NEWS, ANNOUNCEMENTS & EVENTS

CHURCH NEWS

MINISTERIAL CALLS

Extended

To Rev. J. den Hoed of Rock Valley, Iowa by the St. Catharines, Ontario congregation.

Declined

By Rev. A.M. den Boer of Sunnyside, Washington, to the Waupun, Wisconsin congregation.

By Rev. J. Spaans of Norwich, Ontario, to the Sheboygan, Wisconsin congregation.

By Rev. J. den Hoed of Rock Valley, Iowa, to the Corsica, South Dakota congregation.

By Rev. C.A. Van Dieren of Stolwijk, the Netherlands, to the Lethbridge, Alberta congregation.

REV. HERMAN HOFMAN: 20 YEARS

We wish to acknowledge the Lord’s faithfulness in granting our brother, Rev. Herman Hofman, to reach the milestone of serving the Lord as His ambassador for twenty years, having been ordained in Goudswaard, the Netherlands August 9, 1972. May he experience his Sender’s continued strength and blessing in all the joys and sorrows of the sacred ministry, using him as an instrument unto the conversion of sinners, the edification of God’s people, and the glory of Jehovah’s worthy Name. May God spare Rev. and Mrs. Hofman for their family, congregation, and us for more years of service.

— JRB

1992 ACTA SYNOD (2)

June 25, 1992 at 8:30 A.M. the chairman opened the Synod with the singing of Psalter 241:1,2,3, Scripture reading from Psalm 137, and prayer. The greetings of Rev. M. Heerschap were extended to the Synod, and we were informed that he is with us with his prayers. On the 22nd of July Rev. and Mrs. Heerschap hope to commemorate their 60th wedding anniversary. Rev. den Hoed spoke a few words about the Psalm which he had read. We meet here with a weeping people who felt their bondage as unbearable, because they had in the past experienced the presence and favor of the Lord at Jerusalem. These weeping people were mocked. They were asked, “Why do you not sing?” They were also a people longing for God’s communion. We also live in dark times. Today we miss people who sit at the wayside because of the ark of God. There are divisions among us. May God give us healing, so that we may experience that God has not left us. May the Lord not take away that which we cannot miss.

Credentials were again reviewed. All delegates were present except Elder J. Beeke Sr. who was replaced by the alternate Elder J. Vergunst. The discussion of reports was then continued.

15. Report of the Office-bearers’ Conference Committee

No synodical instructions were given.

16. Report of the Paul Mission Publication

Mr. B. Menger was released from his duties, having served the committee over the past nine years. He was replaced by Mr. G. Kuypers.

17. Report of the Savings Fund of the Netherlands Reformed Congregations in Canada and the United States

It was approved to add Mr. De Bel, to fill the vacancy caused by the recent death of Mr. G. Hoogerheide. Approval was also given to appoint Mr. J. Sweetman as auditor of the Savings fund, replacing Mr. R. Van Grouw. The above appointees are both members of the Franklin Lakes congregation.

18. Report of the Student Support Fund.

Clarification was made regarding the travelling expenses of those which were delegates to Synod and also Curatorium members. Their expenses would be covered by the Synod. The expenses of those who receive an attest from their consistory should be covered by the individual consistory.

19. Report of the College Investigatory Committee.

The Synod discussed a proposal regarding the establishment of a limited educational program for prospective teachers in the schools of our congregations. During a lengthy discussion the Synod was convinced of the necessity of a broader instruction for our teachers. There is a very wrong influence in colleges and universities. It was suggested and approved to investigate the “Cursus Godsdienst Onderwijs” in the Netherlands. If suitable, it would be translated and brought to the next meeting of Synod.

Article VIII — Instructions

A. Classis East

1. The Classis requested the Synod to check into the many concerns and allegations made from various quarters that the Curatorium, in the latest decisions made, had not acted within its mandate.

This request is answered by the discussion of the report of the curatorium, by the appointment of a committee to investigate the cause of the divisions which occur among us.

