clarion · 3s. kistemaker, 1 corinthians [ntc], (grand rapids: baker, 1993), 405 : “[the word]...

ClarionTHE CANADIAN REFORMED MAGAZINE

VOLUME 45, NO.18 SEPTEMBER 6, 1996

“I am the vine. . . .”

Church Unity

390 CLARION, SEPTEMBER 6, 1996

An increasing number of our churches are getting in-volved in talks with neighbouring churches with a view topursuing ecclesiastical unity. Some wonder whether weneed to put much time or energy into this. Yet on thewhole, I think our churches realize that we have an obliga-tion to work for the unity of all true believers, and of all thosewho confess the name of the Lord. After all, if we are seri-ous about our faith, we must be serious about promotingthe unity of the church, and the unity of all true believers.

Setting the goalIn all of the current discussions, as far as I know, full

federative unity remains the goal and aim. This involves acomplete merger: unity at the table of the Lord. And there isevery reason to pursue this aim! Augustine called the tableof the Lord the sign of unity and the chain of love.2 So theLord’s table is also defended in Scripture! The apostle Paulrefers to the Corinthians as: the body of Christ. “You are thebody of Christ and individually members of it” (1 Cor.12:28). The body cannot be divided, and there should beno factions in the body (1 Cor. 1: 13; 1 Cor. 11:18). Thebody is one. And the Lord’s Supper must be maintainedand celebrated as one body (1 Cor. 11:33ff).

The one table of the Lord as ordained by Christ is an in-centive for us to pursue true ecclesiastical unity, in our owncongregations, and also with those with whom we share acommon background, those seeking to maintain the serviceof the Lord in their situation. In his letter to the Ephesians,Paul says: “There is one body and one Spirit, just as youwere called to the one hope that belongs to your call, oneLord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of us all.”Here the one faith is connected with the one sacrament.There is one baptism, and by extrapolation we can add:one table, one covenantal bread, one communal cup. There-fore we are to pursue the unity of the church as much as pos-sible. A unity confessed must be put into practice. Paul saysin the same context:

I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beg you to lead a lifeworthy of the calling to which you have been called,with all lowliness and meekness, with patience, for-bearing one another in love; eager to maintain the unityof the Spirit in the bond of peace (Eph. 4:3).

The ideas of humility and forbearance are also connectedwith the unity of the Lord’s table in the first letter to theCorinthians. Concerning the fellowship meal Paul says: “Sothen, my brethren, when you come together to eat, wait forone another” (1 Cor. 11:33). The term used for ‘wait’ in thispassage has many shades of meaning, but is closely con-nected to the idea of receiving one another, welcoming

one another in love and forbearance. The word also includesthe idea of being patient with each other in the church.3

A similar view of the unity of the believers is found inPaul’s letter to the Colossians. The apostle speaks about theunity of the saints at Colossae, but connects this to the unityof all the saints when he says:

“For I want you to know how greatly I strive for you,and for those at Laodicea, and for all who have not seenmy face, that their hearts might be encouraged, as theyare knit together in love, to have all the riches of theassured understanding, and the knowledge of God’smystery, of Christ, in whom are hid all the treasures ofwisdom and knowledge” (Col. 2:1- 3).

Here the apostle speaks not only of the unity of the localchurch, but also of the unity of the churches together. It is in-cumbent for all the believers to be knit together in the bondof love. Hence we can say: all true believers belong aroundthe one table of the Lord, (see Article 28, Belgic Confession).

Waiting for one anotherThis is the unity that the table of the Lord demands. It

does not look only to the local situation or to the localchurch, but looks to all the churches. The prayer of theLord Jesus is that all the followers of the Lord may be one(John 17:21). This cannot be tied to one specific congrega-tion, but refers to the churches together. The churches mustbe united in a common bond of mutual love, commitmentand fellowship. And it is as one fellowship that the churchesare called to go forward and to promote true unity with allthose who name the name of the Lord and desire to serveand worship Him in spirit and in truth.

This implies that a local church should not establish rela-tions of fellowship with other believers on its own. Part of be-ing together in one federation means that we as churches areall knit together in one bond of love, and we all have the mu-tual obligation to consult each other and move forward withwilling subjection of the one to the other (Eph. 5:21).

At any given time a local church may feel frustrated in itsprogress by the requirements of the church order. Peoplethen say: If you feel one on a local level, why wait for theother churches of the federation to get involved, and givetheir approval? Can you not simply inform them and pro-ceed? The difficulty here is that unity on a local level isgained at the cost of federative unity. In fact, a church canend up severing the lines in its own federation.

Why is the approbation of the federation so important?The federative ties we have established are meant to serve assafeguards – checks and balances so that we do not end upderailing from the right track. Sometimes we can becomeso enamoured with the progress in a local situation that we

EDITORIAL

By J. De Jong

Church Unity and the Lord’s Table1

lose sight of the broader picture. That broader picture impliesthat where other churches outside our federation are boundby federative commitments, we not only must honour ourcommitments, but also urge them to do the same! That re-quires patience – precisely the patience of which the apos-tle Paul speaks. But that is the patience by which the unitywe seek is truly tried and tested, so proving itself to be alasting unity.

Unity in the truthUltimately the unity we desire is a unity in the truth. The

unity of which the Lord speaks in His “high priestly prayer”is to be understood as a unity in fellowship of the truth. Manymisunderstand the well-known words of John 17: 21 – Thatthey may all be one. They place the notions of love and un-derstanding first. But the prayer of John 17 must be kept in itscontext.4

Jesus called Himself the way the truth and the life (John14:6). True love of God and His Son are manifested in keep-ing to the truth (John 14:23). The mark of the true unity isto hold to the words of Jesus (John 8:31, 32, 51). Then Je-sus makes allusions to the holy meal: “I am the true vine,and my Father is the vinedresser . . . Abide in me and I inyou . . . I am the vine and you are the branches . . . Hewho abides in me, and I in him, he it is that bears muchfruit, for apart from me you can do nothing” (John 15:1-5).

It was after He had set the connection between the breadand His body and between the wine and His blood that Jesusprayed to the Father: “Sanctify them in Thy truth” (John 17:17).Therefore the phrase “that they may all be one” refers to thosesanctified in the truth of the Father and His Son. We cannot havetrue unity without this unity in the truth, and we cannot have thetrue love of each other without love in the truth.

How is the unity in the truth to be found? By going backto the word of the Lord Jesus and holding to that. That alsomeans that we follow the way of repentance and faith, andreform life – including our church life – according to Reformedprinciples. The Reformed church is constantly reforming!

Only in this frame of mind can we as Canadian Reformedbelievers reach out to others; and it is only in this frame ofmind that others with us can discover and cultivate a unitythat endures, and promotes the healing of life, and the heal-ing of the brokenness of the church caused by sin and error.We must remember that there is one flock and one Shepherd(John 10:16). For the truth still applies:

Elect from every nation,Yet one o’er all the earth,Her charter of salvation,One Lord, one faith, one birth:One holy name she blesses.Partakes one holy food,And to one hope she presses,With every grace endued.

1This is an abridged and slightly altered version of the talk I gave inthe West this spring on the subject of the Lord’s Supper and churchunity.2Quoted in G.C. Berkouwer, De Sacramenten – DogmatischeStudiëen, (Kampen: J.H. Kok, 1954), 372, note 4. 3S. Kistemaker, 1 Corinthians [NTC], (Grand Rapids: Baker, 1993),405 : “[The word] supports the intent of verse 21, where Paul de-cries the lack of patience on the part of those Corinthians who failedto wait for fellow Christians.”4See J. Smelik, “Verbondsdis en Pluriformiteit,” in De Reformatie,Vol 33, no. 10 (December 7, 1957), 63ff.

CLARION, SEPTEMBER 6, 1996 391

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IN THIS ISSUE

Editorial – Church Unity and the Lord’s Table — J. De Jong …………………………………………390

Meditation – Be Wise with Wisdom! — H.J.J. Feenstra ………………………………………392

“That They May All Be One:” A modest proposal for the Unity of the Church — J. Visscher …………………………………………393

Ray of Sunshine — Mrs. R. Ravensbergen ……………………………397

A Federative or a Local Matter? — W.W.J. VanOene …………………………………398

Women’s League Day of the Fraser Valley — Joanna Vanderpol …………………………………399

Living in God – Credo Christian High School Graduation – June 27, 1996 — Sarah Vandergugten ………………………………400

Smithers Celebrates 40 Years …………………………403

Our Little Magazine — Aunt Betty …………………………………………404

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Originally published asWees wijs met de wijsheid,Woord en Wereld # 11Uitgeverij Woord en Wereld,Ermelo 1989Translated by T.M.P. VanderVen

The Two Roads (Proverbs 4:10-19)It is not the first time that we read

about two roads. We heard about themalready in Proverbs 1 and Proverbs 3.The repetition emphasizes the impor-tance, and illustrates our obstinacy.There are many things which need tobe told us more than once. And that iscertainly the case when talking aboutthese two roads: the road to life andthe road to death; the shining path ofthe righteous, or the dark path of thewicked which disappears in the night.Again we are placed before a choice.And it is perfectly clear what choice isthe right one!

From Scripture Proverbs 4:10-19Psalm 1

Matthew 7:13-14

Guarding the Christian Heart(Proverbs 4:20-27)

One of the basic lessons of theABCs of wisdom deals with keepingyour heart with all vigilance. And that isnecessary, because from the heart flowsthe springs of life. The thoughts of theheart will come out. All that we sayand do stems from our innermost

thoughts. Therefore, our heart is like aposition from which to attack the worldaround us.

But there is also traffic in the oppo-site direction. We are bombarded bymany things which struggle to enter ourthoughts, and want to settle in our heart.Our heart, therefore, is also like a re-ception centre. There is traffic from theinside to the outside, and from theoutside to the inside. That heart with itshidden recesses, and with coming andgoing traffic, needs to be guarded. Itmust be kept against dangerous intrud-ers, and against its own foolish actions.Most people maintain their house withcare, and often their car with exagger-ated care. But few keep their heart withvigilance. Of course, no one will denythat it is necessary to take care of manythings, but it is also necessary to set pri-orities. Your heart needs to be guardedand kept above all other things.

How should you do that? Well, bynow you ought to know the answer: bymastering wisdom, and by filling yourheart with it. Wisdom works like asieve, like a sluice through which thingsgo into and out of your heart. It is thekey to your heart. That key is built byregular bible study and regular churchattendance.

The thoughts and considerations ofour heart determine what we say andwhat we look at, how we look and whatwe do not want to say. Our heart deter-

mines where we want to go, where wewant to put our feet, to the right or tothe left. Therefore, many of life’s ques-tions concern our heart. Ethical mattersand practical choices are determined byour heart: what is allowed and what isnot? what is right and what is wrong?should we choose this or that? Everyday we are confronted by such ques-tions, questions related to our walk oflife, our Christian conduct, and our re-formed customs. The questions are basi-cally the same. Yet the answers are of-ten radically different. Today, reformedcustoms and manners are no longerclearly and easily identifiable. Withoutwanting to defend the thesis that re-formed people always ought to act andbehave in the same way, we can readilyconclude that we are often poles apart.The one rejects radically what anotherdefends. One person may do somethings that another would never do. Inparticular when our actions cannot bebased on one text, and when we haveto consider all of Scripture, our choicesand answers can be radically different.

