• Resurrection: The Glory of the Risen King

• Biblical Stewardship

• Presbyterian Church of Korea Fifty Year Jubilee

Volume 52, No. 9April 25, 2003

The main offices of theKorea Theological Seminary

ThirstyThe Bible gives us many details about the final hours of

Jesus Christ’s life: his arrest, his brutal treatment, his trial,the trip to Golgotha, the crucifixion, his descent into thethree hours of darkness and absolute God-forsakenness,and a number of things that He said from the cross. Onething that is very striking in all of this is the deep awarenessand consciousness of Jesus Christ himself as He enduresthese terrible things. Clearly, Scripture wants to leave nodoubt in our minds that Jesus Christ willingly and know-ingly made atonement for our sins.

One of the things we learn about our Lord Jesus Christ isthat in the last minutes of his life He said: “I am thirsty.”This comes as no surprise to anyone – of course He is thirsty!Had He received anything to drink or to fortify himselfsince He celebrated the Passover the previous day? He hadbeen dragged around, beaten, made to carry his own crossto Golgotha; He had been hanging on the cross for severalhours already; the relentless sun, pain, taunting, and emo-tional agony would have left him parched and dehydratedbeyond anything most of us would ever have endured! Weread in Matthew 27 that earlier He had been offered wineand gall to drink, but He had refused it. Therefore it is not awonder that He was unbearably thirsty, and that at this mo-ment, a drink would have been deeply satisfying.

The thought-provoking question is this: why did our Lordsay He was thirsty? Why was He basically asking for adrink? Particularly after He had denied a drink earlier! Wemight even have a little bit of a problem with it. Was He notsupposed to suffer for our sins? What was He doing, takinga drink which might alleviate his suffering?

Easier or harder?The question becomes: would a drink alleviate his suf-

fering or increase it? Would a drink make things easier orharder? We take note of what He has already endured. Be-sides all the suffering we already mentioned, He had alsocried out “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”He had been brought to the open doors of hell and experi-enced the reality of eternal and spiritual death. He enduredunspeakable anguish, pain, terror and agony. He suffered theanguish and torment of hell. We might even say that theworst for our Lord Jesus Christ is over by far. Having enduredGod-forsakenness in its most extreme form, what was there

left for Him that would be harder to bear? What is harderthan hell and the second death? Surely He had fulfilledwhat Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians 5:21: “God made himwho had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might be-come the righteousness of God.”

And yet, Jesus Christ is not finished. In fact, Scripture wasnot yet fulfilled. Something else had to be done. Jesus Christalso had to suffer physical death in order to make full pay-ment for sin. It was not just spiritual and eternal death Hehad to suffer, which He had already done. He also had tosuffer physical death and be laid in the grave. This is whyHe said: “I am thirsty.”

RevivalWhat has the quenching of thirst to do with Jesus Christ

suffering physical death? Think about it. Looking at all thatHe had endured on the cross so far, what could be easiernow than to slip away in sweet, gentle death? What could benicer after all of this, than to breathe his last and bow hishead as his spirit departs? But then the question is this: whoof us could be sure that this was a true high-priestly sacri-fice – a conscious, willing, thoughtful laying down of hislife in physical death so that we may be assured that He haspaid the full price for all our sins?! It is for this reason thatJesus Christ announced that He was thirsty. It is for this rea-son that He asked for some of the cheap, weak wine of thesoldiers. It was not to ease his suffering. It was not to takethe edge off his pain. It was to revive himself. It was tomake him fully conscious and aware of what He was doing.

It was to show beyond the shadow of a doubt that He is thegood Shepherd who lays down his life for his sheep. Noone takes his life from Him. And no one may think that thisdeath just happened. He entered physical death, like He hadentered the three hours of darkness, as the great high-priestwho took our sins and curse upon himself in order that wemight never come into condemnation.

Our comfortJesus Christ completed his work. He died. He bowed his

head. It is all finished. That is to say, Jesus Christ completedhis work of atonement, of paying for the sins of his people.Now there is a new beginning of a resurrected and victoriousKing who would start his work of gathering his sheep fromevery tribe, tongue and nation.

206 CLARION, APRIL 25, 2003

The thought-provoking question is this:why did our Lord say He was thirsty?

Jesus Christ’s thirst on the cross was hisobedience in drinking the cup of God’s wrath.

EDITORIAL

By R. Aasman

Jesus Christ’s Final Revival

Knowing the full story of Jesus Christ’s sacrifice on thecross is a source of never-ending comfort to us. We knowthat it was the will of the Father that his Son suffer this. Weknow that for the joy set before Him, Jesus Christ enduredthe cross. We see how willingly and consciously He boreour curse and shame. We see his struggle to revive himselfand to remain conscious to the bitter end. And then we seehis lifeless, bloody, bruised body slumped on the cross. Hishead is bowed down in death. He did that so that throughfaith in Him our sins are completely washed away and weare liberated from the weaknesses of our old sinful nature.

This has tremendous implications for our daily lives aschildren of God. Daily we contend with trials, temptationsand our own weaknesses. What does the teenager do whostruggles with immorality or addictions? What does the olderperson do who is haunted by past sins? Look to Jesus Christwho not only knows exactly what we are going throughand loves us very dearly, but who made full satisfaction forour sins on the cross of Golgotha. No matter how terribly wehave sinned or how often we have sinned, the blood ofChrist is sufficient to cover it and wash it away. Rememberthe cross and what He endured for us. By approaching Godin faith and prayer, bringing to Him our trials, our tempta-tions and our weaknesses, and asking for help and forgive-ness in the name of Jesus Christ, is to experience the sweetand certain truth of forgiveness and renewal.

Jesus Christ’s thirst on the cross was his obedience indrinking the cup of God’s wrath. He drank the cup of God’swrath to the very last drop, so that when we believe in Him,we may drink the cup of blessing. How amazing is the loveand grace of God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit!

