PRC and Sister-Church News Highlights for April 17, 2022 *(Updated)

Below you will find special highlights of PRC and sister-church news for this fifteenth Sunday of our Lord's year 2022, April 17.

Today is Resurrection Sunday, the day we commemorate and celebrate the glorious resurrection of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. May our thanks and praise be abundantly given to our triune God for fully accomplishing our salvation through His Son. We invite you to join us in worship on this day and on any Sunday.

In the end of the sabbath, as it began to dawn toward the first day of the week, came Mary Magdalene and the other Mary to see the sepulchre. And, behold, there was a great earthquake: for the angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled back the stone from the door, and sat upon it. His countenance was like lightning, and his raiment white as snow: And for fear of him the keepers did shake, and became as dead men. And the angel answered and said unto the women, Fear not ye: for I know that ye seek Jesus, which was crucified. He is not here: for he is risen, as he said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay. And go quickly, and tell his disciples that he is risen from the dead; and, behold, he goeth before you into Galilee; there shall ye see him: lo, I have told you.  ~ Matthew 28:1-7

If you are new to this website and are interested in the PRC, we invite you to join us at any of our services (morning and afternoon/evening). For congregations, locations and times, visit this page.

CONGREGATIONAL NEWS

• Last Sunday Rev. D. Kleyn (missionary to the Philippines) declined both the call to Doon PRC and the call to Hudsonville PRC, being convicted that the Lord wishes him to remain on the mission field at this time. May the Lord continue to bless him and Sharon in their devoted labor on that field. And may the Lord encourage our vacant congregations, assuring them that, as the Great Shepherd of His sheep, He cares for them in perfect wisdom and will provide for them in the days ahead, including the provision of an undershepherd once again.

• Last Sunday Grace PRC voted to call Prof. B. Gritters (PRC Seminary) to serve as her next pastor. May the Lord give him the wisdom of Christ as he considers this call.
  
  
• First PRC-Edmonton's Consistory has a new trio from which to call a pastor: Revs. S. Regnerus (Lynden, WA), R. Smit (Philippines), A. Stewart (Covenant PRC, Ballymena, N. Ireland). The congregation will vote on the trio today after the PM service. *UPDATE: Rev. S. Regnerus has received this call.
  
  
• Doon PRC's Council has formed a new trio of Rev. J. Holstege (Zion PRC), Rev. J. Smidstra (First PRC-Holland), and Rev. N. Decker (Grandville PRC). They play to call from this trio next week, April 24, after the evening service.
  
  
• Peace PRC's Council has formed a new trio of Rev. M. De Boer (Edgerton PRC), Rev. J. Marcus, and Rev. J. Smidstra (First PRC-Holland). They plan to call from this trio on April 27.
  
  
• Classical appointments and pulpit supply for today in the vacant PRCs: Rev. R. Hanko (2nd Sunday in Doon (IA) PRC; Rev. T. Miersma in First PRC, Edmonton, AB; Prof. B. Gritters and Rev. J. Holstege in Grace PRC;  Prof. R. Cammenga and Rev. C. Spronk in Hudsonville PRC; Rev. K. Koole in Peace PRC.  May we count it a blessing of our church federation that we can help one another in these needs. Let us remember to pray for the men who supply these pulpits and for the vacant congregations.
  
  
• Upcoming PRC Easter/Spring Singspirations and Choir programs:
  • Zion PRC will be hosting an Easter Singspiration tonight that will feature a few choir numbers and a couple special numbers as  well. The program will be held beginning at 7:30 p.m. at Zion. Refreshments will be served after  church. Friends and family are more than welcome!
  • "The Peace Young People (Dyer, IN) invite you to a Singspiration on Sunday evening, April 24. Please join us as we glorify God in singing praises to Him."
  • Georgetown PRC: Her choir will present a program on Sunday night May 1.
  • Grandville PRC: The young people are hosting a singspiration May 1 after the evening service.
    
    
• Special PRC Evangelism/missions notices: 
  • Hope PRC-Grand Rapids, MI: "The congregation is invited to an evening of fellowship and praise on Tuesday, April 19 at 7:30 at our church. Seth Kalsbeek is going to deliver a presentation on the past year of turmoil in the country of Myanmar with refreshments to follow. Visitors are welcome."
  • Byron Center (MI) PRC: "The community Bible study meets this Thursday to discuss starting at John 16:1. We encourage you to join us with friends or neighbors at the church at 7:30 PM on April 21."