Yet, in all these matters it concernsour heart. Those differences are notmerely external, they are very much in-ternal in nature. Behind those differentanswers and choices hides a differentheart, a different attitude towards life.That causes the breach between theone and the other. One person mayconsider the covenant with the Lord as a

What’s inside?In the lead editorial, Dr. J. De Jong writes: . . . we have an obligation to work for the unity of all true believers, and

of all those who confess the name of the Lord. After all, if we are serious about our faith, we must be serious about pro-moting the unity of the church, and the unity of all true believers.

This is a sentiment that anyone who holds to the teaching of Scripture and loves the Reformed confessions willecho. Among those who love the unity of the church, there are slightly different ideas on how best to proceed. Recent-ly, we published Dr. De Jong’s speech on this point. In this issue, Dr. J. Visscher also addresses the matter and advo-cates a different procedure. Read it. Study it. Discuss it.

The Rev. VanOene contributes an article on a related issue – the question of whether churches while still striving forunity may already enter into pulpit exchanges.

With apologies to Dr. C. Van Dam and our readers, we had to hold back the second installment of his speech, “WhichBible Translation?” due to space constraints. Please look for it in the next issue. GvP

MEDITATION

By H.J.J. Feenstra

BE WISE WITH WISDOM!

Wise words about the way – Proverbs 4:10 - 27

contract, and may try to find loopholesin order to escape. Another has given hisheart to the Lord and wants to honourGod’s covenant in full by acknowledg-ing that throughout all of life.

Deep down, one person may wellbe unwilling to give himself or herself tothe Lord and may be searching for anescape. For another the Lord’s com-mandments may sound as music to hisears. The one is quite happy when he

thinks he can say that there is no par-ticular Bible text which forbids this orthat. Another may struggle with thesame question, may continue to readthe Bible and prayerfully tries to gain aclearer insight.

Pure in heart – that belongs to thepicture which the Lord Jesus painted ofthe children of the kingdom – pure inheart, genuinely so. And that needs to

be applied in all practical things: pureof heart and clean of hand.

Wisdom wants to make us into peo-ple of integrity, people who havelocked wisdom in their heart.

From Scripture Proverbs 4:20-27Psalm 24:4

Psalm 101:2Matthew 5:8; 6:21Psalm 86:11-12


No one can deny that the presentecclesiastical landscape of North Amer-ica is filled with quite a number of con-servative Presbyterian and Reformedchurches. To mention only a few thatmay be familiar to our readers: there isthe Canadian Reformed Churches, theFree Reformed Churches, the Fellow-ship of Uniting Reformed Churches, theOrthodox Presbyterian Church, the Or-thodox Reformed Churches, the Re-formed Church in the United States,and the Reformed Presbyterian Churchof North America.

Now, it is not the intention of thisproposal to cover all of these churches.While they are all Reformed in theologyand Presbyterian in church polity, thereare differences between them in organi-zation, history and practice that at themoment defy any workable proposal.Hence this proposal will be restrictedto four churches on the above list. Theyare the Canadian Reformed Churches(CanRC), the Free Reformed Churches(FRC), the Fellowship of Uniting Re-formed Churches (FURC) and the Or-thodox Reformed Churches (ORC).

Part of the reason for this restrictionrelates to their confessional basis, in thatthey all have the Belgic Confession, theCanons of Dort and the Heidelberg Cat-echism. Part of the reason also relatesto church government, in that all eitherhave the Church Order of Dort of 1618-19 or various versions based on it. Aswell, part of the reason has to do withhistory, in that all of these churches

trace their roots back to the Nether-lands and to the Secession of 1834.

BackgroundOf course, you will understand that

what is about to be proposed did notsuddenly fall out of the sky. Rather it isthe result of years of personal reflec-tion and communal discussion.

For the past 18 years I have beenpastoring Canadian Reformed Churchesin the Fraser Valley of British Columbia,first in Cloverdale and at present in Lan-gley. During those years I have beeninvolved in a great many discussionswith colleagues and consistories of theFree Reformed, Orthodox Reformedand, what of late has become knownas, the Fellowship of Uniting ReformedChurches.

In addition, for the last ten years wehave had what is called the Pacific Re-formed Ministerial which meets on abi-monthly basis in either BC or Wash-ington and is composed of colleaguesfrom the above churches, as well asfrom some independent Reformedchurches. Together we have dealt overthe years with all kinds of subjects andtopics. We have even targeted issuesthat were perceived as keeping us apartor on which we are supposed to havedifferences.

What have we discovered? Wehave come to the conclusion that realunity exists between us. Whether thetopic has been covenant, experientialpreaching, church, regeneration,preaching, church discipline, women in

office, and a host of others, there hasbeen a real meeting of mind and heart.

This is not to say that we have al-ways agreed on every detail or that wehave a common approach to all issuesand problems; however, even whenwe have agreed to disagree it was in abrotherly fashion and it did not endan-ger our fellowship.

Wrong perceptionsIn this connection there is some-

times a perception out there that allOrthodox Reformed ministers or FreeReformed or Canadian Reformed min-isters think alike. They all come out ofthe same mould. That is a myth. In re-ality, we each bring our own perspec-tive, our own personality, our ownbackground, our own upbringing tothe discussion table Quite simply, thereis a lot of diversity among us; however,at the same time it is diversity within thebonds of unity. We may have differentviews or emphases on different mattersbut they are all still within the limits setdown by our confessional documents.

Another thing that we have discov-ered is that our separate existence aschurch communities has led to the riseand usage of different terms, expres-sions, distinctions and emphases. Whatdo the Free Reformed mean when theyuse a term like “experiential preach-ing?” What is the Canadian Reformedunderstanding of the “church” and“covenant?” What is the Orthodox Re-formed view on the matter of churchfederation?

“That They May All Be One:”A modest proposal for the unity of the church

By J. Visscher

At first sight some of these thingscome across as real obstacles and road-blocks, but on further exploration, it hasoften proven to be a matter of coming togrips with a view that we all hold butthat we express in different ways or it isa case of a certain practice or procedurethat we have misunderstood and evendo ourselves, but then under a differentheading.

Another lesson learned from thesediscussions is that each federationcomes with baggage and image prob-lems. The Canadian Reformed areviewed as being sectarian when itcomes to the doctrine of the church. TheFree Reformed are seen as excessivelysubjective. The Orthodox Reformed areregarded as a group of independentswho have reluctantly bandied together.The Fellowship Churches are consid-ered to be a company of churches filledwith malcontents.

In the process of getting to knoweach other, however, we have seenmany of these stereotypes disappear.True, every church federation has its ex-tremists, and sometimes the loud, ex-aggerated statements of a few havemanaged to put a whole church federa-tion in a bad light. As a result, we havespent considerable time over the yearsworking our way through views andteachings attributed to our respectivechurches, but that none of our federa-tions even hold.

And the result? It has proven to be asuccess. The fog of misrepresentation, in-nuendo and suspicion has lifted. A spiritof brotherly harmony and communionprevails. In short, the Lord has seen fit tobless our humble and halting efforts.

Indeed, He has blessed them to suchan extent that we are now asking, “Whatnext? Where do we go from here?”

Not ministers onlyIn asking these kinds of questions

we are acutely aware that we in the Pa-cific Reformed Ministerial are not theonly ones doing so. Ministers are notthe only ones building bridges. Manylocal churches are too.

To cite some examples in our area.There is contact on a consistorial levelbetween the following churches: theOrthodox Reformed Church of NewWestminster and the Canadian Re-formed Church of Surrey, the OrthodoxReformed Church of Surrey and theCanadian Reformed Church ofCloverdale, the Free Reformed Churchof Abbotsford and the Canadian Re-formed Churches of Aldergrove andLangley, the Orthodox Reformed

Church of Kelowna and the CanadianReformed Church of Vernon.

In addition, there are consistoriesthat are in the process of initiating con-tact. Recently the Free ReformedChurches sponsored an Office bearersConference and extended an invitationto the Canadian Reformed Churches.Every year a Reformation Rally is heldin Langley organized by the OrthodoxReformed Church of New Westminsterbut co-sponsored by a number of Cana-dian Reformed and Free ReformedChurches.

Going further afield, it is obvious thatcontacts are growing elsewhere. Repre-sentatives from Orthodox ReformedChurches and Fellowship Churches inWestern Canada have recently met andhad a very positive meeting. In themonth of May Canadian Reformed andFellowship pastors had a conference to-gether in Edmonton, Alberta.

Already in 1992 a series of meetingswere held in Redeemer College in An-caster, Ontario, at which men from allfour federations spoke. The greatturnouts on three successive Thursdaysindicated that this is a matter that livesjust as much among the members asthe ministers.

While not being familiar with all ofthe local discussions in the east, I knowthat also there an increasing number ofchurches are taking up contact witheach other.

More and more a consensus is de-veloping that our churches have much incommon. True, we have our differences,and those should not be glossed over,but what unites us is so much more thanwhat divides us. Should we not be to-gether? Should we not get together?

Is that really necessary?Such a sentiment immediately rais-

es the question as to whether this is re-ally necessary. Would it not be better tocome to some sort of accommodationtogether in which we agree to respecteach other and be civil to each other, yetcontinue to live beside each other? Inother words, why not adopt an ecclesi-astical good neighbour policy?

In some respects that would alreadybe a step in the right direction. Up untilnow we have not been without borderskirmishes.

What I mean is that a person leavesthe Christian Reformed Church and hasto decide whether to join a OrthodoxReformed Church or a Fellowship ofUniting Reformed Church. Both maywant him, but only one can receive

him. A choice has to be made and it cancreate hard feelings.

Or a member of the Canadian Re-formed Church marries someone fromthe Free Reformed Church and leaves.How is this announced to the congre-gation? Some Canadian ReformedChurches have been known to statethat this person has “withdrawn fromthe Church of Jesus Christ.” Needless tosay this gives the impression that byleaving the Canadian Reformed Churchyou are leaving the Church of JesusChrist altogether and joining a falsechurch or a sect.

Thankfully, in many places localchurches are reflecting on these thingsand there is a growing attempt to bemore sensitive and civil to each other.Colleagues in different churches arebeginning to pick up the phone anddiscuss how best to deal with potential-ly difficult cases. Members under disci-pline in one church are finding it harderto move next door and be received as ifnothing happened.

Is this enough?Still, the question needs to be asked

as to whether getting along is goodenough. It may suit us as churches, asmembers, as pastors; however, that isnot really the question. The real issue isnot trying to find our comfort zone. It isthis: “What does the Lord and King ofthe church Jesus Christ expect from us?”

