Classis East met on Wednesday, May 13, at Hudsonville PRC. What follows is the public report of this meeting by the Stated Clerk of Classis East.

Report of Classis East

May 13, 2015

Hudsonville Protestant Reformed Church

Classis East met in regular session on Wednesday, May 13, 2015 at Hudsonville PRC. Each church was represented by two delegates. Rev. N. Decker was the chairman for this session. Rev. R. Smit attended Classis East for the first time.

A notice of an appeal to Synod 2015 was given by a brother whose protest against a decision of Classis East in January, 2015 regarding the scheduling of Prayer Day services was not sustained.

The other business was routine. There were no requests for classical appointments since all the churches in Classis East now have pastors. There were no expenses incurred.

Classis will meet next on Wednesday, September 9, 2015 at the Byron Center PRC.

Respectfully submitted,

Jon J. Huisken, Stated Clerk

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.

Report of Classis East

September 10, 2014 with a continued Session on October 15, 2014
Grandville Protestant Reformed Church

Classis East met in regular session on Wednesday, September 10, 2014 with a continued session on October 15, 2014.  All the churches were represented by two delegates.  Rev. R. VanOverloop was the chairman for these sessions.

What occasioned the continued session on October 15^th was the decision of the September 10^th session to place four protests against the decision of classis at its May, 2014 relative Article 67 of the Church Order.  At the May, 2014 meeting, an appeal of a consistory’s decision to change the date of its Prayer Day service was treated.  At the May meeting, classis upheld this appeal and decided that any change to the meeting date of the Prayer Day service should be sought by overture to the broader assemblies.  Four protests—three from consistories in Classis East and one from an individual in Classis West—were lodged at the September, 2014 meeting of classis against this decision.  Classis then placed these protests in the hands of a committee of pre-advise whose report was received at the continued session on October, 2014.

Classis received the majority and minority reports of this committee of pre-advice at the October continued session.  Classis adopted the advice of the majority report, namely, that classis uphold the protests received and therefore rescind its decision of May, 2014 that a decision to change the date of the annual Prayer Day service should be sought by way of overture to the broader assemblies.  The grounds (summarized):

1. 1)      The letter, spirit, and historical interpretation of Article 67 of the Church Order do not require the churches to celebrate Prayer Day together on a specific date.  Further, the consistory’s decision to change the date for its Prayer Day service does not constitute a substantial change to Article 67 of the Church Order
2. 2)      The consistory’s decision to change the date for its Prayer Day service does not violate Article 86 of Church Order as the May decision asserts since, as stated in Ground 1 above, the decision of the consistory did not substantially change Article 67 of the Church Order.

At its September session, Classis granted classical appointments to Faith PRC and First PRC.  At its October session, Classis granted a request from a consistory to increase censure to the second step for one of its members.

The expenses of both sessions amounted to $366.24.  Classis will meet next on Wednesday, January 14, 2015 at the First PRC of Holland, MI.

Respectfully submitted,

Jon J. Huisken, Stated Clerk

Classis East met for its next regularly scheduled session on Wednesday, May 14, 2014 at Trinity PRC in Hudsonville, MI.

The Stated Clerk of Classis East submits his official public report of the meeting below. It is also attached here in pdf form.

Report of Classis East

May 14, 2014

Trinity Protestant Reformed Church

Classis East met in regular session on Wednesday, May 14, 2014 at the Trinity PRC, Hudsonville, MI.  Each church was represented by two delegates.  Rev. M. VanderWal was the chairman of this session.

The main item of business for classis consisted in dealing with the report from its committee of pre-advice concerning an appeal from a brother concerning a consistory’s decision to change the date of the annual Prayer Day service.  The committee of pre-advice submitted a majority and a minority report.  The majority report prevailed as classis decided to sustain the appeal of the brother that the consistory’s decision to change the date of the annual Prayer Day service should be sought by way of overture to the broader assemblies.  The grounds given by the committee of pre-advice were adopted by the classis.  The grounds (summarized) were 1) The decision of the consistory is not merely a change in a practice that does not bind the other churches but rather is a substantial change from the letter, spirit, and historical interpretation of Article 67 of the Church Order which is that the churches celebrate Prayer Day together on the same date.  Evidence was given that historically this has been the case in the Netherlands and the United States.  2)  It is the way of wisdom, decency, and good order that any substantial change in the meaning, interpretation, and even established practice with regard to the church order, be done by the broader assemblies. 

The consistory involved and any other churches that have made a change in the date of the Prayer Day service are being permitted to observe the 2015 Prayer Day service as they have decided.  This will give any consistory time to decide if they wish to appeal to or overture the broader assemblies on this issue.

Classis granted classical appointments to Faith PRC and First PRC.  A discipline matter was considered in closed session.  Expenses for this session amounted to $311.85.

Rev. James Slopsema was in attendance at his last meeting of classis as a delegate.

Classis took note of this and expressed words of appreciation for his work in our churches and for his leadership on many issues that arose in the classis.

Classis will meet next on September 10, 2014 at the Grandville PRC.

Respectfully submitted,

Jon J. Huisken, Stated Clerk