CLARION, APRIL 25, 2003 207

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Useful Link: www.canrc.org

IN THIS ISSUEEditorial – Jesus Christ’s Final Revival

— R. Aasman ........................................................206Treasures, New and Old — J. Geertsema..................208Biblical Stewardship — J.G. Slaa ..............................209Psalm 122 — W. Helder ..........................................211Presbyterian Church of Korea Fifty Year Jubilee

— H. Leyenhorst ....................................................212Installation and Welcome Evening of Rev. J. Moesker

— F. VanderLinde ..................................................214Congregation at Quinte, Ontario ..............................216Rev. J. DeGelder – 25 Years in the Ministry

— C. VanderLaan ..................................................217Letter to the Editor ....................................................218Reader’s Forum — J. Vanderpol................................219Book Notes — reviewed by G. Nederveen ..............220Press Release – Classis Niagara ................................221

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What’s inside?This is our Good Friday and Easter issue. The editor-

ial and meditation focus on the significance of JesusChrist’s death and resurrection. Truly, He who loved us,loved us to the end!

Christian stewardship is an important aspect of thelives of God’s children. Rev. J.G. Slaa presents us with anarticle on this topic. Since it was originally a speech de-livered to young people, this will be of benefit to ourfamilies where parents are trying to instil this principle ofstewardship in their children.

We have a number of milestones and importantevents in this issue of Clarion: the fiftieth anniversaryof our sister church, the Presbyterian Church of Korea,the arrival of Rev. J. Moesker and his family in Vernon,and Rev. J. DeGelder’s twenty-fifth anniversary in theministry.

A group of brothers and sisters are beckoning to us tomake a move to the Quinte area of Ontario. Dr. W.Helder presents us with a new metrical version of Psalm122. This is always appreciated.

Finally, we have some book notes by Dr. G.Nederveen, a reader’s forum, a letter to the editor, anda press release of Classis Niagara.

RA

Rev. R. Aasman is minister of the Providence Canadian Re-formed Church in Edmonton, Alberta. raasman@canrc.org

No one on earth saw the Lord JesusChrist rise from the dead. The fourGospels do not give us any eye-witnessaccount. What they report is the emptygrave and Christ’s appearances as therisen Lord. Their sober and simple ac-count is sufficient and rich in its con-tents and message. In this article we willpay special attention to the great earth-quake, the angels, and the Lord’s ap-pearing to his own.

God the Father and the earthquakeEarly on the Sunday morning after

the Lord’s death, suddenly the earthquaked violently. It was the second timein three days. The first occurred on Fri-day, at the Lord’s death. Then God torethe curtain of the temple from top tobottom. This first shaking of the earthsplit the rocks and broke open thetombs for the risen saints (Matt 27:51-53). Obviously, this first earthquake wasan act of God, showing the glorious vic-tory of the atoning death of Christ Jesusfor God’s people.

This new powerful shaking of theearth at the Lord’s resurrection wascaused by God’s mighty hand again.Matthew tells us, “For an angel of theLORD, after he had come down fromheaven, drew near and rolled the stoneaway.” God honoured his incarnate Sonby sending the angel and shaking theearth again. He said at the cross, “It isfinished.” Now the Father says, yes, theatoning work is finished. I raise youfrom the dead, and hereby I vindicateyou. You are the victorious righteousServant of the LORD, about whom Isa-iah prophesied.

This is the first reason to rejoice onEaster. We have a righteous living King,vindicated, declared righteous, in Spirit,that is, in his new spiritual, risen exis-tence (1Tim 3:16). It means that hispeople are declared righteous with Him(Rom 4:25). He was made our sin, thatwe might become righteousness of Godin Him (2 Cor 5:21). When a good kingis honoured, his people rejoice, for theirking’s victory is for them. So it is here. Itwas D-Day. Now the V-Day is sure too.

Easter means great joy also in to-day’s situation. Deceitful, murderous,evil powers make themselves strong,tyrannizing many. We see the greatwickedness in the Middle East whereweapons of mass destruction are madeto establish human empires of devilishmight at the cost of oppressed subjects.Such wickedness is not less present inthe West with its decadent immoral cul-ture of violence and sex, ruled by aninsatiable lust for unrighteous Mam-mon. The devil seems to rule in the East,as well as in the West. But he knowsthat his time is short. For Christ Jesusrose from the dead and is the living Kingat God’s right hand. He governs thisearth, allowing sinners to make themeasure of sin full for the final judg-ment on God’s great Day, the Day forthe final deliverance of God’s creationand God’s people.

The angel rolling the stone awayand sitting on it

The angel honoured the risen Lordby rolling the stone away. Not that theLord needed the angel to do that. Hecould have come out of the tomb onhis own. Now He no longer had anearthly body. The one moment He wasnot in the midst of the disciples, andthe next He was; and then again He wasjust gone. Nothing could hold Him any-more. When the apostle John later en-tered the tomb, he saw the linen clotheslying there as they had been wrappedaround the Lord’s body, now an emptycocoon. Like the clothes, also the tombcould not hold Him. The one momentHe was still in the tomb, the next mo-ment, having come to life, He was out-side with his new spiritual gloriousbody. No, the angel did not have to rollthe stone away for Him.

Why then did he remove this stoneand “sat on it”? So that the angel couldwait for the women to tell them thegospel of the Lord’s resurrection with,as proof, the empty grave. “Do not beafraid!” he said. “For I know that youare looking for Jesus, who was cruci-fied. He is not here; he has risen, just

as he said. Come and see the placewhere he lay.” The place was empty.They had to go quickly to the discipleswith the good news.

In other words, the service of the an-gel for the Lord is to serve the womenand the disciples, the first fruits of hischurch. As Heb 1:14 says, angels are“ministering spirits, sent to serve thosewho are to inherit salvation.”

Again, there is a comforting andstrengthening encouragement for thechurch today in a world that threatensto be put upside down in intense tur-moil. Angels are sent out by the livingLord to take care of the believers, thosewho are to inherit salvation. Againstthe raging of the enemies they are safein the hands of their living Lord. Heleads them to perfection. Also the mea-sure of faith is to become full.

The women and the disciplesworshipping

The women hurried away, glad.And, suddenly, the Lord Himself, theShepherd of the sheep, was there tomeet them (Matt 28:9). They fell down,clasped his feet, and worshipped Him,their Lord and their God, overjoyed.With this worshipping Him in faith, theynow also honoured Him, the first fruitsof his church. In fact, the Lord Himselfworked this honouring. Those for whomHe first died, He led to a renewed andcompleted faith.

