Clarion · she addressed the Dutch people from the screen. But a comment I read stated that it was not a riveting program, for ... reasoning. The image of President Bush speaking

ClarionTHE CANADIAN REFORMED MAGAZINE

VOLUME 50, NO. 5 MARCH 2, 2001

Speeches and TV do not match

Speeches on TVRecently, millions of people all over North America

watched the inauguration of George W. Bush as president ofthe United States. It was a rather simple, straightforwardceremony. We saw him arrive at the Capitol, be sworn inand deliver his inaugural address. From all sides his speechwas praised as well crafted, but as a spectacle, the speechwas hardly exciting, for not much happened. PresidentBush hardly looked at the printed version of the speech infront of him. He appeared to look at the people, whilereading the text from the Teleprompter. It was mentionedthat he had practised this especially for this speech. It wasthe most important speech he has ever given. He pulled itoff, he did not skip lines or stumble over words. Yet, his in-augural speech can hardly be called entertaining.

Something similar happened in the Netherlands, whereQueen Beatrix gave her yearly speech to the Dutch nationon Christmas day. She has done this for many years now, butalways on the radio. This year for the first time her speechwas broadcast on TV. She was shown reading parts of thespeech from her paper, but during other parts she lookedstraight at the viewers. Realizing that the TV has replaced theradio as the most important medium of communication,she addressed the Dutch people from the screen. But acomment I read stated that it was not a riveting program, fornot much was happening. It is nice to see the Queen, butsimply watching her speak is not attractive for viewers. Thisis also how I felt after having watched President Bush’s in-augural address. Speeches and the TV do not match.

Why do speeches on TV not go over too well? The rea-son appears to be that the television must keep people en-tertained in order to compel them to go on watching. In anarticle about our TV culture, Dr. D.S. Groothuis, a profes-sor in philosophy, spoke of the “entertainment imperative”of television:

Amusement trumps all other values and takes captive everytopic. Every subject – whether war, religion, business,law, or education – must be presented in a lively, amus-ing, or stimulating manner. The best way to receive infor-mation interpersonally – through the “talking head” – is theworst way according to television values; it simply fails toentertain (unless a comedy routine is in process). If it failsto entertain, boredom results, and the yawning watcherswitches channels to something more captivating.

In our situation, where television is the most importantmeans of communication, communication by the spokenword suffers.

The advantage of televisionDr. Groothuis’ attack on the TV can easily be misunder-

stood as if the TV is altogether useless. But it can readily bedemonstrated that the visual presentation of TV has great ad-vantages. It can bring close to us a world that is far away. Ina program about Japan, Mount Fuji will not be omitted.There are not too many people who will travel to Japan toexplore the beauties of the country. But in a program onJapan, it can be shown how this mountain dominates thelandscape, even from far away. We could also read a de-scription of this mountain, of course, but that would not bethe same, because our impression would not be sharply de-fined. The TV can focus in on the mountain, giving the im-pression that the mountain comes closer and becomesmore imposing. It can give a close up of the snow, makingyou feel as if you are walking on the mountain itself.

To give another example, the TV can show beautifulremnants of Roman culture. While sitting in our living room,we can look at the ruins of the Colosseum in Rome. Thecamera can give an overall view of what is left of this build-ing and it can give the impression that the viewer walksaround it. It can highlight details not visible for the generaltourist. On the arc of Titus, there is a picture of Roman peo-ple carrying the lamp stand brought from Jerusalem, after thesiege in 70 AD. The television picture may be able to bringout the details even clearer than would be visible for some-one who stands right in front of this monument.

The TV is an excellent medium, in as far as the visualaspect of our world is concerned. Its impact can be great.But it fails miserably in other aspects.

The strength of the spoken wordThe weakness of TV is that it cannot portray ideas and

reasoning. The image of President Bush speaking is not in-teresting. His address becomes interesting only when youfollow his words and let his vision penetrate: “I ask you tobe citizens. Citizens, not spectators. Citizens, not subjects.Responsible citizens building communities of service anda nation of character.” For people who pay attention to hiswords and consider his ideas, his speech made sense.

The sermon suffers from the same disadvantage as thespeeches of President Bush and Queen Beatrix: it is not vi-sually attractive. In a time where the TV determines what isinteresting, sermons are out of favour. Nothing much ishappening during a sermon. Someone is speaking for thirty

102 CLARION, MARCH 2, 2001

EDITORIAL

By N.H. Gootjes

Dumb Images

Speeches and TV do not match.

Speeches want to make people follow thethoughts of the speaker.

or forty minutes. There is no change in the scenery, and thereis only that one person standing still in front of the congre-gation. Voices can to be heard stating that the services mustbecome more lively, and that the minister should follow theexample of the entertainer.

But speeches work on a different level from visual enter-tainment. Entertainment wants to take people along byshowing new and interesting things all the time. There mustbe movement and action, in order not to lose the viewers.Speeches want to make people follow the thoughts of thespeaker. They want people to follow them from the one stepto the other. They require the listeners to be busy with thewords, internalizing what the words mean. The listeners haveto consider the meaning and make the message their own.

The Heidelberg Catechism says that God “wants his peo-ple to be taught, not by means of dumb images but by the liv-ing preaching of his Word” (Lord’s Day 35, answer 98). Thepreaching is an address to the listeners, requiring their ac-tivity of following and considering the words of the minis-ter. They have to open their minds for it, and let the wordspenetrate. The preaching is not an outdated form of com-munication, it is required by the revelation of God given inhis Word. And it cannot be replaced by a show whichpleases the eyes but leaves the mind empty. What is revealedshould not be viewed but considered.

CLARION, MARCH 2, 2001 103

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IN THIS ISSUE

Editorial – Dumb Images — N.H. Gootjes ....................102Worshipping the Lord through our financial gifts (4)

— P.G. Feenstra ........................................................104Report Synod Neerlandia of the Committee for Contact

with the Churches in the Americas (CCCA)— R. Aasman ..............................................................106

The Gospel According to Bart Simpson? — W.L. Bredenhof ......................................................109

Living by the Doctrines of Scripture — P.G. Feenstra ........................................................111

Letter to the Editor ........................................................112

Ray of Sunshine ................................................................113

A January Update on Reformed Mission Work in Ukraine— Jan Werkman ............................................................114

Our Little Magazine — Aunt Betty ................................117

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What’s inside?Television has become the most popular medium for

communication in the last few decades. It sits at the cen-tre of many homes and can be turned on for severalhours every day. One of the problems with the TV is thatit requires very little effort on the part of the viewer to fol-low a program. It does not stimulate the mind to thinkand to reflect. The effects of this have not been good.That is also true for Christians. For instance, there is anever increasing demand to make the preaching short,entertaining and visual. Some might say that traditionalpreaching is an outdated form of communication. Thismatter is addressed by Dr. N.H. Gootjes in the editorialand by Rev. W.L. Bredenhof in an article that examinesthe use of a TV character in the preaching.

This issue contains a summary of another report tobe presented at Synod Neerlandia. This is the report ofthe Committee for Contact with the Churches in theAmericas. It is a long report and therefore the summaryis divided over two issues. This issue presents the re-port on l’Église Réformée du Québec and the OrthodoxPresbyterian Church. These are important reports. Youmay remember that after the previous Synod, therewas much discussion also in this magazine about ourrelationship with the OPC. Hopefully the readers willbenefit from learning what is being recommended toSynod in connection with these churches.

Rev. P.G. Feenstra continues his series of articles onfinancial giving to the Lord. He also is starting a seriesof articles on God’s providence. We appreciate his con-tributions on these important subjects.

We have our regular column, Ray of Sunshine, aswell as a letter to the editor, and a report on missionwork in the Ukraine. RA

Every week you are given the op-portunity to give your gifts and offer-ings for the assistance of those whoare in need. This custom is based on1 Corinthians 16:2, “On the first day ofthe week, let each one of you lay some-thing aside, storing up as he may pros-per, that there be no collections when Icome.” But do you know why you putmoney in the collection bag? Wouldyou be able to explain it to your ownchildren or to someone coming tochurch for the first time? What is themotivation for our giving?

As Reformed Christians we stressthat we live each day by the grace ofthe Lord Jesus Christ. The same mustbe said of our giving. Right after Pente-cost we are told great grace was uponthe company of those who believed sothat there was no needy person amongthem (Acts 4:33-35).

Paul’s instructionThe apostle Paul expands on the

motivation for our giving in 2 Corinthi-ans 8 and 9. Note how often he con-nects grace to the practice of giving forthe needs of others. God’s grace mani-fests itself through the generosity of thesaints. For example in 2 Corinthians 8:1he writes, “Moreover, brethren, wemake known to you the grace of Godbestowed on the churches of Macedo-nia.” These churches work out what theLord by his grace is working in them.In verse four the same Greek word forgrace is used. Translated literally it says,“begging us with much urgency toshow the grace (of God) and the com-munion of service to the saints.” Verses6 and 7 continue to relate giving tograce, “So we urged Titus, that as hehad begun, so he would also completethis grace in you as well. But as youabound in everything – in faith, inspeech, in knowledge, in all diligence,

and in your love for us – see that youabound in this grace also. The act ofgiving has its roots in the undeservedfavour shown to us in Christ. Thus weread in verse 9, “For you know thegrace of our Lord Jesus Christ, thatthough He was rich, yet for your sakesHe became poor, that you through Hispoverty might become rich.”

Every one of us needs to hear, un-derstand, and put into practice what theHoly Spirit teaches us. It should be im-printed on our hearts as adults. It mustbe impressed upon our young people,by the instruction and example of theirparents, so that they do not use theirmoney frivolously on things that servethemselves and their own pleasures.Therefore in this article we will look atthe concrete principles for financial giv-ing that are laid down for us in 2Corinthians 8:1-9.

When Paul arrived in Corinth onhis second missionary journey, hepreached the gospel, and a number ofcitizens came to faith in Jesus Christ.The Corinthians were filled with enthu-siasm for the Lord which spilled overin a love and devotion for fellow broth-ers and sisters in the Lord. When theyheard from Paul about a need amongthe brothers and sisters in the church atJerusalem, they purposed to make acontribution to help the needy churchthere. With the assistance of Paul andTitus they developed a plan for giving.Paul advised them to make their con-tributions for the saints on the first dayof the week – in the public worship

service. The Corinthians’ zeal and en-thusiasm moved other churches to con-tribute as well.

The proper manner of givingAfter Paul left Corinth, however, the

relationship between Paul and thechurch at Corinth went through a se-vere crisis. The church as a wholebought into the criticism of a few mem-bers. They challenged Paul’s authorityas an apostle and his ability to preach.Since he was involved in organizing thecollection of money for the needy saintsin Jerusalem, they stopped contributing.The negativism and harsh criticism of afew became such a destructive force – itpoisoned the congregation in its atti-tude toward an office-bearer of Christ. Italso contaminated their outlook ongiving. That can happen. When mem-bers of a church are not happy theywill use their “giving” – or the lack of it– as a form of protest. But that’s a totallywrong approach.

Paul wrote a painful letter in whichhe expressed his disappointment andsorrow. Happily, the result was achanged attitude. This in turn broughtPaul to write what he does in this let-ter. He reaffirms his office and at thesame time he reminds them of theirobligation to “come through” on whatthey promised to give to the saints inJerusalem. Paul devotes two chapters ofhis letter to this issue, urging theCorinthians to complete the projectthey have begun.

The Macedonian examplePaul encourages the Corinthians to

follow the example of the Macedonianchurches. These churches, which in-cluded the church at Philippi, Berea,and Thessalonica, were exceptionallygenerous. Their response was trulyamazing and it was not just in reply to


Worshipping the Lord through our financial gifts (Part 4)

Motivated by the grace of GodBy P.G. Feenstra

God’s grace manifestsitself through the generosity

of the saints.

this specific need. The church atPhilippi was known for its generosity.From the very beginning members ofthis church drew the connection be-tween the grace of God they had re-ceived and the kindness and mercythey were to show others. Coming tofaith in the Lord Jesus, Lydia openedher home to Paul and his fellow-work-ers during their stay in Philippi (Acts16:15). The saints in Philippi showedtheir deep affection for Paul’s ministryeven after he departed from them.More than once they sent a gift to pro-vide for the apostle’s needs (Phil4:15,16). And now when anotherchurch is in need the Philippians, alongwith the other Macedonian churches,give generously and liberally.

It is all the more striking that thechurches of Macedonia gave freely,willingly and eagerly for the support ofthe needy in Jerusalem when we con-sider that they were experiencing finan-cial difficulties of their own. Joiningthe church of Christ did not put themin good stead with fellow citizens butcreated hardship and persecution. Paulspeaks about a “severe test of affliction”and about their “extreme poverty” –which could have served as excusesfor not giving. After all, if times aretough and you cannot afford much howcan you be expected to contribute tothe needs of others in your own church,let alone elsewhere? Today, we mightconsider it totally unnecessary that suchpeople should give.