My reading of John 17 tells me thatwhat He wants to see among His peopleon earth is unity. He wants us below tobe as united as Father, Son and HolySpirit are above (v. 21). He also wantsus to be so united that we become a wit-ness to the world (v. 21).

Yet that in turn raises the questionas to why spiritual unity is not enough?Why does it have to become concrete?Why do we have to strive towards orga-nizational oneness as the ultimate goal?

Surely this arises from the fact thatin the NT we see that the unity of thechurch is more than just a theoreticalor spiritual concept. It is something thatbecomes tangible when the church ofJesus Christ meets for worship, cele-brates the sacrament of the Lord’s Sup-per, holds offerings to deal with theneeds of fellow saints. Members have acalling to be a hand and a foot to eachother, and churches do too.

Indeed, is it not so that as churcheswe need each other? Is it not so that wecan learn from each other? Is it not sothat we should support each other? Isthere not more than a little truth in themotto: United we stand, divided we


fall? It cannot be pleasing to the Lord tosee each of us doing our own thing inour own corner, while all the while pro-fessing to be spiritually one. What kindof oneness is this anyway? If we areconvinced that we are one in the Lord,then we need to make every effort tolive as one and to act as one.

How?Still, expressing a desire for federa-

tive unity and finding a way to realizeit are two different things. Sometimestwo people or parties know where theywant to go but they cannot agree onwhich road to take.

Merger?Church history reveals that a num-

ber of different roads to unity have beentaken over the years. The most commonone is merger. In other words, twochurches meeting in their respectivebroadest assemblies agree in principleto merge. They strike committees, holddiscussions, enter into negotiations andcome to terms of union that are agree-able to all the parties concerned.Through an agreed upon mechanismthey bring the different churches onboth sides together.

Of course, this is describing an of-ten complex process in a few wordsand in a simple manner; nevertheless,the question is, “Would it work for us?”Most of the indications are that it wouldnot. For one, this is not a case of twochurches entering into negotiations to-gether, but a case of four churches beinginvolved. What an abundance of com-mittees that would spawn! What a com-plexity there would be to the discussionsand negotiations that would follow!There is every likelihood that in such asituation the process would bog downand die a slow but sure death.

Join and receive?Some of you may know that a num-

ber of years ago the PresbyterianChurch in America (PCA) invited theOrthodox Presbyterian Church (OPC)and the Reformed Presbyterian Church,Evangelical Synod (RPCES), to make ap-plication to join and be received intothe PCA. The result was that the formerdecided to decline the invitation,whereas, the latter accepted.

Could such an approach serve as amodel for us? Again there is reason todoubt that it would. In the case of thePCA, the OPC and the RPCES, it wasobvious who would do the inviting, af-ter all the PCA had the numbers andthe momentum. In our situation theinviting could be done by any of the

four churches; however, we need to behonest with ourselves. The newly fed-erated Fellowship of Uniting ReformedChurches is still organizing itself. TheOrthodox Reformed Churches, seeingtheir relatively short history, would bereluctant to do so. The Free ReformedChurches are also not ready to takesuch a bold step. The Canadian Re-formed Churches may be in the best po-sition of all to extend such an invitation,but what possibility is there at the mo-ment of a positive response from theother three churches?

Summing it up, while all of thechurches are in a position to issue a“join and receive” invitation, it is doubt-ful that any are ready to do so, and thatany of the others are in a position to re-act positively to it.

Immediate federationRecently, at a number of meetings

in the West, Prof. Dr. J. DeJong of theTheological College of the Canadian Re-formed Churches proposed that the Can-RC and the Fellowship Churches worktowards immediate federation. He rec-ommended that this be done on the ba-sis of the old Christian Reformed ChurchOrder of 1920 (that should probably be1934 – JV). He also suggested that bothfederations should keep on using forthe time being their respective songbooks, the Psalter Hymnal and the Bookof Praise, that a common procedure foradmission to the Lord’s Supper be usedalong the lines being proposed by theImmanuel Church of St. Catherines,and that there be occasional pulpit ex-change. (For the complete proposal seeprevious issues of Clarion.)

On the whole what Prof. DeJong isproposing is a bold move which has acertain attractiveness to it. Neverthe-less, I doubt that his proposal will re-ceive serious consideration.

To begin with, it encompasses onlytwo of the four federations. Then toothere is the fact that while he proposes afederation, it will obviously not functionimmediately or fully as a federation. Allkinds of details would still have to beworked out. Also, there is the fact thatall of my colleagues in the other federa-tions that I spoke with about this pro-posal are of the opinion that it is prema-ture and has little hope of succeeding.

So where does that leave us? Is thereanother route that we can take, onethat might be acceptable to all parties?

Recently at a Ministerial Conferencein Edmonton attended by pastors fromthe Canadian Reformed Churches andthe Fellowship of Uniting ReformedChurches, I proposed another approach.

For want of a better term I have called itARCH. (The fact that McDonald’sRestaurants recently began to market anew hamburger called “the ArchDeluxe” is strictly coincidental. Besides,this is simply ARCH. There is nothing“deluxe” about it.) What is ARCH?

ARCH stands for the Association ofReformed Churches and the proposal isas follows:a) that representatives from the Can-

RC, FRC, FURC and ORC come to-gether and form an Associationcalled The Association of ReformedChurches (ARCH);

b) that the purpose of this Association isi) to promote good relations be-

tween the member churches;ii) to promote the unity of the mem-

ber churches, and, should theLord bless it, federative unity;

c) that the member churches of the As-sociation go on record as recogniz-ing in principle the preaching,sacraments and discipline in eachothers churches;

d) that each member church appointtwo or three delegates to a StandingCommittee that willi) meet annually to monitor

progress being made in promot-ing harmony and unity;

ii) offer its good offices to assist inresolving disputes between thelocal churches of the members;

iii) receive and distribute commit-tee reports;

iv) make recommendations to thelocal churches of the membersand to the synods, as mandatedby them;

e) that at least three Study Committeesbe struck to deal with the followingareas:i) The Committee on Church Gov-

ernment, which will have as itspurpose to formulate a ChurchOrder, based on the principles ofDort, that would be acceptableto all the member churches;

ii) The Committee on Liturgy,which will have as its purpose tomake proposals on matters relat-ing to a common Psalter, toBible translation, and to Liturgi-cal Forms;

iii) The Committee on TheologicalTraining, which will have as itspurpose to make a proposal onthe future training of ministersfor a united federation, keepingin mind the existing institutionsin Chicago (Mid-America) andHamilton (Theological College);

f) that each member church agree tourge its local churches to initiate



contact with local churches of theother members in their area.

No deadlineIn making this proposal a few addi-

tional words are in order. In the firstplace, there is no time limit or targetdate attached to this proposal. Timeand again in our discussions the plea hasbeen raised that we need time to growtogether, and that perhaps the membersin the pew need more time than theministers or elders. This may well betrue, hence the wisest course of actionwould be to simply come together in anassociation type setting for the time be-ing in order to give both time and op-portunity for the local churches of eachmember to get to know each other anddevelop a common trust in each other.

In any number of places it has al-ready been shown that when localchurches meet together, misunder-standings are addressed, misrepresen-tations are cleared up and the barriersbegin to come down. If local churchescommit themselves to seeking eachother and do that in a humble andprayerful manner, the Lord will be gra-cious and bless it. Ora et labora – workand pray – is also in this matter the bestmotto and approach.

PreachingIn the discussions that have taken

place thus far the topic of the preachinghas been a point of some difficulty. Myexperience has been that the FRC, FURCand the ORC are more open to invitingoutside ministers on their pulpits;whereas, the CanRC has a history ofstressing that first an official relationshipbe established before ministers of thatfederation can be invited to preach.The reasons for these differences maywell relate, at least in part, to somewhatdiffering views on the church, as wellas to different historical traditions. At thesame time there is a concern in the Can-RC that allowing access to the pulpitwithout any official contact will lead toa very confused and disorderly situation.

On the other hand, if the churchesmentioned can agree to join together inan Association and there recognize inprinciple also each other’s preaching, agreat deal of disorder could be avoid-ed. As well, it will expose the membersof the pew to other faithful servants ofthe Lord and in that way promote trustand confidence.

At the same time it should be alsobe said that such guest ministers on thepulpit from other member churches, orthe occasional pulpit exchange between

colleagues of the member churches,should not happen without the involve-ment of the consistories and the congre-gations. To simply leave it in the handsof the local minister as to whom to invitewill surely create difficulties.

As a result, it would be advisablethat before an invitation is extended toa neighbouring or area minister of amember church that contact be estab-lished been the respective consistoriesand that they meet each other and dis-cuss necessary matters. In some cases itmay also be advisable to have joint con-gregational meetings to introduce eachother and get to know each other. Aswell, when consideration is being givento inviting a minister whom the mem-bers of the consistory do not know, thatminister should be invited to attend aconsistory meeting and there a properexchange of views can take place.

In short, everything should be doneto ensure that the pulpit not be used inan experimental manner or as a provingground. The preaching of God’s Word istoo holy to be used as a trial balloon.

The Lord’s SupperOne other area that would have the

potential to cause difficulties among thechurches mentioned is the matter ofthe Lord’s Supper. Different practicesprevail. Some are strict, others are lessstrict. Some stress the need for a pieceof paper in the form of a travel attest,others are of the opinion that a simplerequest to attend is sufficient.

In order to avoid conflict over thismatter, it would be necessary for themembers of the Association to agree toa common protocol. This could be inthe form of a written attest. It couldalso be by having visitors from memberchurches answer some commonlyagreed upon questions put to them bythe elders of the celebrating church. Itcould even be done by a phone callbeing made to their local elder or pas-tor. In short, there are a number of waysin which the sanctity of the table canbe safeguarded and the elders can func-tion properly as guardians of the flock.

In closingWhat I am here proposing is, as the

title suggests, a modest proposal. It is astep, the Lord willing, on the road tounity. No doubt the process will be longand it will meet with challenges and dif-ficulties on the way.

At the same time, it is not my inten-tion to insist that my way is the onlyway. If others have a different proposal,let them come forward and let us dis-

cuss together both in person and in thepress. For what we seek is not the suc-cess of our plans and ideas, but thegreater glory of God’s Name and thewell-being of the Church of our LordJesus Christ.

We live in a critical time. All aroundus the forces of godlessness are increas-ing. The dangers that threaten thechurch are many. Surely, in the face ofsuch dangers, it is utter foolishness tomaintain the status quo. I realize thatsome are quite content as they are, es-pecially in the more established church-es like the CanRC and the FRC, but arethey also looking down the road? Dothey realize that the real enemy is noteach other as churches, but the evil thatis in the world and the Devil who is stillprowling around like a roaring lion?

In the face of the pressing need tobring the Gospel to the world and to de-fend the Gospel from the assaults of theworld and the devil, we have a task toseek and unite with all those who holdto the same Scriptures and the sameconfessions. We need to make commoncause against the real enemy. We needto do so for the honour of the Lord, forthe well-being of the churches, as wellas for the future of our young people.

