Newsletter Fall 12

7/31/2019 Newsletter Fall 12

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Rock Valley United Reformed Church

Newsletter

Autumn, 2012


2/13

I read Acts 20 as devotions for our recent Consistory meeting, the last Consistory meeting ofwhich Id be a part. Acts 20 ends on a sad but hopeful note because Paul is leaving the elders fromthe church in Ephesus to go to Jerusalem, where Paul expects to be persecuted. I encouraged ourelders as Paul encouraged the Ephesian elders to pay careful attention to yourselves and to all theflock, in which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to care for the church of God, which he ob-tained with his own blood(20:28). In no way do I claim to have the stature or the honor of the

Apostle Paul, so the parallels between my departure and his cant be drawn too sharply. But the en-couragements and the commands are the same because they dont come from Paul or from me they come from Jesus.

Thats why Im not going to ask you to remember my legacy of these past near-seven years.Im not going to ask you to remember the good and forget the bad. Memories of that kind will staywhether or not I ask you for them. No, what I am going to ask you to remember are those things thatcame from Jesus. As Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 2, And I, when I came to you, brothers, did notcome proclaiming to you the testimony of God with lofty speech or wisdom. For I decided to knownothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. And I was with you in weakness and infear and much trembling, and my speech and my message were not in plausible words of wisdom,but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, so that your faith might not rest in the wisdom of menbut in the power of God.

This being the first time I have to leave a congregation, those words hit me square in thechest that much more. If the Apostle Paul could speak of his own weakness, how much more can I?

As much as he spoke without plausible words of wisdom, I didnt speak any more eloquently. Andyet I can testify to the same demonstration of the Spirit and of power, not only in how He hasblessed me, but especially in how I can see that He has blessed you.

Brothers and sisters, you are loved by Jesus, and I have seen His love for you in many ways.Thats one of the best parts of being a pastor of His sheep perhaps like no one else in the congre-gation, I have shared in your joys and your sorrows, your struggles and your worries. Not once hasthe Lord failed us; in fact, I know that Hes used all of the trials that we have shared together so thatwe can confess His faithfulness even more confidently.

I re-read the pastors page I prepared for our first church newsletter back in May of 2006, inwhich I wondered what it would be like in 50 years to look back at the history of our congregation. Atthe time, we were experiencing many firsts, so there were many memories to be made. In the

more than six years since, the pace of those memories hasnt slowed down and now its time for an-other first the first time our congregation will be without a pastor. This next stage in that historymight be a struggle at times, so I ask that you pray for your elders and that you pray for each other.Pray not only for what you need, but pray for what you have. Pray for your fellowship. Pray for yourmutual trust and love. Pray for your elders who love you deeply. Pray that you remember whosesheep you are and in whose care you will always be. For me to commend you to God and to theWord of His graceis one of the richest things I could say to you because I know thats what youneed. May God bless you until we meet again.

And now I commend you to God

and to the word of his grace, which

is able to build you up and to give

you the inheritance among all

those who are sanctified.

Acts 20:32


3/13

Public Professions of FaithOn Sunday, August 5, 2012 we were blessed to hear the Public Professions ofFaith of Ashley Laman and Brittany Laman. Rev. Sinke preached from Galatians5:16-26 under the theme If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit.

We saw that the desires of the flesh are still waging war against the desires of theSpirit, and that this is an on-going battle we will face for the rest of our lives, eventhough we profess our faith. But, the fruit of the Spirit belongs to the Spirit, and itwill come out in us when the Spirit infuses Himself in us. The gospel calls us toflee to the Lord and plead for grace to persevere through the battle.

On behalf of the Consistory, Rev. Sinke presented Ashley and Brittany with thebook Chosen by Godby R.C. Sproul.

As a church family, it is a joy to witness our young people standing up and declar-ing that they love the Lord. May we always lean on each other as we lean on theLord, faithfully helping and encouraging one another in our walk on the narrowpath.

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control;against such things there is no law. And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions

and desires. If we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit.Galatians 5:22-25

Reflections on Synod

June 1115, 2012 Nyack, New York

A large portion of the first few days was overcast and rainy. We began with the election of officers and then in advisory committee meetings. Throughout our time at Synod we had the opportunity to hear addresses from delegates from other likeminded Reformed believers from other federations across the country and around the world.

Day 2 began with a discussion of the education needed for men to adequately serve as Minister of the Word in the URCNA.Then there were numerous proposed liturgical forms for us to review and bring back to our local consistories for provisionaluse and feedback. We also reviewed various documents, including a Proposed Joint Church Order with the Canadian Re-formed Church. Later, Synod overwhelmingly accepted the invitation of the OPC to work together in the production of a sonbook. In dealing with the issue of the current Proposed Hymnal, Synod directed the Psalter Hymnal committee to pay attentto unrest and concern among the churches in connection with the changes they have made. Synod sought to find the besway to process the communications received from the churches to the PH committee as they go forward with their work.