Rather than coming with any ex-cuses the Macedonian churches let theirpoverty overflow in a wealth of liberal-ity. They didn’t just give as much as theycould. They gave more than they couldand they did it because of their over-flowing joy in God. They rejoiced inthe Lord who had taken them out ofdarkness and had given them life. TheLord promised to take care of all theirneeds, even in the hour of their afflic-tion. They have received an unfadinghope and a glorious inheritance. Thusthey approached the whole subject ofgiving with gratitude filling their hearts.

Charged, as it were, with the elec-tricity of joy that came from hearingthe gospel of God’s grace they had it intheir hearts to help others. That’s whatoverflowing joy in God does to childrenof the Lord. You give yourself com-pletely to those things which honourthe Lord and advance His work. Listento what we read in verse 5, “and this,not as we expected, but first they gavethemselves to the Lord and to us by thewill of God.” Roused by the grace of theLord the Macedonian churches gave

themselves to the Lord; they conse-crated their lives to Him, to his serviceand to the well-being of His church.Having been graciously saved throughthe death of Jesus Christ – they couldnot do anything but give themselves toHim and his service. If God so loved theworld that He gave his Son to deliverthem out of their trouble, how couldthey refuse to show the love of Christto others in dire need?

The churches in Macedonia havegiven themselves to the Lord. As a con-sequence they seek to help and workalong with the office-bearers of Christin whatever possible way the Lord al-lows them. They offer themselves toPaul and Titus and the other men inleadership, personally supporting, en-couraging and praying for them. Fi-nally, by extension, they gave theirmoney so the people in the church inJerusalem could benefit as well.

Exemplary givingThe manner in which these churches

give is exemplary. For not only do theygive generously in spite of their circum-stances, they give of their own free will.Notice they do not give a tithe but theygave as much as they were able, andeven beyond their ability. These peopleface extreme poverty and yet they begPaul that they be allowed the privilegeof giving generously. The Macedonianswant to share the little they have withthose who have even less. In this waytoo they may express their spiritual unitywith brothers and sisters they have neverseen and most likely would never meet.

Paul points the Corinthians to theMacedonians as a standard for theirmanner of giving. To facilitate this, Paulwill send Titus, who has already helpedthe Corinthians set up a system for giv-ing to the needy in Jerusalem. WhenTitus returns, the Corinthians are urgedto finish up what they have promisedto do in making a contribution to thesaints. They have excelled in many

ways – in faith, in speech, in knowl-edge, in earnestness and zeal, and inlove. Let them now excel in this gra-cious work of showing charity.

What set the Macedonian churchesapart was that they first consecratedtheir lives to the Lord. Once you do thatit will redefine your thinking, your useof time, and the way you use yourmoney. When God’s people consecratethemselves to the Lord, they do not livefor themselves or for their own plea-sure but for the purposes of God. That’swhen the church of Christ can functionin a powerful and effective way. TheMacedonian churches demonstratedthe sincerity of their love for the Lord bytheir generosity in helping brothers andsisters in need. The church at Corinthis encouraged to follow suit. Moved bythe undeserved favour of the Lord youand I are encouraged to be generous,liberal, joyful, and enthusiastic aboutour giving for the needs of fellow broth-ers and sisters. The willing spirit of theMacedonian churches was evidence ofGod’s grace. His grace prompts his peo-ple to view giving as a privilege – andso they give freely, cheerfully. In the lastarticle of this series we will see how ourgiving is rooted in the grace our LordJesus Christ has shown us in becomingpoor for our sake.


They gave more thanthey could and they did it

because of their overflowingjoy in God.

To share the little theyhave with those who have

even less.

CHURCH NEWS

Called by the church at Kerwood,Ontario:

Rev. J.G. Slaaof Elora, Ontario.

• • •Change of website address for GraceCanadian Reformed Church,Winnipeg, Manitoba:

http://grace.canadianreformed.ca• • •

Correct mailing address for theCanadian Reformed Church –Carman West:

Canadian Reformed Church –Carman WestPO Box 2009

Carman, MB R0G 0J0• • •

Bethel Canadian Reformed Churchat Toronto has changed the time ofits afternoon service to 4:00 p.m.effective March 4, 2001.

The CommitteeSynod Fergus formed a new com-

mittee, the Committee for Contact withthe Churches in the Americas, with thisexplanation: “this Committee will takeover the mandate of the CRCA in as faras it relates to the Americas by estab-lishing and maintaining relationships ofecclesiastical fellowship with churcheslocated in North and South America.”Under this umbrella committee thereare three subcommittees: Committee forContact with l’Église Réformée duQuébec, Committee for Contact withthe Orthodox Presbyterian Church, andCommittee for Contact with the Re-formed Church in the United States.Here follows a summary of the reportof the CCCA to Synod Neerlandia.

A. Committee for Contact withl’Église Réformée du Québec(ERQ)Members of the committee for contact

with the ERQ are Rev. P.G. Feenstra, Rev.A.J. Pol, Mr. J. Boot and Mr. W. Oostdyk.General Synod Fergus 1998 gave the fol-lowing mandate to the committee:

1. To clarify and discuss the pointsraised in Consideration B in view ofthe concerns raised by the churches;

2. To keep the churches informedabout the ERQ so that they may beable to respond to financial andother needs of the ERQ;

3. To respond if specific requests forassistance and advice are made inmatters of confession, churchpolity, and liturgy;

4. To respond, if possible and feasi-ble, to specific requests made toattend Synods of the ERQ;

5. To serve Synod 2001 with a reportto be sent to the churches at leastsix months prior to the beginning ofSynod.

In “Considerations B” the followingwas stated:

From the observations and concernsexpressed by the churches it is evidentthat the following areas need furtherclarification and should remain topicsof discussion:

1. The nature and status of the dea-cons and deaconesses;

2. The matter of liturgical forms, orderof worship, supervision of the pul-pit and Lord’s Day observance;

3. The fencing of the Lord’s Tableand possible different practicesamong the various congregations;

4. The need of confessional bindingfor members and office bearers;

5. The differences in the Rules for Ec-clesiastical Fellowship of the ERQand the CanRCs;

6. The question whether federativeunity is possible or not.

The committee comes to Synod Neer-landia with the following evaluation onthe points mentioned above:

1. The nature and status of thedeacons and deaconesses.The ERQ does not have female dea-

cons, although in its Church Order (the“Order and Discipline of the ERQ,” ab-breviated as “ODE”) it is apparent thatwomen could potentially function assuch. However, the ODE of the ERQstipulates that the deacons do not makeup part of the ruling council of thechurch. To make this principle clear,an inconsistency in the ODE on thispoint has been eliminated in a recentrevision of its ODE made by its Synod.Now that they have made this revision

it is even more clear than before that theERQ does not wish to have women par-ticipate in a position of oversight overthe church. The ERQ acknowledgeswhat is written by the apostle Paul in1 Timothy 2:12, “I do not permit awoman to teach or to have authorityover a man; she must be silent.” Thefact that the CRC has opened the of-fices to women has even been a reasonfor the ERQ to terminate the relation-ship with the CRC.

2. The matter of liturgical forms.The delegates from the ERQ have

stressed that there is principial homogene-ity in terms of how things are done in theirchurches, even though there is diversity inpractice. We can explain the importance ofusing common, adopted liturgical forms inall the churches and encourage their use.However, as long as there is indeed prin-cipial homogeneity, the existence of di-verse practices should not form an imped-iment to ecclesiastical fellowship.

3. Order of worship.The ERQ has no formal synodical

decision regarding an order of worship.In comparing this with our situation,we must remember that our Book ofPraise page 581 gives no prescriptionby synod either. It simply describeswhat is”commonly used.”

During the worship services there ismore freedom for input in congrega-tional prayers by members of the ERQ.This is related to the fact that the con-gregations are still very small. Althoughit was acknowledged that congrega-tional input could lead to a disorderlysituation, this does not seem to be aproblem at this point in time.

4. Supervision of the pulpit.The June 1999 Synod of the ERQ

gave the mandate to a Committee of


Report Synod Neerlandia of the Committee for Contact with the Churches

in the Americas (CCCA)By R. Aasman

The nature and status ofthe deacons and deaconesses.

Ministry to examine the question of“who may preach in our pulpits and un-der what conditions.” We can only awaitwhat is reported and what a future synodof the ERQ may decide on this matter.

5. Lord’s Day observance.Although there is only one worship

service, this is not because of a lack ofinterest in devoting the day to worshipand fellowship. It is clear that the ERQstrives to maintain the Lord’s Day as aspecial day. As indicated above, inmany of the churches there is not onlythe worship service but there are alsohours of further interaction, includingmuch conversation and instruction aswell as a meal together.

6. Fencing the Lord’s Table andConfessional membership; andthe need for confessional bindingfor members and office bearers.It must be remembered that no offi-

cial position has been adopted regard-ing these matters. The discussions withthe delegates indicate that further inter-action is needed. This may help theERQ to consider the various aspects re-lating to these matters and to come toan official position.

7. The differences in the Rules forEcclesiastical Fellowship of theERQ and the CanRCs.This matter has been sufficiently

dealt with. We should consider honour-ing the emphasis they put on missionas expressed in their “Rules 1997” bybroadening the mandate “to respond ifspecific requests for assistance and ad-vice are made in matters of confession,church polity, and liturgy” to includemission.

8. The question whether federativeunity is possible or not.The delegates from the ERQ have

highlighted the differences of history,language, and culture, as well as the dif-ferent context in which the ERQ works.They do not see forming one federationwith English-speaking churches as anecessity or even as desirable. Theywish to remain autonomous. They do,however, value interaction and coop-eration with the CanRCs and hope that

it would even be possible for the Can-RCs to sponsor mission work in con-junction with the ERQ in Quebec. Yourcommittee is of the opinion that weshould accept the desire of the ERQ tofunction independently and not pursuethe matter of federative unity further.

RecommendationsAt the heart of the recommenda-

tions of the committee to Synod Neer-landia is the advice to continue dis-cussions regarding the matter ofconfessional membership and fencingof the Lord’s table; to discontinue dis-cussion on the matter of federative unityand differences in the Rules for Ecclesi-astical Fellowship; to encourage thechurches to continue supporting theERQ financially when needed.

B. Committee for Contact with theOrthodox Presbyterian Church(OPC)The members of the committee for

contact with the OPC are Rev. J.DeGelder, Dr. N.H. Gootjes, Mr. G.J.Nordeman and Mr. G. VanWoudenberg.The committee was instructed to do thefollowing by Synod Fergus:

1. to pass on to the CEIR of the OPCthe amended “Proposed Agree-ment” on Fencing of the Lord’sTable and Confessional Member-ship for adoption by the GeneralAssembly of the OPC (Acts p 157).

2. to initiate Ecclesiastical Fellowshipwith the OPC according to theadopted rules, should the GeneralAssembly of the OPC adopt thisAgreement (Acts p 158).

3. to make recommendations to thenext General Synod, if the GeneralAssembly of the OPC would notadopt the above mentioned Agree-ment, in which case the GeneralSynod would have to reconsiderthe present relationship of ecclesi-astical contact with the OPC.

The committee was also confrontedwith the response of Synod Fergus toan appeal of the Presbytery of the Mid-Atlantic of the OPC regarding Rev. B.Hofford’s statement declaring the min-isters and elders of the OPC false shep-herds, and the impact of this decisionon our relationship with the OPC.

Proposed AgreementThe statement which was to be

passed on by the committee to theCommittee for Ecumenicity and Inter-church Relations of the OPC (CEIR)reads as follows:

The churches of the Reformationconfess that the Lord’s Suppershould not be profaned (1 Cor11:27, see Heidelberg CatechismLord’s Day 30, Q&A 82; Westmin-ster Confession, chapter 29,8). Thisimplies that the celebration of theLord’s Supper is to be supervised.In this supervision the church exer-cises discipline and manifests itselfas a true church. This means that ageneral verbal warning by the offi-ciating minister alone is not suffi-cient, and that a profession of theReformed faith is required. This su-pervision is to be applied to themembers of the local church, aswell as to the guests. The eldershiphas a responsibility in supervisingthe admission to the Lord’s Supper.

This statement was a change from theoriginal agreement between our com-mittee and CEIR as it was presented toSynod Fergus. Synod had added thewords: “This means that a general verbalwarning by the officiating minister aloneis not sufficient, and that a profession ofthe Reformed faith is required.”

The committee’s response to thischange made by Synod Fergus to theagreement is as follows:

However, the CCOPC is of the opin-ion that this addition brings in a spe-cific element from earlier discus-sions between the OPC and theCanRC, which does not suit thecharacter of this general statement.The original statement was based onthe Reformed Confessions, men-tioned specifically in the text of theAgreement. The amendment in-serted by Synod Fergus goes beyondthe wording found in the ReformedConfessions. In its reflection of theconfession, the original agreementon the Lord’s Supper would pro-vide sufficient opportunity to ad-dress specific situations in contin-ued discussions between ourchurches and the OPC.

As a result, on this matter the committeemakes the following recommendationsto Synod Neerlandia:

1. To undo the changes made by Gen-eral Synod Fergus 1998 in the Pro-posed Agreement with the OPC onthe issues of the Fencing of theLord’s Table and Confessional


It is clear that the ERQstrives to maintain the Lord’s

Day as a special day.