This faithful loving care for hischurch is promised for the church of alltimes, also today. It calls us to trust inHim in thankful joy of faith. It calls usto worship and serve Him from day today with our entire life, abiding by hisword, going with Him to his great Day,being sanctified through his Holy Spirit,in the midst of evil. Justified by Hisdeath, sanctified by His living, His holypeople go with Him to his glory.

208 CLARION, APRIL 25, 2003

TREASURES, NEW AND OLDMATTHEW 13:52

By J. Geertsema

Resurrection: The Glory of the Risen King

Prof. J. Geertsema is Professor emeritus ofNew Testament of the Theological Col-lege of the Canadian and American Re-formed Churches in Hamilton, Ontario.

Webster’s Dictionary defines theword steward as a person who is “em-ployed in a large household or estate tomanage domestic concerns.” In otherwords, a steward is a manager. He man-ages another’s property on behalf of andfor the benefit of the owner. From abiblical perspective, stewardship carriesa deeper meaning. God has mademankind the stewards of all creation.He has given to each of us a portion ofhis creation to manage.

The origins of stewardshipTo fully understand biblical stew-

ardship, we must go right to the verybeginning, when God created allthings. How did God create Adam andEve? In a special way. After God hadcreated all things – the earth andeverything that is in it, including all theanimals – He created man. God cre-ated Adam and Eve in his own image.He created them with special qualitiesor attributes that no other creature orcreation possessed. God made themwith qualities such as righteousnessand holiness. He gave man an intel-lect, moral responsibility, a will, and amind. There was a good reason forGod to create man in this way. Godmade man his representative on earth.His ambassador. God put Adam andEve, and all their descendants, incharge of the earth. Everything in theworld, including the animals, weregiven to them to be managed for theiruse and service. In short, God madeAdam and Eve stewards. Managers.Caretakers. God wanted them to takecare of the earth on his behalf. Theywere to use all that was in the world fortheir service to God and for the glory ofhis Name. Because God made manperfect and without sin, he was ableto fulfill his task without sin. He wasable to be a faithful steward.

The distortion of stewardshipBut Adam and Eve’s fall into sin

terribly distorted their ability to fulfillthis task. The image of God which they

bore was severely marred. All thethings that God gave them in creation,including what was given to them per-sonally in their bodies and minds,Adam and Eve could no longer faith-fully manage. Suddenly, they becamevery poor stewards. No longer werethey able to manage everything forGod’s glory. Instead, it became their in-clination and desire to use creation andtheir own personal gifts for their ownglory. They wanted to subject every-thing to their own will. Being sinful,this led to all sorts of perversions intheir position before God and of God’screation. Creation was used to glorifythe self. This led to many abuses thathave continued until today.

For example, today we experiencepollution. Mankind uses many ofGod’s good gifts but does not properlydispose of the by-products. As anotherexample, we think of extinction. Todaymany animals and plants that God cre-ated have become extinct, and thou-sands more are on the endangeredspecies list. As another example ofabuse, we are faced with the dangerof depletion of natural resources. Inmany areas of the world natural re-sources such as oil, softwood lumber,arable land, clean air and fresh drink-ing water are severely expended oreven no longer available. This is be-cause man, in a sinful state, failed toproperly control the use of these re-sources. All of these things God cre-ated for man to use, but because of badstewardship, or mismanagement,many of these things can no longer beused to their optimum potential.

This does not mean that we maytake the opposite far extreme position,such as those involved in the environ-mental movement. Environmentalismundermines the position of createdman. It makes creation as important, ifnot more important than man. This is

also bad stewardship. For man nolonger worships God by using creationfor man’s development and service toGod, but instead worships the creation.Creation itself becomes a god. We aregrateful for the efforts of environmentalgroups to alert us to the mismanage-ment of creation as well as the manyaspects of danger that creation is in.However, we do not appreciate theirbasis. Their basis is not the service ofGod, but it is the service of the creationitself. This is also seen in the fact thatenvironmental groups are often willingto endanger human life for the sake ofcreation. That is backwards. Creationwas given by God to enhance hu-mankind, not endanger it.

The restoration of stewardshipThis all brings us to our Christian

view. The Christian believes that all ofcreation is subject to man. However,this is not because mankind is god, orhas ultimate power, but because Godthe creator has ordained it so. With thefall into sin, therefore, mankind rebelledagainst God. He did not want a posi-tion of steward. He wanted to be godhimself. He wanted to worship othergods. Nevertheless, by grace, God gavehis Son so that man, whose image wasdistorted by sin, may also be restoredto God. Through renewal and restora-tion by the Holy Spirit, mankind canonce again become faithful stewards forGod’s kingdom. The Lord Jesus Christwas willing to shed his glorious positionover all creation and subject Himself todeath – the consequence of man’s re-bellion. Jesus suffered God’s wrathagainst the sin of the whole world. Onthis basis only God graciously promisesus the Holy Spirit to make us new peo-ple, and to help us to be once againgood managers and stewards of his cre-ation, to his glory alone.

The Scriptures on stewardshipOn this basis, we listen to what the

Scriptures say further about godly stew-ardship. We consider what the Lord

CLARION, APRIL 25, 2003 209

Biblical Stewardship1

By J.G. Slaa

He was able to be afaithful steward.

Jesus teaches us in Matthew 25. Jesusbegins by saying, “Again, it will be likea man going on a journey. . . .” Whatdoes the word “it” refer to in the words,“Again it will be. . .”? That word refersto the kingdom of heaven. In particu-lar, the Lord Jesus means the fulfillmentor completion of the kingdom, whenour Saviour will return. The parable weread is reflecting on the return of theLord Jesus, and what we must do in themeantime toward that end. It is like aman going on a journey, “who calledhis servants and entrusted property tothem. To one he gave five talents ofmoney, to another two talents, and toanother one talent, each according tohis ability.” A talent was a unit ofmoney. The owner wanted his servantsto work with the money, investing it,

and getting a return on it. When theman returned from his journey, he metwith his servants (or stewards) in orderto settle accounts. He wanted to seewhat his servants did with the propertyhe gave them. In succession, we seethat the first servants were able to reap areturn of 100% of what was entrusted.This implies that they worked very hardwith the property and the gifts that weregiven to them. They did this for theirmaster out of love and devotion to him.But there is one who did not get a re-turn. That’s because he did not use thetalent entrusted to him for the benefitof the master. In short, he was lazy. Hedid not feel like working hard. With himthe master was not pleased.

