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ClarionTHE CANADIAN REFORMED MAGAZINE

Volume 57, No. 19 � September 12, 2008

Inside this issue

� “Missionary Go Home” � Prayers of Judgment

� Thoughts on the Proposed Church Order

Mission is thegreat commission of the church

94421t_57n19:Clarion 9/2/08 1:11 PM Page 473

Mission is hard work which burns up a lot of energyand shows less result than one might expect

“Missionary Go Home”

474 • SEPTEMBER 12, 2008

EditorialCl. Stam

The title above this editorial should not bemisconstrued as my own. Who am I that I would daretell anyone, much less an ordained missionary, to gohome? Besides, we ought rather to encourage ourmissionaries than tell them to throw in the towel.

This title “Missionary Go Home” comes from avideo that has been circulating on YouTube and wasalso broadcast in The Netherlands by the EvangelicalBroadcasting Corp (EO). The video caused quite a stirand is still being discussed and evaluated today.Even Nederlands Dagblad, a Reformed Dutch dailynewspaper, devoted a lot of space to this video. So weshould find out what all the excitement is about.

To keep it short and succinct, the video tells thestory of a missionary and his family’sdisillusionment with the work. The missionary wassent by one of our sister churches to Irian Jaya(Papua) to teach prospective ministers at a Bibleschool in Boma. But from the beginning theundertaking was fraught with opposition in Papuaitself. The family decided that it was better to gohome. During this process of decision-making theirchild had an accident and died. This added greatlyto the sorrow and stress of the missionary and hiswife. Having a child buried in the jungle made iteven harder to leave. But they did leave.

The missionary later returned with a video team toreport what had happened and to try to make somesense out of it. This film is titled, “Missionary GoHome.” It shows a deeply human side of mission workthat is not often seen: the extreme stress endured bymissionary families.

The cause of the breakdownWhat caused the relations between the missionary

and the Papuans to deteriorate so quickly anddecisively? A large part of the reason lies in thespecific task description for this missionary. He had tomake clear that foreign (Dutch) financial aid wascoming to an end. The churches of Papua had tobecome financially responsible and independent.No more “rice Christianity” for Papua.

From the beginning of his stay in Papua, themissionary felt the resistance of the people againstthis new arrangement. The students hammered thedoor of the school shut and accused the Dutchchurches of dishonesty. There were droughts andforest fires which further impoverished the locals andthere were disciplinary problems in the church.

The missionary found that one of the local churchleaders was committing adultery and fraud. But whenhe admonished the culprit, he was himself beatenwith a stick out of the church building. The manthreatened to burn down the missionary’s house.The Dutch family no longer felt that their safetywas ensured.

After the death of their child, the missionarycouple hoped that the relations with the locals wouldimprove. The Papuans insisted that the body beimmediately buried. For the rest, they completelyignored the missionary and his wife. The missionaryand his wife concluded that it was better to go home.They finally left and took up a new calling in one ofthe Dutch churches. They had been in Papua for nineyears, had gained little, and lost much.

Rev. Cl. Stam is minister emeri-tus of the Canadian ReformedChurch at Hamilton, [email protected]


SEPTEMBER 12, 2008 • 475

Is there any solution?How should the mission churches react to this sad

affair? First, we should never think that any missionwork anywhere is idyllic or romantic. Mission is hardwork which burns up a lot of energy and shows lessresult than one might expect. The Dutch churcheshave been working in Papua for over fifty years andstill the things described above happen.But the people of Papua still need help. They still

need to hear the gospel of salvation preached tothem. That need has not diminished and will notdisappear soon. The solution cannot be to abandonthe project. Perhaps other churches who live closerby can take over for the Dutch, but someone must fillthe void.I can understand it that the Papuans are generally

not pleased with the ceasing of foreign financialsupport. In the Third World it is hard to make a living.The gap between rich and poor grows all the time andwith it the desperation of the locals increasesdramatically. It is unfortunate that the missionarywho went home received an impossible mandate. Inthe impoverished developing world, things need moretime than affluent Westerners often appreciate.

What did the ICRC decide?The ICRC is an international council of Reformed

churches that meets every four years to discussmutual work and concerns. Since 1985 thisorganization has also had a standing MissionsCommittee which may call together missionconferences in certain areas.At the ICRC meeting in Langley (June 19-29, 1989) it

was agreed that member churches should not conductoverlapping mission work in the same area. “When amember Church is considering a new sphere of work,it might be good for that Church to consider helpingin the activities of another Church faced with an opendoor of opportunity that is not being exploitedbecause of lack of personnel or resources, rather thaninitiating an entirely new work” (Page 93,Proceedings, report Missions Committee).Churches closest to a mission field should conduct

mission there. This makes involvement of the sending

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In This Issue

Editorial – “Missionary Go Home”— Cl. Stam ......................474Treasures, New and Old – Prayers of Judgment

— K.A. Kok ..............................................................................477Thoughts on the Proposed Church Order – B. Faber ..........478Book Review — reviewed byW.L. Bredenhof ..........................480What’s New??? — E. Kampen....................................................481Psalm 112 and 122 — W. Helder ..............................................483Farewell to Rev.Van Spronsen and Family— D.Vanderstoep ....................................................................484

Education Matters – Peregrine Survey — K. Sikkema ........486Ray of Sunshine — C. Gelms and P. Gelms ..............................488Summary ofVisit to the Synod of RPCNA............................489

Regular Mail$48.00*$60.00$89.00

Air Mail$ 79.00*$ 77.00$130.00


476 • SEPTEMBER 12, 2008

churches easier and also cuts down on travel time andexpense. In other words, churches in Ontario, Canadashould not send a missionary to East Timor orIndonesia. Existing projects can continue, but no newprojects should be undertaken by distant churches.That is what we agreed upon at the ICRC.

Sometimes I wonder why we bother to meet asconference with all the including costs, spend muchtime in discussions and decisions, and thenconveniently forget the recommendations or continueas if there has never been a conference. If things stayas they are in this respect, the ICRC is a waste of timeand money.

With respect to Papua this means that help shouldbe given by the Free Reformed Churches of Australia,the Reformed Church of New Zealand, thePresbyterian Church of Korea, and other memberchurches in the vicinity. A mission conference of allthe ICRC churches in the area should be held todiscuss and resolve the rising problems in Papua.

As an additional note, I mention that the nextICRC, held at Zwolle, The Netherlands in 1993,decided that four regional mission conferences beheld every second year after the ICRC, one in theWest, one in Africa, one in the East, and one in Europe.Would it not be time for the ICRC mission conferenceof the East (Japan, Indonesia, Philippines, Taiwan,India, and Papua New Guinea) to meet and addressthe current situation in Papua? We are all in thistogether and need to consult each other. Otherwise theICRC is luxurious humbug. Missionaries should notgo home, but should lock arms.

Who is capable of these things?This brings me to my final point for now. The Dutch

churches sent a young, recently-married missionary to

Papua with a very difficult mandate. From the video Isaw, I conclude that the stress was too much and themandate was reaching too high. The poor man wasblind-sided.

With the situation in the Third World rapidlydeteriorating, is it not wiser to send older andexperienced ministers into the field? Or to send thosewho have served in the mission field before and whoknow how to deal with the locals? Mission work is atough business and requires seasoned men andwomen. Today, more than before, we needseasoned men.

I know that we send younger men because theirchildren, if they have them, are still young. But thisalso means that the missionary has to worry aboutthe safety of his wife and children. I’d rather see ayoung candidate first enter the ministry in anestablished church in his own country than send himbasically unprepared into the jungle and the StoneAge. It takes time to learn the disciplines of theministry and these should not be acquired abroad.While he is in his first congregation(s), themissionary-to-be can train himself and his family forthe different work that lies ahead.

Much more can be said about this topic. But we’llleave it at this for now. If you have questions, pleasesend them so that I can respond. I will respondbecause mission is the great commission of thechurch. We cannot suffice with saying:“Missionary, go home.”

Churches closest to a mission fieldshould conduct mission there

Mission work is a tough business andrequires seasoned men and women

Church News

NEWADDRESSES

Canadian Reformed Church at Calgary:18 Hart Estates Boulevard NE,Calgary, AB T1X 0L3

Tyndale Christian School:28 Hart Estates Boulevard NE,Calgary, AB T1X 0L3

Pastor Hans Kalkman:38 Hart Estates Boulevard NE,Calgary, AB T1X 0L3


SEPTEMBER 12, 2008 • 477

“The righteous will be glad when they are avenged, when they bathe their feet inthe blood of the wicked. Then men will say, ‘Surely the righteous still are

rewarded; surely there is a God who judges the earth’.”Psalm 58:10, 11

We often overlook the amount ofjudgment in the Psalms. We knowPsalm 137 blesses those who dashBabylon’s little ones against therocks and Psalm 58 calls for God’speople to rejoice when they washtheir feet in the blood of the wicked,but the whole Psalter is full of God’sjudgment. Everybody’s favourite,Psalm 23, speaks of God preparing atable for David in the presence of hisenemies. This means that David’senemies will sit in chains whileDavid is enthroned and passesjudgment on them. As a result, C. S.Lewis concluded that Psalm 23 was“sub-Christian.” However, youcannot avoid God’s judgmentagainst the wicked and the prayersof the righteous for judgmentwithout eviscerating the Psalms.

Yet we have been able to dosome eviscerating. Some metricalsettings of the Psalms either tonedown or simply remove thesejudgments. Even with a full metricalsetting of all the Psalms, we canavoid these passages on judgmentby the Psalms and stanzas wechoose to sing. When was the lasttime you sang all of Psalm 137, orany of Psalm 58? We pick andchoose our favourite Psalms to readand reflect on.