There were also financial matters for us to take up. One note of concern was the matter of transferring money from Canadacharitable organizations within the United States because of current Canadian legislation. A large portion of Thursday after-noon was devoted to missions. After much debate, the decision was made to organize a Missions Committee and create theposition of Missions Coordinator. We also dealt with the financial matters regarding emeritus pay for retired ministers. Synoestablished a new committee to further study the compensation concerns of retired URCNA ministers.

Friday was finally a sunny day! But our day was spent indoors, dealing with appeals. I can tell you that Synod feels the weiof dealing carefully with these matters. Next, Synod adopted a new budget, and the Askings Fund was raised to $13.10 perfamily. Before we all headed home, the Chairman addressed the delegates with warm words of wisdom and thanks. In ordeto keep the work load lighter, the next Synod will be held in two years (June, 2014) at the Trinity URC of Visalia, California.

This was a humbling learning experience for me. Im grateful that God has provided the URCNA with men who love the Lorand His Church.

Loren Kooim

In the weeee hours of the morning of Monday, June 11long before the roosterswoke up for the day, Rev. Sinke and I left home, bound for New York City and on tothe campus of Nyack College, overlooking the Hudson River, in Nyack, New York.By late afternoon we were settled into our dorm room, had a bite to eat and wereready for the evening prayer service to begin Synod 2012. There were 197 delegatesfrom 104 churches among the United Reformed Churches of North America.


4/13

And were off! On July 22 at 11:30PM, after deciding to pull an a-nighter, Michelle, Jade, Brittany, Arlin, Carla and I headed off toOmaha. At 5:30AM we boarded our plane along with theSanborn, Sioux Falls, Hills, Orange City and Sioux Center youthgroups. Once we reached Chicago we had a short layover andthen headed off to Atlanta. From the airport all of those youthgroups combined and took a charter bus to Covenant College,which was about two hours away. After climbing Look-Out Mountain, we were finally there!

Covenant College has a beautiful campus at the top of the mountain overlooking Chattanooga, TN. Soon after settling into ourrooms and meeting our roommates from Michigan, it was chowtime! Then we ended the night with a session welcoming us andintroducing our session/main speakers for this year, Rev. WybreOord and Rev. William Godfrey, who took turns speaking aboutour theme "Soar Like Eagles".

Day 1! We started off the morning with son-rise groups(devotions) and a session. After dinner we attended two"workshops", which are hour long speeches given by other ministers on various topics. Free time was given afterwards, so CarlaMichelle, Jade, Brittany and I tried our hand at the scavengerhunt. After an hour of circling the VERY hilly campus (about fivetimes) we still failed to complete the hunt. It was then supper timand following that, workshop #3.

Brittany and I had the opportunity to see how good our volleyball skills were! After the workshop there was the 1st round ofvolleyball tournament. Our team was a mixture of Sioux Center, Orange City and Rock Valley. In my opinion we did prettyawesome, but we lost, which kicked us out of the rest of the tournament. Following volleyball we had son-set groups (sharewith youth group things you did that day) and then headed to bed to get ready for another day.

2nd Day! While Brittany slept in, I went out and ran a 5k race bright and early. This day is the most uneventful day. We hadson-rise groups and two more workshops in the morning. After dinner we had a session which made it hard to focus so I de-cided to take some notes...apparently it looks more like a picture than words of wisdom. During hours of free time afterwardsBrittany and I perfected our Frisbee throwing skills with our new Michigan and Canadian friends. We ended the night with theHills group playing our own version of volleyball/soccer and then son-set groups.

Day Away! Early breakfast, son-rise groups and a session to start the morning. Jade left right away for his tour of Chatta-nooga, TN where he had a blast visiting the aquarium and Imax theater. After dinner the rest of us headed off to Ocoee River

where we were going to test our rowing skills in class four rapids! It was a two hour rafting trip. No one in me and Brittany'sboat fell out, although she and I came very close! Once we got back to campus we quickly ate supper and then got ready towatch another comical and entertaining talent show.

Last Day! We had breakfast, finished packing, and then our final son-rise group. Then our final session and slide show of thepast few days. It was also announced to us that next year the RYS convention would be in St. Paul, MN at Northwestern Col-lege. We rode a bus back to the airport where we had a 3 1/2 hr wait until our plane left. We had a 10:30PM flight out of Chicago, making it back to Rock Valley at 2:30AM.

