This past Sunday, October 25, 2015, Rev. Peter James Breen, age 96, was taken home to be with his Lord and Savior.

He was born in 1919 near Coopersville to John and Grace Breen. After working on the family farm for several years, he was called to the ministry. He graduated from Hope College and Western Theological Seminary in Holland. While attending college, he met Pauline Stegenga, whom he married in 1948. They had five children. 

Rev.Breen was ordained into the ministry in the Reformed Church in America in 1952 (age 33) and served the following RCA churches as minister: Corinth Reformed, Fremont First Reformed, Calvary Reformed, Fourth Reformed, all in the Grand Rapids area.

After retiring from the RCA in 1984 (age 65), Rev. Breen served the Orthodox Reformed Church in Grand Rapids. Later, he joined Southeast PRC, and by way of special examination (colloquium doctum) entered the PRC as a minister of the Word (January of 1993). 

In the PRC as minister emeritus he filled the pulpits of various churches where needed, including at Grace PRC, where early in her history he did the Heidelberg Catechism preaching for an extended period of time.

A memorial service will be held 2PM, Thursday, Oct. 29, at Southwest PRC at 4875 Ivanrest. Visitation will be from 6-9PM Wednesday at Cook Memorial Chapel at 4235 Prairie St, in Grandville, and one hour prior to the memorial service. 

We thank the Lord for Rev. Breen's many years of faithful service in the church of Christ, including in the PRC, and express our deepest sympathies to Mrs. P.Breen and the Breen family, praying that God will comfort them by His Word and Spirit.

Q. 1.  What is thy only comfort in life and death?
A.  That I with body and soul,1 both in life and death, am not my own,2 but belong unto my faithful Savior Jesus Christ;3 who, with His precious blood,4 hath fully satisfied for all my sins,5 and delivered me from all the power of the devil;6 and so preserves me7 that without the will of my heavenly Father, not a hair can fall from my head;8 yea, that all things must be subservient to my salvation,9 and therefore, by His Holy Spirit, He also assures me of eternal life,10 and makes me sincerely willing and ready, henceforth, to live unto Him.11

"Be sober, be vigilant;
because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion,
walketh about, seeking whom he may devour." I Peter 5:8

The 2015 YOUNG PEOPLE’S CONVENTION, hosted by Southeast PRC, Grand Rapids, MI is being held this week, August 10-14, at Michindoh Conference Center in Hillsdale, MI. For more information, visit the PRYP's Convention website or the 2015 PRYP's Convention Facebook page.

Let's be in prayer this week for our young people, the chaperones, and the speakers that together they may experience a spiritually rewarding week.