They wish to remainautonomous.

Membership, and to return to theoriginal document, presented bythe CCOPC to Synod Fergus, as suf-ficiently reflecting the ReformedConfessions.

2. To use this agreement as a basis forestablishing a relationship of Eccle-siastical Fellowship with the OPC.

The “False Shepherds” issueSynod Fergus dealt with the com-

plaint of the Presbytery of the Mid-At-lantic of the OPC concerning Rev. B.R.Hofford, who had declared the minis-ters and elders of this Presbytery “falseshepherds.” Literally he had said: “Be-cause of your mishandling of the Lord’sSupper complaint and your denial ofthe complaint, I am forced, with greatreluctance, to follow Paul’s instructionsin Romans 16:17, and Titus 3:10. Fur-ther, I am compelled to solemnly de-clare you ministers and elders of the Or-thodox Presbyterian Church falseshepherds.” Synod had judged thatthere was still an open door for discus-sions and reconciliation between Pres-bytery and Rev. Hofford. As a result ofthis decision, the General Assembly ofthe OPC put its relationship with theCanRC on hold. This also hampereddiscussions on the “Proposed Agree-ment” mentioned above.

Our committee looked into thismatter and wrote the following to CEIRof the OPC:

In Romans 16:17 Paul speaks ofteachers who cause the church peo-ple to deviate from the doctrine Paulhad taught. They are persons whodo not serve our Lord Jesus Christbut their own appetite. In Titus 3:10he mentions someone who is fac-tious, who is also perverted andsinful. It is unclear how the allegedmishandling and denial of a com-plaint about the Lord’s Supper canlead to such allegations against allministers and elders of a Presbytery.

Moreover, the expression “falseshepherds” can only be read againstthe background of what Scripturesays about them in Jeremiah 23,Ezekiel 34, and John 10. False shep-herds are people who destroy andscatter the sheep of my pasture (Jer23), they eat the fat, clothe them-

selves with the wool, slaughter thefatlings, but do not feed the sheep(Ezek 34), they are hirelings and donot care for the sheep (John 10).

In the light of this it is our opin-ion as committee that this accusa-tion should not have been madeand that Rev. Hofford should havewithdrawn his charge, independentof the concerns he wanted to pre-sent. We can assure you that thisdisqualification of office bearers inthe OPC has never been taken overby a Synod of the Canadian Re-formed Churches. And we do regretthat Synod Fergus 1998 did notclearly reject such labeling, and didnot state that this accusation shouldhave been withdrawn, We hope tobring this matter up in our report tothe upcoming General Synod in2001, the Lord willing.

The response of CEIR to this letter wasvery favourable:

It would be helpful and much appre-ciated if our next General Synodwould declare unambiguously to re-ject the disqualification of office bear-ers of the OPC as false shepherds,and to distance itself from such la-beling (see also the letter from theCCOPC to the CEIR, dated Feb 11,2000). This would open the way tojointly move ahead and deal withthe situation caused by Synod Fergus’changes in the Proposed Agreementon the “Fencing of the Lord’s Table”and “Confessional Membership.”

RecommendationThe recommendation of the com-

mittee on this matter is the clear adviceto remove this stumbling block in ourrelationship with the OPC:

To reject unambiguously a generaldisqualification of office bearers inthe OPC as “false shepherds,” as inconflict with the fact that ourchurches have acknowledged theOPC as a true church of the LordJesus Christ.

Reaction of the CCCA to theCCOPC report

Since the Committee for Contactwith the OPC is a subcommittee of theCommittee for Contact with theChurches in the Americas, the latter re-acted to the recommendations of theCCOPC to Synod Neerlandia. This isappended to the report of the CCOPCby the CCCA:

The majority of the brothers inCCCA do not endorse the recom-mendation of the CCOPC (or thereasoning that leads up to it) that

Synod 2001 decide “to undo thechanges made by General SynodFergus 1998 in the Proposed Agree-ment with the OPC on the issues ofthe Fencing of the Lord’s Table andConfessional Membership, and toreturn to the original document,presented by the CCOPC to SynodFergus, as sufficiently reflecting theReformed Confessions.”

In its treatment of the “amendedproposed agreement” the CCOPCReport has basically become an ap-peal against the decisions of SynodLincoln 1992, Abbotsford 1995 andFergus 1998. We believe theCCOPC should have simply statedthat they were not able to fulfill theirmandate because the decision ofthe 66th General Assembly re: the“false shepherd” issue.

The CCCA argues its case, sayingamong other things the following:

This is not to say that an identicalpractice is required with respect tothe supervision of the Lord’s table tocome to ecclesiastical fellowship. Itshould be agreed, however, that ageneral verbal warning alone is in-sufficient and that a profession of theReformed faith is required in thepresence of the supervising eldersfrom the guests wishing to attend theLord’s Supper. Synod Fergus did notintroduce a new element by revisingthe “Proposed Agreement” when itadded the sentence: “This means thata general verbal warning by the offi-ciating minister alone is not suffi-cient, and that a profession of theReformed faith is required.” SynodFergus preserved the continuity withthe decision of Synod Lincoln andSynod Abbotsford.

Recommendation of the CCCAThis leads the CCCA to come to the

following recommendations:1. To reject unambiguously a general

disqualification of office bearers inthe OPC as “false shepherds.”

2. To instruct the CCOPC to as yet ful-fill Article 130 recommendations F,G, H, I, J of Synod Fergus 1998.


The amendment insertedby Synod Fergus goes

beyond the wording found inthe Reformed Confessions.

To reject ambiguously ageneral disqualification of

office bearers in the OPC as“false shepherds.”

Bart Simpson“Preaching about Bart Simpson fills

pews of Calgary church” – so ran thered hot headline in the Vancouver Sun.1

“What is this?” I wondered as I readthe newspaper over breakfast at arestaurant. I first thought to myself thatthis must be another stunt from theUnited Church or maybe some liberal-minded Anglicans. They quite oftencatch the religious media spotlight withthese sorts of things. So I was rathersurprised to read the opening sentencesof the article, “Is Bart Simpson the keyto salvation for a new generation ofunchurched ‘seekers?’ John Van Slotenof Calgary’s New Hope Christian Re-formed Church thinks so . . . .” That’sconsiderably closer to home than theUnited Church!

For those who don’t know, BartSimpson is a character on the populartelevision show the Simpsons, a showwhich has been running for severalyears. It is renowned for its wit, butalso for its relentless sacrilege. How-ever, Pastor Van Sloten seems to thinkthat the show makes good preachingmaterial – he even shows extensiveclips of it during New Hope worshipservices. As it appears in the newspaperarticle, the Simpsons is not simply sup-plementing Scripture (which would bebad enough), but it is actually replac-ing Scripture.

Van Sloten gives the example of arecent episode on the show. Poor BartSimpson is in danger of failing Grade4 unless he passes a critical exam. Heprays for a blizzard on the day of theexam and behold, it happens. Bartpasses the exam and gives thanks to“God.” So how does Van Slotenpreach on this passage of pop cul-ture? “There are at least two interest-ing lessons about prayer in this

episode . . . . The first is, we’re allscoundrels. And just like Bart Simp-son, we always try to resolve thingsourselves before we’ll turn to God.And second, we’re praying to a Godwho cares and who has a lot morecompassion than any teacher.”

What is being said here aboutprayer in relation to Bart Simpson cancertainly be criticized, but it is not myintention to do so here. Rather I wantto ask the question of how it came tothis. How did it come about that achurch which calls itself Reformed

ended up with ministers preaching withtelevision shows as their “text?”

Traditional sermon under attackThe first thing we can note is that

this did not start happening yesterday.Already in the years 1968 and 1969 thetraditional sermon (based on the Wordof God) was coming under attack in theChristian Reformed Church (CRC). Thishappened specifically in the Univer-sity Hills CRC in Michigan. The pastor,J. Harold Ellens, was quoted as saying,“University Hills Church recognizesthat the sermonic form for proclama-tion is not the best necessarily and cer-tainly not the only mode for thechurch’s proclamation.”2 Pastor Ellenswent on to state in a letter, “Whatevermedium succeeds is God’s medium ofannouncing His grace. That is procla-mation.”3 In a similar way, Donald H.


The Gospel According to Bart Simpson?

By W.L. Bredenhof

He prays for a blizzardon the day of the exam and

behold, it happens.

Bart Simpson

Postema, a CRC chaplain at the Uni-versity of Michigan asked, “Is themonological sermon the only way forpowerful proclamation? Could notchoral reading, poetry, dance, film,dialogue, whatever form of communi-cation that is available, be used to pro-claim the message of God?” Remem-ber: this is over thirty years ago.

CRC SynodsThese developments in the late

1960s also have a background. Per-haps this background can best be il-lustrated by taking a brief look at alengthy report that was adopted byCRC Synod 1968. This report, from theLiturgical Committee appointed bySynod 1964, set the tone for worshipin much of the CRC for the next threedecades. There is an extensive surveyin this report of worship in both theOld Testament and the New Testa-ment. Following this survey we findthe guiding principle which appearsto determine much of CRC worshipfrom this moment onward: “Worshipfor the people of God has always beena dialogue.”4 Dialogue is further saidto be “the inherent structure of wor-ship. The question of liturgy is thequestion of how the dialogue is ap-propriately and effectively articu-lated.”5 This principle of dialogue (orin more familiar terms, “covenant”)overshadows everything to the extentthat the principle of worship found inthe Three Forms of Unity is not givenany consideration whatsoever.

At later CRC synods we see at-tempts to take things further, espe-cially in respect to preaching. In 1973for instance, the Liturgical Committeeproposed that there could be servicesin which “an occasional CRWRC[Christian Reformed World ReliefCommittee] film could be shown.”6 Totheir credit, Synod 1973 rejected suchproposals and reminded the churchesof Article 54a of the CRC Church Or-der: “In the worship services the min-ister of the Word shall officially explainand apply Holy Scripture.”7 After thisone does not read much of note aboutthe Liturgical Committee in the Acts ofCRC Synods – that is, until 1985.

CRC Synod 1982 gave the Liturgi-cal Committee the mandate of deter-mining how to implement liturgicaldance into the worship service. The re-port submitted to Synod 1985 comesback to the matter of dialogue and anappeal to 1968: “liturgy and worshipshape the meeting between God and

the congregation as a dialogue. Thevarious elements in the worship ser-vice constitute this dialogue betweenGod and his people.”8 With a cursoryand rather facile treatment of Scrip-ture, this conclusion is reached: “. . . inthe worship service, dance may func-tion in two ways. It may stress theWord of God to man, or it may stressman’s response to God.”9 As a resultof significant controversy surroundingthis report, CRC Synod 1985 decidedto leave the issue to local consistories.The end result was that room was leftfor further changes.

The changes in CRC worship overthe last three decades were truly as-tounding. What opened the door formany of these changes was a one-sidedemphasis on dialogue as the guidingliturgical principle. There was ab-solutely no consideration for the teach-ing of the Reformed confessions aboutworship, such as we find in Belgic Con-fession Article 32 and Heidelberg Cat-echism Lord’s Day 35. This goes handin hand with the weakening of the au-thority of the confessions in the CRCin general.

Whatever worksSo where do Pastor John Van Sloten

and the Hope Christian ReformedChurch fit into the picture? He couldvery well justify his using the Simpsonsas text for his sermons by appealing tothe dialogue principle established in1968. God speaks to the congregationthrough the Simpsons – why limit Godto the written Word? Cannot God alsospeak through a television show? Doesnot all truth belong to God? I am notsaying that Van Sloten would actuallyargue in this way, but using CRC Syn-odical decisions he certainly could andlikely would. At any rate, there willcertainly be no church discipline forJohn Van Sloten.

There is also the added element ofusing whatever works to get peopleinto the church. This corresponds tothe trend in North American evangel-icalism to make everything in wor-ship “user-friendly,” whether it be thesermon or the songs that are sung (orlistened to in many cases). The re-porter says about Van Sloten’s ap-proach, “It’s a formula that – non-tra-ditional as it is – is working for somepeople at least.”

That’s what it comes down to:whatever works for people. A man-centered approach to worship thatcould be justified by appealing to a di-alogue principle. God speaks in what-ever way we determine He will speakand we will respond in whatever waywe please. This is the ultimate resultwhen what the Confessions teachabout worship is ignored. There is truthin the notion that worship should be di-alogically or covenantally structured,but that must always be tempered bythe Reformed principle of worship: weare not “to worship Him in any othermanner than He has commanded in hisWord.” (Heidelberg Catechism Q&A96). For one thing, that means thatpreaching is always proclamationbased on the Scriptures. Once the con-fessions are undermined or ignored inthis area, the door is open to furtheraberrations. The worship principlefound in our confessions safeguards thepurity of worship. This is somethingthat an emphasis on the covenantalstructure of worship cannot accom-plish on its own. When we add or takeaway as we please, even in the name ofdialogue or covenant, we are on theroad to Rome.