In this parable, the talent representsthe money or possessions that we ownin this life. All the money or posses-sions we hold, whether that is throughlabour, gifts, bursary or inheritance, isin fact given to us to be used for thekingdom of God. However, the talentmentioned in the parable representsmore than that. It refers to all that Godgives us in the kingdom. Time. Abilities.Gifts. Creation itself. It represents anykind of resource that we are given. Ac-cording to our abilities, God gives themto us. He, as our Master, expects us, ashis stewards, to invest all these re-sources wisely until Christ returns. Weare responsible to use well what Godhas given us. The issue is not how much

we have, but how well we use what wehave been given. Everything that Hegives us to do we must do for 100%.We must apply ourselves to developevery resource and opportunity that isgiven to us. We must not, like the lastman, think only of ourselves. We mustnot be self-centred. We must not findexcuses to avoid doing what God callsus to do. Rather, we must willinglyobey our Master in heaven. All that wehave, all that we will receive in the fu-ture – our money, our material posses-sions, our time, our abilities and ourcreation – we must use to God’s glory.After all, none of this is really ours. Weare only stewards. Managers. Caretak-ers. We are not the owners. Thus, whenwe ignore, squander, or abuse whatwe are given, we are rebellious anddeserve to be punished. Then we showthat we are unfaithful.

These words apply to all of us ac-cording to our specific circumstances.On the one hand, God has created usdifferent. The creator gave us differentabilities, likes, gifts, and treasures. Onthe other hand, God has created us thesame. We are all stewards of his king-dom. We all receive the same com-mand: use whatever God has given youonly for his kingdom and for his sake.

We must do our best with what Godgives. A student who struggles in schoolcannot determine from this that he doesnot have to study. Rather, he must goto school, develop what God has givenhim, to the best of his ability. If he hasbeen given one talent, so to speak, theLord still wants to see a return on it. Hemay not bury it. Likewise, a studentwho does well should not be lazy inhis study habits. Where several talentsare given, the Lord wants several in re-turn. Whatever God gives us to do, wemust strive to do our best with the abil-ities we have.

We are bad stewards when wesquander the gifts that God gives us. Touse one example, when we drive ourcars, recklessly or irresponsibly, we arebehaving as bad stewards. Such excitingjourneys usually end in accidents, ex-pensive traffic tickets, higher insurancepremiums, or all three! Not to mentionthat we put our lives or health at risk,which are also gifts from God! Drivingrecklessly today means that tomorrow,in future years, we shall continue to paythousands of dollars, money whichcould have been much better spent in

other areas of God’s kingdom. To useother examples, recreation, vacations,fun, material possessions and even ourhealth are important and help us serveGod. Let us learn to be responsible stew-ards with these gifts, always lookingahead and making wise choices. As oneperson said, “Every spending decisionis a spiritual decision.” Never squanderwhat God gives you. Every breath wetake is a gift from God.

In summaryWhat this all teaches us is that being

a good steward and a living Christianinvolves a number of things. Let us thenin summary fashion consider what goodsteward must do:1. Pray. First and foremost, you are a

steward of the Lord God in heaven.You are his servant. You work forHim, making use of his gifts andpossessions. Therefore, you shouldcall upon Him regularly seeking hisblessing, and you should read hisWord daily to learn his will for yourlives. Ask God for help in being afaithful steward. Pray to Him.

2. Plan. In order to be a good stew-ard, you must know where youare. You need to determine wherethe Lord wants you to go. Finally,you must decide what is the bestand most faithful way of gettingthere. Being a good stewardmeans that you learn how to bud-get your money and your time.

You need to take stock of yourlife. What abilities do you have?What resources has God given toyou? How much time does Hegive? What is most important todo? Through careful planning youwill know what you can do andwhen you ought to do it. Youshould make plans.

3. Postpone. Sometimes, in order todo what is right, we have to putcertain things off. That may meansomething special you like to have,or would like to do. Sometimes youhave to say no to yourself, so thatyou will say yes to God. A goodsteward prioritizes his time and pos-sessions. If necessary, you shouldpostpone what is not important.

4. Proceed. Once you know what isimportant, don’t delay with it. Do it

210 CLARION, APRIL 25, 2003

Through renewal andrestoration by the Holy

Spirit, mankind can onceagain become faithful

stewards for God’s kingdom.

Whatever God gives usto do, we must strive to doour best with the abilities

we have.

Stewardship is managinganother’s property.

now. Do what the master wants.Do not be lazy and slothful. Don’twaste time. Seize the day. A goodsteward does not bury his talent.Rather, he proceeds to use it, fortime is of essence. We do not knowwhen the Lord Jesus will return.

5. Persevere. Don’t give up. The re-turns on our investments don’t al-ways appear right away. Resultsdon’t always come over night. Tobe the good steward as God wantsus to be means that we have towork hard and give it our all. Stew-ardship is a long-term process. Agood steward perseveres.

6. And finally, Protect. Take verygood care of what you do have.Don’t squander it. Do not be reck-less with your possessions. Do notwaste them. They are not yours. They are God’s, to be used withcare. That is what a caretaker is. Hetakes care of what God has given toHim. He protects and preserves all

of it, for the glory of the Lord. Asgood stewards, learn to protect.

We began with defining stewardship.Stewardship is managing another’s prop-erty. As Christians we understand fromthis that everything in this world belongsto God. God has given everything in theworld, and all sorts of abilities, to us, toeach in the proper measure, to be usedand managed for his kingdom and glory.May the Lord God give us strength andwisdom to help us be faithful stewards.May it be so that when Christ returns,He will say to us, “Well done, good andfaithful servant! You have been faithfulwith a few things; I will put you in chargeof many things. Come and share yourmaster’s happiness!”