We even have theologicalevasions. The judgments, we tellourselves, look to the finaljudgment, which is safely in thefuture. Or, as in the case of Psalm137, the judgments are safely past;Babylon has already received itsdue. No wonder many people preferhymns to Psalms. There are very few

imprecatory hymns; that is almost acontradiction in terms.

This is understandable. How canman deal with the judgment of God?The answer is: we can’t. Judgment istoo hot for us to handle. We knowour desire for vindication is oftensinful, as we easily give in to thedesire for revenge. Prayers forjudgment may also give us anuneasy conscience: “Am I prayingrightly?” But more than that,judgment reveals a side of our Lordwe are uncomfortable with. It justisn’t nice to bless those who smashbabies against rocks.

The problem is that we arereading the Psalms in a subjectiveway. We assume that the Psalms areall about us. They aren’t. ThePsalms are all about the Messiah.We are not adequate to speak of thejudgment of God, but He is. It takesGod to write about his judgments. Itrequires the Holy Spirit, whoinspired Scripture, to handle, tospeak, and to sing properly of thejudgments of God’s Son. Our Goddid not leave us to our own desires,either for getting revenge, or fordownplaying judgment, but He gaveus his song to sing. For He made hisMessiah to be judge of all the earth.

When the church sings lustilythe words of Psalm 55, or Psalm 69,or Psalm 137, she isn’t venting herspleen. She is confessing that theFather has committed all judgmentto the Messiah. He judges thosewho live as fools, saying in theirhearts that there is no God. Alreadyhis judgment falls on individuals,on nations, and on kings because oftheir denials of Him, because of

their lives apart from Him. No,when the church prays forjudgment, she is saying thatvengeance belongs to the Lord andthat He will repay. We are to praisethe Lord for his awesome work ofjudgment. Can we do any less?

To pray “Thy kingdom come” isto pray these Psalms: “Destroy theworks of the devil, every power thatraises itself against Thee, and everyconspiracy against Thy holy Word”(HC, Q&A 123). That may not be asgraphic as “O God, shatter the teethin their mouth” (Ps 58:6), or “Let hischildren be fatherless, and his wifea widow” (Ps 109:9), but it is thesame thing. You cannot sing ofGod’s salvation and love withoutsinging of his judgment of thewicked. There is no salvation ofNoah without the destruction of theworld with the flood. There is nosalvation of Israel without the deathof the first-born of Egypt, without thedestruction of Pharaoh and his hostat the Red Sea. If Samson hadn’tkilled the Philistines, he would nothave delivered Israel. The work ofJesus Christ is of a piece with this.In his death and resurrection, Heconquered sin and death and thekingdom of Satan. He judges theearth now and He will render hisfinal verdict when He returns.

God’s judgment is a sobermatter, but we may not avoid it.We must take up the words of allthe Psalms as our words in JesusChrist. We must see the crushingreality of his judgment and praiseour Lord and King for its glory, bywhich we are saved.

Rev. K.A. Kok is minister of theAmerican Reformed Church atBlue Bell, [email protected]

Treasures, New and OldK.A. Kok

MATTHEW 13:52Prayers of Judgment


Synod Smithers (2007) hasinvited the churches to discuss andevaluate the Proposed ChurchOrder (PCO) for the unitedfederation of the United ReformedChurches of North America(URCNA) and the CanadianReformed Churches (CanRC).While there has been somediscussion and evaluation of thework of the Songbook andTheological Education committees,there has been little discussion ofthe PCO. Regrettably, the ChurchOrder comes a distant third in theconsciousness of members in ourchurches, whereas it ought togarner the same amount ofattention as the augment to theBook of Praise and the ownershipof theological education.

I would like to draw readers’attention to two significantchanges to the Church Order (CO)so as to prompt the discussion ofthe PCO requested by SynodSmithers well before 1 March 2009,when consistories are to submittheir evaluation to the ChurchOrder Committee. Both changesinvolve the introduction of extra-scriptural standards to the ChurchOrder. A number of other elementsof the PCO warrant closer attentionand I will highlight two of thesebriefly in the conclusion.1

Articles 21e and 55 PCOOne of the most important

articles of the current CO in thehistory of the CanRC is Article

31.This article was the church-political basis upon which ourDutch sister churches liberatedthemselves from the imposition ofextra-biblical doctrine on covenantand baptism. Article 31 isimportant in the CO for threereasons. First, because it describesthe right of wronged parties toappeal decisions of majorassemblies, a principle of justicerepeatedly articulated in the OldTestament that has its ultimatesource in the justice and mercy ofGod. Second, because it describesthe collective submission ofindividual churches to the wisdomof the majority of churches in thefederation. Third, because itdescribes the basis upon which allparties may determine whetherdecisions are properly made: adecision “shall be consideredsettled and binding, unless it isproved to be in conflict with theWord of God or with the ChurchOrder” (Art 31 CO).

One could say that these twoprovisions (Word of God and CO)relate to the content and process ofdecisions. Unless a decision can bedemonstrated to contradict whatthe Bible teaches (doctrine) or toconflict with the orderly procedureagreed upon by churches in thefederation (practice), it isconsidered settled or binding. Inother words, one must prove on thebasis of Scripture that a decision isfalse, heretical, or unbiblical; onemust prove on the basis of the CO

that a decision was reachedwithout due respect for the rulesagreed upon for the orderlygovernance of the churches in thefederation.

The PCO introduces a thirdelement in the assessment ofdecisions made by majorassemblies in Articles 21e and 55:“The judgment of the broaderassembly shall be reached bymajority vote, received withrespect, and considered settled andbinding unless proven to be inconflict with Scripture, theReformed Confessions, or theChurch Order” (55 PCO). Theintroduction of “the ReformedConfessions” here confuses theclear distinction in Article 31 CObetween doctrinal purity andprocedural propriety: does thisthird element – an appeal to theReformed Confessions – relate todoctrine or to procedure? Even ifwe were not to see the distinctroles of Scripture and CO in Article31 in such terms, the insertion of“the Reformed Confessions”muddies the waters.

More significant than thepossible misunderstanding of thenature of the Reformed confessionsas basis of appeal, is the authorityimproperly granted to theReformed confessions in thisarticle. As faithful summaries ofwhat Scripture teaches, theReformed confessions have severaluses and functions, serving as ahermeneutic guide for the

Ben Faber

Thoughts on theProposed Church Order

Dr. Ben Faber teaches Englishliterature at Redeemer UniversityCollege in Ancaster, [email protected]

478 • SEPTEMBER 12, 2008


interpretation of Scripture,providing an apologetic responseto questions and challenges, andforming the basis of unity amongbelievers. But the churches of theReformation have alwaysmaintained that man-madeformulations of doctrine should notbe the final arbiters of rightdoctrine. From the Reformationuntil now, Reformed believersrightly understand the role oftradition and the magisterium inthe Roman Catholic Church asmisappropriating the divineauthority of Scripture for humanteaching. Second-order summariesof Scripture are not to occupy aplace of authority on par with first-order revelation.

One could argue that theinsertion of “the ReformedConfessions” as a standard besidethe Word of God is simplyredundant. If a decision by a majorassembly is demonstrably againstthe Reformed confessions, whichare faithful summaries of Scripture,then the appellant should be ableto demonstrate directly that thedecision is against Scripture. Adecision, therefore, cannot beagainst either Scripture or theReformed confessions: if it isagainst the confessions, then itmust also be against Scripture. Butthe more important reason for us todiscuss the addition of theReformed confessions as the basisof appeal in the PCO is theinordinate authority therebygranted to the confessions.

Article 58 PCOA different sort of extra-scriptural

standard is introduced in the finalarticle when the PCO states: “Thesearticles, relating to the lawful orderof the church, having been draftedin accord with the FoundationalPrinciples and adopted by commonconsent, shall be observeddiligently” (Art 58 PCO). This is thecrucial article in the CO that relates

to the proper interpretation,application, and revision of theforegoing articles. While the CanRCis familiar with the latter (“bycommon consent”), the phrase“drafted in accord with theFoundational Principles” introducesa new standard by referring to thelist of principles found in theintroduction to the PCO.

The introduction to the PCO issignificantly different from that ofour current CO in that theobjective historical descriptionhas been replaced by aconfessional summary of what theBible teaches about churchgovernment. The introductionbegins with a formulation typicalof confessions (“We Reformedbelievers maintain. . .”), whichsignals a change of function for theintroduction from a neutralaccount to a confessionalstatement. The introduction thensummarizes what Reformedbelievers maintain in a list ofstatements: “The following list offoundational principles, thoughnot exhaustive, provides a clearbiblical basis for and source of ourChurch Order.” The list consists ofeighteen statements, supportedwith texts from Scripture, whichrephrase what the Reformedconfessions already state in theBelgic Confession (Art 27-32), theHeidelberg Catechism (LD 19, 21,31), and elsewhere. In other words,the list summarizes theintroduction’s summary of what theReformed confessions summarize.

The churches should considercarefully whether the CO ought tobe prefaced by such a confessional

summary. Since the CO is not itselfa confession-oriented document,but a governance-orienteddocument – one that spells out thepractice of the orderly functioningof the churches locally andfederally on the basis of Scriptureas summarized by the Reformedconfessions – the confessional toneand content of the introduction areinappropriate to the status andfunction of this document. As in theprevious concern about grantinginappropriate authority to theReformed confessions, the concernhere is the undue authority giventhe quasi-confessional“Foundational Principles” found inthe introduction. Should the PCOwish to refer to the principles uponwhich it is drafted, it should referbeyond itself to the Bible: “Havingbeen drafted in accord with theWord of God as summarized in theThree Forms of Unity.”