2. The Classis requested a complete mandate be provided for the Curatorium of our denomination in North America.

A proposal for a mandate of the Curatorium was presented to the Synod using the mandate of our churches in the Netherlands as a basis. This was approved.

3. For tax purposes, Classis requested all denominational committees to furnish receipts for gifts received.

This was approved.

4. The Classis asked whether it would be possible for the Synod to appoint a study committee on VCRs in order to provide some guidelines for consistories and congregations.

(This point was combined with point 3 of the Classis Far-West.) The advice given was to obtain information from a study which has been made in the Netherlands concerning this subject, and to add that which is applicable to the United States and Canada. This would be done by the Synodical Book and Publishing Committee and presented at the next meeting of Synod.

5. The Classis requested that the Synod reconsider recommending that the sermon tapes of ministerial students be sent to the instructor(s) and the curatorium members, so that a full range of sermons will be heard.

This was approved, with the restriction that instructor(s) and curatorium members must ask for such a tape.

6. The Classis requested that all committees requiring financial support furnish an updated financial report to the various consistories periodically so that the needs may be taken into consideration when scheduling collections.

This was approved. The various committees are to be informed of this decision.

7. Due to the fluctuation of interest rates, the Classis requested the Synod to consider giving the Saving Fund committees permission to revise interest rates between synodical gatherings.

This was approved.

8. The Classis wishes to forward to the Synod a report on “Living Wills” drafted by several physicians of our denomination for consideration by the Synod..

It was discussed that this report needs a deeper theological study together with ministers and physicians with scriptural references. It was suggested that the moderamen should form a committee to give advice in particular cases. Appointment would be made later.

B. Classis Midwest

1. The Classis requested that our ministers use more of their free Sundays for preaching in vacant congregations rather than in churches which have their own minister. They also asked that the ministers try to schedule time for pastoral visits while in the vacant churches (Acts 15:36).

It was advised that ministers do what they can to assist in vacant congregations.

2. The Classis suggested the formation of a denominational fund which would be used to encourage young people to pursue a calling in Christian education.

It was decided to encourage individual consistories to support students.

C. Classis Far-West

1. The Classis requested that the decisions made at the previous June 1991 Curatorium meeting be clarified regarding the change of a theological instructor and the extension of the study period of one of the theological students beyond the normal four-year term.

This request was discussed with the report of the Curatorium.

2. The Classis advised the Synod to put in writing all rules and regulations to be used and respected by the Curatorium and possibly other synodically appointed committees, declaring plainly their duties, responsibilities and rights in accordance with the Church Order of Dordt.

A mandate of the Curatorium was read and approved (Point 2 of Classis East). The mandates of the committees in the Netherlands are in their minutes, and are to be translated and presented to the next meeting of Synod, D.V.

3. The Classis submitted a question regarding television versus video cameras with their various functions, i.e., viewing rented movies, whether they should be held on the same level with respect to church discipline.

This point was discussed in point 4 of Classis East.

Article IX — Expenses

Total expenses for the Synod were $11,188.00 (U.S. Funds). The collection received at the prayer service was $743.00.

Article X — Appointment of Auditor

The Synod confirmed Boerkoel and Boerkoel to continue to serve as denominational auditor.

Article XI — Closing

The Synod adjourned until December 9, 1991, the Lord willing. Then the committee appointed by the Synod to investigate the causes of the division and confusion which presently exist in the midst of the denomination will present their report. The Lord willing, the Curatorium will meet December 8, 1992. Due to the length of the meeting, the scheduled office-bearers conference was postponed to a later date. A request of “Het Reformatorisch Dagblad” for a report was denied. The clerk is to write a report for the “Saambinder.”

In behalf of the moderamen, Rev. A.M. den Boer thanked the chairman and delegates for their cooperation. A special word of appreciation was extended to Rev. A. Moerkerken and Rev. L. Blok for their presence and advice in behalf of the sister denomination in the Netherlands.