1A revision of a speech presented to thegrades 9-12 of Providence ReformedCollegiate, Komoka, Ontario.

CLARION, APRIL 25, 2003 211

Rev. J.G. Slaa is minister of the Cana-dian Reformed Church at Kerwood,Ontario. jgslaa@canrc.org

Psalm 122Melody: Geneva, 1551

New metrical version byWilliam Helder, 2003

1. My heart exulted. I was glad When I heard eager voices call,“Come, let us go now, one and all,To Zion, to the house of God.”Our journey has been richly blest,For, O Jerusalem, at lastOur feet within your gates are standing!Jerusalem! We stood in aweWhen we your strength and beauty sawWhile to your citadels ascending.

2. Jerusalem, designed so well,Is built as close-knit unity.There flock together joyfullyThe tribes and clans of Israel.They to Jerusalem ascend,According to the LORD’s command,To thank Him with their adoration. For there are set the royal thronesOf David’s house, and there his sonsWith righteous judgments rule the nation.

3. Pray that Jerusalem be blest:“May peace prevail within your walls,And safety in your citadels.May those who love you there find rest.”Now for the sake of friends and kin,Jerusalem, I say again,“May lasting peace be yours to cherish.”And, mindful that the God of graceHas in your midst His dwelling place,I pray that you may thrive and flourish.

CHURCH NEWS

Declined the call from the FreeReformed church of Rockingham,Western Australia for mission-workin Bali, Indonesia:

Candidate E. Dethan

* * *Accepted the call from the churchof Smithville, Ontario for mission-work in West Timor, Indonesia:

Candidate E. Dethan

* * *Called by the Free Reformed Churchof Albany, Western Australia andthe church of London, Ontario:

Rev. R.J. Eikelboomof Calgary, Alberta.

The Presbyterian Church of Korea(PCK) celebrated the 50-year jubilee oftheir federation on September 24, 2002during their 52nd General Assembly.Special invitations were sent to the fivefederations with which they have formalrelations. The invitations included allthe costs for one delegate from each fed-eration. As a member of the Committeeon Relations with Churches Abroad, Iwas appointed as representative of theCanadian Reformed Churches to visitour sister churches in Korea. Togetherwith my wife Annette, I visited Koreafor ten days. What follows are our im-pressions of Korea and informationabout and from the PCK.

The countrySouth Korea has a population of fifty

million of whom almost half live in thecapital city of Seoul and its surround-ing suburbs. Seventy percent of thecountry is mountains, resulting in verydensely populated cities. Most of thepeople live in apartments of twelve totwenty story buildings, of which thereare thousands. Korea has an extensivefreeway system, many with tolls, andserious traffic congestion in the cities.We were impressed with the modernengineering of buildings and bridgesand a nation that has a standard of liv-ing close to that of North America.

The people are very friendly, cour-teous and helpful. There are few whospeak English, although there was al-ways someone helping us with transla-tion and directions. We have fondmemories of the hospitality we receivedfrom Rev. Ahn and his wife Hanna.They took it upon themselves to be ourguides and translators for most of thetime we were in Korea.

Korea has very little crime, and se-curity is not the concern that it is inCanada. There is a healthy respect for

authority and an obvious respect forpersonal and public property. The mostdifficult adjustment we had was withthe food. Most of our meals were pro-vided for us, with many of them beingcafeteria style at the theological col-lege or the Korea Youth centre wherewe were housed. Koreans eat often andthey eat a lot, but it must be healthybecause we saw few people that wereoverweight. Soup and rice with a largevariety of spicy vegetables and varioustypes of seafood did take some gettingused to.

The churchThe Presbyterian Church of Korea

(Kosin) has thirty-four synods, 1500churches, 2300 pastors, 3200 eldersand 400,000 baptized members. Ko-rea Theological Seminary has 400 stu-dents and fifteen faculty members.Kosin University has 3,500 undergrad-

uate students, 800 graduate studentsand 230 faculty members. The churchhas two hospitals with a total of 1,000beds and 1,500 employees. Thechurch has an extensive mission pro-gram with 220 missionaries in overforty countries. They have affiliate fed-erations in the Southern Pacific, Eu-rope and North America (approxi-mately 100 churches).

The church operates an extensiveSunday school program, but there areno Christian elementary or highschools. The emphasis seems to be onpost secondary education. This is in partcaused by the severe restriction put inplace by the government on non-gov-ernment run schools. It was his desirefor a Christian education for his chil-dren that brought Rev. Ahn to Canadain his sabbatical year. His two daugh-ters are currently attending Credo Chris-tian High School in Langley.

212 CLARION, APRIL 25, 2003

Presbyterian Church of Korea Fifty Year Jubilee

By Harold Leyenhorst

A gathering of the international delegates including Dr. Peels of theChristian Reformed Churches in the Netherlands (rear centre),

I’m to his right, Rev. Osterhuis of the Reformed Churches Liberated (front left), to his left Rev. Petersen of the OPC and Dr. Ho Jin Jun,

general secretary of PCK (right front).

We attended two church serviceson the Sunday we were in Korea. Al-though we could not understand whatwas being said, we were able to singwith the congregation with the help ofthe Korea/English Hymnal provided byRev. Ahn. The ministers removed theirshoes when they went up to the pulpit(also always done in the homes) andthere was a meal served in the churchbasement after the morning service.This is normal for every Sunday in mostof the churches. Having a delegate fromthe Canadian Churches attending theirservice was considered an honour andI was requested to address the congre-gation at the end of the service.

General Assembly and celebrationThe Kosin churches have a Gen-

eral Assembly every year in the weekfollowing their Thanksgiving weekend(September). The assembly is held atthe Theological Seminary, which has achapel that seats 1,200, apartments anddorms for 600 and a cafeteria that canserve up to 2,000 per hour. There were508 voting delegates at the assembly.

The assembly started at three p.m.on Monday with a church service thatincluded Lord’s Supper. This was fol-lowed with elections that required eightvoting booths and computerized vote-counting system.