1“Preaching about Bart Simpson fills pewsof Calgary church,” Joe Woodard, Vancou-ver Sun (January 24, 2001), page A8.2A Handbook of CRC Issues: 1968-1978, theAssociation of Christian Reformed Laymen,p.468. This volume presents various oldnewsletters and press clippings from overthis decade. Since it is not possible to tracethe origin and publication information ofevery source, only the page numbers of thevolume will be cited. 3Ibid., p.470.4Acts 1968, Grand Rapids: CRC Publica-tions, p.137.5Ibid., p.141.6Acts 1973, Grand Rapids: CRC Publica-tions, p.511.7Ibid., p.55.8Agenda for Synod 1985, Grand Rapids:CRC Publications, p.247.9Ibid.


“Worship for the peopleof God has always been a

dialogue.

That’s what it comesdown to: whatever works for

people.

We confess that the Lord Godalmighty, who created the world ac-cording to his design, also upholds, sus-tains and governs what He has made. Byhis sovereign power, the Lord ordersevents in such a way that they accom-plish his desires. The living God movesand directs the actions of men and theforces in creation so that they fulfill aspecific goal. This divine governing,known as God’s providence, is taughtthroughout the Bible. For example:

• Psalm 135:6, 7: “Whatever the Lordpleases He does, in heaven and inearth, in the seas and in all deepplaces. He causes the vapours to as-cend from the ends of the earth; Hemakes lightning for the rain; Hebrings the wind out of his treasuries.”

• Daniel 4:35: “All the inhabitants ofthe earth are reputed as nothing;He does according to his will in thearmy of heaven and among the in-habitants of the earth. No one canrestrain his hand or say to Him,‘What have You done?’”

What our confessions sayOur confessions speak beautiful

words about this doctrine. The BelgicConfession says, “We believe that thisgood God, after He had created allthings, did not abandon them or givethem up to fortune or chance, but thataccording to his holy will He so rulesand governs them that in this worldnothing happens without his direction.”The words of Lord’s Day 10 have a fa-miliar ring, “God’s providence is hisalmighty and ever present power,

whereby, as with his hand, He still up-holds heaven and earth and all crea-tures, and so governs them that leafand blade, rain and drought, fruitful andbarren years, food and drink, health andsickness, riches and poverty, indeed,all things, come to us not by chancebut by his fatherly hand.”

DefinitionProvidence has to do with the Lord

seeing beforehand, anticipating needs,and then allocating resources to meetthose needs. The Lord is involved in thesmallest details of life. Nothing is outsidehis control, plan or purpose. Scripture de-clares that not a single sparrow “falls tothe ground apart from your Father’s will”and that “even the hairs of your head areall numbered” (Matt 10:29, 30).

We may plan and fill in our agen-das for each day’s work, we may haveour daily routines running like clock-work, yet in all we undertake we mustshow that we live under the rule andgovernment of the Lord. He rules theworld according to his divine counseland providence. Charles Spurgeononce said in a sermon on the provi-dence of God, “I believe that everyparticle of dust that dances in the sun-beam does not move an atom more orless than God wishes” (MetropolitanTabernacle Pulpit, Sermon 3114).That’s a remarkable attestation to theLord’s providence.

No fatalismConfessing God’s providence does

not result in fatalism. Believing in fateis to say, “Whatever is, must be.” Tobelieve in God’s providence is to con-fess, “Whatever our faithful God hasordained will be accomplished.” TheLord has never ordained anythingwithout an objective or purpose.Everything in this world is working to-

wards one great end: to fulfill whatGod in his wisdom has designed byhis eternal plan. The Lord orders allcircumstances in such a manner thathis children learn to humbly submittheir will to the direction and govern-ment of the Almighty King of the ages.Even the most difficult situations areintended to achieve God’s glory andhis people’s good. If you are facingtrials today, look to the Lord your Godfor comfort. The exact reason why yousuffer may never be revealed to youin the life. Yet you can rest assuredyou are in good hands.

Every event and circumstance isguided by the hand of our Father. Nodetail of our lives is outside of his pur-pose or control. This thought causessome difficulty for us, doesn’t it? IfGod is in control, why does He allowso many awful things to happen; thingsthat even shake our faith to the roots?Besides, can anything I do really mat-ter if it is all governed by the Lord anddetermined by Him? When our cir-cumstances are most troubling it maybe difficult to see that God is in every-thing diligently working for the good

of those who fear Him. Yet this is thetruth of Scripture which we need to em-brace with all our heart. “And we knowthat all things work together for goodto those who love God, to those whoare called according to his purpose”(Romans 8:28).

We believe the Lord works in such amanner that even sin will not deter Himfrom doing what He determined beforethe foundation of the world. All sin and


LIVING BY THE DOCTRINES OF SCRIPTURE

The Gospel of God’s Providence (Part 1)

By P.G. Feenstra

The Lord is involved inthe smallest details

of life.

No detail of our lives isoutside of his purpose or

control.

wickedness of men will be used “to hisown holy ends”(Westminster Confes-sion, Chapter V Article 4). BelievingGod’s foresight helps us overcome ourown shortsightedness and the resent-ment and bitterness that frequently ac-companies it.

Providence and humanresponsibility

God’s providence does not excludehuman responsibility. The Lord is 100percent sovereign in all his actions butHe holds us 100 percent responsible forall our actions as well. Scripture givesus several examples of how this works.One outstanding illustration is the storyof God’s hand in the life of Joseph. Hisbrothers had treated him roughly andsold him to merchants travelling toEgypt. He may have wondered at thetime, “What is going on? What have Idone wrong to deserve such treatment?”Yet years later, as he looked back onwhat had happened, he said to his pen-itent brothers, “But as for you, youmeant evil against me; but God meantit for good, in order to bring it about asit is this day, to save many people alive”(Gen 50:19). What Joseph’s brothersdid hurt deeply. But Joseph has the eyesto see that God was at work, carryingout his plan in the actions of man.

The connection between the planof God and the actions of man can alsobe seen in the ministry of our LordJesus Christ. Christ encountered oppo-sition, pain, disappointment, and re-jection – yet those very things werethe means the LORD used to fulfill hisperfect plan. Peter brings the two to-gether when he says in his sermon atPentecost, “Him, being delivered bythe determined purpose and fore-knowledge of God, you have taken bylawless hands, have crucified, and putto death . . .” (Acts 2:23). Two thingsare placed side by side: the reality ofmen’s evil deeds and the plan of Godcarried out through those very deeds.

God’s government and care of ourlives never excludes the use of means. Amother, who trusts food and drink forher children will come from God’s fa-therly and providential hand, does notsit idle and wait for God to supply andprepare the food. She uses the meansthe Lord provides. If we are sick wemake use of doctors and hospitals. Yetwe are to be cautious that we do not put

too much stock in the means and forgetthe One who gave it in the first place.Deuteronomy 8:17 warns against anindependent attitude which ignoresGod’s providence and says, “My powerand the might of my hand have gainedme this wealth.”

Providence and RedemptionThe Lord determined in his eternal

counsel and wisdom to send into theworld his only Son to be our Saviour.The Old Testament is a record of God’sprovidence. The Lord knew before-hand that in the fullness of time JesusChrist would be born in Bethlehem. Hecalled Abraham to live in covenantcommunion with Him, He gave hispeople the law at Mount Sinai, Hepromised David that He would estab-lish his house forever because of his re-demptive plan in Jesus Christ.

Christ became obedient in allthings. Therefore the Lord God also de-mands of us that we act in a similarway: we are to follow the Lord in everyaspect of our life. No matter what hap-pens or how we are treated we mustmake it visible that we believe all thingsdo not happen by chance but are gov-erned by God’s Almighty hand. Next time we hope to continue examin-ing the significance of this doctrine.


God’s providence doesnot exclude human

responsibility.

LETTER TO THE EDITOR

Dear editor,I am reacting to Rev. Cl. Stam’s

editorial (January 19, 2001) regard-ing the CCCA report to Synod. I dofind it somewhat unfortunate thatRev. Stam is interacting with a reportwhich the majority of your readershave not read. It would have beenbetter if a press release from theCCCA had been published prior to oralongside the criticism.

It would appear from Rev. Stam’swriting that the eight members of theCCCA who belonged to sub-com-

mittees other than the OPC sub-com-mittee were unhappy with the OPCsub-committee’s work and thereforefelt the need to append some criticalremarks. In Article 131 of the Acts ofSynod 1998, responsibility for con-tact with the OPC is clearly man-dated to the CCCA. If there was seri-ous disagreement amongst thecommittee members as to the con-tent of the report, the proper avenuewould have been to submit majorityand minority reports. Since this wasnot done, I can only conclude that

the OPC sub-committee was contentto have its report pass on to Synodwith the appended critical remarks.As such there is nothing to complainabout and a charge of hierarchy is in-appropriate. In any case, I fail to seehow the behaviour of any Synodicalcommittee could be construed as hi-erarchical since the authority tomake any binding decisions restswith Synod alone and certainly notwith any committee.

With brotherly greetings,Richard Buist

Please mail, e-mail or fax letters for publication to the editorial address.They should be 300 words or less. Those published may be edited for style or length.

Please include address and phone number.


Dear Brothers and Sisters:Spring is around the corner! The end of winter, and the be-

ginning of a new season. A beginning where everythingseems to come to life again. This is also a season which canbring lots of showers, and rainy days in order for everything togrow. When it rains for a number of days we may think “will itever stop raining?” Yes, our thoughts may even go back tothe days of Noah. Noah was a man who put his trust in theLord and did everything just as God commanded him. Thisevent from the Bible is very familiar to us all, and with this ar-ticle we would like to focus on the promises of God.

After the flood, God spoke to Noah and his family andsaid, “This is the sign of the covenant I am making betweenme and you and every living creature with you, a covenantfor all generations to come: I have set my rainbow in theclouds, and it will be the sign of the covenant between meand the earth. Whenever I bring clouds over the earth andthe rainbow appears in the clouds, I will remember mycovenant between me and you and all living creatures ofevery kind. Never again will the waters become a flood todestroy all life” (Gen 9:12-15). It is here that God made apromise with Noah and his family. It speaks of a covenantwhich is a promise. Countless times throughout the Biblewe see God showing his love and patience towardmankind. He knows how evil our hearts are. When we con-tinue in sin or fall away from God, we deserve to be de-stroyed by his judgment. But God has promised herenever to again destroy everything on the earth until judg-ment day when Christ returns to destroy evil forever. Nowevery change of season is a reminder of his promises.What a joy and comfort to know that God’s covenant isestablished with us!

As we read through the Bible we often can see whereGod makes a covenant with his people. In Genesis 15 and17 a covenant is made with Abraham with the promisethat his descendants would become a great nation if theyobeyed God. At Mount Sinai God promised and made acovenant that Israel would be God’s special people, a holynation. But they too had to keep their part of the covenant,namely obedience to God. In Numbers 25 we can readabout Aaron’s descendants and the promise that they wouldbe priests forever. David too was promised that salvationwould come through his family line, through the birth of theMessiah. So the list could go on. But lastly we should lookin the New Testament in Hebrews 8:6-13 where we canread of the new covenant that God made with us his peo-ple. We no longer under the old covenant. Christ’s death issufficient to set us free from the sins that were made underthe first covenant, as well as for the sins of God’s covenantchildren today. Through the shedding of his blood, we re-ceive complete forgiveness of sins. Therefore, salvation canonly be received through believing and having faith inJesus Christ. He the Lord is our Saviour!

Question and Answer 67 of the catechism also shows usthat the Holy Spirit teaches us in his Word, and assures us bythe sacraments of Baptism and Holy Supper that our entiresalvation rests on Christ’s one sacrifice for us on the cross.

Let us therefore be assured that God’s promises neverfail or break. He holds firm to them forever. Just remem-ber this when you see the next rainbow in the sky, a signof God’s promise which He made with Noah and his fam-ily. As with every promise there is also an obligation: thatwe too must continue our walk and talk in faith to Himalone. Only then will we find comfort and happiness in thecovenant that Christ has made with us. Hold fast to thesepromises, and continue your stand in fulfilling your obliga-tions, giving Him alone all the praise and glory!

He is the Lord, our God unfailing,His judgments everywhere prevailing.He will remember and upholdHis covenant made in days of old.The steadfast words He did commandA thousand generations stand.

Firm stands His Word to Abraham spoken,His oath to Isaac, never broken.His everlasting covenantWith Israel God will not recant.He said, “To you this land I give,That as My heirs you there may live.”

Psalm 105:3, 4Birthdays in April:2nd Derek Kok who will turn 31.

464 Domville Street, Box 4Arthur, ON NOG 1AO

19th Marinus Foekens will be 49.4-290 Forest StreetChatham, ON N7L 2A9

23rd Arlene DeWit who will be 40.C/O P. DeWit Barnston Island, Surrey, BC V3T 4W2

29th Bryce Berends will be 26.89 Fieldgate Drive, Orangeville ON L9W 4S2

Congratulations to you all with your birthdays inApril. We wish you God’s blessing and a year filled withmuch health and happiness. Till next month,

Mrs. C. Gelms and Mrs. E. NordemanMailing Correspondence:

548 Kemp Road EastRR 2 Beamsville, ON L0R 1B2

1-905-563-0380

RAY OF SUNSHINE

By Mrs. Corinne Gelms and Mrs. Erna Nordeman

“I will remember my covenant between me and you and allliving creatures of every kind. Never again will the waters be-

come a flood to destroy all life” (Gen 9:15).