The chairman then closed this session of the Synod with some edifying words. It was a difficult meeting, but peaceful. May God be with us, grant us as brothers in one house unity and love. The decisions were made by men, who are in the first place responsible to God. May the Lord grant the spirit of prayer and supplication and our hearts humbled to the dust.

Rev. Beeke closed the meeting, requesting the singing of Psalter 349:3,4 and offered prayer.

Rev. J. Den Hoed, president

Rev. A.M. Den Boer, vice-president

Rev. H. Hofman, clerk

Elder G. Moerdyk, assistant clerk

Elder T. Verhey, treasurer

SAVINGS FUND OF THE NRC/USA FINANCIAL REPORT FOR THE YEAR ENDED JUNE 30, 1992

Assets

U.S. Treasury Bills $ 759,570.88

Bank Money Market Account 12,282.70

Loans Receivable from non-profit organizations 282,483.12

Total Assets $1,054,336.70

Liabilities

Due Depositors $1,021,995.74

Fund Balance 32,340.96

Liabilities and Fund Balance $1,054,336.70

Income: Interest Earned $60,444.14

Expense: Interest Paid $69,588.18

Accounting 914.00

$70,502.18

Net Loss $ (10,058.04)

Fund Balance 06/30/91 $ 42,399.00

Fund Balance 06/30/92 $ 32,340.96

— PS

ANNIVERSARIES

25th Wedding Anniversary

The Lord willing, on October 3, 1992,

our beloved parents and grandparents

Mr. and Mrs. John Beeke

hope to commemorate their 25th anniversary.

Psalms 127-128

1542 Lookout St. Ridgeville, Ontario L0S 1C0

50th Wedding Anniversary

The Lord willing, on September 26, 1992,

our dear parents and grandparents,

Mr. & Mrs. Peter Kaat

hope to commemorate their 50th wedding anniversary. We pray that the Lord’s blessing may rest upon them in their future life.

1607 CTH KK Rt. 3 Sheboygan, WI 53081

OBITUARIES

VAN PEENEN, Jennie — Age 61; August 15, 1992; Wayne, NJ; Husband — Jacob (deceased); Sons — Marinus, Jacob, Tunis, George, Gary, Raymond, Kenneth; Daughters — Janet Vander Have, Gertrude Nieuwenhuis, Betty Ann Tiejen, Joanne Hoogmoed, Jennie Milarczyk, Nancy Hertz, Carol Cummings, Linda Van Peenen; Sister — Elizabeth Fletcher; 32 grandchildren. (Rev. C. Vogelaar, Is. 55:6.)

TEACHERS

CALVIN CHRISTIAN SCHOOL, Lethbridge/Ft. Macleod. Our school is situated between Fort Macleod and Lethbridge, Alberta, and largely serves both congregations. Presently we offer K-12 along with some special education services.

We have a special need for more elementary teachers in the coming 1992-1993 school year. Experienced teachers as well as starting teachers are invited to apply. Although our need is primarily for elementary teachers, secondary teachers are also most welcome to apply.

For more information contact the principal, Mr. A.H. Verhoef: (403) 381-3030 (school) or (403) 381-4434 (home). Please send your application to the Secretary of the Schoolboard, Mr. A.M. de Wilde, P.O. Box 142, Monarch, Alberta, Canada T0L 1M0.

REHOBOTH CHRISTIAN SCHOOL, Norwich. We need a full-time teacher for Gr. 7-10 starting September, 1992, D.V. Main subject areas to be taught are English, Math, Social Studies, and Religious Studies, but other subjects can be arranged. Interested teachers can obtain more information from Mr. Henry Scholten (president), (519) 468-2714, or Mr. Martien Vanderspek (principal), (519) 863-3119 (home). Applications or inquiries should be sent to Rehobolh Christian School, 43 Main St. E., P.O. Box 220, Norwich, Ont. N0J 1P0 (519) 863-2403.

NETHERLANDS REFORMED CHRISTIAN SCHOOL, Corsica, South Dakota. We need a teacher for grades 5-8 for the 1992-1993 school year. Certification is preferable but not required. For more information or an application form call or write: Darold den Boer 605-9465661, RR1, Box 190, Corsica, SD 57328, or Jay Ymker 605-724-2221, Box 117, Armour, SD 57313.