Tuesday morning was the interna-tional session where the delegates of thevisiting churches could address the As-

sembly. I was the first international del-egate to speak and my address wastranslated sentence by sentence as Ispoke. As well as offering congratula-tions on behalf of our churches I en-couraged the Kosin churches to befaithful to our God and Saviour. I alsoextended an invitation to their membersto attend our churches when they visitCanada.

The Jubilee celebration was heldon Tuesday evening and consisted of atwo-hour concert, one hour of speechesand presentations and one hour that in-cluded a video presentation on the his-tory of the church, concluding com-ments and a mission declaration.

I did not attend much of the rest ofthe Assembly because it was all in Ko-rean and my time was better spentmeeting with delegates and seminaryprofessors on an individual basis. I wasable to receive an update on the pro-ceedings on the Saturday morningshortly before we left for the airport.

Concluding impressionsThe PCK Kosin is a vibrant church

committed to remaining Reformed andwilling to be a leader in Asia in churchdevelopment and mission coopera-tion. On more than one occasion theimportance of the relationship withother Reformed churches was stressed.They recognized not only the impor-tance of maintaining a Reformed char-acter but also the difficulty to stay Re-

formed in a federation that is expect-ing to grow by fifty percent in the nexteight years. Their churches strugglewith many of the same problems thatwe do in our affluent society. Thereare also lingering effects of Confucian-ism in the Korean culture that are evi-dent in the church.

We felt it was important that wevisit the churches in Korea and ourvisit not only helped in establishing abetter understanding of each other butit was also very beneficial for our rela-tionship. I would like to conclude withsome of the words spoken at the cele-bration by Rev. Sun Lee, the outgoingchairman of the Assembly. “We are thepeople who have received the graceof Jubilee. God has brought us this farin our denomination. Yes, we are few.But we are God centred, Bible centredand church centred. I encourage youto be thankful and joyful for the factthat we can identify with the Reformedfaith. We need to step forward fromdefending God’s truth to conqueringthe globe with God’s truth. We need tobe culture sensitive for that mission.God has given us the Spirit of powerand let us embrace the world with hisWord. Amen.”

CLARION, APRIL 25, 2003 213

Harold Leyenhorst is an elder in the Cana-dian Reformed Church in Cloverdale andserves on the Committee on Relationswith Churches Abroad.

Delegates on the main floor and guestsin the balcony on the first day of the

General Assembly.

The beautiful new campus of the KoreaTheological Seminary in Chonan City.

The congregation of Vernon is veryjoyful to receive another minister fromthe hands of the Lord. Rev. P.H.Holtvlüwer, who was our counsellorduring our time of vacancy, led themorning service. He chose as his text,Matthew 13:51-52, and preached un-der the theme: Christ gives ministersas his treasures on earth. The threepoints were, 1) The treasure, 2) Thetreasurer, 3) The treasure hunters. Rev.Moesker’s task is to bring us the trea-sure each Sunday, and the congrega-tion, as treasure hunters must eagerlyseek this treasure.

For the afternoon worship service,Rev. Moesker chose as his text, John 6:35.

The theme was, “Christ is the breadof life.” The congregation saw that Hetruly satisfies hunger for those who aretruly hungry. This tied in very well withthe morning message as we must seek

the treasure of the bread of life and ourminister must feed us the bread of life.

In the evening the congregation gottogether to welcome Rev. Moesker andhis family. Mr. George Van Delft wel-comed everyone present, and the con-gregation sang Psalm 98. Mr. Van Delftread from 1 John and opened in prayer.

The younger children recited smallpoems, telling a little about themselvesand their families in a humorous way.They presented Rev. Moesker with amap of Vernon. The male quartet, oth-erwise known as “The Fabulous Four,”sang two songs for us, Psalm 23 and“How Great Thou Art.”

Some of the young people enter-tained us by holding a kangaroo court.Certain members were accused, tried,and sentenced for events that have oc-curred in the church. This broughtabout a lot of laughter. A few other

young people played a game choosingthree young couples including theMoeskers, testing them on their knowl-edge of “around the house.”

Rev. Holtvlüwer passed on greet-ings from the Aldergrove congregation,expressing joy that the Lord has heardour prayers and provided us with a pas-tor and teacher. Also on behalf ofClasses Pacific East, the Moeskers arewelcomed back to British Columbia,and the Vernon church is congratu-lated on their new pastor. Rev. J. Reevesfrom the ORC in Kelowna spoke a fewwords. He was happy to celebrate thisevening with us, and rejoices with thepastor and congregation.

Cathy Hofsink and Renee Hofsinkpresented the Moeskers with a scrap-book of pictures of all the members ofthe congregation. It also containedshort paragraphs telling about each

214 CLARION, APRIL 25, 2003

Installation and Welcome Evening of Rev. J. Moesker in

Vernon, British ColumbiaFebruary 9, 2003

By Freda VanderLinde

Rev. Moesker receives the key to the church.

member. This will give the Moeskers ahead start on getting to know everyone.Mary Aikema and Effie Sikma pre-sented them with some plants for theirnew home.

Yolanda DeBoersap read a geneal-ogy connecting each member of thecongregation together through rela-tions and a little imagination. She evenfound a way to fit the Moeskers in “OurFamily.” The “Fabulous Four” quartetentertained us again with two moresongs, “My Grandfather’s Clock,” and“This Land is our Land.”

Peter Vanspronsen challenged ourbiblical knowledge with a Bible Studyquiz. Many difficult questions were leftup to Rev. Moesker and Rev. Holtvluwerto answer. Our Golden Agers enter-tained us with their band, consisting ofhomemade instruments, and sang afew songs. After singing Psalm 134, Mr.Vanspronsen presented the Moeskerswith a beautiful plant.

Ralph Leyenhorst, on behalf of thecouncil, presented Rev. Moesker witha key to the church, and introduced thefamily to the congregation. He thenread a letter from the Yarrow councilcongratulating Vernon church and Rev.

Moesker. They truly share in our joywith our new Shepherd.

Rev. Moesker was then given thefloor. He thanked everyone for such awarm welcome. He also thanked RickVanderGugten for driving his truck toCarman and moving their belongings.“Thanks” was also given to Larry Van-derGugten for organizing all the work

done on the manse. With the help ofmany members it was a job well done.Rev. Moesker prays that the Lord willbless our relationship. Singing Hymn 61closed the evening and Rev. Holtvlüwerled in prayer.