If we do not, then there is every like-lihood that the cause of the Reformedfaith will suffer a serious setback on theNorth American continent. If we con-tinue to live side-by-side but do notbuild bridges to one another, we willdrift apart. The weaker, more vulnera-ble churches among us will splinterand collapse.

Why, there will be no end even tothe tensions within. Already some localchurches are frustrated in their own fed-erations because of what they see as alack of vision and commitment to work-ing towards unity. Without some sort ofa mechanism to channel those effortsand an orderly framework in which tostimulate those efforts, the danger is therethat local churches will go it alone. Somemay see their duty to the Lord and theunity of His church as being more im-portant then federative loyalty.

So, let us give careful thought andmuch prayer to what we are doing andwhere we are going. May it please theLord to guide us with His Word and fillus with the illumination of His HolySpirit in all these matters.

Dr. James Visscher is pastor of theCanadian Reformed Church of Lang-ley, B.C. He can be reached at Tel:(604) 576-2124; Fax: (604) 576-2101;E-Mail: [email protected].


Dear Brothers and Sisters,Yes, we know that we belong to the Lord, with

body and soul, and in life and death. He made us, Hetakes care of us, nothing can happen to us beyondHis will. But, does that always fill us with a happyfeeling? Does that always give us so much comfort,that we do not worry about anything?

I am afraid that we have to say “No” to thosequestions. Often we do worry, often we are very un-happy, sometimes we may even need help fromsomeone, because we do not see our way out any-more. It seems at times that the words from theBible or from the Catechism do not reach our hearts,we do not find any comfort in them. At such times wemay be trying to find comfort at places where weshould not be going. For after a while we will findout that nothing and nobody can make us feel bet-ter, unless it or they will bring us closer to the Lord.And where can we be closer to the Lord than in theChurch? That is where the people of the Lord con-fess that Christ the Lord is their Saviour. What theChurch confesses is summarized in the HeidelbergCatechism. In Lord’s Day 1 Answer 1 we read, “ThatI am not my own, but belong with body and soul,both in life and in death, to my faithful Saviour JesusChrist.” That is the answer to the question, “What isyour only comfort in life and death?” The Cate-chism gives a very simple answer to that question: webelong to our Saviour. He paid for all our sins, thatwas His payment for us. He bought us with Hisblood, and now we belong to Him. So we do nothave to go hunting all over the place to find some-one who will take care of us, no, we belong to ourSaviour Jesus Christ. He is there for us, He is wait-ing for us, He is our comfort. This is true, this is cer-tain. Every day, no matter how difficult our life maybe, we may experience the joy of this comfort, ouronly comfort.

What is comfort? Something to ease the pain, tosuppress our innermost anxieties, something to makeus feel better for a little while? No, the comfort of theBible is not only for the present time, it looks at thefuture. It does not look at what we feel, but it pointsto Jesus Christ. It shows that our Saviour is there forus, that He died for our sins, and that He restored ourlives. He bought us with His blood. He owns us socompletely, that He also protects us against thepower of Satan. It is Satan who tries to make usdoubt and unhappy. But he can only try that, for hehas no control over us. Even when we die, then we

still belong to our Jesus Christ. He is in control of us,completely, in life and death.

We may be in doubt or unhappy, sick or handi-capped, depressed or lonely. Most of us will have toexperience some kind of hardships sooner or later,for they are the consequences of the fall into sin andthe world is full of them. But nothing will ever be-come so bad that we cannot handle it any longer. Forwe are not our own. Our Saviour bought us with theprice of His own blood. He makes our heavenly Fa-ther take care of us, He sent us the Holy Spirit so thatwe can believe all this and live a life of thankfulnessto Him. We may have to suffer some, but not todeath. We may have to endure, but not without hope.We may have to be strong, but not without help. ForGod is with us, and He will help us in everythingthat happens to us. He will strengthen our faith, sothat the people of the world may be amazed.

So then let us pray at all times that the Holy Spiritmay guide us in believing that we are not our own,but that we belong to Him. Now and in the future. Thatmeans for ever and ever.

O righteous Lord, Thou in Thy sovereign graceHast saved my soul from death and woe ap-palling,Dried all my tears and kept my feet from falling,That I may live and walk before Thy face.

Psalm 116:5

Birthdays in October:17: Alan Breukelman

2223-19 StreetCoaldale, AB T1M 1G4

22: Nelena Hofsink“BETHESDA CLEARBROOK HOME”32553 Willingdon Cr.Clearbrook, BC V2T 1S2

25: John Feenstra“ANCHOR HOME” 361 30 Road RR 2, Beamsville, ON L0R 1B0

28: Mary Ann DeWit“BETHESDA” 6705 Satchel Road, Box 40 Mount Lehman, BC V0X 1V0

Happy Birthday to all of you and until next month,Mrs. R. Ravensbergen

7462 Hwy. 20, RR 1, Smithville, ON L0R 2A0

RAY OF SUNSHINE

By Mrs. R. Ravensbergen “You are not your own; you were bought with a price. . . .”1 Corinthians 6:19c, 20a


The contact that several churcheshave with others, such as the Free Re-formed and Orthodox Reformed, leads,in many instances, to the conclusionthat there is unity of faith. As a result,unity of organization is pursued. Thisunderstandably puts various questionsbefore participants.

One of these questions is: whenwould admission of each other’s mem-bers to the Lord’s Table be allowed? An-other question is: when would pulpitexchange be permissible? As for this lastpoint, a related question is: in whoseprovince is it to decide? Is this a consis-tory matter or is it a matter for a generalsynod as representing the whole feder-ation? And if the federation should de-cide against pulpit exchange (to restrictourselves to this point), would a localchurch have the right to act on its ownand to proceed toward it?

Everyone who is no “stranger inJerusalem” knows that the latter possi-bility is being pondered in more than oneplace. I have even heard the not-so-veiled warning that if the forthcominggeneral synod should decide negatively,local churches will go it on their own.

The question is: would a church bepermitted to act unilaterally in this re-spect?

Admittance to the pulpitThere is no doubt that admittance

to the pulpit is within the province ofthe consistory alone. No other churchor consistory, no broader assembly hasany say in this matter. A consistory isnot under any obligation to invite any-one to the pulpit and is not limited inits authority to invite anyone it wantsto invite.

All this applies in the case that achurch is standing all on its own, withoutany ties with others, without any bind-ing arrangements, made voluntarily,and without obligation, taken upon it-self of its own free will.

A church which is totally and unre-strictedly on its own, has the right to callanyone it wants to the office of ministerof the Word, to examine him and, hav-ing found him capable, to ordain andinstall him.

The situation changes when achurch has voluntarily entered into afederation with other churches and hasadopted certain conditions for livingtogether within that federation.

Lawful callingRecently, I conducted a service in a

church during which an elder was or-dained and installed. Although I hadread the Form often enough to know itpractically by heart, I was struck by acertain sentence within it. As I was al-ready pondering the question of pulpitadmittance, it will come as no surprisethat suddenly the following words of theForm took on special meaning: “They(the elders) must prevent anyone fromserving in the church without havingbeen lawfully called.”

How is one lawfully called?To answer this question, we have

to turn to the agreement the churcheshave made and by which they havebound themselves: our Church Order.

In Article Four, we speak about thematter of “Eligibility for the Ministry.”This eligibility is restricted to 1) thosewho have been declared eligible by thechurches; 2) those who are alreadyserving in that capacity in one of thechurches; and 3) those who have beendeclared eligible or are serving in one ofthe churches with which the CanadianReformed Churches maintain a sister-church relationship.

It would be possible to call one whohas served in churches with which theCanadian Reformed Churches do notmaintain a sister-church relationship, butsuch a person first has to be examinedwith “due observance of the generalregulations adopted for that purpose.”

These “general regulations” requirethat he must submit proof that he hasbeen lawfully called to the ministry, thathe must submit a written exposition ofthe reason for his request to be declaredeligible for call within the churches, thathe is to submit a testimony concerninghis conduct, and, finally, that he has tobe examined at a classis in the presenceof the regional-synodical deputies.

All of the above belongs to being“lawfully called” to the ministry, andthe elders are allowed to admit to the

pulpit only those who have been thuslawfully called.

One should not adduce against thisthat “pulpit exchange” falls into a dif-ferent category, since the one withwhom a minister exchanges pulpits ap-pears only occasionally and does notbecome a minister within the federa-tion. What difference-in-principle isthere between admitting someone whodoes not meet the above-mentioned re-quirements for just the occasional Sun-day or permanently? The answer is:none whatsoever.

If anyone should wish to claim thatour Church Order does not say anythingabout “pulpit exchange” with ministersnot belonging to the churches or theirsister-churches, he is pulling the woolover his own eyes, so that he cannot seeclearly anymore.

I sympathize with the desire to rec-ognize the faithfulness of others to God’sWord as well as with the longing for ec-clesiastical unity with all who stand onthe same basis, but this can only be prop-erly achieved when all things are done“decently and in good order.”

At high school, I had a friend whosefather was an “orthodox,” solidly-Re-formed minister in the NetherlandsReformed (Nederlands Hervormde)Church. My friend himself also becamea minister in that church. As far as hewas concerned, I would gladly have“exchanged pulpits” with him. But bothhe and I belonged to a federation, he tothe collegialistic Netherlands ReformedChurch and I to the Reformed Church-es in the Netherlands. Besides, I amstill in agreement with the Act ofSecession or Return of 1834, whichstates: “until the Netherlands ReformedChurch (as such) returns to the true ser-vice of the Lord.”

There were, and probably still are,many truly Reformed ministers in theNetherlands Reformed Church (I think,for example, of the late Rev. J.G.Woelderink), but they, too, live in acountry-wide organization and are notfree to act as if there were no restric-tions. Besides, the Netherlands Re-formed Church as such has still not re-turned to the true service of the Lord.

A Federative or a Local Matter?By W.W.J. VanOene


A federative matterWhether one deplores it or not, uni-

fication as well as “pulpit exchanges”are federative matters. No one is per-mitted to proceed independently.

If two churches, belonging to twodifferent federations, should decide toproceed on their own, this would basi-cally mean that they break away from

their own federation and form a (new)two-church federation of their own.

Some promotion of unity, I wouldsay!

We serve true unity only whenabiding by the rule the churches havevoluntarily adopted and by which theyconsequently are bound.

The Lord admonishes us “to strivefor peace with all.” That means: all to-

gether, so that no one stays behind butthe whole army marches on with closedranks without stragglers.

Our first responsibilities are towardour own federation. If two churchesshould betray their own federation in-stead of continuing their efforts to takeall the churches along, this would beextremely sad and would achieve theopposite of their stated goals.

