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

Minister Activities

Rev. G. VanBaren has declined the call he had been considering to serve as pastor of our South Holland, IL PRC.

We extend our congratulations to Rev. Doug Kuiper and his wife Teresa on the occasion of the birth of their first child, a son, Daniel James, born February 9.

We extend our sincere Christian sympathy to Mrs. John Heys and her entire family in the death of her husband, Rev. John Heys, who went to be with his Lord in glory on February 16 at the age of 87. Rev. Heys served our churches faithfully for close to 40 years as pastor in four congregations, ending his active ministry in 1980, although he continued to stay active after retirement writing for this magazine and producing two series of devotionals, one based exclusively on the Psalms and the other primarily on the New Testament. We echo the psalmist when he writes in Psalm 116:15, “Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints.”

Young People’s Activities

You may have heard by now that the Federation Board of our churches’ young people’s societies has asked the young people and congregation of the Hope PRC in Redlands, CA to host the 1999 Young People’s Convention. Since this is such a large undertaking for any of our churches, Hope asked their entire congregation to answer a survey indicating what direction they should go. We are happy to report that in early February, Hope signed a contract with Camp Cedar Falls Conference Center, a location nestled in the mountains outside of Redlands, in preparation for hosting next year’s convention.

The Young People’s Society of the First PRC in Grand Rapids, MI served as host society for a Young People’s Mass Meeting on February 18. Rev. J. Slopsema, pastor at First, addressed the young people on the topic, “Whose Praise Do You Want: God’s or Man’s?” Special numbers were also given and refreshments were provided.

The young people from the First PRC in Edmonton, AB, Canada got together with the young people of the Immanuel PRC in Lacombe, AB, Canada on February 13 for an outing to a hockey game in Red Deer.

On January 30 and 31 the congregation of the Georgetown PRC in Hudsonville, MI attended their third annual church conference. This year’s conference was held, as in the past, at Camp Geneva on the shore of Lake Michigan.

Between 130 and 140 of Georgetown’s members were able to attend part or all of this year’s conference. They heard Dr. Henry Krabbendam, a professor at Covenant College in Lookout Mt., GA, give the keynote address on the theme, “The Believers’ Calling to Witness.”

About this time of year we who live in the northern hemisphere begin to grow weary of the seemingly endless winter, so we heartily agree with the Library Committee of our First PRC in Edmonton, AB, Canada who recently sponsored a supper under the wistful theme of “Bring Back Summer.”

Evangelism Activities

The Evangelism Committee of the Byron Center, MI PRC sponsored a community Bible Study Class during the month of February on the subject, “The Living Word of God.” These classes were held on three consecutive Thursdays. The first class was led by Byron’s pastor, Rev. Doug Kuiper, and was entitled, “The Bible, Inspired by God, and the Standard of our Faith and Walk of Life.” The second was led by Rev. Cammenga one week later and was entitled, “Bible Translations and Versions,” and the third, entitled “Jesus Christ, the Central Theme of the Bible,” was led by Candidate Daniel Kleyn.

The Evangelism Committee of the South Holland, IL PRC offered a free copy of the late Rev. Herman Hoeksema’s book The Mystery of Bethlehem in a December issue of World magazine. As of late January they had received 119 requests from that ad. They also advertised “Modern Bible Versions” in a January issue and had 114 responses.