Hudsonville PRC's Evangelism Commitee is sponsoring a special conference on financial stewardship the end of January (29th) and in February (5th and 12th).

Details on "Managing God's Money" may be found on the flyer posted below and at Hudsonville PRC's website. Be sure to register soon for this free event!

Are you familiar with the Beacon Lights, the PR Young People's magazine, which is designed for their reading and spiritual growth but is also great reading for all Reformed families?! Would you like to know what type of articles you will find in the "BL"? Check out the cover to the January 2015 issue below!

Are you perhaps already a subscriber? Or have you thought about becoming one? Have you also considered giving a gift subscription?

Well, now is a great time to become a subscriber and to give a gift because the "BL" is running a special! This is what they are advertising:

Beacon Lights: We are having a buy 1 - gift 1 sale! When you purchase a subscription for yourself or as a gift, you can gift a subscription to anyone you would like absolutely free. This is a great way to spread uplifting and edifying material to those who need it. Call Matt Rutgers, 616-209-2824, or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

The Councils of two of our vacant congregations have announced new trios from which to call a pastor.

The Council of Peace PRC (Lansing, IL) announces a trio of Revs. C.Griess (Calvary PRC), R.Kleyn (Covenant of Grace PRC), and Wm. Langerak (SE Grand Rapids PRC). They plan to call at a congregational meeting on Thursday, January 22nd.

And the Council of First PRC of Grand Rapids, MI has a trio consisting of Revs.N.Decker (Trinity PRC), C.Haak (Georgetown PRC), and R.Smit (Missionary to the Philippines). The congregation plans to vote from this trio on Sunday, January 18.

As we begin the new year, the PRC Seminary gives you a few updates "from the hill."

1st, Senior Ryan Barnhill, his wife Miranda, and daughter Mya have now safely returned from Edgerton, MN where Ryan completed his internship in the PRC congregation there. He was able to perform a variety of pastoral labors (preaching, teaching, pastoral care, etc.) under the mentorship of Edgerton's pastor, Rev.Doug Kuiper. We pray that the Lord uses this experience to confirm his call to and preparation for the gospel ministry.

2nd, the January Interim course is now in session. Prof.R.Cammenga, professor of Dogmatics and OT Studies, is teaching a special course on "The Theology of John Calvin." All the students are taking this course, including one by "Google Hangout" - our Singaporean student, Aaron Lim, who is still in his homeland for the semester break. In addition, we have a good number of visitors sitting in on the class, including two foreign students enrolled in Calvin Seminary's Th.M program (one from Nepal and the other from S.Korea).

Also, you will be interested to know that this course is being video-taped on a new HD recording system and will be made available (on Vimeo) when they have been edited and uploaded. Look for notice of this here and on the Seminary's site.

3rd, second semester classes will begin on Tuesday, January 20. The schedule has been posted on the Seminary's website and is also attached here as a pdf. In that connection the faculty gives this special notice for auditors:

Two classes are offered that may interest auditors. Prof. R.Cammenga, Dogmatics, on Anthropology (the study of man, including creation, providence, the original state of man, and the fall of man into sin), meeting Tuesdays and Thursdays, 11:10 – 12:05. Prof. R. Dykstra, Church History From Dordt to Today, meeting Wednesdays and Fridays, 10:10-11:05. Those interested in attending should call the seminary (616-531-1490) this week.

Finally, if you missed the December notice about the latest issue of the Seminary's Journal (November 2014), you are invited to visit the Journal page to see its contents and download it as a pdf (other digital forms will be available soon.)

The faculty, students, and staff continue to covet your prayers for the vital labors of the Seminary on behalf of and for the good of our denomination. "Pray for us" (2 Thess.3:1).

Update: Sem.Stephan Regernus underwent an emergency appendectomy Sunday night, January 11 at Spectrum Hospital in Grand Rapids. He is doing well, but will miss the rest of this week's Interim and activities. Remember him in a special way in prayer as he recovers.

Classis East meets this coming Wednesday, Jan. 14, at First PRC in Holland, MI.

The main items of business are a protest against Classis' decision in October to allow congregations freedom to change their Prayer Day service from the traditional date, and choosing delegates for Synod 2015. At this meeting Classis also selects its church visitors and various standing committees.

Pray that the delegates may be given wisdom to treat the matters before Classis, for the good of the churches and for the glory of Christ, the Head of the church.

Update: The following is the official public report of the Stated Clerk of Classis East on this meeting (Jon Huisken) - also attached here in pdf form:

Report of Classis East

January 14, 2015

First Holland Protestant Reformed Church

Classis East met in regular session on Wednesday, January 14, 2015 at the First Protestant Reformed Church of Holland, MI. The churches were each represented by two delegates. Rev. Heath Bleyenberg served as chair for this session.

Classis received a protest from a brother against its decision taken at its September/October, 2014 session regarding the scheduling of Prayer Day services. The protestant argued that the way to make this change in the date for Prayer Day services would be through overture. Classis did not sustain this protest. The grounds given by classis (summarized): 1) Classis East’s decision did not make allowance for an individual consistory to determine for itself matters of the Church Order or that which belongs to the churches in common. Classis allowed only the change of the date of the service, not the elimination of the day. 2) The protest erroneously assumes that all common practices are of the same importance and therefore must be changed only by overture. 3) The protest is based on a fear that the change of the date on which Prayer Day is observed will lead to other changes. This fear is not a legitimate conclusion. 4) The protest claims that the decision of classis would establish precedent that would prove destructive to denominational unity. The protest, however, does not prove this point. 5) The protest does not respond to nor interact with any of the grounds classis gave for its decision.

Classis elected the following to serve as delegates to Synod 2015: MINISTERS:

Primi: G. Eriks, C. Haak, K. Koole, W. Langerak, R. VanOverloop; Secundi:

N. Decker, M. DeVries, D. Holstege, A. Spriensma, C. Spronk. ELDERS: Primi:

R. Drnek, D. Kregel, Gerald Kuiper, S. Miedema, H. Pastoor; Secundi: Brad Dykstra, J. Engelsma, Steve Kuiper, H. Langerak, J. Warner.

In other voting Rev. A. denHartog and Rev. M. DeVries were elected to serve three-year terms as primus and secundus terms respectively. Rev. W. Langerak was apponted to serve a three-year term on the Classical Committee, and Revs. Haak and Van Overloop were chosen as church visitors; Revs. Koole and DeVries will serve as alternates.

The church visitors reported that they found a spirit of peace and unity in the churches.

With many newly elected officebearers being installed at the beginning of the year, these men - as well as all of our members - are hereby made aware of several sources of materials for your profit on the PRC website.

The first is a special officebearer resource section created just for pastors, elders, and deacons. You will find this under the "Resource Library" tab on the home page, under the heading "Officebearer Materials." You are encouraged to check out the varied resources available here - from sermons, to suggested books, to pamphlets and articles - all related to your work in the church.

Another area is that of "Official Documents" (also under the Resource Library section), where you will find the our creeds, the Church Order, the Liturgical Forms, and the Questions of the church visitors. And don't forget that our catechism materials are all available on the website too.

Another important section in the Resource Library is that of "Forms/Certificates" - especially important for clerks and secretaries.

And finally, there is also a special category of sermons preached on the occasion of installation and ordination that will be profitable for listening and learning.

Let's remember to pray for our spiritual leaders as they serve the Lord and us in Christ's church.