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

Denomination Activities

In late August our seminary began another year of instruction. We add our prayers to those of all our churches, when we pray that the faculty and students might both receive strength from our Heavenly Father for their work and that the fruit of this work might be seen in godly, Reformed ministers preaching in our churches for years to come. Three men are currently enrolled in our seminary with a view to entering the ministry in our churches. Senior seminarian Gary Eriks is on his internship in Loveland, CO PRC for the first semester. Rodney Kleyn and David Overway are beginning their first year of study. Korstiaan den Engelse, Angus Stewart, and Mark Shand are beginning their second year as non-licentiate students. And a number of students from the Puritan Reformed Seminary of the Heritage Netherlands Reformed Church are taking courses as special students.

This year’s Seminary Convocation was held at First PRC in Grand Rapids, MI on September 9. Prof. D. Engelsma gave the address entitled, “Our Seminary as Military Academy.”

The Mr. & Mrs. Society of the Southeast PRC in Grand Rapids, MI served as this year’s host society for the annual League Mass Meeting. All Mr. & Mrs. Societies in the west Michigan area were invited to hear Rev. W. Bruinsma, pastor of the Kalamazoo, MI PRC, speak on the subject, “Mission Work in a Hostile Environment.”

The Hope Heralds, an all male choir from the west Michigan churches, were able to give two concerts recently. August 30 they gave a concert at the Grandville, MI PRC, and about three weeks later, on September 20, they repeated the concert for the congregation of the First PRC in Holland, MI.

Evangelism Activities

The Evangelism Society of the Bethel PRC in Itasca, IL sponsored a lecture on September 17 entitled, “Withhold Not Correction: God’s Word vs. Civil Government.” Rev. S. Key, pastor of the Randolph, WI PRC, spoke on “Biblical Directives for the Discipline of Children.” Attorney James Lanting, a member of the South Holland, IL PRC, spoke on “Legal Issues in the Discipline of Children.” Bethel hoped that this lecture would give valuable instruction and encouragement to parents, teachers, grandparents, teenagers, and all who would follow the directives of the Scriptures in this crucial area of loving, consistent, effective child rearing.

Through the combined efforts of the Evangelism Committee of the Grace PRC in Standale, MI and P.R. students attending Grand Valley State University, the organization known as Christianity on Campus began a new season in mid-September. Young adults either attending or not attending GVSU were invited to attend a lecture-discussion about the need to bring their religion out of the closet and into the open. The topic for that first week was, “Attic Religion: The Death of Evangelism.”

The Reformed Witness Committee, made up of men from the Doon, IA; Hull, IA; and Edgerton, MN PR churches, once again is the driving force behind a Bible Study at Dordt College. Their meetings began in mid-September as well, their first discussion dealing with the matter of Christian witnessing.

It is also interesting to note that, due to the large number of young adults from our churches who are attending Dordt College again this year, the members of our Doon, IA PRC are inviting them to stay after church and enjoy Sunday dinner along with good Christian fellowship, with different families.

The R.W.C. also approved placing the Standard Bearer in libraries in Doon, Hull, and Rock Rapids, IA.

In conjunction with the Reformed Free Publishing Association, the Evangelism Committee of the Hope PRC in Redlands, CA is also working at distributing free copies of the Standard Bearer. Copies of each new issue are being placed in racks in various area bookstores.

Mission Activities

At our 1998 synod, a decision was made to send two delegations to the Philippines to investigate further the possibility of our denomination beginning a mission work there. Our churches’ Foreign Mission Committee will be sending, D.V., Rev. A. den Hartog, pastor at Hope PRC, Redlands, CA, and Rev. R. Smit, pastor in the Doon, IA PRC, to the Philippines from October 12 to October 28. Please pray for this important and exciting work of our denomination.

This past Labor Day weekend, six young adults from different Michigan churches drove down to Pittsburgh, PA to spend time with Missionary Mahtani and his family and get better acquainted with the group that our churches are working with there. Besides attending church services on Sunday, they were also able to spend some time in various members’ homes and do some sight-seeing in and around the area.