The EBENEZER CHRISTIAN SCHOOL, Sheboygan, Wisconsin, needs a full time certified teacher for the 1992-93 school year. An immediate opening is available for history and English classes ranging from 5th through 11 th grades, though other subject combinations are possible. Student teachers who hope to graduate in December are also encouraged to apply, since our need for a teacher will be crucial for the second half of the school year. To express interest or for more information please contact the principal, David Lipsy, 1519 North Third Street, Sheboygan, Wisconsin 53081 (414) 459-9257 or contact Robert Velier, secretary, 3002 CTH V, Sheboygan, Wisconsin 53081 (414) 458-0757.

CURRENT EVENTS

ACTION TO BE CONSIDERED

National Endowment for the Arts Abuses Continue

As reported in the New America, the abuses continue at the NEA. The new chairman, Anne-Imelda Radice, recently announced grants to a number of so-called “artists” who had used previous NEA grants to produce pornographic materials. Among the $63 million in grants were $32,500 to radical homosexual activist Tim Miller, $12,000 to Haleakala, Inc., which has promoted the sex-oriented shows of Annie Sprinkle, $15,000 for the Franklin Furnace, and $1.1 million for the PBS program Great Performances, which promoted the graphic homosexual film, “Lost Language of the Cranes.” You may wish to consider contacting your congressmen/senators to continue voicing your objection to such use of tax dollars.

INFORMATION

Prayerless Graduations

The Supreme Court ruled 5-4 that prayer at high school graduations is unconstitutional. Many people had hoped that the five Reagan-Bush appointees to the High Court would be able to break down the court-imposed “wall of separation between church and state.” According to the Coral Ridge Ministries Impact, the court adopted the first amendment interpretation applied in the 1962 school-prayer case, Engel vs. Vitale, which ruled classroom prayer unconstitutional. That was the first government ruling ever taken against public religious expression since the birth of our nation. The foundation on which both of these prayer decisions are based comes from the 1947 Supreme Court ruling in the case of Everson vs. Board of Education where the High Court ruled that we are a “secular nation and that there should be a wall of separation between church and state.” That decision was written by Justice Hugo Black, but his opinion was essentially drafted for him by a lawyer from the American Civil Liberties Union. Since then, the ACLU has used that ruling to raise the wall of separation higher and higher. The United States, since the rulings of 1947, and especially since 1962, has departed rapidly from the ways of the Lord. Our nation is as an overripe fruit ready to fall. We are no longer a Christian nation as we once were. Pray every day for a returning to the Lord and a spiritual revival.

Supreme Court Continues to Uphold Roe vs. Wade

In a surprising and disheartening decision, the Supreme Court did uphold several provisions of the Pennsylvania anti-abortion law, but also boldly upheld, by a 5-4 decision, the essence of the so-called “right” of women to abort children as set forth in Roe vs. Wade. Provisions upheld for Pennsylvania include: 1) that a woman must be told by the abortion facility that information is available to her on fetal development, the risks of abortion and childbirth, and adoption and other services that provide other alternatives to abortion; 2) women must wait twenty-four hours before obtaining an abortion; 3) minors seeking an abortion must obtain consent of a parent or judge; 4) abortionists must submit detailed reports to the government about each abortion performed.

The High Court cited that it would undermine its own credibility if it overturned its past precedent (Roe vs. Wade), and the majority implied (without definition) that any “undue burden” to this “right” to abort would be ruled unconstitutional. The majority opinion states, “We are led to conclude this: The essential holding of Roe vs. Wade should be retained and once again affirmed.” Pro-abortion forces are trying to cover up this clear victory by calling it a set-back to abortion rights, further fueling the call to Congress to pass the Freedom of Choice Act which would virtually eliminate all limits to abortion. Dissenting justices included Rehnquist, Scalia, White, and Thomas.