It was another successful convention! We made new friends! We had a blast! But most importantly, we learned more aboutour almighty and infinite Father!

Lindsay Kats

Brittany, Jade, Lindsay, Michelle,Carla and Arlin at Lookout Mountain, Georgia

Brittany, Jade and Lindsay


5/13

Rhondaand

Carlamake anexcellent

team!

The young people of our congregation (and the young at heart) have had lotsof opportunities for fun and games together this summer, and that is so good see!

On June 30 another Stand & Deliver outing was held in Sanborn with the lo-cal URC Youth Groups. One of the games we played was Water BalloonVolleyball, and the trick to success in this game is teamwork! You have tohang on tight to your towel, work together, and keep your eye on the balloon!

Bryce goes flying doing

Bungee Cord Trampoline!

These LaserTag warriorslook prettyintimidating,dont they!

Rachel givesthe thumbs up!

Lets race!

Ladies andgentlemen

(Brittany, Jared,Rev. Sinke,and Amber)

Start YourEngines!

On July 11 the Youth Group invited everyone to join them for fun at

Thunder Road in Sioux Falls. There we could play Laser Tag, raceGo-Carts, try out batting cages, and many other things. You could evetry out bungee cord trampoline for a wild ride, but lets just say thats aride for people who are like Bryce and Grant young, tall and skinny!


6/13

On Friday evening, June 29, Gloria, Karen, Peggy and Lorna hosted a gamenight for one of our churchs Elder District groups above City Hall. (We decidedit was just too hot to enjoy ourselves at the city park!) We had lunch first andthen it was time for games. Each child picked an adult as their partner and thecompetition began. We had five games set up: Bouncy Ball, Bean Bag CornHole Toss, Plastic Horse shoe Ladder Golf Toss, and Bean Bag Throw. Bradand Abby Postma won the most games, and Rev. Sinke and Bekah had quitea competition going with Lora and Andrea at the Horse Shoe game. When itwas time to go home, we had all gotten to know each other a little better andhad a good time doing it!

For somereason, Lora

and Bekahneed to get

their tonguesinvolved in

order tothrow, but

Andrea hasno problem

throwingaccurately

without pull-ing faces.

Coach

Blankespoor

Retires

Over the past number of years I have been HeadBaseball Coach of the Doon Little League Program.I got a lot of help with coaching responsibilities frommy sons Dexter, Brett and Levi; Bryce Groeneweg,and my brother Brian.

Through the years weve had a lot of success on the field,winning tournament championships and finishing 2nd or3rd in many of them. But the most gratifying part of thishas been seeing all the boys who have played or are cur-rently playing on area high school teams, and seeing

some of the kids who came through our program earnscholarships to play baseball in college.

Off the field I have made a lot of friends with parents andkids who came through our program, and I cherish theserelationships.

After this past season I retired as coach. It was somewhatof a difficult decision because I love coaching, and I reallythink a lot of the kids Ive had on my team through theyears. It was a fun time, and I will always cherish thememories.

The Boys of SummerHank Blankespoor and the Doon Little League teams of 2012


7/13

Oh no, with all thisgood food, howwill I ever decide?

On Sunday, July 15 following our morning wor-ship service we gathered together in the YouthRoom for another Congregational Dinner. Thegood cooks of RVURC did not disappoint us andlaid out a tasty variety of sandwiches, saladsand more.

Its always wonderful to have the opportunity tolaugh, joke and visit with good friends and enjoylots of good food. One of the significant thingswe were thankful forthis time was the comple-tion of our basement kitchenette. After makingdo for a couple of years, we really appreciatedhaving countertops to work from, cupboards withsupplies right where we needed them, as well asa sink and water hook up, in addition to our mi-crowave, stove and refrigerators. We areblessed in so many ways!


8/13

Our tables were decoratedwith a patriotic theme, withthe Stars and Stripes onevery table.

BUT WAIT A MINUTEweve been infiltratedwith Maple Leaves! Aaron, do you know

anything about this?

Before our ice creamsundaes were served

Grandpa Gene told usthat there was a little girlwho was going to have a

birthday soon, so wetook a few minutes to

sing Happy Birthday toSarah, who turned 4 two

days later on July 17.

We were glad to have the opportunity to share a mealand visit one last time with our dear friends, Herb andMim Sinke. Well miss you!

Now this is priceless!! Arlin thought he could start hisSunday afternoon nap a little early, but Bekah couldntresist tickling his tootsies! Well miss that mischievoussmile, Bekah!