The readers of these newslettershave different interests. Some of you arepraying with us, others are working withus. Recently, I decided to write an Eng-lish newsletter four times a year.

Personal notesWe had a very sad time in Decem-

ber. The father of my wife, Anja, diedsuddenly on the 30th of November2000. He was seventy-seven years old.My parents-in-law were with us in Oc-tober 2000. At that time father’s healthwas fine, although we all knew that hisstrength was declining. Still, his heartattack and his immediate death camecompletely unexpected. Because of it,we were in the Netherlands for the firsthalf of December. With our family andsurrounded by father’s colleagues andfriends, we buried him.

Since then, we have restarted ourwork in Kiev. Except for some colds, ourhealth is fine. The children have beenhome for three weeks during the Christ-mas holidays. At present they are back atschool. Our little baby is also completelyand officially registered. Her name is inour passports and visas. Finally, she is notonly our biological but also our legaldaughter. This is very important becausein December we had some problems get-ting her on the air plane!

TavriyskeIn the period October-December

2000, the visitors to the church thoughtabout their decision to request mem-bership. At first they agreed with this de-cision. You can read about that in mylast newsletter. But thereafter they gaveit some deep thought and said: “It’s tooearly for us to have membership in ourcongregation. We do not feel spiritu-ally ready; give us some more time.”So we restarted the discussions.

We also have to be aware of theseason. This means that visitors to thechurch have free time during the win-ter. We can have continuous coursesof catechism instruction between theend of October till the beginning ofMarch, but in the summer every onehas to work in the fields. A new possi-bility, however, has arisen. We studiedLord’s Day 38 of the Heidelberg Cate-chism and heard a sermon on Jesus’teaching concerning the Sabbath. As aresult, the majority of the congrega-tion understands that Sunday is the dayof rest and they want to give this dayto the Lord. That is a great blessing!Now we can plan our work better. Wecan give Bible lessons on Sunday, af-ter the worship service.

We have also decided that I willcome to Tavrieske two times in Januaryand February. I will read sermons onGod’s providence (Lord’s Day 10), onsin (Lord’s Day 2-4) and on the signifi-cance of the Ten Commandments as arule of gratitude (Lord’s Day 32-33). Thecatechism lessons will be used to teachthe themes of covenant, baptism andholy supper. This should – if the Lordwill bless it – complete the series ofsermons and lessons that was startedby Sandor last year. In March we hopeto have our first public professions offaith. This means that official member-ship will begin. Of course, we shouldbe aware of the important fact that in-

formal membership already started, be-cause these people love the Lord andfeel loved by Him!

They also asked me about eldership.They said to me: “We understand thatwe need it. But nobody knows exactlywhat an elder should do!” I promisedto explain to the congregation how toelect elders (and deacons). When theyhave officially elected some elders, wewill not lay hands on them immedi-ately. First, I will give courses to theseelected people and train them for ser-vice. I will also train the congregationsbecause they should know what itmeans to accept the service of thesemen. After that has been done we willlay hands upon these elders. Everyonefeels comfortable with this solution.

It is very interesting to see that oncethey were confronted with the idea ofmembership, they began to think aboutit more deeply. It even resulted in themtaking a little step back: “What did weagree to do? And why are we doing it?”The result is that while both the mattersof membership and eldership will bepostponed, the understanding of thesethings in their hearts has deepened.

In the period from September – De-cember 2000, Anton became acquaintedwith his new place. He visited manypeople. Now he knows them more orless and they know him. As a result,they have to think about their commonfuture. How long will Anton stay inTavriyske? That is an important ques-tion. Anton should find his answer inprayer. The Practical Committee is alsopraying about it and speaking withAnton about it this month. The DutchMission is ready to make a three yearcontract with Anton. His special gift ishis ability to do the basic work: readingsermons and giving lessons to peoplewho recently came to the church. And


A January Update on ReformedMission Work in the Ukraine

By Jan WerkmanMissionary for the Dutch Mission – Hattem, the Netherlands

We can have continuouscourses in catechism

instruction between the endof October till the beginning

of March.

that is necessary in the neighbour-vil-lage Ridna Ukrainka, where the congre-gation at Tavriyske started to organizeworship services. The work in Tavrieskeis going on at more levels. The basicwork should be continued, but also thework on membership and eldershipshould be continued. At the moment itseems wise for us to cooperate. Antonwill do the work with the beginners. Iwill work on the matters of member-ship and eldership.

The Baptist church of Tchurupinsk,a small city at a distance of about fiftykilometres from Tavriyske, rents a roomin Tavriyske to organize worship ser-vices. Now this small village (approxi-mately 1500 inhabitants) has twochurches. Last year there were alsoJehovah’s Witnesses, but they havestopped their services in the village.Our small congregation in Kiyv is usedto the fact that we have more then 700churches in the city of Kiyv; whereas,in this village the appearance of a sec-ond church is something new!

KiyvThe congregation welcomed two

new members in December. That is agreat gift. One of them is now the book-keeper of the church. We are glad tohave someone who is able and willing todo that task. The holy supper is cele-brated seven times a year in Kiyv. Be-cause we don’t have a Ukrainian pastoror missionary in Kiyv, I lead the servicein which we celebrate the holy supper.In connection with this, I visit the mem-bers the week before.

Every time we celebrate the sacra-ment it is an important moment for allof us. I praise the Lord because He hasbrought us all to the confession of oursins. And this confession is alive! We be-lieve in forgiveness of sins in the Nameof Jesus Christ. Every time we have theholy supper, I have the wonderful pos-sibility of seeing something of the greatwork that the Lord is doing in the per-sonal lives of our dear members.

The congregation of Kiyv also hassome good workers. They do manythings for this small church. But theyalso have to support the synod and theseminary, and that takes a lot of en-ergy. We all understand that this workhas to be done. And – praise the Lord –it is blessed! But the congregation isnot growing very fast. So much workneeds to be done!

For the time being we have stoppedthinking about a second congregation.Recently we had a very interesting con-tact. Another mission in Kiyv was strug-gling with a lack of pastors. They hadtwo congregations, but only one pas-tor. They would like us to take over theirsmallest congregation. We had severalmeetings but later on we had to put astop to these plans. They found aUkrainian pastor who was able to dothe work. So the Kievan congregationhas to give some more thought as tohow to start a second place in theseenormous city. Probably they will betoo busy in the near future to deal withsuch plans right away!

DnipropetrovskThe congregation of Dnipropetrovsk

has some news. They had one memberand five visitors. Officially they are orga-nized as a branch of the Kievan congre-gations. The five visitors all accepted themembership-of-guests. This means thatthey hope to become full members. Twoof them hoped to be received as fullmembers a week ago, but because theother visitors also decided to ask formembership, they postponed it. Nowthey will all together publicly confesstheir faith and become full members onthe 15th of April. That is Ukrainian Easter.

In the period October-December,Olexander Mitrofanof spoke with aByelorussian missionary from the city ofMinsk. It looked like he might eventu-ally help with the church planting workin Dnipropetrovsk; however, it did notwork out. So Olexander continues tolook for a helper. As soon as he finds amissionary, he will rent a room for pub-lic worship services. For the time beingthey hold services in a home.

SimferopolWe heard the good news that

Frikkie and Sakina Mulder came backfrom South Africa to Simferopol. Theywill continue their work for one year,and maybe longer. They hope to planta Reformed church in Simferopol, andtheir sending board officially decidedthat Frikkie will cooperate with us.Frikkie will also work on a Bible trans-lation in the Krimtatare language. Heworks in an environment which isstrongly Muslim. His wife, Sakina, hasbeen educated as a Muslim. She waslater called by the Lord Jesus Christ andcame to Him. So it is clear that theywill direct their energies towards theMuslims! This gives a new twist to theReformed mission work in the Ukraine!

LiteratureThe work of producing literature con-

tinues. It takes a lot of time, but it is worthdoing. We now have ten brochures readyon the following themes:• Lord’s Day 20: The Holy Spirit. • Lord’s Day 21: The church, preach-

ing and membership• Lord’s Day 23-24: Justification by faith• Lord’s Day 25: The covenant of grace• Lord’s Day 26-27: Baptism• Lord’s Day 31: Church discipline• Lord’s Day 38: Fourth command-

ment: Sabbath and Sunday• Lord’s Day 41: Seventh command-

ment: marriage and divorce• Lord’s Day 42: Eighth command-

ment: The Christian attitude towardsmoney and goods

• Lord’s Day 45: PrayerIn the coming months we hope to makethe following brochures:• Lord’s Day 2-4: Sin and fall• Lord’s Day 10: God’s providence• Lord’s Day 28-30: Holy Supper• Lord’s Day 32-33: The role of the Ten

Commandments as a rule of gratitude.

All these materials are bundled in smallpackages. Each package contains somedifferent sermons on the theme to beread in the worship services. Next, thereare ten similar brochures to be usedduring various lessons. In addition, apackage contains a manual for theteacher. It is all in Ukrainian. We havealso started with Russian translations


Of course we should beaware of the important factthat informal membershipalready started, because

these people love the Lordand feel loved by Him!

At this moment thecourses of Greek language

are being given.

Another mission in Kiyvwas struggling with a lack of

pastors. They had twocongregations, but only one

pastor.

because we have more contacts now,and some of them know Russian betterthan Ukrainian. At the moment, how-ever, we do not have enough man-power for this translation work. My pri-ority is to continue the work of developingnew brochures.

The seminaryAt this moment courses in the

Greek language are being given. Weare preparing for the next board meet-ing. I looked at all of the items that willbe discussed at the board meeting and,thankfully, I can tell you that the dailywork is going very well. There is onlyone problem to tell you about and thatis the financial problem. At this mo-ment the American and Dutch Missionsare responsible for financing the semi-nary, each taking care of half the costs.Formally, however, the Ukrainianchurches are responsible. Next yearthey will try to take care of one per-cent of the costs. The following yeartwo percent, and so on. For now theMissions must find the money. I heardfrom the Dutch treasurer that he re-ceived 41,000 guilders! That is great,but not enough! He is trying to findmore sponsors. The next board meetingwill discuss the financial needs of theseminary. As president of the board, Iforesee that the financial needs willnot be met. I promised our treasurer,Klaas de Jong, that I would send thisnewsletter also to him. If you have anyfund raising suggestions for him, pleasetake up contact with him via theUkrainian Committee in Hattem, theNetherlands (address below).

Library in HamiltonIn the summer of 1999 I was in the

USA and Canada looking for literature.Mrs. Borovsky and Rev. Fesenko offered

the Ukrainian churches a great numberof theological books. It was incredible!These books belonged to the UkrainianReformed-Presbyterian tradition and arein use now at the seminary. During thattrip I found – under the guidance of Vic-tor Borovsky – a lot of Ukrainian theo-logical books and archives. They arestored in several places: the NationalArchives of Ottawa, the archives of thePresbyterian Churches in Canada, theUniversity of Princeton, etc. And, ofcourse, the members of the formerUkrainian churches have photographsat home and in their personal archives.

With the families Borovsky and Fe-senko, I decided only to take the mostnecessary material to the Ukraine: nec-essary for the students at the seminary.The other materials should stay in NorthAmerica. Once the political situationin the Ukraine has stabilized and theUkrainian Reformed and Presbyterianchurches experience more growth, wecan transport these historic materials tothe Ukraine.

This means that we needed a goodplace to store those materials. There-fore, I asked the senate of the Theologi-cal College in Hamilton to offer us aplace in their library. They have built anew library building, and have agreedto give some shelf space to the Ukrain-ian churches. All materials will be keptin good condition. They will be prop-erty of the Ukrainian Reformedchurches. Access to these materials is

possible with their permission and (forthe time being) with my permission. Thefinal steps still need to be taken. A con-tract between our mission and the The-ological College in Hamilton is beingdrafted. This means that in the near fu-ture you can send your materials con-cerning the Ukrainian Reformed orPresbyterian tradition to Hamilton.Please do that.

I will give more information in myfuture newsletters. I would like to askyou to hand this newsletter to yourfriends, especially if they are membersof the churches of the Ukrainian dias-pora in North America. These mem-bers are a blessed age now. Severalhave already died and their childrenmay be in possession of valuablearchives. Try to contact them. If possi-ble – give me their mailing address.

Addresses:Joint Reformed and Presbyterian

Seminary of Kiyvsecretary: Ul Tolstoy 13-3,

252033 Kiev, phone and fax: +380 (0)44 2209259

email: [email protected]

Church of Kiyv(via Rev. Jan Werkman)

Jan Werkman: Ul Dobriy Put 51,252028 Kiev, phone and fax

+380 (0)44 2653681, email: [email protected]

Ukraine CommitteeGalenshoeve 2

8052 AW Hattem, Th e Netherlands email: [email protected]

If you have friends interested in theUkrainian Reformed Churches, pleasetell them to write a letter or a post cardto Rev. Jan Werkman and we will beglad to send them the next issue.