This truly was a joyful day for whichwe can be thankful to our Lord for allHe has blessed us with.

CLARION, APRIL 25, 2003 215

The youngest members recitingtheir poems.

Rev. and Mrs. Moesker, James, Julia and John.

Rev. Holtvlüwer and Rev. Moesker.

This brief article is an appeal for theCanadian Reformed Churches to thinkof the Quinte area as a possible locationto start a church. We believe that thisarea has plenty to offer as a place forChristian families to live and to work.The Golden Horseshoe area has be-come an expensive place to live. Notso the Quinte area.

May we start with housing costs?You may have noticed the minimalgrowth in congregations aroundToronto, Brampton and Burlington.Some have declined in membership.These areas happen to have high houseprices: according to the Toronto Star(Nov 9, 2002), house prices in Torontowill average $295,000 in 2003. In theQuinte area, according to the BellevilleChamber of Commerce, recent houseprices averaged $107,000. It will bevery attractive for the next generationto consider a move to the Quinte area.The next growth explosion may well bein the Cobourg to Kingston corridor.

What about employment opportuni-ties? Our employment rate is the highest

in Ontario, and the unemployment rateis average for Ontario. Also, the Ontariogovernment is putting in 7.8 milliondollars, along with 8 million dollarsfrom General Mills, to build NorthAmerica’s most advanced flour mixing,baking and dough facilities in Trenton.This project is creating 1250 steadyjobs, with an estimated 1500 jobs asspin-off.

There are more facilities being built.Another factory is reopening and willrequire 600 employees. This is creatinga “boom town.” We have a diversifiedindustrial base area, and yet, pollutionis almost non-existent.

The Quinte area has a populationof over 150,000 people spread over anumber of pretty cities, towns and vil-lages in what is a beautiful rural coun-tryside. There are numerous parks, na-ture trails, beaches, and manyrecreational opportunities. Moreover,there are many shops, restaurants andmalls for our pleasure and convenience.

We have a small church groupwhich is under the supervision of the

Bethel Canadian Reformed Church inToronto. We are getting more organizedas we anticipate church growth. We nowhave Rev. J. Roke from the BrockvilleURC preaching for us on a regular basis.He also teaches catechism. The Torontochurch sends us an elder for Lord’sSupper celebrations.

We have two men who read ser-mons. Collections are held for churchupkeep. We even have our own bul-letin. It seems that the Lord is preparingto establish a church in this area as Heblesses our efforts. We warmly wel-come visitors and new members. Weare willing to supply any additional in-formation or help you might need re-garding a visit or possible move to thisarea. You are needed and wanted here.

The Quinte congregation

FOR CONTACT:

G. Van Middelkoop613-962-4467

216 CLARION, APRIL 25, 2003

Congregation at Quinte, Ontario

February 15, 2003 marked a joyfuloccasion in the life of our pastor andteacher in Flamborough, Ontario. Al-most exactly twenty-five years prior hadbeen the ordination of Rev. J. DeGelderas minister of God’s Word.

A milestone such as this calls forjoyful celebration, and that is pre-cisely what took place on February15. A committee from the Flambor-ough congregation had been set up totake care of arranging all the particu-lars for an Open House. The hall wasbooked and decorated beautifully, avariety of delicious food was ordered,and invitations were sent to all whowanted to celebrate with the DeGelderfamily. Many came to join in the cele-bration, including members of formercongregations, particularly the congre-gation at Smithville as well as facultyof the Theological College. Nearly

every family from the Church at Flam-borough was represented.

The reason for such a large turnoutbecame evident through the severalspeeches that were given. Rev. DeGelderhad been and still is a blessing to many.

Brother Charlie VanDam opened ashort, formal part of the Open Housewith the reading of Isaiah 52, a particu-larly fitting passage, as it was from thischapter that the text for Rev. DeGelder’sordination had been taken. Br. VanDamthen led us in prayer and spoke a fewwords on behalf of the congregationand council of Flamborough. A briefhistory of Rev. DeGelder’s years in theministry was outlined for us. He wasordained on February 12, 1978 by Prof.J. Kamphuis, one of his teachers at theTheological College in Kampen. The or-dination took place in the congrega-tions of Driesum c.a. and Damwoude,two small congregations in the Nether-

lands. After serving there until January1984, Rev. DeGelder became pastor ofthe congregation at Groningen-Oost.Eight years later, in February 1992, theDeGelder family crossed the oceanand arrived in Canada, pastoring thecongregation at Smithville, Ontario. Af-ter serving there for seven years theymoved once again. In February 1999they took up residence in Flamborough,Ontario where Rev. DeGelder contin-ues to serve as minister.

Brother VanDam expressed howthankful the congregation and councilat Flamborough are regarding the wis-dom our pastor has been granted to beable to humbly and effectively workwith and lead the members of the con-gregation and the matters of council.

A special surprise for our pastorwas next on the planned, short pro-gram. For once we were thankful that,a few weeks prior to the Open House,

CLARION, APRIL 25, 2003 217

Rev. J. DeGelder – 25 Years in the Ministry“How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news.”

By Cynthia VanderLaan

Rev. and Mrs. J. DeGelder

Temporary choir singing forour minister and his family.

Rev. DeGelder had taken a coupleweeks off with his wife to visit family inHolland. Yes, we were thankful be-cause this gave us a chance to plan asurprise song for the Open House. Thissong was very fitting since it was actu-ally part of the text chosen for Rev.DeGelder’s ordination twenty-five yearsearlier. “Ma na vu. . .”, or “How beau-tiful. . .” (Isa 52: 7). Many children fromthe congregation sang and played thechimes, joined by many adults, makingfor quite a large choir. We even had tolearn Hebrew, taught to us by our verycapable and enthusiastic director, Mrs.Joanne Hordyk.

Dr. J. DeJong spoke words of thanksto Rev. DeGelder next. He expressedappreciation that, besides pastoring anumber of congregations during thelast twenty-five years, Rev. DeGelder isalso involved in many other activities;he writes the Hiliter for Clarion, as wellas coordinating the pastoral-trainingprogram for the students at the Theo-logical College.

