and their families. Not a bad idea for the rest of us as well.

The delegation of Revs. A. denHartog and R. Smit have returned home again in late October from their travels to the Philippines on behalf of the FMC of our churches. Their mandate for that visit of more than two weeks was to develop our contacts there and investigate the possibility of recommending the Philippines as a field of mission labor. They are scheduled to report their findings to the FMC on November 16, D.V.

Denominational Activities

The annual meeting of the RFPA was held in late September at Grace PRC in Standale, MI. Rev. S. Key spoke on the topic, “Reading, Writing, and Heretics.”

In late September Rev. C. Hanko led the men and women of the Eastern Men’s and Ladies’ League in an informal talk on the topic, “Spiritual Life of the Family after the Children are Grown.”

Minister Activities

On October 7 Rev. and Mrs. J. Laning were blessed with the birth of a son, Samuel Scott. Samuel was born about three months prematurely. He is expected to be in De Vos Children’s Hospital in Grand Rapids, MI for ten weeks or so.

Rev. and Mrs. R. Smit thankfully received the blessed gift of a daughter, Rebekah Ann, born into their family on September 24.