In deep thanksgiving to God, this past Monday, August 31, the PRC Seminary opened its doors for its ninety-first year of preparing men for the gospel ministry, with a special chapel and orientation. On Tuesday, Sept.1, regular classes began in earnest for the nine junior and three freshman seminarians.

We can now introduce the entire faculty and student body by means of a photo taken today, Sept.2 (see below).

Once again, the faculty, students, and staff covet your prayers, that God would equip us to carry out our callings in conscious dependence on Him, and use our efforts to prepare His servants for His work in the churches.

Also, do not forget the annual Seminary Convocation set for Wednesday night, September 16, 2015. Here's the notice as it was sent to the churches:

September 16 is the evening for the PR Seminary Convocation at 7:30 in Southwest PRC. Prof. Cammenga will be speaking on: “The Calling of the Protestant Reformed Seminary: The Training of Shepherds.” The Voices of Victory (male quartet) will provide special music. There will be an Open House afterwards at the seminary. All are invited to attend.

Key to picture:

Front row (l-r): Profs.R.Cammenga, B.Gritters, R.Dykstra

Second row (l-r): Sems. Brian Feenstra (Hope PRC, Grand Rapids), Nathan Price (SW PRC), Aaron Lim (Covenant ERC, Singapore)

Third row: (l-r) Sems. Matt Kortus (Faith PRC), Joe Holstege (SE PRC), Jacob Maatman (SW PRC), Jon Langerak (SW PRC), David Noorman (Faith PRC)

Back row: (l-r) Sems. Matt DeBoer (Hudsonville PRC), Darren Vink (First PRC, Grand Rapids, MI), Stephan Regnerus (Doon IA PRC/Grace PRC), Justin Smidstra (Hudsonville PRC)

For more information on the PRC Seminary, visit the Seminary's homepage.

The PRC Seminary is now on recess for the summer, but that does not mean that there is not a lot of Seminary-related activity taking place. There is, and Prof.R.Dykstra's most recent Rector's report published in the June 2015 Standard Bearer proves it. Here is his summary of the past semester and what the summer holds for faculty and students.

This past semester might be called the semester of doctors. It started with a laparoscopic appendectomy gone awry, resulting in an appendix that disintegrated before removal. That put one student in the hospital and produced complications for weeks that slowed his recovery. Then our fourth-year student was diagnosed with mono, bronchitis, and infected sinuses, so we did not see him around for a while. After that it was wave after wave of colds, flu, and one case of pneumonia that took out various students from week to week. A visiting student informed us that he had been diagnosed with tuberculosis, with the result that all who were in that class were instructed to be tested (no positive results, happy to say). And now at the very end of the semester, one student is hobbling around on crutches with a badly injured knee, wondering what the surgeon will recommend.

Other than that, we are well, thanks.

From every other point of view, this was an exciting semester. Abilities developed through ten weeks straight of practice preaching. Students started teaching catechism in the churches. Reams and reams of paper were devoured for exegesis, church history, dogmatics, and church polity assignments/papers. And, very important, the instruction was well received by the diligent students one and all.

Exciting news is found elsewhere in this issue of the SB, namely, that five of the students have been licensed to speak a word of edification in the churches. As most readers know, a large class just finished its second year of seminary. To all the seminarians the Lord gives gifts in differing amounts, and causes them to develop at varying rates. Thus one cannot expect that the entire class would be ready for licensing at the same time. We thank God that these five have developed to this point, and that the others are working diligently toward this goal.

For some of the students, instruction will continue into the summer, though it will be of a different kind. Five students will have a mini-internship focusing on missions. This has been done twice in the past eight years. Many years ago bequest money was set aside (according to the designation of the giver) to be used specifically for training in missions. That money enables us to offer second-year students the opportunity to live on a mission field for a time in order to get hands-on experience. Five students responded with enthusiasm. Accordingly, two will go to Pittsburgh, one to the Philippines, and two to Spokane (a small, young congregation with extensive outreach activity).

Last, and surely not least, seminarian Ryan Barnhill has completed his fourth year of seminary training. The faculty wholeheartedly recommend him for examination at the synod of 2015. Another minister will soon take his place in the ranks. How good our God is to us.

We thank God for His grace abundantly bestowed to the students and the professors alike. And we thank God for the continued support of the churches.

Prof. Russell Dykstra, Rector

In addition. the professors will keep busy this summer, preparing for the next semester and carrying out special speaking engagements. Prof.R.Dykstra is teaching the PR Teacher's Institite seminar in NW Iowa in May and June. Prof.B.Gritters will be travelling to Singapore in June to speak at the the Covenant ERC's annual church camp. And Prof.R.Cammenga will be heading to the Philippines in August to teach his course on the Theology of John Calvin.

