An OPC mission work in San Antonio organized in a special service held February 10, 2017. Rev. Andrew Moody, who has served as the group’s church planter, was installed as its pastor. Elders Amit Kholsa and Thomas Roe and deacon Kyle Huizenga were ordained and installed. About 100 people attended the service, including several Presbytery … Continue reading From a church plant to an organized church in San Antonio
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Reading Recommendations
After a recent speaking engagement, I was asked for some book recommendations. Having expended a great deal of mental energy into the talks I'd just given, I felt a little brain dead and came up with only a few favorites. I did recall and mention, however, this earlier post that includes a variety of nonfiction … Continue reading Reading Recommendations
A dangerous book
Choosing the Good Portion: Women of the Orthodox Presbyterian Church; edited by Patricia E. Clawson & Diane L. Olinger; published by The Committee for the Historian of the Orthodox Presbyterian Church; cloth, 470 pages; © 2016 This is a dangerous book. Like Proverbs 31, it can make women feel inferior if they begin to … Continue reading A dangerous book
The path to ministry from Michigan to New Zealand
On December 10, 2016, Aaron Warner was ordained in the Reformed Churches of New Zealand (RCNZ) and installed as the minister of the Reformed Church of Palmerston North. Rev. Warner was born and raised in Grand Rapids, Michigan, and is a 2015 graduate of Mid-America Reformed Seminary. About 100 people attended the ordination and installation, … Continue reading The path to ministry from Michigan to New Zealand
November
It’s November, the between month. Between leaves tumbling in sun-warmed colors and snowflakes feathering from a slate sky. Between roaring combines churning dust clouds and dazzling white blanketing latent fields. November. Cold, gray. I was born in a dreary November more than 80 years ago. In the same old farmhouse that cradles my weary bones … Continue reading November
Annual gathering provides fellowship and teaching for pastors and wives
For the past several years, pastors and wives from Canadian Reformed and United Reformed churches in western North America have gathered for the Western Ministerial Conference (WMC), which many participants describe as more of a retreat. Part of the relaxed feeling may arise from the conference’s scenic location at Cedar Springs Christian Retreat Center in … Continue reading Annual gathering provides fellowship and teaching for pastors and wives
Rev. Jeff DeBoer examined at Classis Central US
When Classis Central US met on September 12 & 13, 2016, a significant item on the agenda was the colloquium doctum for Rev. Jeff De Boer. But before that conversation began, a question was raised regarding its necessity. A little background helps explain Rev. De Boer’s path to that moment. A 2000 graduate from Mid-America … Continue reading Rev. Jeff DeBoer examined at Classis Central US
Classis Michigan declares URCNA candidate
When Classis Michigan of the URCNA met on October 11, 2016, the primary item on the agenda was the candidacy examination of Arjen Vreugdenhil. According to Classis Clerk Greg Lubbers, delegates took most of the day to conduct a through exam before determining “without dissent” that Mr. Vreugdenhil had sustained all sections of the examination. … Continue reading Classis Michigan declares URCNA candidate
Caffeinated Thoughts Briefing percolates Christian worldview
The Caffeinated Thoughts Briefing, a Christian worldview conference for students and adults on October 15, 2016, in Johnston, IA, featured an impressive line-up of speakers and panelists. “The conference speakers sounded a clarion call to the church not to retreat, but to stand firm in their public witness as Western culture grows increasingly hostile to … Continue reading Caffeinated Thoughts Briefing percolates Christian worldview
Godly dominion versus environmentalism
On October 16, 2016, E. Calvin Beisner spoke at Trinity Presbytery Reformed Church in Johnston, IA, on Godly Dominion versus Environmentalism. Beisner founded the Cornwall Alliance for the Stewardship of Creation, a network of theologians, scientists, economists, and scholars promoting biblical earth stewardship, economic development for the poor, and the proclamation of the gospel. Beisner … Continue reading Godly dominion versus environmentalism
Glenda Faye Mathes 