More Disappointments at Supreme Court Level

By not accepting to hear the cases, the U.S. Supreme Court allowed the lower courts’ rulings in the Ken Roberts and Judge Constangy cases to stand. If you will remember, in the Roberts case lower courts ruled that a Colorado public school district could censor two Christian children’s books from a classroom library of several hundred books and that it is unconstitutional for a public school teacher to keep a Bible on his desk. In the Constangy case, the lower court ruled that it is unconstitutional for a judge to start the day in his courtroom with a non-sectarian prayer. We can only repeat the Word of the Lord in Isaiah 59:14, “And judgment is turned away backward, and justice standeth afar off: for truth is fallen in the street, and equity cannot enter.”

Gideon Society in Court

The ACLU is attempting to stop the Gideon Society from distributing Bibles at a public school. The case is pending before the U.S. 7th Circuit Court of Appeals. The National Legal Foundation, which defeated the ACLU in a recent dispute over the display of religious paintings in a city park in Ottawa, Illinois, is acting as lead counsel for the defendant, the Rensselaer, Indiana School Board.

Encouraging and Discouraging News on the Abortion Pill Issue

According to the National Right to Life News, the U.S. Supreme Court upheld the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) importation ban on the abortion pill RU 486 for personal use. The 7 to 2 decision affirmed the FDA’s sound scientific judgment in confiscating the illegal and dangerous abortion drug from 29-year-old Leona Benten. Benten, an unemployed and unmarried social worker from Berkeley, California, was recruited by Lawrence Lader, founder of the National Abortion Rights Action League and the San Francisco Medical Society after a three-month long search. In reference to the infamous “Jane Roe” of the 1973 Roe vs. Wade Supreme Court decision, Dr. Steven Heilig of the San Francisco Medical Society stated: “In recruiting, we had to be clear that they could become another Jane Roe.” Benten has stated that she had a previous abortion in 1983 under general anesthesia.

Unfortunately, representatives Pat Schroeder (D-Colo.) and Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) have introduced a bill that will allow, if passed, the abortifacient RU-486 into the United States. This bill would overturn the Supreme Court’s decision upholding the FDA ban on the drug.

Germany Adopts New Abortion Law

In a defeat for pro-life forces in Germany, the newly unified nation has adopted an abortion policy which permits abortion on demand throughout the first trimester of pregnancy. The policy also allows abortion in the second trimester when the pregnancy poses a threat to the mother’s life or if the unborn has such grave physical problems that it would not likely be born alive.

God Purposely Excluded from Democratic Platform

The New American reported that the Democratic Platform Committee, after some debate, decided not to mention God by name in the platform. Senator Joseph Lieberman (D-CT), who unsuccessfully argued for inclusion of God in the platform, complained that “many Democrats almost seem embarrassed to make reference to God.”

Religious Schools Not Part of “New Schools Plan”

According to the Family Research Council, don’t look for religious schools to be part of Education Secretary Lamar Alexander’s plan for “New American Schools that break the mold.” The New American Schools Development Corporation (NASDC) originally planned to allow religious communities to participate in designing schools for the 21st century. But when NASDC announced eleven winners of the design competition, no religious schools qualified.

Young Child Tax Credit Repealed

The Senate democratic leadership pushed through a bill which repealed the Young Child Tax Credit, also known as “Wee Tots.” The provision, which was introduced by Senator Albert Gore (D-Tenn), eliminates a tax credit which made it easier for mothers of newborns to stay at home.

Murder Charges Dismissed

In a brief news clipping, Newsweek magazine reported that murder charges against Dr. Kevorkian, stemming from his assistance in the suicides of four women, have been dismissed on July 21 in Pontiac, Michigan.

— DL/RVS

Obituary notices are printed free of charge and are submitted by the officiating minister; marriage and anniversary notices will be charged at $5.00 per issue and must be individually submitted. Other announcements and/or requests will be approved by the editorial committee on an individual basis as received. (Church events or school needs, such as upcoming classical meetings, “teachers wanted,” office-bearer conferences or youth day conferences will be announced free of charge.)

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