All Articles For Letter from the Seminary

September 18, 1991 Dear Brothers and sisters in the Lord: What a difference having a few more students makes! We have seven in all: dive from our PR churches and two from the Evangelical Presbyterian Churches in Australia. The parking lot is nearly full, as are also the classrooms. Because the professors also use their classrooms as offices, there is little room to spare in some classes. With classes of five to seven students there is often lively discussion of pertinent theological issues. Professors are stimulated and sometimes challenged. Students encourage one another and are motivated to further study by...

June 16, 1992 Dear Friends in Christ: Last week the Synod of the Protestant Reformed Churches made some important decisions affecting our seminary. Synod approved “the schematic drawing of the proposed addition (with full basement) at an estimated cost of $439,880.” The ground for this decision is: “The plan adequately meets the needs for: the additional library space (bookshelves), a quiet study area for the students, and a separate study area for the professors who use the seminary as their place of work.” We might add that the planned addition also contains much needed storage space for the archives of...

October 10, 1994 Dear Brothers and Sisters, By this time we are well into the work of the first semester of the, new school-year. Classes began at Protestant Reformed Seminary on August 30. On the evening of September 7, at Hope Church in Walker, Michigan, Professor Hanko gave the convocation address to a large and appreciative audience. His topic was, “Our Church-Governed Seminary.” God has blessed the churches with eleven seminary students. Two are in their fourth (and final) year and will graduate in June, 1995, God willing. Both are doing their internships. One is working in the Doon, Iowa...

News from Seminary Hill The Protestant Reformed Seminary began what promises to be a very active school year on August 28. Eleven men registered for classes or internships. Another, presently in college and purposing to attend Seminary, enrolled in the Dutch Theological Reading course. There are students in all four years of the Seminary curriculum—two in the fourth (and final) year; six in the third year; one in the, second year; and two in the first year. Nine aspire to the ministry in the Protestant Reformed Churches (PRC). One third-year seminarian is being trained for the Evangelical Reformed Churches of...

Beloved people of God, A new school year has begun up on Seminary Hill, and the faculty and students greet you in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Some changes have taken place in the Seminary. Perhaps the most important is that God has called Rev. D. Engelsma to our Seminary faculty this past summer. He was installed at a special worship service held in South Holland on August 31. Participating in the installation ceremony were the Revs. Lubbers, VanBaren, and VanOverloop, while Prof. Decker preached the sermon. A collection was taken at the service for the Library Fund...

The new addition to the seminary building is well on the way to completion. The exterior was finished before heavy weather struck, the end of December. As I write, men are painting and installing the electric. As of January 1, 1995, $360,000 has already been donated. The total cost is estimated at approximately $440,000. Synod 1994 decided to raise the rest of the money by collections in the Protestant Reformed Churches (PRC). The Theological School Committee (TSC) has asked all the Protestant Reformed congregations to give for the new addition in the collection at the special, Prayer Day worship service...

The highlight of this school-year at the Protestant Reformed Seminary is the addition to the faculty of Prof. Russell J. Dykstra. Prof. Dykstra is teaching a course in Greek grammar to three pre-seminary students. He is working on obtaining the Th. M. degree in Historical Theology at Calvin Seminary. He is fully involved in the life of the seminary and in all faculty activities. Much of his time is spent in his office at the seminary preparing for the courses he will begin teaching next year. This enables him to cooperate with Prof. Hanko next door, whose classes he will...

By the time that this report appears, classes will be finished for the semester at the Protestant Reformed Seminary. Students will be taking and professors will be marking final examinations. The exceptions are the seniors, Allen Brummel and Douglas Kuiper. They will be preparing for their oral examination by synod in June. Passing their synodical examination, they will graduate in a public ceremony at the Hull PRC, Hull, IA, the evening of June 19. Shortly thereafter, they will be eligible for calls in the PRC. Both will be busy this summer. Mr. Brummel will fill the vacant pulpit of the...

News from Seminary Hill The faculty have recently licensed two more seminarians to speak a word of edification in the churches: Nathan Brummel and Garry Eriks. Mr. Brummel is an unmarried third-year student originally from the Edgerton, MN PRC. Mr. Eriks is a married second-year student originally from the South Holland, IL PRC. He and his wife Jennifer (Buys) have one child. The faculty are arranging an internship for Mr. Brummel later this year. The four seniors are back for the second semester after completing their internships. Daniel Kleyn was in South Holland, IL PRC; James Laning, in Southwest PRC...

News from Seminary Hill By this time we are well into the second semester at the Protestant Reformed Theological Seminary. Prof. Engelsma taught the interim course this year on “Contemporary Theology.” In eight successive mornings right after the Christmas/New Year break, the class covered the development of liberal Protestant theology from Schleiermacher to Barth. In addition to their other course work, seven of the eight full-time students are presently involved in practice preaching. By the end of the semester, each will have preached twice before the faculty and student body on assigned passages of Scripture or Lord’s Days of the...