Two other itemsThe PCO departs from the

current CO by including a numberof appendices to spell out theprocedures for implementingArticles 4, 5, 7, and 21.Thesearticles deal with the examinationand admission of men to theministry and with the presentationof credentials by delegates atbroader assemblies. The articlestypically refer to the relevantappendix with a phrase such as“according to the regulationsprescribed in Appendix X.”

By appending specificprocedures for various articles, thePCO moves the CO toward a morebureaucratic function. There is adanger that the prescription ofregulations to such a degree maycreate “proceduralism”: an unduereliance on the following of setprocedures rather than a dynamicapplication of the principles oforderly governance set out in theCO. And then one wonders whythese particular articles are

SEPTEMBER 12, 2008 • 479

Consistories are to submittheir evaluation to theChurch Order Committee


associated with requiredprocedures and not others, such asclassical church visitation (Art 26PCO), ecumenical relations (Art 31PCO), and approval of additionalsongs (Art 35 PCO). May oneappeal a decision of a broaderassembly (Art 21e, 55) on thegrounds that the procedurerequired by an appendix was notfollowed to the letter?

Another item for considerationis the addition to the elder’s task ofpromoting “confessionally-Reformed schooling at all levels”(Art 17 PCO). The current COplaces the responsibility forReformed education on the parents,with the consistory ensuring that

parents “have their children attenda school where the instructiongiven is in harmony with the Wordof God as the church hassummarized it in her confessions”(Art 58 CO). The placement of thearticle on Christian schoolingindicates that education is seen inthe sequence of the reception ofinfants as members by baptism(Art 57) to their being brought tomaturity of faith and admission tothe Lord’s Supper (Art 60). Article 17PCO moves the pastoralresponsibility of the consistory as awhole from the context ofsacraments and communicantmembership to the specific dutiesof the elder. The task “to promote

confessionally-Reformed schoolingat all levels” belongs to parents inschool societies and cannot bededuced from Paul’s instruction toTimothy and Titus as belonging tothe specific calling of the elder.Promoting confessionally-Reformed schooling should not beincluded among the duties of theelder in Article 17 PCO nor as amatter for mutual oversight amongchurches (Article 25.d PCO).

1 The Proposed Church Order isincluded in the Report from theCommittee for the Promotion ofEcclesiastical Unity, pp.15-72:http://tinyurl.com/64lu5o.

Book ReviewReviewed by W.L. Bredenhof

Rev.W. L. Bredenhof is co-pastor ofthe Canadian Reformed Churchat Langley, British [email protected]

480 • SEPTEMBER 12, 2008

The Lost Soul of AmericanProtestantismD.G. Hart (Lanham: Rowman &Littlefield Publishers, Inc., 2002).Additional Information: Paperback,197 pages, $24.26 USD

For better or for worse,Canada’s biggest economic tradingpartner is also a significantinfluence on the character of manyof our churches. Particularly if youlive near the border with theUnited States, you can be sure thatAmerican radio programming andother influences are having theirimpact. Because this is so, it’shelpful for us to reflect on thehistory and character of AmericanProtestantism. How did things getto be the way they are? Thisthought-provoking book byOrthodox Presbyterian historianD.G. Hart is a helpful guide forsuch reflection.

Most historians of Americanreligion see a division between

evangelicalism and liberalism asthe defining feature ofProtestantism in the last century.Hart argues that this way ofviewing the history of AmericanChristianity fails to account for twoother major factors: revivalisticpietism and confessionalProtestantism. He argues furtherthat both evangelicalism andliberalism are heirs of revivalisticpietism, with their anti-clerical,anti-confessional, and anti-liturgical prejudices. So, if there isa division in AmericanProtestantism, Hart insists that it isactually between pietism andconfessionalism, or between neo-Protestants and paleo-Protestants.

Hart makes his case looking atthe struggles in a number ofconfessional, or previouslyconfessional churches. He does this

under the rubrics of confessions(Presbyterian), church governmentor polity (Reformed), and liturgy(Lutheran). In each case, there areprofound lessons to learn.

This is an important book chieflybecause it draws our attentionagain to the question of identity.Hart challenges us to consider thequestion freshly: what sorts ofchurches are we going to be? Arewe going to be confessionalchurches, defined by our creeds,polity, and liturgy (all shaped byScripture)? There are certainblessings we receive from ourAmerican neighbours, but carefulthought is needed before acceptingeverything labelled “Christian”from below the forty-ninth (and, Iwould hasten to add, frequentlyfrom above too). We need to keepgoing back to our own confessionalheritage, not because it’s old andold must be good, but because thatheritage keeps drawing us back toScripture where we find the gospelof our Lord Jesus.


As this column has developedover the last year and a half, it hasbecome more than simply anopportunity to pass on news fromvarious congregations. It has alsoproven to be a way of sharingworthwhile comments and insightsfound in local bulletins. In thatcategory I pass on what Rev. JohnSmith of Albany wrote in a pastoralcolumn earlier this year. He wrote,

Older catechism studentsoccasionally mention the issueof encountering blasphemy atschool or at work. I’ve draftedsome practical guidelines fordealing with blasphemy. Sincethis is an issue faced not onlyby the youth but by many of us,I’ve placed the guidelines in thebulletin. Perhaps they could bediscussed in the family circle.May they serve to “equip thesaints” for the edifying of thebody of Christ.

A little further in the bulletin werethe following Guidelines forDealing with Blasphemy:

Christians who enter a secularenvironment are oftenbombarded with blasphemy.They know that “God is angryalso with those who do notprevent and forbid it as much asthey can” (Lord’s Day 36, QA 100),but are not always sure how todeal with it. The followingguidelines are intended to givepractical assistance.

1. Realize that many people donot know that blasphemy iswrong/offensive. Kindly andcalmly request them not to doit, with a brief explanation (1Peter 3:15).

2. Persons in positions ofauthority (e.g. employers,teachers) ought to beaddressed privately andhumbly on the issue ofblasphemy so that theirhonour and authority is notcalled into question. It mightbe possible to request anemployer to make a policyforbidding employees toblaspheme.

3. It is better to be open aboutyour stance on blasphemyfrom the start, e.g. from thefirst day you start working ata new job, because it’s harderto start opposing it later ifyou have been silent at first.

4. Seek the support, advice,encouragement and prayersof fellow Christians,including peers, parents, andoffice bearers.

5. Be aware of the detrimentalimpact of repeatedblasphemy on your ownspiritual life, i.e. you maybecome desensitized to it. Asmuch as possible, choose anenvironment free fromblasphemy so that it retains

shock value for you (Canonsof Dort V, 2).

6. If people know your stancefull well, but deliberatelyblaspheme to antagonizeyou, do not throw pearlsbefore the swine (Matthew7:6), but keep silent and cryout to the Lord to defend Hisname because you are nolonger able to do so (2 Kings18:28-19:4).

7. Don’t use vulgar language asan alternative to blasphemy,for many consider the formermore offensive than thelatter, and it will discredityour testimony (seeEphesians 5:4).

8. Reacting to blasphemyshould not be the extent ofyour witness for Christ. Let itbe clear that your faithextends to all areas of yourlife by showing Christiancharacter and godly conduct(1 Peter 2:11,12).

9. Acknowledge your weaknessbefore God and ask Himconstantly for His grace andSpirit to strengthen you(Lord’s Day 45, QA 116).

Also of interest is what was foundin the Short Report of June 23, 2008of the Council of the EbenezerChurch in Burlington. It read,“A request by the EmpressApartments to use our parking lotfor parking 50 to 75 vehicles during

SEPTEMBER 12, 2008 • 481

E. Kampen

What’s New???Rev. E. Kampen is ministerof the Canadian ReformedChurch at Orangeville,[email protected]


the renovations of theirunderground parking garageduring July through September wastabled. Because of an earlierdecision to deny this request toothers and also liability issues,council denies this request.”

The need for a decision like thatreflects the times we live in. It mayseem like a neighbourly gesture togrant such a request. Yet, churchesneed to be careful in how theirfacilities are being used. If achurch allowed any of its facilitiesto be used for a function notnecessarily against but also notfully in keeping with the purpose ofthe church, it may find itselfcharged with discrimination if itrefuses the use of its facilities toorganizations that actuallycontradict the purpose of thechurch. This all has to do with thefact that a church is a charity andfalls under the rules andregulations pertaining to charities.In this respect it may beworthwhile to point out thatchurches cannot give preferentialrates to members for private orfamily functions. The church as acharity does not belong to itsmembers but is an entity on its ownand is considered public property.This is immediately clear if oneconsiders what would happen if achurch would cease to exist. Theassets could not be divided amongthe members but must go toanother charity. Churches woulddo well to have a clearly defined

facilities usage policy and stick toit. It appears that the Council of theEbenezer Church in Burlington hasthought these things throughcarefully.

Perhaps in the same vein iswhat churches include in theirlocal bulletins. Having perusednumerous bulletins over the lasttwo years, it has struck me howmany bulletins include extensiveinformation about the schools andother organizations in terms ofpress releases of board meetings,appeals for funds, and oftenextensive financial details. Besidethese are items calling themembers to political involvement.At times these various items candominate local bulletins. As

various churches have adoptedfacility usage policies and as thelatest general synod even modifiedthe article pertaining to marriagein order to avoid potential legalproblems, it may be time thatchurches have a good look atbulletin policies. The easiestsolution would seem to be to let thevarious organizations promotetheir own cause via their ownmeans of communication(newsletters; e-letters) and to letthe church bulletins deal withmatters that truly pertain to the lifeof the local congregation.

