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

Minister Activities

The councils of two of our vacant churches presented new trios to their congregations, from which they were to call a pastor. Hope PRC in Walker, MI was to call from a trio of the Revs. R. Cammenga, S. Houck, and K. Koole; and the congregation of the South Holland, IL PRC would call a pastor from a trio made up of the Revs. A. denHartog, S. Key, and K. Koole.

Denominational Activities

The regular semester for our Protestant Reformed Seminary began on January 21. Three students, D. Kleyn, J. Laning, and M. VanderWal are in their final semester at the seminary. They will continue with regular course work to complete their requirements for graduation, but they also will begin preparing for synodical exams in June, the Lord willing.

We are also happy to note that Seminarians Gary Eriks (2nd-year student) and Nathan Brummel (3rd-year student) have been licensed by our Seminary to speak a word of edification in our churches.

Remember these men, as well as M. Kortering (lst-year student), who study for the ministry of the Word in our churches.

A fourth senior, Mr. D. Thole, is training for the ministry in the OPC.

Congregational Activities

Having mentioned this year’s up-coming synod in June, we are reminded that the Building Committee of the Grandville, MI PRC, this year’s host for Synod, was busy asking for donations from their congregation for much needed kitchen supplies, so that all would be ready later this year when synod spends some time at their church. Synod at Grandville will give many from outside the west Michigan area an opportunity to see firsthand the recently completed additions to our Grandville Church.

On Friday, January 3, the installation service and welcome for Rev. C. Terpstra, new pastor at the First PRC in Holland, MI, was held at the Hudsonville, MI PRC.

In order that they might be “well read” in the Word, the congregation of the Grace PRC in Standale, MI was encouraged to pick up a Bible-reading schedule from their pastor, Rev. M. Dick. Although the schedule was not written by him, he did recommend it in the hope that it would serve to give some direction and discipline to reading the Bible for the coming year.

A new monthly newsletter, entitled, appropriately, “Bethel News,” was introduced to our Bethel congregation in Itasca, IL in January. This letter was started in the hope of providing a way of making known the needs and joys of fellow members. It also will provide a way of giving updated information on evangelism and will create an opportunity for Bethel’s members to contribute poems and articles.

The congregation of the Randolph, WI PRC was treated to a combined bulletin for their Old Year’s night and New Year’s morning services. Not only did it include Rev. Key’s sermon titles for those two services, it also included a wide variety of appropriate quotes from such men as Matthew Henry, Augustine, Charles Spurgeon, and John Calvin. It also provided a look back at congregational statistics for 1996, including births and baptisms, new members, confessions of faith, those who left by transfer, those who left for other churches, and those who entered into glory. A nice way, we thought, to bring the year to a close.

School Activities

The Hope Foundation of the Hope PR Christian School in Walker, MI is once again this year sponsoring a Travelogue Series as a way to generate some income for their foundation. Their goal is, of course to accumulate a large enough balance that an annual disbursement of earned income will have a positive effect on the operating budget of Hope School. This year there are four travelogues scheduled to be held at Grandville High School. The first one, entitled “Pacific Coast – Top to Bottom,” was presented by KenLawrence on January 18, with three more coming in February, March, and April.

We are also happy to report that the “storm of the century,” which literally shut down the town of Lynden, WA, only slightly damaged our Covenant Christian School there. And we applaud the efforts of some of the men of the Lynden, WA PRC who took advantage of the heavy snowfall to raise funds for the school. They organized and went door-to-door in Lynden with shovels and heavy equipment, offering to clear walks and driveways for a donation to Covenant Christian School.