NEWS, ANNOUNCEMENTS, & EVENTS

CHURCH NEWS

MINISTERIAL CALLS

Extended:

To Rev. A. T. Vergunst of Kalamazoo, Michigan, by the congregation of Sioux Center, Iowa.

To Rev. G. J. van Aalst of Ridderkerk, the Netherlands, by the congregation of St. Catharines, Ontario.

To Rev. J. den Hoed of Rock Valley, Iowa, by the congregations of Corsica, South Dakota, and Sheboygan, Wisconsin.

Accepted:

By Rev. C. de Jongste of Alblasserdam, the Netherlands, to the congregation of Tholen, the Netherlands.

Declined:

By Rev. C. A. van Dieren of Stolwijk, the Netherlands, to the congregations of Clifton, New Jersey, and Markham, Ontario.

OBITUARIES

VAN HOUTEN, Leona — Age 70, November 11, 1996; Wayne, New Jersey; Husband — John, Jr.; Sons — John and Gerald; Sisters — Martha Van Sweden and Joan Verblaauw; 2 grandchildren. (Rev. A. T. Vergunst, Lamentations 3:22-23.)

VERKAIK, Cornelis — Age 75, November 11, 1996; Artesia, California; Wife — Wilhelmina (deceased); Children — Hans & Jeanette, Peter & Maroia, and Adrian & Debra; 9 grandchildren, 3 great-grandchildren. (Rev. C. Klompien, Isaiah 40:1-11.)

Banner of Truth on Cassette Tape

At the recently held Synod meeting, permission was given to place the Banner of Truth on cassette tape each month. If there is enough interest, the tapes will be sent out monthly to a permanent subscription list. If you or someone you know is interested in receiving these tapes, please contact Elder Gilbert Hoogendoorn, 2518 Ashley Avenue, Inwood, Iowa 51240, phone (712) 753-4555.

TEACHERS NEEDED

REHOBOTH CHRISTIAN SCHOOL, NORWICH, ONTARIO. For the school year 1996-97 we invite qualified teachers to apply for one full-time elementary position (grade 4). For information, please contact Mr. Martien C. Vanderspek, principal, (519) 863-2403 (school) or (519) 863-3119 (home), or Mr. Len Vanderweerd, president, (519) 842-3494. Applications maybe sent to Rehoboth Christian School, attention Mr. Vanderweerd, 43 Main St. E., P.O. Box 220, Norwich, Ontario, N0J 1P0.

TIMOTHY CHRISTIAN SCHOOL, CHILLIWACK, BRITISH COLUMBIA. The school board is interested in receiving applications for a full-time secondary Bible teacher with additional possible assignments of Special Needs instruction, starting immediately. Those desiring more information or an application form, please phone Mr. Ken Herfst, school board president, (604) 794-7284, or Mr. Herb Krul, acting principal, (604) 794-7114 (school), or (604) 794-7905 (home).

URGENT REQUEST - CALVIN CHRISTIAN SCHOOL, LETHBRIDGE/FORT MACLEOD, ALBERTA. Since one of our teachers is expecting a baby and will be leaving at the end of December, D. V., the school board is earnestly soliciting applications from interested individuals who would be willing to fill one of the following positions: uppper elementary — grade 5 (20 students); junior/senior high — a combination of subjects. Applicants should be willing to commence employment in January 1997 or as soon afterwards as possible. Experienced teachers as well as beginning teachers are encouraged to apply. For more information or to apply, please contact the principal, Mr. William Grisnich, (403) 381-3030 (school), or (403) 824-3438 (home), or the school board secretary, Mr. Adrian De Wilde, phone/fax (403) 8243635. Applications should be sent to Mr. Adrian De Wilde, Box 142, Monarch, Alberta, Canada T0L 1M0.

THE FIRST NETHERLANDS REFORMED CHRISTIAN SCHOOL, ST. CATHARINES, ONTARIO, has the following openings for the upcoming 1997-98 school year, D.V.: one principal/teaching position and one full-time elementary position. Those interested in receiving more information may contact: Mr. J. Beeke, (905) 892-2048, or Mr. R. Weststrate, (905) 562-3451. Applications should be forwarded to the secretary of the education committee, Mr. M. Heikoop, 33 Stoneybrook Crescent, St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada L2S 3R4.

In Memoriam

Rev. L. Vogelaar

1917-1996

On November 2, 1996, it pleased the Lord to remove, from the midst of the denomination in the Netherlands and from the midst of his family, His servant, the emeritus minister Rev. L. Vogelaar, at the age of 79 years. He served seven congregations there from 1962 to 1988, at which time he became emeritus. During the last month of his life he might point to the words found in Psalm 89, which are also expressed in Psalter 422: “My mouth shall sing for aye Thy tender mercies, Lord,” and “With My own chosen one, e’en David, God affirmed, I’ve made a covenant, with sacred oath confirmed.” It is the foundation which has stood firm throughout the ages past and which remains the only hope for poor and needy sinners.