It would seem that this issufficient food for thought till thenext, “What’s New?”

482 • SEPTEMBER 12, 2008


PSALM 112 (Geneva, 1562)1. Come, praise the LORD! Let all revere Him.

How blessed is the man who fears Him,Who in the LORD’s commands takes pleasure.His offspring, blest in equal measure,Will be the mighty in the nation,A truly upright generation.

2. Abundant riches fill his dwelling;Firm stands his justice, never failing.As after night comes morning brightness,Light dawns for him who loves uprightness;All gloom and darkness it displacesFor the compassionate and gracious.

3 All’s well with him whose generous lendingGives joy to those on him depending;Who, his trustworthiness revealing,Lets justice govern all his dealings.The righteous one shall never waver;His praises will be sung forever.

4. With steadfast heart in God confiding,He has no fear of evil tidings;He in the end with exultationWill greet his foe’s humiliation.His gifts he on the poor will shower;Great are his honour and his power.

5. The just will thrive in his endeavours;His righteousness endures forever.The wicked sees it with vexation;His teeth he gnashes in frustration.The schemes and hopes that he may cherishAre sure to fail and doomed to perish.

© 2006, William Helder

PSALM 122 (Geneva, 1551)1. My heart exulted! I was glad

When I heard eager voices call,“Come, let us go now, one and all,To Zion, to the house of God.”Our journey has been richly blest,For, O Jerusalem, at lastOur feet within your gates are standing!Jerusalem! We stood in aweWhen we your strength and beauty sawWhile to your citadels ascending.

2. Jerusalem, designed so well,Is built as close-knit unity;There flock together joyfullyThe tribes and clans of Israel.They to Jerusalem ascend,According to the LORD’s command,To thank Him with their adoration.For there are set the royal thronesOf David’s house, and there his sonsWith righteous judgments rule the nation.

3. Pray that Jerusalem be blest:“May peace prevail within your walls,And safety in your citadels.May those who love you there find rest.”Now for the sake of friends and kin,Jerusalem, I say again:“May lasting peace be yours to cherish.”And mindful that the God of graceHas in your midst His dwelling place,I pray that you may thrive and flourish.

© 2003, William Helder

SEPTEMBER 12, 2008 • 483

Revised by W. Helder

Psalm 112 and 122


In 1970, the Canadian ReformedChurch of NewWestminster (nowthe Maranatha church at Surrey,British Columbia) beganmissionary work in the country ofBrazil. In September of that year,the congregation gathered to sayfarewell to Reverend C. VanSpronsen and his family, as theydeparted to begin their task in thatwork. Since then, a number ofministers have served (Revs. R.F.Boersema, P. K. Meijer, and E.Venema) and Rev. K. Wieske is stillserving there. Now, thirty-eightyears later, on April 6th, 2008, theMaranatha congregation, alongwith members of the supportingchurches in the Fraser Valley,again gathered to send Rev.Van Spronsen to Brazil. This timeit was Rev. J. Van Spronsen, the sonof Maranatha’s first missionary.The church building was filledto capacity.

The Chairman of the MaranathaMission Board, Br. J. Vanderstoep,served as MC. He opened theevening by reading from 2Corinthians 5:11-21. Thecongregation sang Hymn 29:1 and 2and Br. Vanderstoep led in prayer.

After a brief word of welcome,Rev. Van Spronsen was asked togive a presentation on hispreparatory studies for the missionwork. He showed the gathering a

slide show of the various aspects ofhis preparation. The Van Spronsenfamily had packed up their bags,said farewell to the congregationin Smithers, and after someholidays and visiting with family,Rev. Van Spronsen was installed asSurrey’s minister on August 19,2008. Shortly thereafter the familyheaded for Ontario. Rev. VanSpronsen acknowledged the mercyof the Lord as they were providedwith a house to live in andfurniture and other householdgoods to use. A number ofindividuals were responsible forlooking after this, but he madespecial mention of his wife’s sister,Alisa Roukema, whose husband isenrolled at the TheologicalCollege, and his brother Ted, alsoat the College. Rev. Van Spronsenspoke about the Missiology coursetaken with Dr. de Visser at theTheological College, as well as thecross-cultural and languageacquisition courses offered atMissionPrep in Toronto. He thenwent on to tell us of his travels toHolland to interact with and learnfrom several Dutch brothersexperienced in missions. Afterapproximately six months oftraining, the Van Spronsen familyreturned to the Lower Mainland forsix weeks, where again they werewell provided for due to the

generosity of various members ofthe churches. The presentation wasinterspersed with various picturesof the family in the various homesand activities during the timeof preparation.

After an opportunity forquestions by the assembled guests,Maranatha’s choir, Jubilate Deo,sang a couple of songs, one of themin the Van Spronsen’s newlanguage of Portuguese. Sprinkledbetween various otherpresentations, a number of letterswere read, sent to the MissionBoard by supporting churches thatwere unable to attend the evening.Delegates of supporting churchesthat were able to attend also tooktheir turn addressing the VanSpronsen family and wishing themGod’s blessing on their workin Brazil.

Maranatha’s Thursday MorningWomen’s Bible Study Group, aidedby a number of people from theaudience, gave Rev. Van Spronsena comical insight into what atypical day will be like for him inBrazil. Mission Aid Brazil,represented by its chairman, Br.Ed Louwerse, expressed its bestwishes to the family. A slidepresentation provided manypictures of the people,congregations and activities thatawait the Van Spronsens in Brazil.

D. Vanderstoep

Farewell toRev. Julius Van Spronsenand family

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94421t_57n19:Clarion 9/3/08 11:14 AM Page 484

The assembled audience thenwatched a video clip, sent by Rev.Wieske, Maranatha’s othermissionary in Brazil, expressing awarm welcome to the VanSpronsens and to tell them howmuch the Wieske family and thechurches in Brazil are lookingforward to their arrival.

Rev. C. Van Spronsen then wentto the front of the church, to speakin a number of capacities: asMaranatha’s first missionary, asMaranatha’s minister emeritus,and lastly, as the father of

Maranatha’s new missionary. Hespoke of his own father’s (also a J.M. Van Spronsen) desire to go intothe ministry, specifically missionwork. That was not possible, butnow a third generation was aboutto leave for a foreign country forthat very purpose.

Maranatha’s minister, Rev. J.Van Vliet, then spoke on behalf ofthe council and congregation. Giftswere presented to the VanSpronsen children and the promiseof a gift for Rev. and Mrs. Van

Spronsen once the family hassettled into their new home.

This brought the formal part ofthe evening to a close. Psalm 134:1,2, and 3 was sung, after which Rev.J. Van Spronsen closed in prayer.Everyone was then inviteddownstairs for the social part of theevening where the congregationand guests could personally saygoodbye to the Van Spronsens.

The Van Spronsens left forBrazil the following Tuesday andtook up their task in Brazil.

SEPTEMBER 12, 2008 • 485


This is the first PeregrineSurvey of the school year and itdraws attention to milestones ofGod’s grace, common struggles,some fresh ideas, and a few newprograms. Some of you noticed thatEducation Matters appears lessfrequently than before. This is notbecause there is little left to say –education always develops – butwe share the pages of Clarion withmany others and are still receivingthe same amount of space we hadwhen we started eight years ago. Itjust happened that sometimes wegot away with a little extra.

Maranatha Christian School inFergus and Dufferin Area ChristianSchool in Laurel completed theirfortieth year of instruction this pastJune. If my information is correct,Dufferin Christian School inCarman and Eben Ezer ChristianSchool in Chatham completed theirthirty-fifth year of operation, andCredo Christian High School inLangley its thirtieth year. Moredetails about the way this was orwill be celebrated locally may beforthcoming, but at Maranatha itwas done with an open house, afew brief presentations, theunveiling of a new school logo andsign, and the preparation of a timecapsule. At DACS, it will becommemorated in conjunction withthe opening of its latest buildingaddition, a gym. We need not doubtthat in all cases ample attentionwill be given to the incredibleblessings of the Lord by which thisunfunded or under-funded

education could come off theground and be maintained.

Clarion continues to giveevidence that not all teachingpositions in our schools are easilyfilled. Some schools have had topiece full time positions togetherwith the help of a number of part-time teachers, while otherscontinue to look for full time orpart-time staff. Among others, thisunderlines the value of our ownteacher training institution,CCRTC in Hamilton. The shortagein BC has helped its College ofTeachers to change certificationrequirements from a five-year posthigh-school degree to a four-yeardegree. The new degree mustinclude at least forty-eight credithours of education courses,including a government recognizedpracticum. CCRTC is introducingsome changes to its practicums aswell, with the biggest differencebeing that the last practicum onstudents in both the one- and thethree-year programs will beextended from three to four weeksand be treated more as aninduction in the teachingprofession.