9/13

From Rev. Allen Vander Pol and MINTS: I wish to thankyou and your congregation for your generous support of mywork for MINTS. Due to gifts such as yours I was able towrite theology courses for MINTS in English and teach stu-dents in SE Asia. In another challenge, which I did not facewhen I visited your church over a year ago, I have begun tooversee the translation of MINTS courses into some SEAsian languages. I would appreciate your continued prayersand financial support.

On behalf of the Board of Directors, staff and clients of Love INC I would like to express ourthanks for your gift. Through the Love INC net-work ministry, we are able to help provide appli-ances, furniture, food, clothing, budgeting and rides to doctor or therapy appointments for thosein need. Love INC Gap Ministries include Clothe a Child for School which provides for over 330children; Love INC Food Pantry/Holiday Food Boxes which distributes food to 175 families; andGiving Trees which include gifts for children and those in special circumstances. Thank you somuch for your faithful support of this ministry. Arlene Van Ningen, Love INC Executive Director

From Leslee Unruh and Alpha Center: Thank you for partnering with us to save babies! Alpha Center was founded toreach pregnant, abortion-bound women with a message of help and hope. We have remained true to our mission and

countless numbers of clients have learned the new life in their womb is a miracle. Relationships are building and babiesare being saved. Our Earn While You Learn program continues to grow in its number of client participants! Now moreyoung women will earn the items they need to care for their children while learning the skills they need to parent well.Our ultrasound appointments are consistently yielding positive resultsbabies are being saved! We are thrilled to seethe growing number of clients coming to the Alpha Center and its all because of you! Without yoursupport, we wouldntbe able to help so many. As a non-profit organization, we rely almost exclusively on the financial gifts of people like youto keep the ministry alive. Thank you for your sacrificial gift. The lives of many unborn children have been saved by it.

Thank you for your recent gift in support of the children and families we serve. Bethanyenvisions a world where every child has a loving family. Thanks to partners like you,each day we are one step closer to achieving this vision. We are demonstrating the loveand compassion of Jesus Christ around the globe as we work to keep families together

and find families for children in need. Thank you for your partnership. One act of lovecan make a world of difference.

Thank you for your support of our ministry here at Mid-America Reformed Seminary. It is agreat encouragement to know you share our commitment for training the next generation ofmen God has called to proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ and to shepherd His people. Thelargest portion of operating revenues needed to carry out this work comes from the faithful giving of Gods people. Weare grateful for your vision and willingness to partner with us in this extremely important task. As God uses your gift toprepare laborers for the harvest field, it will impact the lives of many of His people for years to come.

On behalf of the board, faculty, students, and staff of Heidelberg Theological Semi-nary, we want to once again express our appreciation for your continued support of

the seminary. We give thanks to Almighty God for your gift to the seminary.

The Spring Semester of 2012 proved to be another academic year of growth for theseminary. We continue to progress via the addition of an Internet distance learning

initiative. Students from Arkansas, California, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin and Texas participated via our Internet distancelearning capability. We have been working on inventorying and labeling the 10,000 plus volumes of the library, and con-tinue to work on becoming a fully functioning theological library for use by seminary students, pastors and others of thechurch. Our seminary professor provides pulpit support for a number of churches in the RCUS, OPC and URC denomi-nations in South Dakota, Minnesota, Iowa and Nebraska.

Since donations are a key source of funding for the operation of the seminary, the board and staff of the seminary againwishes to note its sincere appreciation for your financial and prayer support. We once again pray the Lord will continue tobless your labors and ministry.


10/13

Apple Pear Cake Andrea Sinke

2 c. peeled, shredded apple2 c. peeled, shredded pear2 c. sugar1 1/4 c. vegetable oil1 c. raisins (optional)1 c. chopped pecans (optional)2 eggs, beaten1 tsp. vanilla extract3 c. flour2 tsp. baking soda2 tsp. cinnamon1/2 tsp. nutmeg1/2 tsp. salt

Frosting:1 - 3oz pkg cream cheese, softened1/4 c. margarine, softened3 c. icing sugar2 Tbsp milk1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

Combine 1st 8 ingredients. In a separate bowl,combine dry ingredients. Stir dry mixture intofruit mixture. Pour into greased 9x13 pan. Bakeat 325 degrees for 1 hour or until toothpickcomes out clean. Cool on wire rack.

Frosting: Beat cream cheese and margarine untilfluffy. Add sugar, milk, vanilla; mix well. Spreadover cooled cake. Store in fridge.

Almond Bark Snack Mix Brenda Lama

Melt a 1 pound package of white almond barkand pour over popcorn, pretzels, peanuts andM&M's. Stir until well coated.