On Thursday, June the 20th, theWomen Societies of the Fraser Valleyheld their 33rd Annual League Day withthe theme being The Certainty of Faith.On this beautiful sunny morning withMount Baker shimmering in its beauty,258 ladies made their way to Abbots-ford. We were greeted with a cup of cof-fee before we started the meeting. At10:00 Alida VanderHorst welcomed usall on behalf of the Women’s Society ofPort Kells, our host for the day. Shemade us aware of the fact that thiswould be the first and last League Daythat Port Kells would ever host. This fallthey hope to be in their own building inthe Willoughby area which will mean aname change. We had some guests fromthe Free Reformed Church and fromHolland. Alida also asked those ladieswho were at the first league Day to standup. They were thanked for starting thislovely tradition. After singing, prayerand Scripture reading, Jane deGlint pre-sented her speech entitled Certainty andDoubt in a ‘New’ Age.

We all need certainty in all aspectsof our lives. Doubt and especially doubtof faith is most oppressing. It interfereswith our joy. There are different types ofdoubt. Some people have such troubledemotions that they are convinced thatthe blessings of salvation, the forgive-ness of sins are not for them. But Godhas promised us that He is always neareven if we don’t feel it. Other peopledeny the existence of God and give into devilish desire to be god to them-selves. Even some heroes of faith, forexample, Martin Luther, were assault-ed with moments of fierce doubt.Doubt is called unbelief because it doesno put total trust in God. In John 20Thomas is told not to be faithless but

believing, In spite of being assailed withdoubts and temptations, the Lord givesus a way out with His Word and Spirit.

The Rationalistic School teaches thatbelief in God is unreasonable. Scientif-ic thinking is their god. Rationalism’srejection of God left an empty spot.This gap was filled by the resurgence ofa ‘New Age’ of pagan practices. Theunifying concept in New Age is thatman’s true inner self is God. Sin be-comes negative thinking about oneself.Reincarnation feeds on the sense of im-mortality for every living soul. There isa need for a new consciousness whichcan be produced by witchcraft, chan-neling, mantras, trances, etc. These arethe wiles of the devil already used inparadise. Lev. 19, Deut. 18, and 1 Kings21 are some of the Scripture passageswhere God tells us how much He hatesall pagan practices. The public schoolsare being infiltrated with these ungodlybeliefs. Occult practices can cause darkdays for the soul or excessive pride.New Age people believe themselves tobe part of the great eternal light. If thisis not achieved in this life time, they ex-pect to achieve it in another cycle of life.Many self-help books which deal withself esteem, teach how to reach onesinner Source to achieve perfect peace.But there is no eternal peace outside ofJesus Christ. The Bible prepares us tolive in a world of heresies and unbelief.The danger of addiction is great amongthose who dabble with the occult.

There is no human answer to thecertainty of faith. Only the Father, whodid not leave us alone but sent His Spir-it, works faith in us through the Word.The Spirit leads us to the powerful con-viction of Abba, Father.

After an excellent discussion, AnnBysterveld, representative of the Wom-en’s Society of Cloverdale, read a poemby Helen Steiner Rice which was inkeeping with the theme of the day. Shealso read a short poem in honour of allgrandmas who don’t sit and knit all day,but who are now busy with their cellphones and are working out at the gym.Grandma has come off her rocker!

We all headed into the meeting hallfor lunch where the tables were set withbright pastel colours to offset the ratherdreary spring we’ve had up to now. At1:00 we continued the meeting underthe able leadership of Bernice Vreug-denhil from the Women’s Society of Lyn-den. We first had some enjoyable enter-tainment by the Society of Maranatha.Janet Faber then read her essay entitledKnowing the Will of God for Your Life.The theme for her essay was: In orderfor us to know the will of God in our lifewe must live obediently to God’s re-vealed will and we also possess the

Women’s League Day of the Fraser Valley

By Joanna Vanderpol

Mrs. Alida Vanderhorst and Mrs. Jane de Glint


Living in GodCredo Christian High School Graduation – June 27, 1996

By Sarah Vandergugten

comfort of God’s Sovereign will. Weneed to renounce our evil will which iscalled foolish in Eph. 5:17. We need amind renewed in Christ. Since God has awill for us, we can expect Him to show itto us. We must study and meditate onGod’s Word and become saturated withit for that is where we find His revealedwill. In many places in the Bible and es-pecially in the Psalms, we find “guid-ance” as the main theme. In order to beguided we must submit to God’s will.

We must also constantly examine our-selves if it is our sincere desire to serveGod. It is also necessary to pray, askingfor what we need according to God’srevealed will and asking for the HolySpirit to work in us.

In the Bible we read that God attimes, used signs to reveal His willalthough not very often. In the Old Tes-tament He used the Urim and Thum-min. Gideon also received a sign. To-day we do not depend on signs but onwhat God has revealed in His Word.

God has a plan for each of His chil-dren. Our salvation is God’s Sovereignwill for our lives. Although we do notreceive an individual road map, we dohave a common destination. In His timeand way He will lead us. No detail istoo insignificant or no circumstance todifficult. When we slip and fall or whenwe make wrong decisions, the Lord willalways catch us and lead us. We needto learn to trust in God.

After a short discussion, the LeagueDay ended. Throughout the day the

enthusiastic singing was ably accompa-nied by Diane Jansen. The pulpit wasnicely decorated with flower arrange-ments made by Janey VanSeters. As inthe past, the League Day turned out tobe a very enjoyable day where wecould learn from each other and en-courage each other. We thank the Lordthat He makes this day of study possiblefor us. Thankfully the Holy Spirit workscertainty of faith in us.

Mrs. Ann BysterveldMrs. Bernice Vreugdenhil and Mrs. Janet Faber

The end of another school year! Itseemed only such a short while ago thatthe last graduating class had beenstanding eagerly ready to march in tothe strains of “Pomp and Circum-stance.” Now, with a final straighten-ing of caps and gowns the 1996 CredoHigh School Grads made their way tocenter stage at the Abbotsford Pente-costal Assembly. Chris Bisschop spokethe introductory words of welcome.

Central to this year’s celebration wasthe text the grads selected as theme,Acts 17:28: “In Him we live and moveand have our being.” The first congrat-ulatory words, based on Colossians 1:15-23, were spoken by the principal,Mr. E. Vanderboom. He emphasizedthat although all around us it seems that“things are quite literally coming apart,”we can be confident that “in Him[Christ] all things hold together. De-spite the fact that uncertainty seems tobe the only certainty, we know better.God’s world has been restored in Him

who holds all things together. Parentsand teachers have worked to make thata reality in the students’ lives. Thereforewith confidence in the Lord’s covenant

blessings, the grads can be sent beyondthe walls of Credo to continue their jour-ney together with God’s people on theroad to Zion.

The Grads of ’96!


The Joy of the JourneyMr. Bill Vanderpol, speaking on behalf the parents, enti-

tled his speech, The Joy of the Journey. Mr. Vanderpol not-ed that the Credo tradition (having a parent whose youngestchild was graduating do the parents’ address) had specialmeaning for him and his family. Although their daughter Lizwould be the last of the family to come through the schoolsystem, an evening like this reminded them of their youngestchild, Ruth, who had a special graduation 3 1/2 years ago.She lives with her heavenly Father, having come to the endof her brief earthly journey.

This class – most of whom began their journey in the year1978 – has always been somewhat different. Most familiesbrought a daughter to Grade One. When the time to enterCredo High arrived, parents from the three different ele-mentary schools were sure that finally the gender ratio wouldeven out, but it was not to be. This grad class of 56 studentshas 38 young women, and only 18 young men.

One of the new faces entering Grade 8 with these gradswas a very special student, Terence Berends. His presence inthe school added a unique element. Terence taught us allthat everyone is basically the same: we all need uncondi-tional love and acceptance; we all need to learn self-disci-pline; we all need to be admonished at times. Terence alsotaught us what it is to have a child-like faith; what it is tosing enthusiastic praises to God with heart and mouth; whatit means to be a hand and a foot to each other. We need toremember these lessons as we continue our journey.

Covenant companions . . . Mr. Vanderpol noted that the grads do not travel alone.

They may follow the well-marked road that has been tra-versed with confidence by the heroes of faith (Heb. 11).

Noah, Abraham, Sarah trusted that God would be trueto his promises. Sometimes the journey of faith will takethem to unexpected and uncomfortable places, somethingJoseph discovered when his brothers sold him. David ,Job, Paul and even the Lord Jesus cried in anguish to Godwhen their lives became difficult to endure. But it wasChrist’s unswerving obedience to his Father, even to deathon the cross, that assures the grads that all difficulties ontheir journey will be turned to their good. Praise be to theOne whose mercies are new every morning.

The journey will also take the grads to heights of greatjoy, where they may follow the example of Miriam, Hannah,Mary, Anna and Simeon who all rejoiced at the fulfillment oflong-expected promises. Will life always be exciting? No.Life will seem mundane, even vain at times. Yet the gradsneed to heed the advice of Paul, who urges us to do our tasksheartily as serving the Lord. This focus will remove the ordi-nariness of any task.

Long or short . . . We do not know how long our journey will be. Ruth’s

was not quite 11 years. For a previous student at Credo, Rob Luinge, it was

only 17 1/2 years. For some the journey is so short, they donot even see the light of day, but are taken back to the Lordat birth. Life is fragile. Mr. Vanderpol encouraged the gradsto prepare for each day of the journey by putting on the ar-mor of God every morning, remembering to give thanks foreach new day. They will stumble; God will help them upand carry them in his arms. They belong to their faithful Sav-ior, in life and in death. There is no need for worry or anx-iety. Constant, thankful prayer will ensure unassailablepeace and strength.

The journey is not a lonely one, even though each gradwill take on new and greater responsibilities. This pilgrimageprogresses within the context of the body of Christ, his Church,along the road to Zion, the New Jerusalem. Walk the journeyin faith, living in God with joy!

A warm round of applause confirmed the audience’swhole-hearted endorsement of this stimulating yet comfortingmessage so articulately expressed on behalf of the parents.

Living in GodThe big moment had come. One by one, each of the

grads walked the stage to receive a diploma. Camerasflashed, as parents came forward to take pictures of their spe-cial grad. Once everyone had reassembled, the grads wereready to sing, accompanied on guitar by Jonathan Luiten andMr. Brad Davis. This year’s grad song, Living in God, wasparticularly meaningful, since it was composed by Jon’s fa-ther, Andy Luiten, especially for this occasion (see sidebar).The lead singers, Lisa DeHaas, Rosanne Kippers, Leanne

Living in Godby Andy Luiten

Living in God, when days of childhoodCome to their end.Living in God, when time has come to sayFarewell to Friends.Walking this far, to rest before His holy throneAnd knowing that our walk was not alone.

We are children of the LordLooking to Mount Zion,We are pilgrims on the roadmarching on to Zion.

Yes, we stumble and we fallOn the road to Zion,But in faith, we shall callOn our God in Zion.

Refrain:We shall walk on, praise Him in songOur God, our Lord,And in humble prayer, we’ll ask for careFrom God, our Lord,On the road.

We are chosen by our LordTo walk in Zion.As we grow, we look towardOur goal in Zion.

Sins of youth, He won’t recallOn our way to Zion.We pray that He will keep us allOn the road to Zion.

Refrain:Living, Living in GodLiving, Living in GodWe shall Live in God!