Last spring, one boardchairman expressed unease aboutthe recent election andappointment of office bearers.Although we recognize themagnitude and importance of thetask of office-bearers, we also arefaced with the hard reality thatproficiency in the responsibilitiesinvolved with the school boardtakes time to develop. To have

those talents removed before thecompletion of a board members’term leaves a vacuum requiringtime to restore. This chairmanexpressed a sentiment that wasvoiced in a number of other schoolbulletins as well. Although thesecomments may sound critical oflocal councils, they acknowledgethat a board member may feel tornand forced to resign because ofelection and appointment to aspecial office. Aside from potentialconflicts of interest generated bywearing multiple leadership hats,a function in both is just notfeasible for most. The brother mayhave a family to care for, beemployed full time, and needs tobe able to rest on the Sabbath.Unlike school boards, who are notin the habit of nominating brotherswho serve as elder or deacon –although they may do it when theirterm is nearly up – councils dooccasionally nominate brothersstill serving on school boards.Some boards have, at times,requested councils to at leastconsider not nominating suchbrothers. Councils may also giveconsideration to the need for abreak after a term or two on councilor board, special requirements atwork or circumstances in thefamily, or the pursuit of furthereducation. There also is the realitythat personal overload leads toincomplete work on all counts,together with the associated senseof dissatisfaction and even guilt.

As church office is clearlyinstituted by God, and schools are

Keith Sikkema

Peregrine SurveyMr. Keith Sikkema is principalof Dufferin Area ChristianSchool in Orangeville, [email protected]

486 • SEPTEMBER 12, 2008


man-made and culturallydeveloped institutions, it is easy toargue that a calling to churchoffice should take precedence overschool board membership. Bothseek the type of person who iscommitted to the Lord and hispeople and who could best usetheir talents in leadershipfunctions. For both, a longer termresults in more experience andcontinuity and benefits the body onwhich they serve as well as itslong-term cause and effectiveness.Article 58 of our Church Order doesnot explicitly say this, but theconsistory’s interest in theexistence of good schools wouldsupport the notion that it shouldnot undermine the school’s properfunction. For councils andconsistories, Scripture is clear thatthese offices should be filled bymen. For school board functions,however, an expectation that theybe men may be a stance supportedby tradition and community cultureonly. Perhaps it is time to considerwhether we could use our ladies’leadership gifts for school boards,and to develop a longer-termleadership-needs perspective thatallows some brothers to stick tocouncil work.

If boards are looking at waysto replenish their membershipwith some fresh ideas, they mayalso want to check outhttp://www.scsbc.ca/link/may08_web.pdf. I quote:

Bringing a new member ontoyour board is like putting acatfish in a cod tank. Someboards can become so familiarwith each other, they fall intosloppy patterns. A new playerat the table often asksquestions, challenges the statusquo, and keeps everyone “ontheir toes.” While it may createsome discomfort, new inquiriesand ideas provoke the board toreflect, to re-examine, and re-affirm. These are healthy stepstoward governance excellence.

To fully get the “catfish in a codtank” analogy, please go to thewebsite. The article continues witha list of things one can do to findthe people the board needs asdirectors, in which recruiting forspecific skills or talents andexperience stand out. It suresounds more convincing, it seems,to be nominated for a boardposition if it is for specific talentsone may have, than for a vagueneed for a warm body to fill avacant position.

While most schools still start onthe Tuesday after Labour Day, Inoticed at least two calendars witha start the week before. In Ontario,the Ministry of Educationregulations call for 950 hours ofinstruction and, for 2008-2009,identifies 194 potential daysbetween Labour Day and the end ofJune on which to teach them. Ofthose 194 days, several may orshould be used for professionalactivities such as curriculumdevelopment and conventions. It isnot unusual for schools to schedulewell beyond the 950 hours,especially in view of unscheduledmissed days due to snow, ice, or fog.

Among the programs taught andconsidered at our schools,Apologetics has been getting someextra attention after the secondInternational Conference forReformed Education, held inSumas, Washington, in September,2007. At that time, an internationalbody (with members from Australia,Canada, and The Netherlands) wasestablished to develop course andresource materials for this purpose.This work is ongoing and may wellresult in some public elaboration inthe course of this year. With someconnection, early in 2008 CCRTCalready hosted a number ofconferences in which relatedaspects were discussed andteachers at Guido de Brès ChristianHigh School in Hamilton will beaddressing elements of the topic instaff development discussions.

Another new program isstarting at Maranatha ChristianSchool. It aims to get an after-school mentoring program off theground this fall, which provides anopportunity for a student to meetwith a mentor from the communityonce a week to assist him withvarious aspects of school, be itacademics, study habits, ororganizational skills. Recognizingthat education of our children is aparent responsibility, the mentorwill be seen as an assistant of boththe parents and teacher, replacingneither. Students will not beassessed or evaluated in any way.The only long term goal we hope tonotice is an increase in a student’sconfidence regarding their workand their enjoyment of school. Wepray that the Lord will usemembers of our church communityto assist one another in this task.

We are not finished resolvingall the issues in education and itsgovernance and as we findsolutions to one challenge, anotherone may pop up. There are alwaysthings we can consult one anotherabout, as bringing up the childrenthe Lord gives us is a task thatremains and will develop until Hereturns. It is essential that we keepour eyes focused on the purpose forwhich our schools wereestablished and do the best wecan. May we expect the blessings(and there are many, even in thechallenges we face!) from the Lordonly, who gave us this task in thefirst place.

The Education Matters column issponsored by the CanadianReformed Teachers' AssociationEast. Anyone wishing to respond toan article written or willing towrite an article is kindly asked tosend materials to Clarion or toOtto [email protected]

SEPTEMBER 12, 2008 • 487


488 • SEPTEMBER 12, 2008

This month we have several birthdays to celebrate.From this magazine we extend to you our wishes.Congratulations to all of you. We are so thankful to theLord that He has given you another year and we hopeyou have a wonderful day celebrating with family andfriends. We also want you to know that your churchfamily, from across Canada and the United States,keep you in their thoughts and prayers as well. Weextend to you the wish that you will go forward in yourwalk as a Christian keeping in step with the Spirit.

Birthdays are a great time. They are the start of anew year, a new beginning. You go from being oneage to the next. Something different and somethingnew. Our lives as Christians are much the same.Through the work of the Spirit we are being renewedin God’s image. Daily we put off our old, sinful selfand put on our new, cleansed self. Paul says inGalatians that part of being a renewed person isbeing someone who is self controlled. Self-controlmeans that as a new person we do not give in to ourold sinful ways. Perhaps we have trouble with ourtemper? Or perhaps we like to gobble up too manybaked goodies? Or perhaps we like to stay too long inour beds in the morning?

But it is not only in the sinful areas of life that wemust control ourselves against, we must also becareful to control ourselves in things we are allowedto do. Sometimes with our mouths we can say wordsthat encourage someone, but we can also lose controlof our words and with them we hurt people’s feelings.We must always be careful and control ourselves inevery situation. As we are being renewed day by day,God’s spirit will work this self-control in us. For thegrace of God “teaches us to say ‘No’ to ungodlinessand worldly passions, and to live self-controlled,upright and godly lives in this present age, while wewait for the blessed hope – the glorious appearing ofour great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, who gavehimself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and topurify for himself a people that are his very own,eager to do what is good” (Titus 2:12-14).

Omay this bounteous GodThrough all our life be near us,With ever joyful heartsAnd blessed peace to cheer us;And keep us in his grace,And guide us when perplexed,And free us from all illsOf this world in the next.

Hymn 65:2

Birthdays in October:3 JANELL DEBOER will be 18

6311 Silver Street, RR #2, St. Ann’s, ON L0R 1Y0

6 HENRY VANDER VLIET will be 41Anchor Home361 Thirty Road, RR # 2, Beamsville, ON L0R 1B2

12 LEONA BARENDREGT will be 25Box 2184, Smithers, BC V0J 2N0

13 NANCY SCHIPPER will be 52653 Broad Street West, Dunnville, ON N1A 1T8

17 ALAN BREUKELMAN will be 42225 – 19th Street, Coaldale, AB T1M 1G4

22 NELENA HOFSINK will be 48Bethesda Clearbrook Home32553 Willingdon Crescent, Clearbrook, BC V2T 1S2

28 MARY ANN DEWIT will be 5231126 Kingfisher Drive, Abbotsford, BC V2T 5K4

We hope you all have a wonderful day!Till next month,

Mrs. C. Gelms and Mrs. P. Gelms548 Kemp Road East, RR 2, Beamsville, ON LOR 1B2

Phone: 905-563-0380Email: [email protected]

Ray of SunshineRay of SunshineBy Mrs. Corinne Gelms and Mrs. Patricia Gelms

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness,faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such there is no law.

Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.”

Galatians 5:22, 23, 25


Hospitable spiritAs representatives of our

Committee for Contact withChurches in North America(CCCNA), Br. Jacob Kuik and Iarrived in Beaver Falls in the earlyevening of Monday, June 23.Though we were too late to take inthe formal opening of Synod, wenevertheless were warmlywelcomed by delegates who sawus arrive. That warm and friendlyspirit was something we feltcontinually throughout our visitand which we very muchappreciated. By coincidence webumped into Rev. Bruce Parnell,chairman of the Inter-churchRelations Committee (IRC) of theReformed Presbyterian Church ofNorth America (RPCNA) and hemade us feel very much at home.He took the time to show us ouraccommodations and even took usout for dinner, all of which showedto us the value the RPCNA placeson the developing relationshipwith the Canadian ReformedChurches (CanRC).

The synod experienceFor the next two days, Br. Kuik

and I sat in on the sessions of the177th (annual) Synod of the RPCNA.It is markedly different from our

own general synods. Our generalsynod has twenty-four delegates, ahandful of fraternal delegates, anda small crowd of observers. Thoughthe RPCNA is smaller than ourfederation (some 6000 members intotal spread over approximatelyseventy congregations), eachchurch normally delegates a pastorand one elder. Add to that thetheological students and fraternaldelegates on hand to observe theproceedings and you find yourselfin a room filled with over 130 men!This does not include the “gallery”of observers at the back of theroom. It is a full room of delegates,which means that practicallyspeaking, much of the detailedbusiness of the synod is conductedoff the floor in appointedcommittees. Plenary discussionsare limited to comments about thebasic direction of committeereports while most commentsabout finer issues are passeddirectly on to the committee. Themoderator of the synod has achallenging task to keep thebusiness of Synod flowingsmoothly and in a timely fashion.Each issue is settled by oral vote of“Aye” or “Nay.” When the sound istoo difficult to distinguish, themoderator will call for a “division”and have all votes counted as

delegates stand up. For a body thatsize, it is an effective way toconduct the affairs of the church.

