All Articles For News From Our Churches

In the near future you should begin to see advertisements for a “Child Development Conference” under the theme, “Bringing up Children in an Increasingly Evil World.” The Kalamazoo committee has formed the basic outline for the day’s activities. The desire of the group from Kalamazoo Protestant Reformed Church is to include parents, teachers, ministers, and young people on panels that will discuss the proper spiritual development of our covenant children in more concrete situations through various phases of life. Time will be allowed for audience participation.

Rev. Arie den Hartog has declined the call extended to him by the congregation of our Southeast Church in Grand Rapids. Their new trio consists of candidates Ronald Cammenga, Carl Haak, and Ronald Hanko.  The consistory of our church in Hull, Iowa has made a trio consisting of Rev. A. den Hartog and candidates Cammenga and Haak. 

There is quite a bit of news concerning calls extended and trios formed. A trio for home missionary to serve in the northwestern Washington area consists of Rev. Arie den Hartog, Rev. James Slopsema, and Rev. Jason Kortering. Lynden, Washington is the calling church. From a duo of Rev. den Hartog and Rev. Bernard Woudenberg; our Hudsonville Church extended a call to Rev: den Hartog to serve as minister-on-loan to Christchurch, New Zealand, Orthodox Presbyterian Church. 

By the time you read this column 1982 will already be one month old. Nevertheless, I don’t think it’s too late to reflect on the new year as did the people of our Loveland, Colorado, congregation when they read the message from their pastor, Rev. Kortering, on their December 27 bulletin. Following is a part of that exhortation:

. 2,000 + 52 = 38.461538. At least that’s what my calculator reads. Which means that when May 10 arrives, a total of 2,000 Reformed Witness Hour broadcasts—38.461538 year’s worth—will have passed over the airwaves. A milestone worth celebrating, don’t you think? Well, the Radio Committee thinks so too, so they are planning an evening of commemoration on April 23 at First Church in Grand Rapids. The program will include two choirs and a live Reformed Witness Hour broadcast (at least recorded live, to be played on Sunday, May 10) with Prof. R. Decker as speaker.

New evidence for the fact that our “retired” ministers continue to be active in ‘the ministry of the Word can be seen from bulletin announcements which confirm that Rev. Schipper will be preaching, D.V., in Redlands through January 4, 1981; and Rev. Heys is slated to lead services in Bradenton, Florida, beginning the first Sunday in December. : Hope Church in Walker, Michigan recently formed a trio of Reverends Bekkering, Flikkema, and Joostens. 

Minister Activities Rev. Ron Hanko, pastor of the Lynden, WA PRC, declined the call extended to him to serve as the next pastor of the Hope PRC in Walker, MI. Prof. and Mrs. Herman Hanko left October 27 for a visit to Singapore and the saints of the Covenant Evangelical Reformed Church. respect Plans called for Prof. Hanko to spend the time there preaching and speaking for our sister church. The Hankos planned to make a short visit to the Philippines on their way to Singapore. The Lord willing, they plan to return home on December 27. We pray God’s...

There has been a considerable amount of activity in our calling congregations since our last news column. Our Hope, Michigan congregation called Rev. Flikkema, who is presently the pastor of our Isabel, South Dakota Church, and Rev. Miersma of Pellaaccepted the call of our Holland congregation. Two immediate results of that decision are: Pella’s formation of a trio consisting of Reverends Koole, Laming, and Slopsema, and the planned installation of Rev. Miersma in Holland on January 7, 1981; with Rev. VanBaren delivering the message and Rev.

Our calling churches (Redlands, California and Isabel, South Dakota) continue to call undershepherds to come over and help them. From a trio of Reverends Engelsma, Kamps, and Kuiper, Redlands extended a call to Rev. Kamps, pastor of our Doon, Iowa congregation. Since that call was extended, Rev. Kamps has requested a two-week extension in his consideration of it. Isabel has called Rev. Moore of our Edmonton, Alberta congregation from a trio also including Reverends Kamps and Kortering. (Since the initial writing of this column, we have learned that Rev.

. Along with the report of Classis West—which you read in the last issue of S.B.—Rev. Engelsma sent the following account of activities that preceded the sessions of Classis West: “On Tuesday afternoon and evening before Classis, the delegates held an officebearers’ conference in the Loveland church building. The subject was ‘Preaching the Law and Gospel’ —a continuation of the discussion at the previous conference in Pella. An introduction in the form of a list of propositions and questions was provided by the conference chairman and committeeman, Rev. W. Bekkering.