I asked the senate of theTheological College in

Hamilton to offer us a placein their library.


FROM THE MAILBOXThank you, Nadine Barendregt, for

your very long and colourful letter. Itwas very nice to know that you read mycomment about not getting manyletters. How old is your brother Leightonnow? And it must be fun having a “sled-dog” at home. After all, that is what a lot

of people did in the olden days, before cars were invented. Peo-ple would use horses, but sometime also used dogs becausethey were smaller. Even now, you can watch dog-sledding incompetitions in Canada, in some places. That would be lots offun, I think. Bye for now, Nadine. I’ll wait for your next letter.

I apologize to Jolene Breukelman for never writing back toyou. Your letter was dated 18 October and I have only justfound it. I guess it got lost somewhere. It sounded like youhad a lot of fun at your teacher’s birthday party last year, atthe Niagara Escarpment. And I hope by now your dad’s toothfeels much better. Thanks also for your puzzles. You willwrite again, Jolene, won’t you, even though I took so long toreply to your last one?

Thank you also to Jennifer Harink for your letter. It hastaken me a long time to reply to your letter, too, hasn’tit. Sorry. It sounds like you are never bored at home. Well,at least you always have something to do, so you can’t com-plain to your mom that you are bored. Thank you for yourpuzzle. I will include it in a “Our Little Magazine” at somestage. Till next time.

PuzzlesWho Am I?

By Busy Beaver Jolene Breukelman

1. The Minister reads from me every Sunday. You readme during the week. What am I?

2. I died for your sins on the cross. Who am I?3. I denied Jesus three times. Who am I?4. I lived in the garden of Eden. I was the first one on

earth. Who am I?5. I talked to Jesus at night. Who am I?6. I was on the island of Patmos. I wrote Revelation. Who

am I?7. I am the Alpha and the Omega. Who am I?

Surprises!1. They were surprised to hear themselves speaking in

strange tongues.2. They were surprised in a crowded house by an act

of Jesus.3. They were surprised at night on the Sea of Galilee.4. They were surprised by a 12-year old lad.5. These women were surprised early one morning.6. He was surprised by an angle with a drawn sword.7. She was surprised by a serpent.8. They received a great surprise while watching sheep.9. He was surprised to see Philip perform such great signs.

10. These three men received a great surprise on a moun-tain top.

OUR LITTLE MAGAZINE

By Aunt Betty

Books of the Old Testament by Busy Beaver Adrienne Teitsma

U Q M I C A H X A R Z ES T G R P A O J O D C SE R Q E U R U C S Q Q TG S K H N U M B E R S HD E S P S E Z R A P F EU O L X F X S T A T U RJ V L E C O A I D I E AK I N G S D M F S A R RA D M K D U U H I B Z US J U D G S E S O Q A TM A D M S A L J O N A H

FIND: Genesis Exodus Numbers JoshuaJudges Ruth Samuel Kings EzraEsther Job Jonah Micah

Dear Busy Beavers,Are you enjoying your days at school? Does your teacher

give you lots of fun things to do, or always make you workvery hard? Most teachers are able to put lots of fun in thework that you have to do, don’t you think. I think they arevery clever, being able to do that. After all, how fun couldsomething such as mathematics be, unless you can havesome fun with it? Especially in the younger classes, whereyou are just learning, the teacher will give you little activi-ties to do with your maths. That way, you also learn bettertoo, don’t you?

Do you try your best at your activities and subjects atschool? I hope so. After all, your teacher puts so much effortinto making it fun for you, then you really have to tryhard. Not only for the teacher, but it would also make yourmom and dad very proud to get good marks. Please try veryhard, because the Lord also loves it when you try your veryhardest to do the best you can.

Lots of love, Aunt Betty

March Birthdays21 Lydia Jongsma23 David Smeding

28 Carolyn Vanleeuwen


I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your worksare wonderful, I know that full well. Psalm 139:14With thankfulness to our heavenly Father who has blessed us, we wishto announce the arrival ofLAUREN ALEXIS ENDEMANBorn to Jeff and Hetti Endeman (nee Kottelenberg)December 14, 2000Grandparents: John and Reta Endeman and Ben and Joan Kottelenberg11 Appleton Drive, Orangeville, ON L9W 5C3

The LORD has done great things for us, and we are filled withjoy. Psalm 126:3With thankfulness to the LORD we are pleased to announce the birthof our firstborn, a sonLUCAS GARRETBorn December 13, 2000to Jeff and Annette Tenhage (nee Jonker)28th grandchild for Bert and Jane Tenhage9th grandchild for George (Gerrit) and Henrietta Jonker101 Dufferin Street, Orangeville, ON L9W 1X3

The Lord has blessed us with a beautiful gift, our firstborn CARSON ISAACDecember 9, 2000Eric and Jaclyn Jonker1st grandchild for Bill and Evelyn Degroot9th grandchild for Peter and Henrietta Jonker1st great-grandchild for Mr. and Mrs. John Degroot and Mrs. H. WemekampGreat-grandchild for Mrs. H. Kottelenberg26 Dawson Road, Orangeville, ON L9W 2W3

Praise the LORD . . . Psalm 113With great thanksgiving to the Lord we celebrate an answer toprayer, the birth of a precious daughterELIANNA JOLENE VAN RAALTEJanuary 13, 200115th grandchild to Jake Riemersma10th grandchild to Clarence and Ryma Van RaalteLoving parents, Ted and Christine Van RaalteExcited foster brother Alex23 Windsong Place, Winnipeg, MB R2C 4T9

The LORD is righteous in all His ways and loving toward all He made.My mouth will speak in praise of the LORD. Let every creature praiseHis holy Name for ever and ever. Psalm 145:17 and 21With great joy we give thanks to the LORD for blessing us with an-other son SCOTT MATTHEW Born January 25, 2001 Proud brothers: Willem, Joshua and Jesse William and Geraldine Salomons (nee Vis)251 Browndale Crescent, Richmond Hill, ON L4C 3H9

. . . at the works of Thy hands I sing for joy. Psalm 92: 4With great joy in our hearts to the Lord, we announce the birth of ourfirstborn daughter EMILY JOY Born January 18, 2001Marcel and Harriet Stel (nee Winkelaar)8739 – 151 Street, Edmonton, AB T5R 1H8

Sons are a heritage from the LORD, children a reward from Him.Psalm 127:3The LORD, who is the Creator and Director of our lives, has blessedour family with the birth of NATHAN JOSIAHwho was born on January 23, 2001Dennis and Jennifer Flokstra (nee Dykstra)Valerie, Jared and Stacy are thrilled with their new little brother.34902 Vye Road, Abbotsford, BC V2S 7P7

Great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised and his greatness is un-searchable. Psalm 145:3 With thankfulness to God we, KAREN STEGENGA and SHAWN WOLSKIjoyfully announce our engagement. January 9, 2001 746 Grand View Avenue, Burlington, ON L7T 1L1

May Your unfailing love rest upon us, O LORD, even as we put our hopein you. Psalm 33:22With thankfulness to the LORD, who brought us together, we, AAT ONDERWATER and KEES VANDRIELtogether with our children, joyfully announce our wedding to be heldthe Lord Willing on March 17, 2001 at 2.00 p.m in the MaranathaCanadian Reformed Church, Surrey, BC. 15050 82 Avenue, Surrey, BC V3S 7V6(604)594-6941; [email protected]

Births

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Open House on Wednesday, March 28, 2001, at Maranatha Homes 3260 New Street, Burlington, Ontario (parking at General Brock High School)

#311-3260 New Street, Burlington, ON L7N 3L4

60th Wedding Anniversary1941 – March 28 – 2001

And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love. I Corinthians 13:13

With thankfulness to our heavenly Father who has graciously guided and protected them, we joyfully announce the60th Wedding Anniversary of our dear parents, grandparents and great-grandparents

JOHN AND FRANCES OOSTDYK (nee DeJonge)

May the Lord continue to keep them in His care and bless them in the years to come!

Bill and Liz Oostdyk (Campbellville, ON)Mary and Mark DeBoer

Michael, Jonathan, David, ElizabethJanet and Allan Schutten

Jason, Lisa, Daniel, Tyler, JordanJoanne and Herman Jans

Darryl, Sarah, DevonLinda and Jim Kay

Megan, NicolaMichelle and Rick Nordeman

Madelyn, Ryan, Andrew, Nathan

Anne and Len Murphy (London, ON)Annette and Gary Rossol

Rebecca, RyanMichael

Ada and John Hulleman (Waterdown, ON)Ken and Ginny Hulleman

Victoria, Desiree, Johnathan, KianaDan and Geraldine HullemanAngie and Dan VisTricia and James

John and Jolanda Oostdyk (Millgrove, ON))Wendy and William Verwey

Alec, TheodoraRob and Jenn OostdykDebbie and Phil BartelsPetra and Jeremy

Frank and Jenny Oostdyk (London, ON)Cynthia and Bryan SchieckKevinMelissaSeanDarrenAmanda

Henry and Bernice Oostdyk (Burlington, ON)Sheryl and NathanDeniseErinKristen

j j j j j j j j j j


1951 – March 22 – 2001Blessed are all who fear the LORD, who walk in his ways. Psalm 128:1With thankfulness to our Heavenly Father for keeping them in His loveand care, and for us all, we joyfully announce the 50th WeddingAnniversary of our dear parents and grandparents PETER and LINDA OOSTERHOFF (nee DeBoer)May the Lord continue to keep them in His care and bless them inthe years to come.Beamsville, ON: Jake and Grace Oosterhoff

Lisa, Kelly, JasonSmithville, ON: Arie and Lois Muis

Jeremy and Melissa, Shawn, Melanie, DwayneWellandport, ON: Jesse and Dorothy Oosterhoff

Ryan, Darryl, Matthew, KristiWaterdown, ON: Arnold and Anita Hulzebosch

Jolene, Chris, Daniel, Jordan, KatelynSmithville, ON : Gerald and Wendy Oosterhoff

Melissa, Andrew, Kristen, KyleAn Open House will be held, D.V., on Saturday, March 24, 2001 at theCanadian Reformed Church of Attercliffe, Ontario from 2-4:30 p.m.Best wishes only please.RR 2, 7581 Silver Street, Smithville, ON L0R 2A0

Anniversaries

Obituaries

Yet I am always with you; you hold me by my right hand. Youguide me with your counsel, and afterwards you will take me intoglory. Psalm 73: 23, 24 NIVFebruary 15, 1913 – February 9, 2001The Lord has taken unto Himself our beloved mother, grandmotherand great-grandmotherMRS. DOROTHY SIKMAWidow of Douglas Sikma since March 1982Vernon, BC : Clarence and Effie SikmaSurrey, BC: Floyd and Nellie Sikma

(Tony† and) Jane SikmaAbbotsford, BC: John and Margaret DeleeuwChilliwack, BC: Henry and Hilda GeldermanCarman, MB: Jack and Frances VandermeulenAbbotsford, BC: Dorothy Sikma

Casey and Nellie Leyenhorst 32 grandchildren, 52 great-grandchildrenF. Sikma, 18475 - 89 B Avenue, Surrey, BC V4N 3X4

The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not want; He makes me lie downin green pastures. He leads me beside still waters; He restores mysoul. Psalm 23:1, 2The Lord took unto Himself into eternal gloryKLAZINA NEELTJE (INA) VAN GOOR (nee Brouwer)Beloved wife for 10 years of Ralph Van Goor and dear mother ofRudy and Alina.1120 Pandora Avenue WestWinnipeg, MB R2C 4P7

February 6, 1952 February 8, 2001He will wipe away every tear from their eyes. There will be no moredeath or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of thingshas passed away. Revelation 21:4At His time, the Lord has taken unto Himself into eternal gloryKLAZINA NEELTJE (INA) VAN GOOR (nee Brouwer)Beloved sister, sister-in-law and aunt ofBelwood, ON: Audrey and Jim Van RaalteOrangeville, ON: Irene and John SchuttenSmithville, ON: Nellie and Gerry DeBoerBelwood, ON: Ryma and Clarence Van RaalteGrand Valley, ON: Melis and Wilma BrouwerSt. Albert, AB: Rhea and Ben HofsinkCarman, MB: Kees and Alice BrouwerVancouver, BC: Maryke Brouwerand nephews and nieces.1120 Pandora Avenue West, Winnipeg, MB R2C 4P7

February 19, 1912 – February 6, 2001The Lord in His infinite wisdom and on His time, took into eternalglory our dear father, grandfather and great-grandfather JOHANNES DE HAAS at the age of 88.Beloved husband of Helen de Haas – nee GeusebroekThe eternal God is your refuge and underneath are the everlastingarms. Deut. 33:27aOur father was very active in the institution of the Canadian Re-formed Church in Canada. He was also a very strong supporter ofChristian Education.God worked faith in Dad and through that he lived his life forHim. Dad showed his love for the Lord to his family and thosearound him. We have truly been blessed.God also allowed Dad and Mom to celebrate their 60th WeddingAnniversary last year.We pray that our heavenly Father will surround our dear motherwith His love, care, comfort and strength as she continues onlife’s journey without Dad.Langley, BC: Bas and Alice de HaasChilliwack, BC: Phil and Gloria de HaasLangley, BC: John and Diny de HaasCoaldale, AB: Helen and Andy LeffersAldergrove, BC: Casey and Betty de HaasEdmonton, AB: Jack and Pauline de HaasChilliwack, BC: Fred and Cora de HaasVirginia, USA: Janette and Ben RothAldergrove, BC: Bill and Caroline de Haas37 grandchildren, 25 great-grandchildrenAddress: Manoah Manor, #205 20265-54A Avenue, Langley, BC V3A 3W6


Teaching PositionsWILLIAM OF ORANGE CHRISTIAN SCHOOLThe current Principal, Mr. A. Nap is planning to retire at the end of theschool year after 22 years of faithful service in the instruction ofcovenant children at our school. With this in mind, the board invitesapplications for the position of:PRINCIPAL/TEACHER and/or FULL-TIME TEACHERThe principal should be prepared to teach some courses in additionto his role as principal.Successful applicants must:• Be a communicant member of a Canadian Reformed/American

Reformed Church or sister church.• Be certifiable by either the Independent Schools Branch of the

Ministry of Education in B.C. or by the B.C. College of Teachers.• Be able to commence duties as of August 2001.Applicants are asked to send a resume, statement of faith, philoso-phy of education, a letter of reference from their church council andother references. Please forward enquiries/applications to:Mr. M. Bredenhof, Chairman of the Board18560 40th Avenue, Surrey, BC V4P 1M5(604) 574-0961

Come and teach in the heart of the beautiful Fraser Valley wherespring comes early!