Fresh Strawberry Pie Dee Vander Giese

1 1/2 lbs of fresh berries, stemmedI cup sugar mixed with 3 Tablespoons cornstarc1 cup water3 oz cream cheese, softened1 baked pie crust, cooled

Mash enough berries to equal 1 cup. Put sugar/corn starch mix in medium sized sauce pan Stirin mashed berries and mix well. Slowly pour water in sugar berry mix. Cook over medium heat,stirring constantly. Bring to a boil, and then boil minute, then let cool for a few minutes. Beatcream cheese with a spoon until smooth. Spreaover bottom of cooled pie shell. Slice other ber-ries over cream cheese. Pour cooked sauce oveberries. Cool, serve and enjoy! May serve withwhipped topping.

This recipe was given to me by Tonya (Van WykPontier

Egg Salad Joanna Groenewe

1 tbsp butter1 tbsp flour2 tbsp sugar

1/2 tsp salt3 tbsp vinegar1 beaten egg1/2 cup cream or milkBoil in the microwave.

Add 1 - 8 oz pkg cream cheeseThen you can add onion, celery, pickle relish,grated cheese, etc. to taste. Add 1 dozen hardboiled eggs (you can use more eggs if you wantto make a larger amount, but if you use more

eggs then add some Miracle Whip.

(A 2 qt bowl full makes 4 dozen buns)

If you have a favorite recipe you would like toshare, or if you would like to request a recipe

from someone, submit your recipe or requestto Lora or Cherie, and well include it in thenext newsletter.


11/13

Have you ever seen the TV show Shark Wranglers? Did you know we haveour own Shark Wranglers right here at RVURC? Brett and MeganBlankespoorboth caught a shark about 100 feet off the shore in Port Canav-eral, Florida! Megan tells us: We caught them right where the space shuttlelaunches. The other fish we caught were King Mackerel, Bonita, Barracuda,Mahi Mahi, catfish (yes catfish in the ocean!) and Black Tip Shark. The sharkswe caught were both pretty close to the same size, about 3 feet long, butminewas a little bit bigger! (If you ask Brett, he might state differently.) We saw seaturtles, a huge school of jelly fish, sting rays, and also flying fish, which were

really cool. This was last summer but definitely a vacation to remember, andwe hope to do it again. Pretty cool you guys!

This little girl has been tothe emergency room morethan anyone else in herfamily. Who is she?

This little guy now lives by theslogan, Bin there, dump that.

Who is he?

Jeremy Van Dyke, PaulHaan, Megan and Bret

Blankespoor and theircatch of the day! Wow

Did you know that Erin Groenewegwas named to the Deans List for the Spring semester at SDSU? Congratulations! Did you know that Hank and Gail Blankespoorare now grandparents? Roman John Blankespoor was born to Dexter a

Hannah Blankespoor on Sunday, July 8, 2012. He weighed 8 lbs, 11 oz. and was 23 long. Roman is also the great granson of Walt and Alta Groeneweg, and nephew to Brett, Megan and Levi. What a blessed addition to the Blankespoor fam

Did you know that Doug and Karla Katsare expecting a new addition to their family? And its a girl! James Kats is en-gaged to Rhonda Oolman! The happy couple are planning their wedding for Friday, October 26, 2012. Congratulations!

Did you know that Jessica and Lindsay Kats participated in the Sioux CountyFair? One of Jessica's pictures was considered for state. They also receivedblue ribbons on other projects. They also showed rabbits. Jessica receivedgrand champion over-all commercial rabbit with a Jr. buck. They also receivedsome first and second places in other individual classes. Lindsay received re-serve over-all grand champion pen of 3. Good going, girls!

Did you know that Lindsay Kats participated in theRock Valley Triathlon on Saturday, August 4? She placed3rd in her age group. Oh, to be young and full of energy!Good job, Lindsay!

Did you know that Lindsay, Brooke and Amber Katsall participated is the greased pig contest at the fair? Youcould tell they were use to wrestling a few pigs! Brooke andLindsay took first place in their age group. They got that pigin the bucket in about 10 seconds. They did a great job!

Did you know that Karen Vis placed first in the Tulip Festival 5K in May?Karen tells us: It was only with the strength God gave me that I was able toplace first in may age group with a time of 26:43 minutes. This was the firstrace I had run without Dennis ahead of me setting the pace. Were reallyproud of you, Karen!

Amber and buddy Kim Kreykes goHog Wild!

You may think you know everyone in ourCongregation pretty well, but do you know who

these member are?Answers are hidden somewhere in the Newsletter!


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AnswerstoPl

acetheFace:JessicaKatsandHermR

ozeboom

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