Carrie Driegen, Cindy Emmens, LeanneLeyenhorst and Suzanne Aikema are thrilledthat grad night has finally arrived.

Friends for as long asthey can remember:Jon Luiten, MikeVandergugten andVerne Stel.

Terence Berends, Credo’s favoritegrad, takes his place in the receivingline beside Alisa Schouten.

Standing in line beside a grinning Jacquie Bikker,an exuberant Lisa DeHaas reaches out to receive

congratulations from a well-wisher.

Tamara VanDyke receives the StudentCouncil Scholarship from “ThePresident” Reuben Bredenhof.

Leyenhorst, Jeanette Visscher were en-thusiastically joined by the rest of theirclassmates, especially Terence.

As valedictorian, Dana VanderHorstspoke on behalf of the grads. She beganwith a remarkable quote from Jean-PaulSartre, “Man can will nothing unless hehas first understood that he must counton no one but himself; that he is alone,abandoned on earth in the midst of hisinfinite responsibilities without help,with no other aim than the one he forgesfor himself on this earth.”

For a moment, members of the au-dience wondered if they had heard cor-rectly. Thankfully, Dana immediatelyrefuted this despondent and depressingstatement by reiterating that during the12 years of schooling she and her class-mates – each with unique talents andpersonalities – had not walked alone.They had enjoyed support of family,teachers, board members and bus dri-vers along the way. Now they look for-ward past grad, towards the next stage

of education. What they have learnedso far can be likened to a bus ticket. Itcan take them around the corner or tonew and exciting places. As the jour-ney continues, they know they cancount on continued support from thosewho love them. In particular, there isthe One, who in answer to prayer willprovide guidance to stay on the rightpath.

Mr. Sartre had it all wrong. “We arenot alone; we do have a destiny beyondthe goals we’ve set for ourselves . . . Wehave an aim to live in Christ . . . and . . .look forward to eternal life. For ‘In Himwe live, and move, and have our being.’”

Special AwardsVarious representatives from com-

munity business firms, financial institu-tions, colleges and universities, as wellas those representing the Fraser ValleyScholarship Foundation now had thepleasure of dispensing more than$25,000 in scholarships and bursaries

to a large number of well-deservingstudents. The Governor General’sBronze medal went to Anna DeVries,Credo’s top academic student as well asan outstanding athlete.

The evening drew to a close. As thegrads left the auditorium, their exuber-ance bubbled to the surface. Jubilantcheers blended with the decorous tonesof the organ recessional. The gradsquickly formed a long receiving line,well away from the building, so allcould enjoy the fresh evening air.Grandmas and Grandpas – one grand-ma, Mrs. Van Popta, had four grand-children graduate – Moms and Dads,brothers and sisters, friends and relativeswaited patiently to congratulate theirspecial grad. A wonderful evening withmany reasons to give thanks to God forhis immeasurable blessings on thesegraduates, as they hail this landmark intheir journey “on the road to Zion.”


Smithers Celebrates 40 YearsApril 15, 1956 - April 15, 1996

It was with much joy that we gath-ered together as congregation on theevening of May 25, 1996. We came to-gether to commemorate that the churchin Smithers was instituted 40 years ago,on April 15, 1956.

Mr. John VanVeen, our MC, wel-comed everyone and invited us to singPs. 108: 1,2. He then opened theevening with the reading of Hebrews13:1-20 and prayer.

Br. VanVeen proceeded to read theletter that the new consistory of Smithers

sent to all the sister churches which in-formed them of its institution. He alsorelated the parallel between our congre-gation and the early church of Israel.There were many struggles, but the Lordremained faithful. We still are sinful andprone to sin, but the Lord through Hisinfinite mercy continues to bless. Br.VanVeen finished the introduction withthe following paragraph. “Of thechanges and non-changes I noted abovewe have the one thing that hasn’tchanged one iota these past 40 years, norwill change in the years to come. OurLord and Saviour. In a world where ourLord and His work is ignored, profaned,and rejected, in a world where we seethat the Lord has given man up to theirown sinful passions, we may persevere.The times ahead are not going to beeasy to remain faithful to our Lord but itis our prayer that he will be with us. Notto make it easy for us, but to make it allworthwhile. Our journey to the promisedland is not over but it is in sight. Whetherwe wait a year, another 40 years, or an-other 120 years is of no concern to us,but we may to continue so that He maystill find faith amongst us here inSmithers. On this note we have every

reason to praise his holy name, in songand fellowship. Let us enjoy this eveningtogether. I would like to close this shortintroduction in a similar in which br.VanDijk, the chairman of the consistoryat the institution, closed the address tothe congregation. Ebenezer – Hithertohath the Lord helped us.

We then were treated to thepreschoolers reciting verse and singingsongs in Praise to the Lord.

Next we were taken on a trip downmemory lane as Br. F. Hofsink Sr.showed us slides of historical events in-cluding the building of our new (1970)church and some church picnics. Br. C.Barendregt also had some old 8mm filmof congregational activities. These werea very entertaining look at the past.

After praising the Lord with thesinging of Hymn 60:1,4,5, the floor wasgiven to Rev. Louwerse of our sisterchurch in Houston, which was actuallythe Mother church of the Bulkley Valley.On behalf of the Houston church, hecongratulated us on our 40th anniver-sary. 40 Years in which there has beenboth difficulties and blessings. Aschurch in Houston they have seen usgrown a lot faster then they have in the

Our MC: Mr. John VanVeen


OUR LITTLE MAGAZINE

By Aunt Betty

past 40 years. He also points out thatthey would welcome new members.

Our own minister, Rev. Huijgenthen addressed us on behalf of theSmithers consistory. He reflected on anold sermon which compared thechurch to a lawn. From a distance itseems green, although from close youcan see there is also that which is un-wanted. The congregation has to be allgreen. This reflects the churches unity.We can be different shades of green,but we must watch for polluting ele-ments. in this congregation there is re-semblance and diversity. These char-acteristics can exist in perfect harmony.We must hope and pray that we may

find ourselves more and more in theunity of the true faith. We must be onein faith, but we can be different in howwe take up our task in the church. Aschurch we are young in the perspec-tive of history. We hope and pray thatthe future may be more glorious and wemust aim to reach perfection.

Br. K. Kort then treated us to a verynice piano solo, after which the LadiesSociety gave us a game to play. Slideswere shown of ministers of the Canadi-an Reformed Church, and the differentsocieties took turns in identifying them.

There was also a round of trivia aboutthe history of this church.

Br. J. Verhelst then performed an or-gan solo of Hymn 5 by M. Mans.

After the congregation sang Hymn50: 1,2,7 our M.C. concluded theevening by touching on some respons-es that were received from those whohad been invited to attend this anniver-sary celebration. After some thank you’sto those who helped and participated,the M.C. John VanVeen invited Rev.Huijgen to close the evening in prayer.

By an observerOur Minister: Rev. Huijgen

Preschoolers singing a song

Dear Busy Beavers,I hope that by now you are all settling into your school

routines again. It is wonderful to live in a free countrywhere we can learn about God and all the wonderful thingsHe has created.

Here’s some puzzles for you to enjoy in your sparetime.

NEW TESTAMENT BEFORE OR AFTER?(text clues at end of column)

1. Christ fed the 5,000 before or after He fed the 4,000?

2. Pilate sent Jesus to Herod before or after the release ofBarnabas?

3. Stephen saw the glory of God before or after he wasbrought out of the city?

4. Barnabas and Paul went to Jerusalem before or afterthey were sent out from Antioch?

5. Upon His arrest Jesus was taken to Annas before or af-ter He was taken to Caiaphas?

6. Mary of Bethany anointed Jesus before or after Jesus hadraised her brother Lazarus from the dead?

7. There was a great earthquake before or after Christ’sdeath?

8. There was a great earthquake before or after the Ro-man soldiers had left the garden?

9. There was a great earthquake before or after Paul andSilas had sung praises to God?

10. Christ raised Jairus’ daughter before or after He raisedthe widow’s son at Nain?


BIBLE NAMES WORD SEARCH

F N D I N O I Z KD A E L I G C J SL B B H E O Q H YN E G Y P T U E RA H S A B V A B ID S T H A M A R AR R G M O C E O PO E D O M J W N DJ E R I C H O M BR B E T H E L S FCan you find these words?Jericho Egypt Beersheba Edom MoabGilead Ramah Hebron Jordan ZionSyria Bethel

CRACK THE CODE! By Busy Beaver Rieneke Huijgen

WORD SEARCHNew Testament Bible Books

by Busy Beaver Brandon VanAmerongen

R X Q H J N H O J S P N S X U J U E M AE J K M V G M A T T H E W W J U D S E RH U L S T C A A W I Q R E P R D E S N AP N D N A M R L M M O B R E W E I N R VO C S A L U K E A O G F B T T C A A O AS E I M U F D O J T A P E T R S M I N SW L O O K A X Q N H I Z H E S O J H O NE W X R S T C U C Y X A Q I U T I T I OP P E N G Z R Y T O O X N B L N R N N IH Z O F W M T W V E L J D S A E D I S TE S R E T E P T R E L O Y J O C M R P AS O H M S K E W U K U O S Q T N S O M LI Q S L E D T G Q T I T U S P X E C N EA R E W I L R S V Y N S T M I Z I V R VN C M Z O I E L F A R H I B Z A O N E ES N A I N O L A S S E H T H Q S N J F RD K J H J O H N N O H L D P R G L S P DA I M O N J S S I H B P W X Y A W X C KP L B J P H I L I P P I A N S U T S L W

Can you find these words?Matthew Mark Luke JohnActs Romans Corinthians GalatiansEphesians Philippians Colossians ThessaloniansTimothy Titus Philemon HebrewsJames Peter John JudeRevelation

DENIALSThe following people each denied something. Match

the person with what he or she denied.

From the MailboxHi, Rieneke Huijgen! You sure had

an exciting summer! You’re right, it’sgood to relax for a while, but it’s good towork, too! Did you find any fossils at thefossils beds this summer? Bye, Rieneke.

Hi. Laura Kanis. If you’d like to havea penpal, why don’t you look in someClarions for names of Busy Beavers who

want penpals, and write to one of them? Do you draw a lot?Bye, Laura.

Welcome to the Busy Beaver Club, Brandon Van-Amerongen. You sound like a very busy person. Thanks forthe puzzle, too. If you’d like, you can send more in. We needthem! Bye, Brandon.

Hi, Charlene Tuininga. It was good to hear from youagain. You must have been busy lately. I hope you send yourpoem soon. I would like to read it. If you want to save upmoney, why don’t you give it to your Mom to keep it for you?OR put it in a bank account! Bye, Charlene.

Welcome to the Busy Beaver Club, Becca Brasz. Howmany kittens do you have? And what colours are they? Doyou play with your skip-it a lot? Hope to hear from you soon,Becca. Bye.

Welcome to the Busy Beaver Club, Lydia Jongsma. Ithink you like your baby sister. What do you do in yoursummer holidays? I hope you are having fun and learning alot in school now. Bye, Lydia.