The Board of the Canadian Reformed School Society of Abbotsford, B.C. operating the John Calvin School invites applications for:

PRIMARY AND INTERMEDIATE TEACHERSSuccessful applicants must:• be a communicant member of a Canadian/American Reformed

Church or a sister church;• be able to obtain an Independent School certificate or certification

from the BC College of Teachers;• be able to commence duties as of September 1, 2001;• furnish two letters of reference;• furnish a character reference from the applicants’ pastor.For information contact the principal, Mr. P.H. Torenvliet1-604-823-6814 (school); 1-604-854-5851 (home)1-604-823-6791 (fax);[email protected] (e-mail) or Mr. F. Flokstra (chairman) 1-604-864-8029Send applications to the Secretary of the Board:c/o John Calvin School4268 Stewart Road, Chilliwack, BC V2R 5G3

Providence Reformed Collegiate invites applications for the positionsof FULL-TIME AND PART-TIME HIGH SCHOOL TEACHERS in the areas of History, Geography, English and French for the 2001-2001 school year. Providence is a small regional high school servingthe Reformed communities of Southwestern Ontario, from Wood-stock on the east, Wyoming (ON) on the west, Clinton on the northand St. Thomas/Aylmer on the south with London in the centre. Theschool has experienced continual growth in its first four years, and bythe grace of God we hope to expand.Qualified individuals who seek to serve in the field of Reformed Chris-tian education, who submit to Scripture as summarized by the Re-formed Confessions, and who are interested in joining our staff, are in-vited to submit a resume with a statement of faith, philosophy ofeducation, and letters of reference (including one from your churchconsistory) to:Providence Reformed CollegiateAttn: Education CommitteePO Box 114, Komoka, ON N0L 1R0For more information contact the principal,Mr. Roger Vanoostveen at (519) 471-0661 (school), (519) 264-2575 (home), or email [email protected]

TEACHERS NEEDEDThe Niagara Reformed Christian Education Association, which op-erates Heritage Christian School invites applications from qualifiedteachers for the following openings for the 2001/2002 academic year.

Secondary School: Music, French PHE, HumantiesElementary School: Potential openings at junior and intermediate grade levels

Heritage Christian School, in the heart of the Niagara Peninsula,serves a student body of close to 500 students. We are blessed witha dedicated and supportive Christian community, a cohesive, profes-sional faculty and staff of + 35 persons, and beautiful, modern facili-ties. Qualified applicants who seek to serve Jesus Christ in the areaof Christian education and who submit to Holy Scripture as inter-preted by the Reformed confessions are encouraged to apply. Pleasesubmit a résumé, with a statement of your philosophy of education, astatement of faith, and references.Please forward inquiries and/or applications to:Mr. A. Ben Harsevoort, PrincipalHeritage Christian School Box 400, Jordan Station, ON L0R 1S0 Canada Phone (905) 562-7303, Fax (905) 562-0020 E-mail: [email protected], children are a heritage from the LORD. Psalm 127:3

Canadian Reformed School Society of Calgary operating TyndaleChristian School invites applications forTEACHER AND/OR PRINCIPALApplicants interested in applying to a school society with positiveparental involvement may contact:Otto Bouwman, Principal403 590-5881 (School)403 936-0038 (Home)Fred Helder, Chairman of the Board403 226-3707 (Home)Application may be sent to the Secretary of the Board:Craig van Ellenberg74 Marbrooke Circle NE, Calgary, AB T2A 2W6

Attercliffe Canadian Reformed Elementary School invites applica-tions for part timeSPECIAL ED. COORDINATOR/TEACHERDuties to commence, D.V., September 1, 2001.For further information phone Mr. A. Kingma, principal school (905) 774-9009, home (905) 774-1336Please send applications, resumes and philosophy of education to Mrs. F. KingmaSecretary of the Education Committee 951 Robinson Rd. RR 1, Dunnville, ON N1A 2W1


Ebenezer Christian School, Chatham, Ontario invites applications for FULL TIME TEACHERSOur school has an enrolment of 60 students in grade K-8 with 4 full-time and 1 part-time teachers.We are situated a short distance from the “golden horseshoe” of Ontarioin a smaller city with lower housing costs and many “small town” advantages.Qualified persons are asked to submit their letter of application andresume to the chairperson of the Education Committee: Mrs. Teresa Bergsma, 91 Harvest Crescent, Chatham, ON N7L 5C7, or fax to the school directly at 519-354-2159For more information about the school or the surrounding district,please contact the principal, Mrs. WillaDale Smid at the school 519-354-1142 or home 519-674-2356or e-mail [email protected]

The K. Schilder School of Grand Rapids, MI, USA urgently needs aPRINCIPAL/ TEACHERWe are inviting applications for a Principal/Teacher. Requirements:• Must be Canadian/American Reformed or communicant

member of a sister church.This is a small school of approximately 24 students with grades 1-12.If a teacher cannot be found, there is a possibility of the schoolclosing for the year 2001-2002.For information please contact:John Van Middelkoop, Secretary3167 - 68th Street SE, Caledonia, MI 49316Phone: (616) 698-9604e-mail: [email protected]

The Board of Ebenezer Canadian Reformed School of Smithersand Houston invites applications for the following positions for the2001 - 2002 school year:Kindergarten, 40% full time;Two possible FULL-TIME POSITIONS in the Primary division;Two openings for the High School division.Grades 9-11 are scheduled to be reinstated in the 2001/2002school year after having been eliminated this school year due to a lackof qualified staff.All duties to commence August 1, 2001.Please direct your inquiries to the principal,Mr. Derek Stoffels,250-847-3492 or [email protected] or the Chairman of the Board,Mr. Jack Vanderveen, 250-846-9052 or [email protected] may mail your application or inquiries to:The Board, Ebenezer Canadian Reformed SchoolBox 3700, Smithers, BC V0J 2N0

The Board of the Canadian Reformed School Society of Winnipeginvites applications for TEACHING POSITIONSin the elementary division K-6 of Immanuel Christian School.Immanuel Christian School currently has 12 full time teachers, a fulltime special needs staff member, and three teacher assistants.There are 200 students in grades K-12.Duties to commence August 1, 2001.Applicants should be able to obtain or be willing to work towards ac-quiring a Manitoba Teacher’s Certificate.If you are interested or would like additional information, please contact:Mr. H. van Delden, Chairman of the BoardPhone 204-224-1620 (home); 204-663-9000 (work)Mr. A. Gunnink, Principalphone 204-224-9206 (home); 204-661-8937 (work)Please mail, e-mail or fax your application to:Immanuel Christian School215 Rougeau Avenue,Winnipeg, Manitoba R2C 3Z9Fax 204-669-7013e-mail: [email protected]

The Board of Credo Christian High School invites applications forSEVERAL TEACHING POSITIONSin Mathematics and Science and French. Teachers with other specialties are also urged to apply.Credo Christian High School provides education for over 340 stu-dents in grades 8 through 12 from various church communities in theFraser Valley. The school offers a comprehensive academic programthat enables students to continue with post-secondary university, col-lege and career preparation programs. A variety of program opportu-nities exist for students with interest in Computer Studies, Indus-trial Education (Construction and Mechanics), Home Economics(Foods and Nutrition, Clothing and Textiles), Band and Art. Studentsare encouraged to participate in various leadership development op-portunities involving team sports and student government.If you are interested in joining a team of professionals in delivering asound educational program guided by Reformed Biblical principlesplease reply toCredo Christian High SchoolPO Box 3457, Langley, BC V3A 4R8Phone (604) 530 5396; Fax (604) 530 8965Further inquiries can be directed to the principalMr. Ed VanderboomHome (604) 534 8837; e-mail [email protected]

Due to the impending start of Grade Ten at Coaldale ChristianSchool, we ask qualifiedTEACHERSto seriously consider relocating to Sunny Southern Alberta.Those teachers with qualifications in the Senior High Math andSciences, as well as elementary level teachers are urged to apply.For more information, please contactMr. Marion Bareman, Chairman of the Board, at (403) 655-2475 orMr. Joop Harthoorn, Principal, at(403) 345-4891 (Home); (403) 345-4055 (School) Applications should be sent to: Coaldale Christian School 2008 - 8th Street, Coaldale, Alberta T1M 1L1


The Maranatha/Emmanuel Canadian Reformed School Society,Inc. of Fergus, Guelph and district invites applications for aJUNIOR HIGH TEACHER(with qualifications in science preferred)and possibleELEMENTARY TEACHERSfor the 2001-2002 school year.In addition, a full-timeTEACHER’S AIDis needed in the grade 1 classroom for the 2001-2002 school year.For information contact the principalH.J. NobelSchool: (519) 843-3029Home: (519) 848-3922Applications to be addressed to:Maranatha/Emmanuel Christian Schoolc/o Education CommitteeRR 3, Garafraxa Street, Fergus, ON N1M 2W4

URGENTThe parents in the Orangeville and Grand Valley churches have an im-mediate need for full-timeTEACHERSto teach their children at Dufferin Area Christian School.This need is created by a growing school population, and theunexpected vacancy of current teaching positions.One position needs to be filled immediately, and a second for partof this academic year from March of 2001 on and may lead to full-time in September 2001.A full-time position is available for the 2001/2002 school year.Dufferin Area Christian School has grades K-8 in 4 classrooms. Weare constructing two additional classrooms and a new library. We plan to build a gymnasium as well when the necessary funds areraised for this purpose, D.V.We will send a complete information package to all prospectiveteachers to assist in their considerations.To receive this information package email thePrincipal, Mr. Nick Mansat [email protected] or telephone 1-519-941-4368Chairman, Mel Brouwer 928-5437

The American Reformed School Society of Lynden, WA has set a pre-liminary goal of opening the doors to a NEW school in September, 2002.To adequately prepare for this exciting event, we wish to select aPRINCIPALwell in advance. The successful applicant will match the following pro-file. He or she will be:

• a member in good standing of a Canadian Reformed or Ameri-can Reformed Church

• able to develop and teach K-12 curriculum in the various sub-jects in a thoroughly scriptural framework

• an experienced educator who understands the learning processand relates well to children

• a visionary with the servant leadership skills required to securea positive and orderly learning environment

• a team player with exceptional interpersonal skills and the abil-ity to integrate parental participation into the learning process

• able to genuinely display a love and passion for all subject mat-ter so that it reflects on the children taught in the school.