• Young People's News!
  
  • Registration is now open through April 30 for the 2022 Young Peoples Convention hosted by Faith PRC? "We have a great week planned at Camp Cedarmore in Kentucky from August 1-5, 2022. Registration is fully online this year, so get started at https://prcconvention.com/registration/. Note that the registration process includes waivers, so parents should register for their young people who are minors. We can't wait to see you at convention, Lord willing!"
  • After two years of no PRYP's conventions, we are hoping to fill the camp with young people hungry for opportunities for spiritual growth in Christ and good Christian fellowship - besides delicious southern food! Because thy lovingkindness is better than life, my lips shall praise thee. Psalm 63:3

PRC DENOMINATIONAL NEWS

• Rev. J. Marcus continues to serve the churches with preaching and teaching. He remains eligible for a call to the churches. Let us remember him and his family in our prayers.
• Upcoming: Classis East will meet Wednesday, May 11, hosted by First PRC-Holland, MI and *held at Redeemer Christian School, 7250 Ransom St., Zeeland, MI.
• Future Teachers and Ministers: Information for the 2022 PR Scholarship Fund essay competition is now available. Please email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. to receive the essay topics and submission requirements. Completed essays must be submitted by May 31st.

PRC Seminary Notices:

• The seminary returned to classes after spring break this past week. There are now three weeks remaining in this second semester of the 2021-22 school year. Continue to pray for the faculty, students, and staff that they may press on in faithfulness.
• The second round of practice preaching was completed this past Monday. We are thankful for the progress the students continue to make. And first-year student Aaron Van Dyke delivered his first sermon in Homiletics class on Friday - before Prof. Gritters and his fellow students.
• The printed edition of the Fall 2021 issue of the PRT Journal was mailed out in March. The digital editions (pdf and ePub) are also available on the seminary's website. Work is being done on the Spring 2022 issue, which will feature the speeches from the seminary's fall conference on preaching. If you want to be added to our mailing list (either print or digital) or wish to pick up a copy, contact Sharon, the seminary secretary.
• The seminary is open daily from 8 a.m.-5 p.m., including the library and bookstore. PRC members and friends are welcome to visit and make use of these resources.
• For the latest seminary news and information, visit the seminary's website.
  
  

SISTER-CHURCH/MISSION NEWS:

• Covenant ERC, Singapore and her Kolkata, India mission work:
  • Pastor J. Tan is busy serving the CERC faithfully each week as her pastor.  His "pastoral note" to the congregation this week includes this note: "We are thankful in this week past for the Good Friday Gospel Meeting that we could have. We all saw many new comers invited and enjoyed sweet fellowship in the first congregation lunch in a very long time. Let us remember in prayer those new comers. Let us also continue to grow as a church in love and obedience to the great commission in thankfulness to our God."
  • Todays' bulletin also included an update on the work of missionary-pastor E. Singh in Kolkata and beyond: "Also, in the latest session meeting we met up with Pastor Singh via zoom. Here are some snippiest of what he shared with us. He is faithfully conducting the worship service, devotions and bible study every Lord’s Day. On top of that, he conducts the office bearer training class. Pastor Singh has completed preaching a series on 1 Peter and will be beginning 2 Peter. For the Heidelberg catechism preaching, they are currently at Lord’s Day 27." They also reported on a new work of his in developing a Reformed church in Mumbai.
  • The last issue of "Reformed News Asia" was published in December 2021 - #65. Be sure to check it out for the latest news from our sister!

• Covenant PRC, N. Ireland:
  
  • Rev. A.Stewart continues to minister the Word faithfully to the saints in Ballymena. 
  • A March newsletter has been released by the CPRC. Visit this page to read it and catch up on all the exciting news out of Ballymena!
  • Sign up for the 2022 British Reformed Fellowship family conference at Castlewellan Castle in Northern Ireland from Saturday, July 9, to Saturday, July 16. The speakers, Prof. David Engelsma and Prof. Brian Huizinga will lecture on "Union With Christ." For information see the website (http://brfconference.weebly.com).
  • A new issue of "Covenant Reformed News" has been published - check out the March 2022 edition here. Follow the link to read the latest profitable articles by Revs. A. Stewart and R. Hanko.
• PRC in the Philippines and her mission work:
  • Berean PRC bulletin: Rev. V. Ibe led the worship services today. "Elder Alex Oriarte and deacon Julius Arragona are scheduled to visit the saints in All of Grace Protestant Reformed Fellowship (AGPRF), Gabaldon, Nueva Ecija today, the Lord willing." And this exciting news too: "The visit of our pastor and elder Alann Penaverde in Cadiz City and in Bacolod city went well by the grace of God. The saints there are waiting in the LORD for His provision of a man to lead them in their study of the Reformed Faith and thus the hope to have an established local Protestant Reformed church in their midst if it is God’s will."
    
