A PRECIOUS HERITAGE The Church Order of the Christian Reformed Church states in Article 54b: “At one of the services each Lord’s day, the minister shall ordinarily preach the Word as summarized in the Heidelberg Catechism, following its sequence.” This is a good requirement. Catechism preaching has been a source of great blessing in the […]
The 1970 Synod of the Christian Reformed Church was confronted with a unique opportunity to assist a young church in her desire to preserve and propagate the Reformed faith. The Church of Christ in the Sudan among the Tiv (N.K.S.T.) requested help in the establishment of a Reformed Seminary. The urgency of accepting this challenge […]
On October 16, 1950, a daughter was born to Seminarian Jay and Necia Wesseling. The infant named Laurie, was the second of five daughters and a son to bless the Wesseling home. Christian nurture received from godly parents, the influence of Biblical preaching and training received in Christian schools in Wellsburg, Iowa, Sully, Iowa, Jenison, […]
“What shall I render to the Lord for all His benefits to me? I will take up the cup of salvation and call on the name of the Lord.” Psalm 116:12, 13 Words are used daily to express the deepest feelings of our souls. We seek very early in life to teach our children to […]
I met Mrs. L. in the early years of my ministry. She was a widow who had already passed the fourscore mark. In her modest home she was caring for her two developmentally challenged children. The son, Piet, was terminally ill with cancer, the daughter, Johanna, was severely crippled with arthritis. Mrs L.’s formal education […]
As the fall season approaches, we are challenged to renewed efforts in regard to personal and group Bible study. We are daily confronted with the need for such renewed effort. The society in which we live is an increasingly secular one. Gallup studies have revealed that 58% of Americans believe religion’s impact on American life […]
Hattie was an ardent supporter of Christian education. Her husband had been a Christian School administrator. On a regular basis we saw her come to the church basement to join the ladies who were quilting on behalf of the local Christian School. One year Hattie suffered a heart attack. After a prolonged hospitalization and convalescence […]
John came to America to seek a better way of life for his family. His wife and five children remained in the Netherlands while John worked to make arrangements for their coming to the United States. John had worked as a skilled craftsman in Holland but the language barrier forced him to accept employment as […]
Jessie had already celebrated her ninetieth birthday when I first met her. She had raised a large family and now had many grandchildren as well as a growing number of great-grandchildren. She prayed for each one by name daily. Jessie was a resident of a retirement home. Her small room was modestly furnished. She did […]
Recently I had lunch with several friends. One of my colleagues had visited several days earlier with the pastor of a large evangelical church in an area where many Christian Reformed Churches are located. The pastor mentioned that many Christian Reformed people were attending his church and that not a small number of them were […]