The spring meeting of our Eastern Ladies’ League was held on April 25, 1965 at the new edifice of our Holland Church. 

After the usual preliminaries and a special musical number, our President, Mrs. D. Jonker, introduced the speaker for the evening, Seminarian Robert Decker. His topic was: “The Neglect of the Means of Grace.” He discussed: l. What are the means of grace? 2. What is it to neglect them? 3. Examples of neglect. The means of grace are two-fold, namely, the preaching of the Word and the Sacraments. 

The means are nothing in themselves, but significant only as they are sustained and used by God. They are as necessary to our spiritual life as bread is to our natural existence. What is grace? It is an attribute denoting an attitude of God whereby the sinner is delivered from the power of death and made a son of God through the meritorious work of Christ. The means of grace are bestowed upon the and in the church of Christ by the Holy Spirit. Of these two, the preaching of the Word is indispensable and by far the most important. By it and through the application of the Holy Spirit faith is wrought and strengthened. The sacraments obsignate and seal God’s promise to us given in the Word. We must hear Him, Christ, speak, as recorded in Romans 10:14. To neglect is to fail to care for, or to disregard, those means; and therefore neglect is a grievous sin. Some forms of neglect of the means of grace are willfully failing to come under the preaching of the gospel; “oncers,” who eventually become “none-cers”; failure to attend special services, such as Prayer Day, Thanksgiving Day, etc.; attending services but failing to listen, falling asleep, letting one’s thoughts wander to carnal things; failure of parents to send their children to catechism or failing to see that they know their lessons. Whether partial or total, the point is: neglect of the means of grace shows lack of hunger for the bread of life. Therefore ministers of the Word must warn against neglect of the means of grace. Likewise, it is the duty of the consistory to administer discipline, which is the final remedy to bring the sinner to repentance. Let us take heed lest we become guilty of that sin. 

Our program also included an interesting book review by Miss Elsie Kuiper of “The Glorious, Heretic;” by Thea Van Halsema. 

The necessary league business was attended to, a collection was taken for our Standard Bearer, and, after closing prayer, refreshments were served and a social hour was enjoyed. 

—Mrs. J. Oomkes, Reporter