Synod is not all “business,”however. Each day’s session beganwith a devotional service involvingthe preaching of the Word. There isa prayer before each break. Inaddition, there were also speciallydesignated times of intercessoryprayer in which a list of itemswhich Synod was dealing withwould be the subject of prayer.These longer periods of prayerinvolved breaking up randomlyinto small groups of three or foursitting close together. Each personin the group would take anopportunity to address matters inprayer. At one point, after Synodheard from the fraternal andobserving delegates, also theCanRC was prayed for! In additionto preaching and prayer there wasalso much singing of the Psalmswithout musical accompaniment,as is the practice in the RPCNA.One cannot leave without thefeeling of a group of men sincerelycommitted to the worship of theLord and the service of his church.

Topics under discussionOne of the biggest topics up for

debate and discussion was therevision of the Directory for

SEPTEMBER 12, 2008 • 489

Summary of Visit to the 177th Synodof the Reformed Presbyterian Churchof North Americaheld in Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania,June 23-27, 2008


490 • SEPTEMBER 12, 2008

Worship. Close behind that was thesubject of the revision of the psalmlyrics and tunes in an effort tobring them up to date, accurate tothe biblical text and inunderstandable language. As onemight imagine, these were “hot”topics since they touch the week-to-week service of the church. It wasencouraging to witness anotherpsalm-loving church taking suchcare to preserve and promote thesinging of the Psalms for the futureby way of a careful revision. Thevigorous debates over the bestkinds of alterations to make both inthe Directory and the Psaltershowed that the regulativeprinciple of worship mandated inthe Westminster Standards (seealso our Heidelberg Catechism,Lord’s Day 35) is alive and well.

The RPCNA also takes seriouslythe calling to witness to the world,both locally and abroad. They areinvolved in numerous churchplants within North America andalso have growing mission worksin Japan, Cyprus, and Sudan. Aswell, they have becomeincreasingly involved in the samefar-eastern country as we havethrough our home missionary inthe Fraser Valley. Discussions withdelegates involved in that workshowed an almost identicalapproach to the work there. Theyexpressed an interest indiscussing this work with ourpeople who are on the front lines ofit. I have since put them in touchwith each other. This is a clearexample of one potential area ofcooperation with each other. At thevery least, we can learn from eachother and perhaps help each otheravoid mistakes.

The RPCNA also has one pastordedicated to serving within the USmilitary as a chaplain. He made itclear that he has all the freedom tospeak about the gospel of JesusChrist in accordance with hisReformed convictions. This work isbeing done in coordination withthe United Reformed Churches ofNorth America (URCNA) and oneother Presbyterian church body.The military chaplain was on handto address Synod and stressed howgreat an opportunity there is in theUS military to witness for Christ.There are many lost and hungrypeople. It made me think that thismay be an area the CanRC couldinvestigate with respect toestablishing a chaplaincy withinthe Canadian Armed Forces.

Addressing SynodAs one of the invited observers

to Synod, I was called upon tobriefly address the body and givesome information as to life in theCanRC. I took the opportunity toinform the delegates about mattersof mutual interest such as the stateof our relationship with theURCNA, the growing mission workin Brazil, the present revision ofpsalm lyrics in the Anglo-GenevanPsalter as well as our recentapplication for membership inNAPARC.

With a view to developing ourrelationship, I suggested andencouraged the following areas forpossible practical cooperation witheach other: 1. Building ties betweenour local churches in Denver,Ottawa, and Guelph/Kitchenerwith a special eye towardcovenantal Reformed education forschool children; 2. Work together orshare ideas in local evangelism

and church plants; 3. Share ideasand perhaps work together in thefar-eastern country in which weeach are currently busy. Fromcomments afterward it appearedthat the address was well-receivedand that there is a desire amongthe RPCNA to further get to knowour federation.

Meetings of presbyteriesSince all churches are

represented at Synod, delegatesmake the most of their timetogether by also meetingseparately as local presbyteries.We were able to sit in on a coupleof different meetings and were ableto witness various stages ofexamination for men wishing tobecome ministers in the RPCNA.Some were at the beginning stage,seeking to be placed “under thecare of presbytery,” and others wereseeking to enter as full-fledgedministers from anotherdenomination altogether. Therange of questions asked duringthe portions of the exams weobserved seemed to parallel thekinds of questions either aconsistory or a classis might ask ofaspiring students or candidates inour midst. I also heard a candidatepresent an Old Testament sermonthat was Christ-centered, text-specific, and adroitly applied. Whatbecame clear is that in their systemthere is, right from the beginning,close involvement and scrutiny bythe local session and presbyterywith and over the student. Thisofficial involvement begins prior tothe student’s formal education andcontinues until he sustains his finalexam to become a minister (shouldthe Lord grant that).


Meetings with the Inter-Church Relations Committee

We also had two very goodmeetings with the IRC of theRPCNA. We appreciated theiropenness and the frankdiscussions we could have. Inaccordance with our committeemandate from Synod Smithers 2007,we asked questions aboutexclusive psalmody, women in theoffice of deacon, and the position oftheir Testimony and some of itscontents. They responded withclear answers based on exegesis ofScripture passages and referred toparts of the Testimony and the

Constitution for furtherclarification of their position onthese matters. They in turn askedquestions about the CanRC andour views on various items. Br. Kuikand I have reported extensively onthese meetings in a separateaccount. The outcome of these andother discussions with the RPCNAwill be published once ourcommittee (CCCNA) has finishedits report for General Synod 2010.

ConclusionAfter taking our leave early on

June 26, Brother Kuik and I couldlook back with much favour upon

our time at the RPCNA synod.Personal interactions in addition toall our observations were pleasantand informative. Many weregenuinely interested in Canadaand the CanRC. We felt essentiallyon the “same page” with thesebrethren and were very glad ofthat. Indeed it is good and pleasantwhen brothers dwell in unity! Maythe Lord continue to bless ourrelationship that we may beservants of one another in themutual goal to advance Christ’skingdom and glorify our God!

Respectfully submitted,Peter H. Holtvlüwer

SEPTEMBER 12, 2008 • 491


492 • SEPTEMBER 12, 2008

Oh, give thanks to the LORD, for He is good! For His mercy enduresforever. Psalm 136:1

With thankfulness to our Heavenly Father for blessing us with thisgreat gift, we joyfully announce the birth of our son

JAMES MORRISJAMES MORRISBorn: July 4, 2008

Jack and Jennifer ThalenLovingly welcomed by older siblings: Alexander, Peter, and Henrietta

11th grandchild for Alex and Henny Thalen26th grandchild for Peter and Henrietta Jonker6899 Wellington Road 7, Elora, ON N0B 1S0

[email protected]

Praise God from whom all blessings flow.With great thankfulness to our Heavenly Father who has made all

well, we joyfully announce the birth of our first daughterwhom we have named

KAITLYN JOANNEKAITLYN JOANNEBorn August 13, 2008

Thankful parents Herman and Jolene DeHaan1st grandchild for John and Joanne Schulenberg

17th grandchild for Griet Schuurman and the late Koob DeHaan14th great-grandchild for Alida Jansema

7854 Canboro Road, Dunnville Ontario N1A 2W1

Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances,for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.

II Thessalonians 5:16-18With joy and thanks to the Lord, we wish to announce

our wedding

ANJA VAN SPIJKERANJA VAN SPIJKER

toto

DAVE VAN DER WELLEDAVE VAN DER WELLEThe ceremony will take place, the Lord willing, on

September 20, 2008 in Hasselt, NetherlandsFuture address: Roskam 15, 8061 LW Hasselt, Netherlands

25th Wedding Anniversary1983 ~ October 7 ~2008

The LORD has done great things for us, and we are filled with joy.Psalm 126:3

With thanks to our faithful Father, we announce the25th Wedding Anniversary of our parents

STANSTAN andand IRENE VIERSEN (IRENE VIERSEN (VandeburgtVandeburgt))Neerlandia, AB: Arnold

KarenJamesAnnettePeterBenjamin

Box 106, Neerlandia, AB T0G 1R0

50th Wedding AnniversaryOctober 11, 1958 ~ October 11, 2008

I will counsel you and watch over you. Psalm 32:8bWith these words the Lord has blessed our parents

and grandparents

DIRKDIRK andand ANNEMARIE BERGSMAANNEMARIE BERGSMA (nee Lindhout)(nee Lindhout)with 50 years of marriage. We acknowledge God’s constant

care and guidance in their lives, and pray thatHe will continue to bless them and cause them to be a

blessing among us.Their thankful children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren:Winnipeg, MB: Karen and Jan Nobel

Teresa and David GortemakerJoel, Alexis, Brooklyn

Beamsville, ON: Derek and Amanda NobelAiden

Winnipeg, MB: Daniel and Desiree NobelLandon, Brody

Helena and Justin RaapAngelina Nobel and Jordan Vanderveen

London, ON: Richard and Marjorie BergsmaWes, Hannah, Jessica, Joel, Olivia

Dunnville, ON: Marianne and Edward SlaaJonathan, Annemarie, Fraser, Kenton,Raelene

Yarrow, BC: Heather and Richard AikemaJaneanne, Matthew, Leasa

128 St. Clair Crescent, London, ON N6J [email protected]

ANNIVERSARIES

WEDDINGS

Advertisements:Advertisements:Announcements of Weddings, Anniversaries (withOpen House) should be submitted six weeks in advance.