  • Provident PRC bulletin: Rev. D. Kleyn preached and lead her worship services today. The services are being livestreamed at the “PPRC and Friends” Facebook page, but will end on May 1, at which point in-person services only will be available. 
  • The PRCP Seminary continues with its regular course work in its second semester.

Listen to the Reformed Witness Hour each Sunday - on a radio station near you, on Sermonaudio, or on your favorite podcast - wherever you are!

• This month Rev. R. Kleyn (First PRC-Grand Rapids, MI) continues speaking for the RWH. The focus will be a series on the life of Joseph, with other special messages interspersed. Today's message is a special Easter one based on Luke 24:13-25 and titled "Burning Hearts and Opened Eyes."
  
• The Reformed Witness Hour publishes each month's messages in an attractive booklet. These printed sermons are a great blessing to many and are distributed all over the world, including to many prisoners in the U.S. If you or your Evangelism Committee would like to receive these, let the RWHC know and they will add you to the mailing list (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.). 
  

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REFORMED RESOURCES FOR EDIFICATION, EDUCATION, and EVANGELISM

• For sound, distinctively Reformed literature on a variety of subjects and for all ages - including church history and Bible study materials - visit the Reformed Free Publishing Association website or stop in at their Jenison (Michigan) location.
  
  
• The Reformed Book Outlet (downtown Hudsonville, MI) is temporarily closed while it moves into a new building that is being renovated. See the following notes for details.
  Special notices re the RBO! Reformed Book Outlet is moving! We have found a new building for our store in downtown Hudsonville on Harvey St. after needing to move out of our current location in Keegstra’s Dollar Store. We need to do some renovations to the building before we can move in, so watch the bulletin or our social media pages for updates on when we will open in our new location. In the mean time, our website will still be open for ordering, for shipping or for local pickup (more details on this to come)!. Email us at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. to let us know you’re able to help us move or with any questions!
  
  
• Are you interested in learning more about the doctrines and practices of the PRC? Or, are you in need of some pamphlets and/or articles published by the PRC for use in evangelism and/or witnessing? Or are you simply interested in growing in your faith and walk with the Lord? Visit the Resources pages of this website and the PRCA Evangelism page for a complete list of materials available in digital format or by order from the publishing church.
  
  
• Do you need some catechism materials for use in your church or family? The PRC publishes catechism materials on Bible history and Reformed doctrine, for children of all ages. Visit this page for more information.
  
  
• The PR Sunday School Association also publishes complete OT and NT Bible Story Lessons for young children and older children. Visit this page to learn more.

This Week's Thought for Contemplation

"For He is risen! What does that mean? It means that Jesus is entirely changed now. He is not the same Jesus anymore. He is completely changed. He is now heavenly, spiritual, glorious, eternal. First He was, even as we are, earthly, flesh and blood, miserable, temporal, and mortal. Jesus has received a life that is different from any life ever before manifested. He is different from the glorious Adam. His resurrection is different from the resurrection of Lazarus and others. He is the very Personification of Eternal Life. And that means that He is ever turning to the Father, approximating that Father unto all eternity.

For He is risen! That glorious chant has even deeper significance: it means that the Triune God approved of the work He did. It means that God accepted the price He paid for His own. It means that God was even now taking this Holy Child to His bosom. It means that He would receive a Name that is above all that is named in this world and in the world to come.

For He is risen! It is the chant that shall be repeated from age to age, until time is no more. And then it shall be translated in perfect language, song and music, and the same chant shall make heaven musical forever! Oh yes, Jesus is risen, is risen indeed!”

~ Gerrit Vos, meditation in the Standard Bearer (found in First PRC-Edmonton's bulletin today)