Answer clues to Before or After Quiz

Love to you all, Aunt Betty

1. Abraham, Gen. 20:22. Peter, Matt. 26:69-70 3. Jonathan, 1 Sam. 20:94. Adam, Gen. 3:125. Job, Job 13:14-186. Sarah, Gen. 18:157. The crowd around

Jesus, Luke 8:458. Barnabas, Acts 14:12-

159. Pilate, Luke 23:4

10. Chief priests, John19:21

11. Eliphaz, Job 4:1,7

a. That the innocent perish.b. That he was a god.c. That Jesus was guilty.d. That Jesus was the King of

the Jews.e. That he would not tell

David of his father’sintentions.

f. That his wife was his wife.g. That he was being

punished for sin.h. That she laughed at an

angel’s message.i. That he was responsible

for eating the forbiddenfruit.

j. That anyone had touchedJesus.

k. That he knew Jesus.

1. Mark 6:32-43, 8:1-9; 2. Luke 23:6-25; 3. Acts 7:54-60;4. Acts 12:24,25; 13:1-3; 5. John 18:12,13; 6. John 11;12:1-9; 7. Matt 27:50-63; 8. Matt 28:1-15; 9. Acts 16:25-32;10. Luke 7:11-17, 8:41-56


Sons are a heritage of the LORD; and children a reward from Him. Psalm 127:3With great thankfulness to the Lord for again blessing our family witha third son, we announce the birth of MORGEN TEO Born June 5, 1996 George and Tanya VanderDeen (nee Harlaar) A little brother for Megan, Ian and Devin32684 Avalon Cr., Abbotsford, BC V2T 3S6

With thankfulness to our heavenly Father, we joyfully announce the Hehas once again entrusted one of His covenant children to usKATRIENA ANNETTE named after her grandmother Trientje Sturing (1917-1995) and hergreat-grandmother Antje Bos (1880-1976)Date of Birth: July 22, 1996Weight: 9 lbs. and 10 oz.Length: 22 inchesA sister for Pauline and Roelf KarsRoelof and Theresa Janssen (nee Bootsma)Box 154 Neerlandia, AB Canada T0G 1R0

RANDAL LEE was welcomed with love on August 6th, 1996 by Dennis and Marg,Kristin, Brandy, Jonathan, Mitchel, Amber, Taylor and Dawn Muis. Wegive thanks and praise to our heavenly Father for granting us His pre-cious gift of life.1519 Moss Glen Crt., Burlington, ON L7P 2B7

With great thankfulness to the Lord who has made all things well, wejoyfully announce the birth of our third child, a son ZACHARY SIMON Born August 3, 1996 A brother for Faythe and RachelFred and Sharon Helder Box 357, Telkwa, BC V0J 2X0

Lo, sons are a heritage from the LORD. Psalm 127:3a We give thanks to the Lord for blessing our family with the birth of ourfourth son and brother. It is with great joy that we announce the birth of MARC CLARENCE Born Thursday, August 15, 1996John and Jackie Joosse (Post)Michael, Dennis and Bradley174 Alway Road, Grimsby, ON L3M 4E7

Praise be to God who has entrusted into our care one of His children.We named herMARIA LEANNE Born on July 23, 1996 Gerry and Heather VanWoudenberg (nee Berends) 8 McCartney Road, Guelph, ON N1K 1M8

We thank our Father for answering our prayers making everything wellwith the birth of our son BENJAMIN HENK Born June 12, 1996Paul and Kim Van Eerde (nee Vanderzwaag)1st Grandchild for John and Mary Van Eerde and Ben and JoAnne Vanderzwaag54 Amaranth Street, Grand Valley, ON L0N 1G0

Thou has granted me life and steadfast love; and Thy care has preservedmy spirit. Job 10:10To God, in whose “hand is the life of every living thing and the breathof all mankind,” we give thanks for our second child, a son JAKOB MARTEN Born August 18, 1996 A brother for Jelle AndréRiemer and Annelies Faber (nee Geertsema) 157 Royal Orchard Drive, Kitchener, ON N2N 1S2

“His covenant stands from age to age unbroken...”With thankfulness to our heavenly Father who made all things well, wejoyfully announce the birth of our second child, a son, whom we named GRANT DAMON Born August 5, 1996 Harold and Valerie SlaaA brother for Dylan Richard15 Lethbridge Avenue, Winnipeg, MB R2C 2A5

You knit me together in my mother’s worm. I praise you because I am fear-fully and wonderfully made; Your works are wonderful, I know that fullwell. Psalm 139:13,14It is with great joy, awe and thanksgiving that we announce the birthof our son and brotherOLIVER JOHN THOMAS who was born on July 29, 1996 weighing 8 lbs. 11-1/2 oz. Nineteenth grandchild for John and Ann BultjeSeventh grandchild for Kees and Rena BootA brother for Stefanie, Katrina and AlexJeff and Jackie Bultje RR 1, Chatham, ON N7M 5J1

With thankfulness to our Father in heaven who entrusted into ourcare one of His covenant children we joyfully announce the birth of ourfirst child, a son CALEB LEE Born July 28, 1996 Ed and Diane Kos (nee Wierenga) Box 224, Neerlandia, AB T0G 1R0

And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in per-fect harmony. Colossians 3:14With gratitude to our Father who has directed our paths we BRYAN BOS and TOBI HOFSINK joyfully announce our engagement. August 16, 1996 1465 Moss Glen Road, Burlington, ON L7P 2C2

Births

CLARION ADVERTISEMENTS

Engagements


He has made everything beautiful in its time. Ecclesiastes 3:11aAs parents of the bride and groom we are thankful to announce themarriage of JOY IRENE SIKMA and TYLER JEREMY VAN VLIET to be held the Lord willing on August 24, 1996. Rev. C. VanSpronsen and candidate Jason Van Vliet officiating. It is our prayer that the Lord may continue to guide you in His ways.Their parents, Tony† and Jane Sikma, Kees and Ria Van VlietCloverdale, BC Future Address: P.O. Box 247, 9161 Queen Street, Ft. Langley, BC V0X 1J0

With thankfulness to the Lord, who brought them together, Mr. andMrs. Andrew Barendregt and Mr. and Mrs. Bert Wierenga are happyto announce the marriage of their children MARJORIE and EDWARD JOHNThe wedding will take place, the Lord willing, on Friday, September 6,1996 at 1:00 p.m. in the Canadian Reformed Church at Smithers, BC. Rev. J. Huigen officiating.Box 4095, Smithers, BC V0J 2N0

With thankfulness to the Lord who brought us together, we KONRAD THEODORE VANDASSELAAR and JOANNE VISSCHER are pleased to announce our marriage. The ceremony will take placethe Lord willing Friday, September 6, 1996 at 2:00 p.m. in the Cana-dian Reformed Church at Carman, MB. Rev. P.K.A. DeBoer officiating. Box 1737, Carman, MB R0G 0J0

Blessed is everyone who fears the LORD, who walks in His ways! Youshall be happy, and it shall be well with you. Psalm 128:1,2BWith thankfulness and praise in our hearts we MONICA LYNN NORDEMAN and DONALD KEVIN BOS together with our parents, Mr. and Mrs. G.J. Nordeman and Mr. andMrs. D. Bos, joyfully announce our marriage. The ceremony will takeplace, D.V., October 5, 1996 at 1:00 p.m. in the Ebenezer CanadianReformed Church, Burlington, ON. Rev. G. Nederveen officiating.

1971 – August 21 – 1996And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power,together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deepis the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge – thatyou may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. Ephesians 3:17b-19Thanks be to God for richly blessing our parents AREN and MARY VAN DYKE (nee Vandergugten)who can look back on 25 years of happily married life. We thankthem for this, and pray that they continue to seek the Lord’s strengthand guidance in their lives.Their loving children,

Angelina Aren Philip Rita Melanie Laura Tamara Julian

1971 – 1996Praise the LORD, O my soul; all my inmost being, praise His holy name!Psalm 103:3With great thankfulness to the Lord, I am pleased to announce that wehave celebrated the 25th Wedding Anniversary of my parents CORNELIS VAN DAM and JOANNE VAN DAM (nee Buist) on August 21, 1996 and that we hope to celebrate father’s 25th an-niversary in the ministry of the gospel on October 12, 1996, D.V.Their grateful son Carl.642 Ramsgate Road, Burlington, ON L7N 2Y1

1971 – September 11 – 1996The LORD is my strength and my song; He has become my salvation. Psalm 118:14With thankfulness unto our heavenly Father who graciously has guidedand blessed them through their marriage, we wish to announce the25th Wedding Anniversary of our parentsHENRY and NANCY BARTELS (nee Mechelse)It is our prayer that the Lord will continue to strengthen and sustainthem in coming years.Their thankful childrenBinbrook, ON: Wayne and Hilda Bartels

JessicaShanna Bartels and Alex RavensbergenGeoff BartelsSarah Bartels

3552, Hwy. 56, RR 2, Binbrook, ON L0R 1C0

1961 - 1996Blessed are those whose way is blameless, who walk in the law of theLORD! Blessed are those who keep His testimonies, who seek Him withtheir whole heart, who also do no wrong, but walk in His ways! Psalm 119:1-3With thankfulness to our heavenly Father, who so graciously grantedus loving and God-fearing parents, we joyfully announce on Septem-ber 2nd, 1996 their 35th Wedding Anniversary. HARRY and JANTINA VAN DEN AKKER (nee Wassenaar) Winnipeg, MB: Charles and Charlene Van den Akker

Helena, MarinaWinnipeg, MB: Charlene Van den Akker

30th Wedding Anniversary1966 – September 10 – 1996STEF AND DIEN WOUDENBERG (nee deVries)We, as children, thank and praise the Lord who guided and sustainedour parents throughout 30 years of marriage. May they continue to findstrength in God and in each other for another 30 years.Much love from your appreciative children and grandchildrenWatford, ON: Ebelien and Peter Wattel

Aylien, ErinWaterdown, ON: Gerard Woudenberg and fiancee Rose deGelderDundas, ON: Nadine and Shane VanVeen

Jordan, ZackaryWaterdown, ON: Hettie Woudenberg

Dirk Woudenberg25 Berry Hill Road, Waterdown, ON L0R 2H4

Weddings

Anniversaries


1961 – September 30 – 1996For the LORD is good and His love endures forever; His faithfulness throughthe generations. Psalm 100:5With thankfulness to our heavenly Father who has richly blessed ourparents and grandparents over the years, we joyfully announce their35th Wedding Anniversary. KLARE and JANE KNOL (nee Roodzandt)Brampton, ON: Jenette and Ray Schoon

Jocelyn, Amy, Laura, Melissa, KaitlynAriss, ON: Nellie and Chuck EndemanBrampton, ON: Debbie and Peter VanderSluis

TaliaThornhill, ON: Audrey Knol and Paul BaldwinHamilton, ON: Sharon and George Hofsink

