Classis West Meeting - Crete PRC, IL - Wednesday, March 2, 2016 (Updated!)

    The stated clerk, classical committee, church visitors, and reading sermon committee all reported routine labors.  A particular cause for thanksgiving to God was the church visitors’ testimony of seeing “God’s work and faithfulness in the churches of Classis West,” in whom “unity, peace and love” prevails.

    With sorrow, the Classis advised one consistory to proceed to the second step of censure in its labors with a member.

    Six churches requested subsidy for 2017 in the total amount of $266,910.  Classis approved these requests and will forward them to synod.  These smaller churches are thankful for the willingness of every family in the denomination to help support them.  At the same time, the resolve of these churches to support themselves as much as possible is evident from the fact that their General Fund budgets are usually higher than most other churches.  Of the six churches on subsidy in Classis West, the lowest per family per week General Fund budget is $73; the average is $85; the highest is $112.

    An hour or more of the meeting of the March classis is spent voting for various classical functionaries.  For terms of three years, Rev. J. Engelsma was appointed to the classical committee, Rev. D. Lee to be a primus synodical deputy, and Rev. C. Griess to be a secundus synodical deputy.  Appointed as church visitors were Revs. Key, Kleyn, Kuiper, and Laning, with Revs. Brummel and Lee as alternates.  Appointed to represent the Classis at Synod 2016 were Revs. Brummel, Key, Kleyn, Kuiper, and Laning, with Revs. Engelsma, Griess, Huizinga, Lee, and Marcus as their alternates.  Elder delegates are Keith Bruinsma (Peace), Alvin Bylsma (Calvary), Chester Hunter, Jr. (Edgerton), Lou Regnerus (Randolph) and Brian VanEngen (Hull).  Their alternates are George DeJong (Crete), Henry Ferguson (Edmonton), Steve Kooima (Hull), Jack Lenting (Crete), and Mike Gritters (Redlands).

    The expenses of the meeting totaled $8360.47.

    Classis is scheduled to meet next on September 28 in Randolph.

    Rev. Douglas Kuiper, Stated Clerk