Clarion Advertisements

BIRTHS

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SEPTEMBER 12, 2008 • 493

Houwerzijl, GR, The Netherlands Brampton, ONDecember 31, 1910 August 7, 2008Whom have I in heaven but you? And earth has nothing I desire

besides you. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strengthof my heart and my portion forever. Psalm 73:25, 26

At the time determined before the foundations of the earth theLord took from us and unto Himself, into her eternal dwelling,our beloved Mother, Grandmother and Great-grandmother

THERESA BOUWKAMP (THERESA BOUWKAMP (WesterhoekWesterhoek))Widow of Frederikus G. Bouwkamp since August 17, 1985.In his infinite wisdom the Lord also took unto Himself their

three children:Peter (1965), Diana (1982), Jack (1995)

Throughout the joys and sorrows of her life she richlyexperienced the nearness and enabling grace of our gracious

Father in our Lord Jesus Christ.Richmond Hill, ON: Frank and Jenny Kampen (nee de Leeuw)

Gerald and Theresa BootDiane and William den Hollander

Winnipeg, MB: Eleanor and Mark den HollanderRichmond Hill, ON: John, Caroline Boot and

Dennis VanderVeen, Sarah, Steve, KimAndrew and Yvonne Kampen

Krystle Kampen and Paul den HollanderBrandon Kampen and Elysha StattonTrevor, Evan

Fred and Anita KampenRobyn, Madison, Colin, Levi

Coaldale, AB: Irene and Howard LeffersNadia

Richmond Hill, ON: Anthony and Toni KampenBen, Rachel, Justin, Seth

Coaldale, AB: Judy Bouwkamp (nee Smid)Taber, AB: Peter and Jennifer Bouwkamp

Jack, Victoria, Nickolas, DianaCoaldale, AB: Deb and Larry Cajka

Jesse, Ryan, CarlyPaul Bouwkamp

SteveEdmonton, AB: Dave and Carey Bouwkamp

Corresponding address:15A Wainwright Avenue, Richmond Hill, ON L4C 5R4

[email protected]

50th Wedding Anniversary

Then Job answered the LORD,and said, Behold, I am vile;what shall I answer Thee?I will lay mine hand upon

my mouth.Once have I spoken;

but I will not answer: yea,twice; but I will proceed

no further.Job 40:3-5 KJV

1958 ~ September 22 ~ 2008Stand still, and consider

the wondrous works of God.Job 37:14

With joy and thankfulness to the triune God we are pleasedto announce the 50th Wedding Anniversary of our

parents and grandparents

DIRKDIRK andand NEELTJE ONDERWATERNEELTJE ONDERWATERIngrid and Jack Dykstra

Randy, Leslie, Stephen, Edward, Ronald and BrandonRichard and Ingrid Onderwater

Candice and Ben, Carmen, Colton, Maxwell, TyrrellDavid and Annette Onderwater

Vanessa, Colin, Meghan, Allison, Paige, Zachary, JoshuaJohn Onderwater

Sean, Constance, Rachel, JuliaHelena and Andrew Bolhuis

David John, Elisa Lee, Serena Maree, Jonathan Dirk,Christopher Drew

Sandra and John FlokstraHope Magnolia, Levi Christian and Zeriel Samuel

Matthew and Stacey OnderwaterLogan George, Hailey Neeltje, Thys Dirk

45300 Bernard Avenue, Chilliwack, BC V2P 1H4

December 31, 1910 – August 7, 2008In righteousness I will see your face; when I awake, I will be

satisfied with seeing your likeness. Psalm 17:15The Lord took to Himself

OMA BOUWKAMP (OMA BOUWKAMP (Theresa BouwkampTheresa Bouwkamp))She will be dearly missed by:Peter and Jennifer Bouwkamp

Jack, VictoriaNicholas and Diana

OBITUARIESANNIVERSARIES

Subscribe to

[email protected]


494 • SEPTEMBER 12, 2008

OBITUARIES

The Lord called home to Himself, our beloved Husband, Father, Opa and Great-Opa

HENDRIK HEETEBRIJHENDRIK HEETEBRIJ

Vollenhove, Netherlands March 8th, 1924 – Chilliwack, British Columbia August 3rd, 2008

Dear husband of Annigje Heetebrij (nee Kuipers) for 59 years.

Want deze God is onze God, Hij is ons deel, ons zalig lot,Door tijd nog eeuwigheid te scheiden Ter dood toe zal Hij ons geleiden.

For this God is our God forever and ever. He will be our guide even unto death. Psalm 48:14

Corresponding address:Mrs. H. Heetebrij

9648 Pelly Road, Chilliwack, BC V2P [email protected]

Yarrow, BC: Jenny and Ben JanzenNadine and Chris Bouldman

Seth, CarterKevin and Adria Janzen

Travis, Ryan, SabrinaAldergrove, BC: Natasha Janzen

Brian and Audrey JanzenCohen

Yarrow, BC: Amy and Eric WhiteleyTyler, Hailey, Kayla

Melanie and Jared EmeryDarryl Janzen and Melisa BuellCandace Janzen

Chilliwack, BC: Henk and Margita HeetebrijSurrey, BC: David HeetebrijAldergrove, BC: Laural HeetebrijAbbotsford, BC: Thomas HeetebrijCalgary, AB: Joanne Trottier and Lawrence Rault

Michelle and Nick VaccaroElijah

Ryan TrottierMike Trottier

Taber, AB: Alice and John BaremanSelby and Anna Bareman

Emily, Mika†, Jill, Robyn, NaomiTravis and Natalie Bareman

GavinJoel Bareman

Cloverdale, BC: Nora and Rick Van OeneAldergrove, BC: Will and Sheree Van Oene

Kassidy, Ryan, Ellison, CarsonBrad and Jackie Van Oene

Cole, Nathan, Jaxon

Cloverdale, BC: Tony and Geri Van OeneSarah, Logan, Courtney, Jordyn, Austin

Dennis and Melanie Van OeneEric, Megan

Chilliwack, BC: Steve and Sarah Van OeneAbigail, Juliana

Coaldale, AB: Ben and Shannon Van OeneCranbrook, BC: John and Marilyn Heetebrij

Richie and Amber HeetebrijKaylee, Brandon, Michael

Chilliwack, BC: Heidi and Todd BaileyDominic

Joni and Ryan ShembriJenna, Mackayla

Gordie HeetebrijMichelle Heetebrij and John Messier

Grace and Clint RascobWes Dekker

Abbotsford, BC: Dan and Danielle DekkerTaylor

Chilliwack, BC: Angela and Chad HelmerJordan

Mark DekkerBert and Henriette Heetebrij

Leon Heetebrij and Catherine leGrandTessa HeetebrijBritanni Heetebrij and Jayden KuikMichael HeetebrijNick HeetebrijLuke Heetebrij


SEPTEMBER 12, 2008 • 495

June 5, 2008 – August 24, 2008

SOPHIA RAYNE OVERBEEKSOPHIA RAYNE OVERBEEK

Vrs. 16. . . Let the children come to me and do not forbid them;for such is the kingdom of God. Luke 18:15-17 NKJV

At the age of 10 weeks the Lord in his infinite wisdom hastaken unto Himself our beloved great-grandaughter,

granddaughter, niece and cousin.We pray that the Lord will continue to give comfort and

strength to Jerome, Charlotte and Shyann with thewords of Lord’s Day 1.Great Oma Overbeek

Opa and Oma Overbeek

George Overbeek,Ashley, Kyle and Jamie Ferguson

Kiera

Marion Overbeek

Carolin and Clarence KamphuisJustin Kamphuis and Rebecca Hulst

TravisWesley Kamphuis and Chelsea TenHage

Braden

Josie and Len Werkman

Neil OverbeekOrangeville, 2008

June 5, 2008 – August 24, 2008. . .Let the little children come to me and do not hinder them, for the

Kingdom of God belongs to such as these. . .. . .and He took the children in his arms, put his hands on them and

blessed them. Mark 10:14-16 NIVThe Lord took to Himself our sweet little daughter

SOPHIA RAYNE OVERBEEKSOPHIA RAYNE OVERBEEKat the age of 10 weeks.

She will surely be missed by her parents and big sister Shyann.Our comfort is in our Lord Jesus Christ, who died

for our salvation.Jerome, Charlotte and Shyann

325 Belside Avenue E., Apt. 101, Fergus, ON N1M 2Y2

TheCanadian Reformed School

Society of Edmonton,operating Parkland

Immanuel Christian School (PICS),invites applications for the position of

PRINCIPALPRINCIPALeffective September 2008 or 2009.

The Canadian Reformed School Society of Edmonton is seeking aPrincipal to effectively lead and inspire staff and students to

teach and learn to the best of their abilities, under the auspicesof our new LIFE vision, and to the glory of the LORD.PICS provides covenantal education to almost 200

Kindergarten to Grade 12 students. It strives to do this via adedicated teaching staff of 14, four Teacher’s Aides, and a

supportive Reformed community.For further information please contact:

Ron Bos, President, PICS BoardPhone: (780) 336-6472 (cell); (780) 476-0558 (home)

E-mail: [email protected] Slomp, Chair, Personnel Committee - PICS BoardPhone: (780) 987-8098; e-mail: [email protected]

Applications should be directed in writing to the school:Personnel Committee

c/o Parkland Immanuel Christian School21304 35 Avenue, NW, Edmonton, AB T6M 2P6

Reach for your dreams in Alberta…where growth and opportunity abound in a land of mountains,

prairie and big sky.