Geoffrey, Kaylee, KelvinMississauga, ON: Linda KnolShelburne, ON: Gerald Knol

Alida Knol and Garth SpanningaRR 4, Shelburne, ON L0N 1S8

May 2, 1916 – August 9, 1996Therefore, since we are justified by faith, we have peace with Godthrough our Lord Jesus Christ. Through Him we have obtained accessto this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in our hope of sharingthe glory of God. Romans 5:1,2It pleased the Lord to take unto Himself His child, our beloved hus-band, father, grandfather and great-grandfather JAN GROENGrand Valley, ON: Johanna Groen (nee Voerman)Orangeville, ON: Luke and Ena Jonker

John and Alice GroenRay and Mary SawyerBen and Joan Kottelenberg

Grand Valley, ON: Bert GroenJon and Jenny GroenGeorge and Marg Groen

Brampton, ON: Arnold and Jenny GroenRichmond Hill, ON: Arthur and Lynda GroenGrand Valley, ON: Ed and Bertha Groen

Randy and Alice GroenLoved uncle of Gerrie WemekampFondly remembered by 55 grandchildren and 17 great-grandchildren.P.O. Box 206, Grand Valley, ON L0N 1G0

Obituaries

Anniversaries continued For I am sure that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities,nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nordepth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate usfrom the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 8:38-39The Lord in His time has taken to Himself after a long strugglewith cancer our wife, mother, oma and sister ELISABETH ANNA (ELLY) ENGLEFIELD Beloved wife of Colin Englefield. Children and grandchildrenEdmonton, AB: Marianne and Martin van der Ahé

Jessica, Michelle, JasonSherwood Park, AB: Peter Englefield

Sonya Englefield and financé Greg Hassan

Brothers and sistersDrachten, Holland: Corry and Henk van RenssenEdmonton, AB: Gordon VerburgZeist, Holland: Jan and Adri VerburgNieuwegein, Holland: Piet and Wil VerburgSon en Breugel, Holland: Thea and Dick van den BergeAnd many nephews and nieces.37 East Whitecroft, 52313 Range Road 232, Sherwood Park, AB T8B 1B7

Advertise in

VACANCY

PRIMARY SCHOOL TEACHER

The John Calvin School in Albany Western Australiarequires the services of a suitably qualified teacherfor the Primary Department.

Albany is situated on the south coast of Western Aus-tralia and has a population of approximately 25,000.This beautiful centre enjoys mild summers and coolwinters.

Commencement date for the successful applicant willbe 1 January 1997.

Applicants must be a member of one of the Free Re-formed Churches of Australia or one of its sisterchurches. Possession of or studying towards aDiploma in Reformed Education may be an advantage.

Applications close on 27 September 1996 and shouldbe addressed to:

The Secretary Albany Free Reformed Church Education Associa-

tion J de Man P.O. Box 1666

Albany, W.A. 6330

For further information contact:

The Principal Mr. A. Terpstra

John Calvin School 9 Beaufort Road

Albany, W.A. 6330 Tel (098)413840


HIGH SCHOOL TEACHERS

The Free Reformed School Association of

ARMADALE, WESTERN AUSTRALIA

has two vacant teaching positions at the John CalvinSenior High School, with an intended commencementdate of January 1997.

The John Calvin Senior High School has a staff of 22teachers, and provides secondary education for some180 students in Years 8 through 12. Armadale is situ-ated in attractive natural surroundings at the foothillsof the Darling Escarpment some 30 Km southwest ofPerth, the capital city of Western Australia. This areaenjoys a pleasant Mediterranean climate.

The vacancies are:

1. ACCOUNTING/ECONOMICS TEACHER

and

2. INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY (IT)/COM-PUTING TEACHER

The school has a fully equipped computer laboratory,and is also in the final planning stages of a new Designand Technology Centre. This centre will facilitate theintroduction of new curriculum initiatives, allowingIT to be positioned as an integral part of broad basedtechnology studies. As well as teaching IT courses, thesuccessful applicant will be involved in the planningand implementation of IT across the curriculum.

The School Board is keen to attract qualified and wellmotivated applicants to the above positions. For thatreason, all enquiries are welcomed. Financial assis-tance is available for relocation expenses.

Further information on these positions may be ob-tained from the High School Principal, Mr. K. Wieskeon 61 9 4979066 (Fax 61 9 4973280).

All intending applicants should be a member of theFree Reformed Churches of Australia or one of its sis-ter churches and be committed to Reformed Educa-tion.

Information may also be obtained from the Chairmanof the Board, Mr. J. Mulder, on 61 9 3992839.

Applications should be directed to:

The SecretaryFree Reformed School Association (Inc)

PO Box 474 ArmadaleWestern Australia 6112

Fax 61 9 4973280

CLOSING DATE FOR EXPRESSIONS OF INTEREST:30 SEPTEMBER 1996.

The John Calvin School of Smithville, Ontario invites applications for a

GRADE 4 TEACHER for the 1997 school year. Duties to commence January 1, 1997.For more information about this opportunity, contactour principal

Miss J. Kingma (905) 957-2127 - home (905) 957-2341 - school

Applications may be submitted to Mr. R. Jager

Secretary of the Education Committee, General Delivery, Smithville, Ontario L0R 2A0

REFORMED POLEMICS

A bi-weekly newsletter for Reformed Christians, dis-cussing important current issues in the light of Scrip-ture. We maintain the Reformed direction of the ThreeForms of Unity in our timely articles and reports on de-velopments in the reformed community.To receive your copy every two weeks from Septemberthrough June please send $15 to cover costs to:

Petra Enterprisesl5442-85A Avenue, Surrey, BC V3S 5N7

Telephone (604) 597-1818 Fax (604) 597-4953

Our format is four 8 1/2”x11” pages, three-holepunched for easy storage and reference. Volumes I andII are available at $10.

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EBENEZER VILLA, HAMILTON, ONTARIOWe invite inquiries from our church members aboutour unique senior citizen home.We offer:• Rent geared to income, if qualified.• Located right next to the Cornerstone Church on

Stone Church Road East, Hamilton, Ontario.• For all church services audio video directly

connected from Cornerstone Church to all apart-ments and lounge.

• Limited home care available to all residents.• Spacious library with Dutch and English books.• An active care committee arranges for regular enter-

tainment events and a weekly coffee social.• Regular Bible Study in Dutch by Rev. Cl. Stam.• Weekly shopping trip• City transportation nearbyCall: Ike Vanderwoude at (905) 639-8110

orTony Vanderhout at (905) 692-3986

or write: Ebenezer VillaP.O. Box 20052Upper James Postal StationHamilton, Ontario L9C 7M5

* * * * * I N V I T A T I O N * * * * *

TO: ALL WOMEN’S SOCIETIESThe Board of the League of Canadian Reformed Wom-en’s Societies in Ontario is pleased to invite you to our35th Annual League Day to be held, D.V., on

Wednesday, October 9, 1996 in the

PLACE POLONAISE 480 WINSTON ROAD, GRIMSBY

Morning Session, 10 a.m.

Introduction by Mrs. Janet Schutten on “Let us dogood to all men, and especially to those who areof the household of faith.” (Galations 6:10b)

Ref: 1 Corinthians 12: 14-31, James 2: 14-26A Well Founded City by Rev. W. Powelse(Chapter 4, esp. sections 1-3)

Afternoon Session, 1:30 p.m.

Rev. J. de Gelder will speak on Preservatives Re-quired (Some reflections on the biblical meaning ofsalt.)

Ref. : A. The Old Testament speaks about * a“covenant salt” in Lev. 2:13, Num. 18:19,2 Chron. 13:5 * the use of salt with offer-ings in Lev. 2:13. Some other Passageswhere salt is mentioned are: Deut. 29:23,Judges 9:45, 2 Kings 2:20-21, Ezekiel43:24, 24 & 47:11.

B. In the New Testament salt is mentionedonly a few times: Matt. 5:13, Mark 9:49-50,Luke 14:34-35, Col. 4:6

LEAGUE DAY TICKETS are to ordered BEFORE Mon-day, September 23, 1996, from:

Mrs. Margaret Hoeksema 261 Station Street, General Delivery Smithville, ON L0R 2A0 (905) 957-2806

Cost: $8.00 per person. On behalf of the BoardH. VanderLaan Corresponding Secretary

Open:Monday-Saturday – 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.

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Tel./Fax (905) 631-19291-800-376-7199

T H E M U S I C G R O U PWillem Van Suydam, General Manager

• CONTENT CHURCH ORGANS• DOMUS HOME ORGANS ($6,995.00)• DUTCH CD’S and TAPES• LESSONS• NOW ALSO PRE-OWNED PIANOS

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1 or 2 Bedroom basement apartment Burlington, ON

Available Sept. 1st, 1996 Close to Hwy. 5 and Brant St. Please call: 1-(905)-336-3262

HOLIDAYING IN THE NETHERLANDS 1997?

In July 1997 we hope to be spending about four weeksin Southern Ontario. Interested in exchanging houseand vehicle with us? You would enjoy a comfortablemanse in a rural village in the ‘holiday classis’ of theNetherlands: just 5 km north of Hardenberg-Heemse.

Contact: J. Plug Dedemsvaartseweg N 158,

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HERITAGE CHRISTIAN SCHOOL10290 Wadsworth BlvdWestminster, CO 80021303-759-0984

In keeping with our promise to educate our children inthe Reformed faith, we are asking for your support inthe continuing operation of our school. Heritage Chris-tian School faces a deficit of $16,500 for the comingyear. Please prayerfully consider assisting our school.

I would like to support Heritage Christian Schoolwith a donation of

_____ $50 _____ $75 _____ $100 _____ $250 _____ $500

Other__________________________________________

Name ________________________________________

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and the U.S.A.

Ontario Edition: P.O. Bag 9033, Surrey, BC V3T 4X3tel: (416) 287-6487 (between 12:00 & 8:00 p.m.)

Western Canada: P.O. Bag 9033, Surrey, BC V3T 4X3tel: (604) 532-1733

U.S.A.: P.O. Box 313, Lynden, WA 98264-0313tel: (604) 532-1733

the Windmill

Ask for our list of book titles by Piet Prins, W.G. van de Hulst and others

BURNHILL REALTY LIMITED3235 Fairview Street, Burlington, ON L7N 3L1

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Book of Praise

This new, slightly revised editioncomes in HARD COVER binding.

The complete Book of Praise Anglo-Genevan Psalter(Revised Edition) of the Canadian and AmericanReformed Churches.

• Complete English-language versionof the Sixteenth Century GenevanPsalter, long treasured for thestrength and beauty of itsmelodies

• A collection of 65 Hymns

• The Three Forms of Unity (The Belgic Confession, The Heidelberg Catechism, and the Canons of Dort)

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680 pages ………………………………………$19.00ISBN 0-88756-029-6

The Large Print EditionThe complete Book of Praise in a large print edition. Idealfor singing around the organ or piano!Hard cover, 680 pages …………………………$23.50

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clarion · 3s. kistemaker, 1 corinthians [ntc], (grand rapids: baker, 1993), 405 : “[the word]...

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