Summer is also a time for maintenance and upgrade work to be done at the Seminary. A new driveway is being constructed to the south of the building and the parking lot is being expanded and repaved. According to an adopted schedule, old and tired furnaces and AC units are being replaced with more efficient and effective ones. And there is always an assortment of other little projects that are more easily handled during the "off-season."

And, of course, plenty of library work is also being done, as Prof.D.Engelsma's books are being sorted and processed. More time for denominational archive work is also found during these months, so that continues as well.

We encourage you to stop by and visit us this summer, whether you come from far away or are nearby. You will receive a warm welcome by all who are here.

The faculty of the PRC Seminary have just published the next PRC Seminary Journal. The April 2015 issue (Vol.48, #2) contains the speeches given last Fall (September 2014) at the Classis West officebearers' Conference hosted by Peace PRC, Lansing, IL.

The theme of this conference was preaching, and as you will see from the cover of this Journal (below), the topics covered were broad and significant - for ministers of the Word, for elders and deacons, but also for all of God's people who hear the gospel each Lord's Day.

In addition, there are a good number of book reviews in this issue, including two lengthy review articles. The April 2015 issue makes for profitable reading for pastors, officebearers, and people "in the pew."

Prof.R.Cammenga, editor of the PRTJ, introduces it with these words:

Preaching is fundamental to what the church is called to be and is called to do. It is at the heart of worship. It is the chief means of grace. It is the means for the salvation of the elect, both in the generations of believers and from the nations through missions. It is the means to work faith, to strengthen faith, and to preserve in faith. It is the means for the establishment of the kingdom of heaven and the gathering of her citizens.

Preachers are what we aim to train for the church of Jesus Christ in the Protestant Reformed Theological Seminary. We aim to produce pastors who are preachers—chiefly preachers. As preaching is the chief, from a certain point of view the only task of the minister, so does all the instruction in PRTS have as its goal the development of sound, capable preachers of the gospel.

Classis West of the Protestant Reformed Churches in America sponsored an officebearers’ conference prior to its September 2014 meeting. The speeches presented at this conference make up the main contents of this issue of the Protestant Reformed Theological Journal. Domestic missionary of the PRCA, the Rev. Wilbur Bruinsma, gave the keynote address: “The Minister’s Development of His Preaching after Seminary.” In his speech Rev. Bruinsma not only emphasized the need for the minister’s development as a preacher after graduation from seminary and once in the active ministry, but also gave a number of concrete suggestions with a view to this development. The remaining speeches were given by the faculty of PRTS: “The Elders’ Supervision of the Preaching,” “Developing God-Honoring, Faithful, and Effective Preaching,” and “Application in Preaching.” We hope that our readers, especially ministers and seminary students, will find these articles to be worthwhile.

Besides the conference speeches that have been put into print, readers should take note of the two review articles that are included in this issue. Past issues of PRTJ have contained reviews of the individual volumes of Reformed Confessions of the 16^th and 17^th Centuries in English Translation, edited by James T. Dennison, Jr., as they were published. Recently the fourth and last volume of this very worthwhile set was released. With the completion of the set, Rev. Angus Stewart, minister in the Covenant Protestant Reformed Church in Ballymena, Northern Ireland has submitted a review article. You will definitely want to read what he has to say. Another significant book that has recently been published by B & H Publishing Group (formerly Broadman and Holman Publishers) is entitled Perspectives on the Extent of the Atonement: 3 Views. Emeritus Professor of Dogmatics at PRTS, Prof. David Engelsma, offers readers an insightful analysis of this new book. At the same time, his review article is a passionate call to Reformed churches and officebearers to defend the biblical and confessional truth concerning the redemption of the cross of Christ. That cross, an offense and stumbling block to so many today—also in the church—is “the power of God, and the wisdom of God” (1 Corinthians 1:24).

And then there are the book reviews. Notable among recently published books is the publication of The Reformation Heritage KJV Study Bible. This new study Bible is the first of its kind—a Reformed King James Version study Bible. Up until now Arminians and Dispensationalists have held the field among KJV study Bibles. At long last a King James Version study Bible whose notes and articles are written from a distinctively Reformed perspective. Reformed believers who treasure the King James Version of the Bible—among them the members of the PRCA and her sister churches—should welcome this new study Bible.

Now read and enjoy.

Soli Deo Gloria! —RLC

You may find this issue in digital form at the Seminary's Journal page (pdf for now; Mobi and ePub coming soon). If you would like to subscribe to this Journal, kindly call or write the Seminary at the information provided on its website homepage.

For more Seminary news and pictures, visit the Seminary's homepage.

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.