If this description inspires you and piques your interest, please contactRick Faber at (360) 988-7803 and send your resume [email protected]

The Board of the Canadian Reformed School Society of Smithvilleand Surrounding District Inc. operating John Calvin School invitesapplications for the position of TEACHER Duties to commence September 2001. Inquiries may be directed to the principal, Mr. F.C. Ludwig, at:(905) 957-2341 (school) or (905) 957-3111 (home)Letters of application stating experience, qualifications, grade prefer-ence and references should be marked “Personal and Confidential”and sent to: John Hordyk, Secretary of the Education Committee4121 Aberdeen Road, Beamsville, ON L0R 1B6

The Board of Dufferin Christian School, Carman, Manitoba invitesapplications for the position of PRINCIPALFurther, applications are also invited for teaching positions at the

ELEMENTARY LEVEL HIGH SCHOOL LEVEL

– especially from those with abilities in senior math and science. Applicants must hold a valid Manitoba Professional Teacher’s Certificate(or equivalent credentials from another jurisdiction).Duties to commence on August 1, 2001. DCS is a K to 12 school with 234 students and 20 full-time staff.Additional information on the school, the community, and educationin Manitoba can be found on-line at www.mbnet.mb.ca/˜adufferin>.Applications can be sent to: Mr. Ron DeRuiter, P.O. Box 1450, Carman, MB R0G 0J0; fax (204) 745-3441; e-mail: [email protected] can be directed to: Mr. Rob vanSpronsen, acting-PrincipalPhone: school (204) 745-2278; home (204) 745-3996 e-mail: [email protected]

Credo Christian School, Woodbridge, Ontario (Brampton andToronto) invites applications for aFULL-TIME GRADE 7/8 TEACHERstarting in September 2001.For information, contact the Principal, Miss L. MaatSchool: (905) 851-1620; Home (905) 453-7480e-mail: [email protected] of application stating qualifications, experience and referencesshould be sent to:Jack Vanderee, Secretary, Education Committee42 Springhead GardensRichmond Hill, ON L4C 5B9; e-mail: [email protected]


The Canadian Reformed School Society of Burlington, Inc., operat-ing John Calvin Christian School, invites applications for the position ofPRINCIPALfor the 2001-2002 school year.Applicants must be capable of providing guidance and direction toteaching staff in the day-to-day educational setting, and in facilitatingtheir ongoing professional development. The ability to relate to studentsand parents, as well as the school board would be highly valued.For more information about this position, please contact the Board Chairman, Rob Wildeboer @ (905) 631-8434, or Fax @ (905) 639-9704.Applications may be addressed to:Corresponding Secretary Mrs. Hilda Tiggelaarc/o John Calvin Christian School 607 Dynes Road, Burlington, ON L7N 2V4

CREDO CHRISTIAN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL in Langley, BC maybe in need of aTEACHERfor the upper elementary grades, duties to commence September2001.Please direct inquiries to the principal,Mr. J.A. RoukemaCredo Christian Elementary School21919 52 Avenue, Langley, BC V2Y 2M7Phone: (604) 530-1131 (school); (604) 856-0544 (home).Applications may be sent to the Board secretary:Mr. B. Dewit27090 88 Avenue, Langley, BC V1M 3L8

Reformation Christian School of Blue Bell, Pennsylvania invites ap-plicants for aFULL-TIME TEACHEROur school has an enrollment of 28 students in grades 1-12. We havetwo full-time and two part-time teachers along with various volunteers.We are situated one hour northwest of Philadelphia in historic Whit-pain Township.Qualified persons are asked to submit their letter of application, re-sume, and philosophy of Reformed education. We are looking for ateacher with high school qualifications in Math and Science (thoughnot solely limited to those subject areas). A Bachelor's Degree is re-quired and teaching experience is an asset.Our greatest anticipated need is for the 2002-2003 school year, how-ever applications for the 2001-2002 school year will be considered.Direct your inquiries to our Principal Christine Dewitt1215 Union Meeting Road, Blue Bell, PA 19422Phone (215) 646-4773 schoolPhone (215) 292-0954 [email protected]

Covenant Canadian Reformed Teachers CollegeHamilton, Ontario

ADMISSIONSSeptember 2001

The Board of Covenant College invites applications fromprospective students for the 2001-2002 academic year.The College offers teacher training programs to prepare candi-dates for teaching positions in the K-Grade 10 range.Admission Requirements:For the 1-year Diploma of Education program:

a suitable university degree.For the 3-year Diploma of Teaching program:

a grade XII diploma with university entrance equivalence.Prospective candidates are invited to contact the College formore information and/or to obtain an enrolment package. Can-didates who plan to seek admission in the year 2002 are also en-couraged to contact the College as soon as possible.Covenant Canadian Reformed Teachers CollegeLocation: 410 Crerar Drive, Hamilton, OntarioTel: 905-385-0634Fax: 905-385-8409E-mail: [email protected]: 856 Upper James Street, Box 20179,

Hamilton, Ontario L9C 7M5

Guido de Brès Christian High SchoolDue to increasing enrollment and possible staff replacement, we requireFULL OR PART-TIME TEACHERSWe have a great need for applicants who have the qualifications toteach:FrenchAll positions would commence September 1, 2001.For further information, pleas contact the principalMr. VanDooren, at schoolTelephone: 905 574-4011Fax: 905 574-8662E-mail: [email protected] of application should include university and teaching qualifi-cations, two letters of reference, and your statement about Christianeducation. Mail to:Guido de Brès Christian High SchoolEducation CommitteeBox 20098, Upper James Postal OutletHamilton, ON L9C 7M5

The Maranatha/Emmanuel Canadian Reformed School SocietyInc. of Fergus, Guelph and district invites applications for aTEACHERwith qualifications in science preferred, to finish the school year inMay and June, 2001 and, if so desired, to continue in this position infuture years.This position is at the junior high school level.For information contact the PrincipalH.J. NobelSchool: (519) 843-3029; Home: (519) 848-3922Applications to be addressed to:Maranatha/Emmanuel Christian Schoolc/o Education CommitteeRR 3, Garafraxa Street, Fergus, ON N1M 2W4


bus: (905) 304-3303fax: (905) 574-1450res: (905) 648-7705

Re/Max Escarpment Realty Inc., 370 Wilson Street East, Ancaster, Ontario L9G 4S4

serving Hamilton, Ancaster, Dundasand surrounding areas.100% Club Member

john van andel

sales representative

Attention:Woman Survivors

SAFE is a group of women in southern Ontario who havesurvived childhood sexual abuse and now meet bi-weeklyfor mutual support. More than twenty women have been

members of SAFE in the past eight years. Presently, thereis room in our group for new members. Any woman

wishing to benefit from contact with fellow survivors iswelcome to contact us through the number below. Wethank George Van Popta for kindly letting us use his

phone number to ensure our own safety.

TO GET IN CONTACT WITH SAFE, please call

George Van Popta at 905-304-4952 for our phone number.

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CALL GRACE VISSCHERTel: (604) 530-6771

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CHRISTIAN GUIDED TOURSBC. Reg. # 3076-3

ADMINISTRATORDue to the upcoming retirement of our Administrator,

Mount Nemo Christian Nursing Homein Burlington, Ontario, a 60 bed Accredited Long Term CareFacility, requires an Administrator to provide direction,leadership, support and guidance in our day-to-day activities.

Qualifications and Experience:• Several years of experience at a senior management

level or equivalent combination of education and experience.

• Superior problem solving, financial, oral andwritten communication skills.

• Proven ability to manage and direct staff anddemonstrated relationship building skills

• Knowledge of relevant policies, regulations andlegislation in the long term care field.

• Ability to meet the Ministry’s qualifications forAdministrator.

• Applicants with a Reformed heritage are encouragedto apply.

Please send your resume and cover letter to

Vice-chairman of the Board

c/o Mount Nemo Christian Nursing HomeRR 2, Milton, ON L9T 2X6

(Fax) 905-335-3699

EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITYWithin a progressive construction company near Elora, Ontariospecializing in farm structures. A person to fill an opportunity in

Computer Assisted Drafting and EstimationPrior experience in drafting, estimating or in construction wouldbe an asset. Willing to train. Should have a working knowledge inMicrosoft Word and Microsoft Excel.Competitive salary based upon qualifications. Comprehensivehealth and dental benefit plan included. To apply or discuss please contact:

Post Farm Structures Limited RR 1, Alma, ON N0B 1A0

Phone: (519) 846-5988 Fax: (519) 846-2225 [email protected]


50th AnniversaryIn May 1951 the

Cornerstone Canadian Reformed Churchat Hamilton was instituted.

In May 2001, D.V., we will celebrate this event with anevening of praise and remembrance. If you are a memberor a former member we are asking for your help! Do you have any stories that you would like to share?Do you have any pictures or memorabilia from the pastthat you are willing to let us use? (We will gladly returnall items to their owners.)If you are able to help us, please contact us as soon aspossible! We look forward to celebrating with you.For the Anniversary Committee

Harmina Vanderbrugghen74 Bonaparte Way, Hamilton, ON L9B 2C9

905-387-7287; [email protected]

JOE A. BOERSEMA, R.R.S.Sales Representative

A professional who honours the Lord’s Day!

It is my privilege to assist you withcompetence and confidentiality in allyour buying and selling needs.

Garden City Realty Inc., Realtor720 guelph lineburlington, ontario L7R 4E2bus: (905) 333-3500res: 333-1753 fax: 333-3616

John MeerveldAssociate Broker

garden city realty inc., REALTOR®

“A Proven Top Producer . . .”

PERSONAL PROFESSIONAL SERVICE FOR ALL YOUR REAL ESTATE NEEDS

SERVING THE COMMUNITY SINCE 1979

(905) 333-3500Fax: 333-3616

(905) 945-0660Fax: 945-2982

www.remax-gardencity.com/johnmeerveld

107 Griffin St. S.Smithville, ON L0R 2A0

Cell 905-517-1451Res. 905-386-7494Fax 905-957-1204

“Serving the Smithville, Attercliffe and surrounding areas.

Call today for area information”(905) 957-5000

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COUNTRY TOWN REALTY INC.

Mark vander VeldeSales Representative

Youth HockeyWelcome to the Third Annual Kid’s Hockey Game. Thisyear we are inviting boys and girls to play. We are sorrythat this information is coming so late but due to changesin the Tournament, we could not confirm ice time earlier.This year we are planning again to have 2 ice times at4.20 p.m. and 5.20 p.m. on April 21, 2001. This year theboys and girls born in the years 1988-1990 are invited toplay. Please remember that full equipment is required.The cost will be $15.00 per player. Due to time restric-tions the entries must be in by Mar. 15, 2001. Please fillout registration form below.

Name______________________Phone # ______________

E-Mail_________________ Birthday__________________

Address__________________________________________

Have you played hockey before? Yes_______No_______How long ___________________

Which way do you shoot Left_________Right_________

Position_______________?

Please mail your registration to:Tony Tenhage, 2 Jubilee Court, Brampton ON L6S 2H2 or e-mail [email protected].

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Manoah ManorWOULD LIKE TO HEAR FROM APPLICANTS FOR

Administrator and/or Director of CareManoah is a Christian Intermediate healthcare facility in Langley,BC, providing quality care to seniors. The Administratorefficiently manages an 11 unit facility with the human, physi-cal and financial resources within the framework of regulatoryrequirements. In addition to the function of Administrator, this position mayalso include the role of Director of Care who is responsible forall professional healthcare for the residents.Registration or the ability to obtain registration with the RegisteredNurses Assoc. of BC is a requirement. Good human relations skillswill be needed in dealing with the various stakeholders.Ability to communicate in the Dutch language is also an asset.For further information please contact:

Canadian Reformed Senior Citizen Home Societyc/o Ginny VanderHorst – Secretary

4890 – 203 Street, Langley, BC V3A 1V1(604) 534 – 6337 or

[email protected]

CAREER OPPORTUNITY IN WINNIPEG, MB

Drill Rig Operator/Truck DriverGrowing Foundation Piling Contractor is looking for ahighly motivated, career oriented, self-starter to operateand maintain a truck-mounted piling machine. Applicantshould be mechanically inclined and have experience withtandem trucks. Willing to train promising applicant.Salary based on qualifications.Forward resume to:

Cornelius DewittX-L Drilling (1992) Ltd.

706 Leola Street, Winnipeg, MB R2C 1H9or phone: (204) 222-5303; fax: (204) 224-2415

107 Griffin St. S.Smithville, ON L0R 2A0

Res. 905-563-7827Cell 905-719-7489Fax 905-563-3168

E-mail: [email protected]

COUNTRY TOWN REALTY INC.

Fred vander VeldeSales Representative

Buying or selling?Let me be of service to you in the Grimsby,

Beamsville, Vineland Area.(905) 563-0500

24 hr. pager

MISSION LAE, PNGThe Free Reformed Church of Armadale Mission Boardinvites applications for the position of

Mission WorkerIt is preferred that the worker is married, has no school-aged children (unless home schooling is a possibility) andhis wife is prepared to assist her husband in the work.They must be members of the Free Reformed Churchesof Australia or of one of the sister churches.For further information please contact

The Chairman Mr. J. DeVoson 08 9 399 4649 or email [email protected] or

Secretary Mr. A. Slobe on Phone/FAX 08 9 399 2094or e-mail [email protected]

Applicants are invited to write toFree Reformed Church of Armadale Mission Board

PO Box 59, Armadale, WA 6992Applications close on Thursday, March 15, 2001.

LIVE-IN HOUSEKEEPER/COMPANIONFor elderly lady. Light chores, provide companionship

and assistance. Ideal for a retired individual.Competitive Salary.

Contact: 204-745-3198

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Documents

Clarion · she addressed the Dutch people from the screen. But a comment I read stated that it was not a riveting program, for ... reasoning. The image of President Bush speaking