The Covenant Canadian Reformed School of Neerlandia, AB,urgently invites applications for an

ELEMENTARY TEACHERELEMENTARY TEACHER and/or TEACHER’S AIDETEACHER’S AIDEfor an opening for the 2008-2009 school year. Neerlandia is asmall, friendly hamlet, only 20 minutes from Barrhead and 1

1/2 hours from Edmonton. We have to offer competitive wageswith less teaching days than most schools. For more

information, please contact the principal: Mr. H. VanDeldenPhone: 1-780-674-4774 (school); 1-780-674-3704 (home)

Applications should be sent toCovenant Canadian Reformed SchoolAttention: Mrs. Sonja VanLeeuwenBox 67, Neerlandia, AB T0G 1R0

The Board of Immanuel Christian School of Winnipeg,Manitoba, Canada invites applications for the positions of

FULL TIMEFULL TIME and/orand/orPART-TIME TEACHER’S AIDEPART-TIME TEACHER’S AIDE

starting in September 2008 or January 2009.Immanuel Christian School is a Kindergarten-Grade 12 schooland has 185 students and 22 full and part-time staff members.

It enjoys support from both Canadian Reformed andUnited Reformed members and welcomes applications from

members of either.Successful candidates will work with individual students as

well as provide teacher support in the classroom.Previous experience and/or a teacher’s aide certificate are

assets but not necessary.For more information contact the board chairman:

Mr. Bill Gortemaker 1-204-222-8788 or 1-204-663-9000or the principal:

Mr. Peter Veenendaal 1-204-661-8937 or 1-204-661-6351Send your resume and cover letter [email protected]

or mail it to215 Rougeau Avenue, Winnipeg, Manitoba R2C 3Z9

TEACHING POSITIONS


496 • SEPTEMBER 12, 2008

The Board of Dufferin Area Christian School is seekingqualified

FULL-TIME PRIMARY and JUNIOR TEACHERSFULL-TIME PRIMARY and JUNIOR TEACHERSto fill in for teachers who will be going on maternity leave.Duties are to commence in January and February 2009,

respectively.Dufferin Area Christian School in Laurel serves the

congregations of Orangeville and Grand Valley, and is blessedwith about 125 students, a relaxed atmosphere, and a great

spirit of cooperation.If you would like to use your talents in educating covenant

children at DACS, please contactMr. Ed Groen (Chairman of the Board – 519-928-3453) orMr. Keith Sikkema (Principal – 519-928-3412 at home,or 519-941-4368 at school; email [email protected]).Please send your letter of application and resume to

Dufferin Area Christian School394016 County Road 12, Laurel, ON L0N 1G0

or email to [email protected]

TEACHING POSITIONS

Conference Speaker

Rev. L Anthony CurtoAssociate Professor of Evangelism Greenville Presbyterian Theological !

Seminary

September 26,27 2008

Immanuel ORC 2900 Fourth Ave. Jordan Ontario

Reformed Evangelismin the Local Community

Seeptember 26,27 200808

Immanuel ORC ve.A2900 Fourth

Jordan Ontario

September 26, 27, 2008

CARREER OPPORTUNITYAT

WESTLOCK FORD SALES LTD.We are located 20 minutes East of Barrhead, ABand only 45 minutes North West from Edmonton.

REQUIRED IMMEDIATELY!!

JOURNEYMEN AND APPRENTICESJOURNEYMEN AND APPRENTICESWE OFFER:

Team Atmosphere, Full Benefit Plan includingRetirement and RRSPs, Bonus levels and excellent pay.

Submit resumes toHenry Barendregt

Via fax: 1-780-349-3329Via e-mail: [email protected]

Or call him at1-866-755-3673 (office); 1-780-349-3361 (office)1-780-674-2603 (home); 1-780-305-4486 (cell)

WITH HEART AND MOUTHAn Exposition of the Belgic Confession of Faith

Rev. Daniel R. Hyde; Doctrine of God, man, Christ, salvation, theChurch, the end; nature of profession of faith; Bible authority; need ofcreeds, confessions; God; Trinity; creation; providence; fall in sin;election; Jesus Christ; mercy; atonement; faith; sanctification; prayer;aspects of Church; Church history, government, offices, order;sacraments; worship, liturgy; civil government; last judgment; etc.;applications for today; for personal, home, school, Church, & groupuse, etc.; $25.71. 5 or more $23.81 each; shipping & tax extra.

Payable to: Jerry Tillema – 519 351 4290, 6 am - 11 pmBethel Books, 274 McNaughton Ave. E., Chatham, ON N7L 2G8for Timothy & Titus book, please see Clarion - Aug. 15/08 page 450


SEPTEMBER 12, 2008 • 497

4 BEDROOM COUNTRY VACATION HOMEAvailable Year Round

15 minutes north of Owen SoundFor more info call 519-371-5616

email [email protected]

Maranatha Homes, located in south Burlington near manyamenities, is a place where Christian seniors can enjoy

independent living in community with others.

The Home’s newly renovated units and award-winningarchitectural design, combined with its reasonable rent rates

at $740 per month, make Maranatha an attractive andaffordable accommodation for seniors.

For further information contact:Rosanne van der Woerd

109-3260 New Street, Burlington, ON L7N 3L4

905-681-0311Email: [email protected]

on CD

~ CLARION ON CD-ROM ~

Now available! –

VOLUME 2, all issues from 2006 - 2007Includes: 50 issues of Clarion (PDF) files

Still available –

VOLUME 1, all issues from 1996 - 2005Includes: 247 issues of Clarion (PDF) files

Both disks contain a searchable index file**using the Adobe Acrobat or Adobe Reader Search function.

Volume 2 – $15.00 Volume 1 – $20.00

Order both for $30.00plus postage/shipping.

Order from:Premier Publishing Ltd.

One Beghin Avenue, Winnipeg, Manitoba R2J [email protected]


498 • SEPTEMBER 12, 2008

Readyfor the

Rapture?By Clarence Stam

Clarence Stam discusses what will take place at the end ofdays. He gives attention to the millennium, the return ofChrist, the resurrection, the Rapture, and the life to come. Hefocuses especially on relevant Scripture passages in theletters to the Thessalonians. This book can be used as adevotional or a study guide.

Soft Cover, 104 pages . . . . . Can./U.S. . . . . . $ 8.00

ISBN 978-0-88756-091-0

ORDER FROM YOUR FAVOURITE BOOKSTORE OR FROM

PREMIER PUBLISHINGOne Beghin Avenue, Winnipeg, Manitoba R2J 3X5

TreasuresNew and OldExploring theRiches of Scripture

by Jack De Jong

Dr. De Jong’s passion was to search the Scriptures and to bring itstreasures new and old to the attention of God’s people. With hisinsights into God’s Word he was able to encourage, instruct, andcomfort many when his meditations were first published in Clarion.His work retains its value and can be used for personal Bible studyand devotions as well as for group study into God’s Word.

Soft cover, 292 pages . . . . . Can./U.S. . . . . . $13.00

ISBN 0-88756-085-7

ORDER FROMYOUR FAVOURITE BOOKSTORE OR FROM



SEPTEMBER 12, 2008 • 499

We thank God for your support!The walls are up and the roof is on for the expansion at the shared building of theCanadian Reformed Church at Calgary andTyndale Christian School.There is still an opportunity for you to contribute.We need to raise another $100,000 to reach our fundraising goal and complete the project.

If you are willing to help us with this project,please make cheques payableto the address below.

Please indicate funds are for ‘buildingexpansion’ in the memo field of your cheque.

FOR MORE INFORMATION,CONTACT:

HENRYVANDENBERG,CHAIRPERSONBUILDING EXPANSION FUNDRAISING COMMITTEE(403) 668-9729 [email protected]

Canadian Reformed Churchat Calgary

Box 24, Site 8, RR 6Calgary,AB T2M 4L5

TinkeringwithCreation?The Promise and Perils ofGenetic Engineering

Edited by Cornelis Van Dam

The possibilities of human ingenuity and scientific advances seem to belimitless in our day. Plants are genetically modified to produce food thatmeets predetermined criteria. Basic building blocks of life are beingmanipulated for healing diseases and improving health. However, thesame basic techniques are used to produce cloned animals and there ismuch talk about doing the same with humans. Such scientific activitiesraise many questions.

Soft Cover, 112 pages . . . . . Can./U.S. . . . . . $ 8.25

ISBN 0-88756-082-2

ORDER FROM YOUR FAVOURITE BOOKSTORE OR FROM


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iseand

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Engineering

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The Promise and Perils ofGenetic Engineering.

The Promise and Perils ofGenetic Engineering.

Towards theMaturity of Faith

by Clarence Stam

In this book, Clarence Stamdiscusses the letter of James, thebrother of the Lord Jesus Christ. Hesees as the theme of the letter:growing towards the maturity of faith.Our faith may not be static but shouldbe dynamic, leading us to walk closer with God everyday. This is a book for Christians who want to grow towardsmaturity in faith. It can be used for combined Bible Study ordaily devotions.

Soft cover, 274 pages. Can./US . . . . . . . . . $15.00

ISBN 978-0-88756-089-7

ORDER FROMYOUR FAVOURITE BOOKSTORE OR FROM



SEPTEMBER 12, 2008 • 500

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