His son, Rev. C. Vogelaar of Grand Rapids, Michigan, conducted the funeral service, taking as his text for the occasion Hebrews 4:9, “There remaineth therefore a rest to the people of God.” Rev. G. M. de Leeuw and an elder from Uddel, the minister’s last congregation, also spoke at the service, and Rev. J. Karens, a friend of many years, spoke briefly at the cemetery. May the Lord remember the widow, children, and grandchildren in their sorrow in this great loss, and sanctify this calling to us all.

CURRENT EVENTS

“Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell”Policy Survives Court Challenge

One of President Clinton’s most controversial policies, the compromise “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy toward homosexuals in the military, survived a court challenge. The Supreme Court in October refused to hear the appeal of a homosexual sailor discharged for telling his commanding officer that he was gay. Former Navy Lt. Paul Thomason’s appeal of lower court rulings upholding his discharge alleged the policy violated his free-speech rights and was discriminatory. The Family Research Council’s Melissa Wells-Petry, who as an Army lawyer defended the military’s no-homosexual policy, lauded the high court’s inaction: “Friends of the armed forces are pleased the court let this excellent ruling stand.” FRC had filed a brief in this case.

China Calls for Tighter Controls on Religion

Chinese Premier Li Peng warned those who practice religion to watch their step and called for tighter controls on religious activities during a visit to the nation’s heavily Muslim northwest, as stated in the Alliance Life. “Religious activities must take place within legal limits,” the Communist Party newspaper, People’s Daily, quoted Li as saying. Li insisted that China provides religious freedom but said religion must serve the goals of socialism. Wang Zhaoguo, a senior Communist Party official, warned against foreign forces using religion to undermine China’s government.

Refuge for Abortion Victims

Several immigration provisions were rolled into the U.S. Fiscal Year 1997 Omnibus Appropriations package, including a humanitarian measure which allows people fleeing from coercive abortion policies to seek asylum in the United States, according to Washington Watch. Effective immediately, asylum may be granted for up to 1,000 people per year who have been forced to have an abortion or to be involuntarily sterilized, or who have a well-founded fear of persecution under coercive population control policies. This restores a similar policy which was effective under the Reagan and Bush administrations.

San Francisco: Sodom and Gomorrah

San Francisco, a bastion of homosexual activity, is the subject of a couple of World magazine articles. In the first article, a city supervisor, at the request of the “transgender community,” plans to introduce a resolution calling for insurance coverage for sex-change operations. Such surgery can cost between $10,000 and $20,000, not counting psychiatric evaluations and hormone treatments. In the second article, the city became the first city in the nation to license “group-sex clubs.” City Supervisor Tom Ammiano, a long-time homosexual activist, proposed that the city grant permits to businesses “that encourage patrons to engage in sexual activities.” Mr. Ammiano argues the idea, endorsed by the city’s health department, would make “casual” homosexual relations “safer” by requiring that the 20 or so sex clubs currently operating in the city meet certain standards. Critics say giving government approval to sex clubs would simply legitimize them. Such sexual activity in San Francisco has taken its toll: More than 16,000 city residents have died from AIDS since 1981. Another 30,000 have been infected with the disease.

Euthanasia Update

The Supreme Court has accepted two important cases concerning doctor-aided suicide. In Glucksburg v. Washington, the Ninth Circuit federal court “found” a constitutional “liberty” right for terminally ill patients to be killed by their doctors. Judge Stephen Reinhardt explained that his reasoning is “identical” to the Supreme Court abortion cases of Roe v. Wade and Planned Parenthood v. Casey. The other case creates a constitutional right to be killed by a doctor, not based on “liberty” but “equality.” The Second Circuit federal court declared that a New York law against causing or assisting suicide was unconstitutional because it discriminates against terminally ill people. According to the court, refusing artificial life support and getting a lethal injection are equivalent, and since the former is permitted, the latter may not be prohibited. If these decisions are not overturned by the high court, a “right to die” may soon become a “duty to die” for those most in need. A recent report on the Netherlands euthanasia experience by Rep. Charles Canady (R-Florida) provides a compelling context for the current debate on doctor-assisted suicide in America. Euthanasia of the terminally ill in the Netherlands has been expanded since its inception in 1973 to permit the killing of healthy people experiencing psychological distress. Voluntary euthanasia has given way to involuntary euthanasia, called “termination of the patient without explicit request.” In 1990, one thousand people in the Netherlands were killed without their consent, 140 of whom were fully competent.

Court Rules That Cross Must Go, but Pagan Statue Can Stay

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit ruled that a 100-foot religious cross, that has stood on San Francisco’s highest peak for 60 years, must be removed, while a 10-ton statue of a pagan Aztec serpent god, constructed at taxpayer expense, may stay. The court said the cross on Mt. Davidson constituted a government endorsement of Christianity.

— R. V. S.

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