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

Mission Activities

The congregation of the Hull, Iowa PRC was called to a divine worship service on the evening of December 11 to witness the installation of Rev. R. Miersma into the office of missionary to the saints in Ghana, West Africa. Rev. S. Key, pastor at Hull, led the worship service, preaching from Isaiah 60:4, 5, with Rev. D. Kleyn, president of our churches’ Foreign Mission Committee, reading the form for installation. The Lord willing, Rev. Miersma and his wife, Sharon, will join Rev. W. Bekkering and his wife, Phyllis, already serving our churches as missionary in Ghana, on January 14.

The arrival of Mr. and Mrs. Justin Koole as missionary assistants to Ghana in late November has cleared the way for Mr. Doug Bekkering to return to the U.S.A. He planned to leave for home on December 16.

We are also able to give a few more details of the busy itinerary of Prof. H. Hanko while on a two-week visit to our denomination’s missionary to Northern Ireland, Rev. A. Stewart, and his wife, Mary, as well as the members of the Covenant PR Fellowship. On December 9 Rev. Stewart and Prof. Hanko flew to Bradford, England to meet with a long-time contact. Then on Friday and Saturday, December 12 and 13, Rev. and Mary Stewart and Prof. and Mrs. Hanko planned to visit contacts in South Wales, with Prof. Hanko giving a speech in Porthcawl, South Wales on Friday evening entitled, “The Sovereignty of God and the Signs of the Times.” Prof. Hanko was also scheduled to preach at both services on December 14, before flying home out of Dublin on Monday, December 15.

Rev. W. Bruinsma and Mr. G. Boverhof, representatives of our Domestic Mission Committee, were able to visit our churches’ mission work in Pittsburgh, PA on December 4-8. They hoped to meet with our missionary, Rev. J. Mahtani, his family, the steering committee, and members of the mission. This visit was part of our DMC’s regular oversight of the work.

The mission in Pittsburgh, PA decided to send the offering collected at their catechism classes this past year to an orphanage in India. Both Rev. Mahtani and Rev. Kortering have personal contact with the minister who oversees the work at this orphanage. How appropriate that the gifts of these children from Pittsburgh can now serve as a blessing to children in India.

The first weekend in December also saw two elders from our Loveland, CO PRC, Mr. R. Ezinga and Mr. R. Campbell, travel to Spokane, WA for a visit with our missionary, Rev. T. Miersma, and his family, as well as members of the Covenant of Grace PR Fellowship. This visit was part of their regular supervisory work.

School Activities

Members both of our First PRC of Edmonton, AB, Canada and of our Immanuel PRC in Lacombe, Alberta, as well as other supporters of Christian education, were invited by the Board of the Lacombe PR School Society to attend a lecture December 3 at Immanuel. Their speaker for the evening was Rev. S. Key, who spoke on the topic “Why Protestant Reformed Education.”

The first twenty days of December the Student Council of Covenant Christian High School in Grand Rapids, MI collected gift certificates from students, parents, and supporters of the school to help those in our churches in the area who have need of such help and assistance.

Congregation Activities

Three couples from the Georgetown PRC in Hudson-ville, MI left in early December for a week and a half in Romania. This visit was to serve both as a follow-up of the work done this past summer and to distribute gifts from the Georgetown congregation to some of the saints there.

In the month of December many of the members of our congregations are invited to go caroling together to the older members of their congregation, as well as to any widows or widowers they may have, or perhaps to any children or adults with special needs. This provides the members, no matter what age, a time of fellowship together, and it certainly is an excellent way for a congregation to enoy the communion of the saints. Many thanks to all of you for all your efforts to those often-forgotten members of our churches.

Choir programs also dominate the month of December for many of our churches. By our count we had choral societies presenting concerts in eight of our congregations last month. Some choirs, like the one at our Hudsonville, MI PRC, have been presenting concerts for over 50 years, while some like Trinity PRC in Hudsonville have just begun. But regardless of that, hopefully you had an opportunity last month to hear one of our church choirs sing praise to our covenant God for the unspeakable gift of His Son, Jesus Christ, come in the flesh.

Young Adult Activities

The Young Adults of South Holland, IL PRC have decided to begin a study of the subject of common grace, using Prof. D. Engelsma’s book Common Grace Revisited. The young adults were also encouraged to read Dr. R. Mouw’s book “He Shines in All That’s Fair,” to prepare for that study.

Post High Young Adults continue to meet at the Faith PRC in Jenison, MI on a regular basis. Prof. B. Gritters led a meeting on November 30 on “The Prayer Against Temptation,” based on chapter 9 of In the Sanctuary.

Minister Activities

On January 4 the Hudsonville, MI PRC was to call a pastor from a trio of the Revs. R. Cammenga, G. Eriks, and R. VanOverloop. Rev. S. Key declined the call he had been considering to serve as the next pastor of the Faith PRC in Jenison, MI.