Rev. C. Bosch then spoke a fewwords on behalf of Classis Central On-tario. He had some real concerns tobring forward, which we were all quiteshocked about! Concerns about Rev.DeGelder? It seems Rev. Bosch wasafraid he was being followed. Both ofthem had begun in Holland. Then, af-ter Rev. Bosch came to Canada, Rev.DeGelder also came to Canada, to pre-cisely the same congregation that Rev.Bosch had just left: Smithville. Then,after Rev. Bosch moved to Burlington,Rev. DeGelder followed very closelyonce again to become minister at Flam-borough. All in good humour, Rev.Bosch had given us all reason for somefun and laughter.

Rev. DeGelder was then given anopportunity to say a few words. He wassure to point out that at least he hadn’tfollowed Rev. Bosch to Australia! Hethanked everyone who had come andhe expressed his joy of working with theGospel. Our God is great and awesomeand it is always a joy to proclaim hisWord. He thanked the elders and dea-

cons whom he has always been able towork well with, as well as his wife, forbeing such a great support to him.

As an expression of thanks to Rev.DeGelder, and in view of this specialmilestone of twenty-five years in theministry, the council of Flamboroughhas offered Rev. DeGelder a sabbati-cal. He will take this sabbatical in twostages, namely for the months of May,June, and July of 2003 and then May,June, and July of 2005.

All in all, the Open House was verymuch enjoyed by the DeGelder family.Much appreciation and thanks was ex-pressed by all to Rev. DeGelder for allthat he has done and continues to do forthe churches. Our prayer is that Godwill grant him all he needs to be ableto continue to serve the churches, beinggranted the strength and wisdom tobring God’s message.

“How beautiful on the mountains arethe feet of those who bring good news,who proclaim peace, who bring goodtidings; who proclaim salvation, who sayto Zion, ‘Your God reigns’” (Isa 52:7).

218 CLARION, APRIL 25, 2003

LETTER TO THE EDITOR

Dear Editor:While reading the latest Clarion

(March 14, 2003), I learned from Rev.Eikelboom that “covenant educationcan be given in only one institution:in the Canadian Reformed School. Itcannot be given in an evangelicalChristian school or in an interde-nominational school.” Several yearsago, another minister (since movedto Classis Alberta) wrote in Clarionthat those who send children to “Gen-eral Christian Schools” actually attacktheir confession because they denythe “truth of Revelation.” Just recentlyI had a conversation with an officebearer who suggested that one couldnot be an office bearer if he did notsupport “our own school.” Heclaimed to have support on this opin-ion from two ministers within ClassisAlberta. A few quick phone calls tothese ministers revealed otherwise,

but the office bearer still insisted hehad their support.

These thought processes are aliveand prospering in Southern Albertaand in my opinion are bordering onidolatry. Why some people have ele-vated the Canadian Reformed Schoolsto such lofty and arrogant heights isbeyond my understanding. Does thisperhaps originate in our TheologicalCollege? I hope not. In an effort toplease both sides of the school issue(Canadian Reformed or other) aresome of our ministers perhaps speak-ing out of both sides of their mouths?

If our church leaders continue touse this rhetoric to promote “our own”schools, perhaps it is time to look athaving our forms for Public Profes-sion of Faith and Baptism of Infantsreflect this. In our form for Public Pro-fession of Faith we could add some-thing like: “in order to remain a mem-ber in good standing, you should

realize that if you are blessed withcovenant offspring, you will be ex-pected to send them to the CanadianReformed School nearest you.” And inour Baptism form perhaps we couldask the question: “Do you promise tosend your child to a Canadian Re-formed School from kindergartenthrough grade 12, and should you not,will you accept the fact that you willbe spoken to and written about (bysome) as second rate members inChrist’s Church?”

It might help all of us if words likethese were added. At least we wouldknow beforehand what is expected ofus in regards to school issues.

A little too sarcastic? Perhaps forsome – but sadly, more like realityfor others.

Glenn TamsStafford Lake, Alberta

Please mail, e-mail or fax letters for publication to the editorial address.They should be 300 words or less. Those published may be edited for style or length.

Please include address and phone number.

In Clarion August 30, 20021, Rev. G.VanPopta wrote an article “Marketingsex to our little girls.” Just before Christ-mas there was an article in the VancouverSun saying that clothing sales weredown in the last quarter and the way toimprove sales was by sexier advertisingand by making sexier clothing. We areseeing this marketing trend with thetight, short, low-cut T-shirts, the deepvee’s in blouses, the short, short skirtswith bare legs and the low-cut jeanswhich will become lower this springand summer. Recently a woman wrotea letter to the editor of a local paper inAbbotsford saying that as she was dri-ving one day she saw some prostituteson a corner. She was dismayed but notsurprised because Abbotsford is a citynow and with that status comes also theprostitutes. As she got closer she sawthat they were two teen-aged girls fromthe local high school. She wasshocked.

Recently in a local mall as I wascoming around a corner, I met a fewgirls. My eyes were at a level that Igazed straight into a fat protrudingnavel. I was disgusted. All the maga-zines geared towards teen-aged girlsand young women advertise this fash-ion where less is better. Open up anewspaper to the Society Pages and wesee movie stars and other “idols”dressed with little covering (I sometimeswonder about men dressed warmly intuxedos and women freezing in skimpyclothing. . .).

In this day of heightened awarenessof sexual harassment, why do girls andwomen dress with such immodesty? Itcertainly is not fair to the other half ofthe human race. God teaches us in var-ious places in his Word that we are todress modestly. For the love of ourneighbour, the men in our lives and themen we meet on the street, we need tobe much more careful in our dress.One young man commented, “that it isevery [godly] man’s battle to resist

temptations of that sort [meaning adul-tery with the eyes]. As most of us know,men are wired to be visually stimulated;therefore, when seeing scantily cladwomen it takes resolve to keep acovenant with your eyes.”

In the Maclean’s December 23,2002 issue2 I read a rather startling sta-tistic. Children born in North Americaafter 1979 (about 60 million) are calledthe Gen Y kids. To them technology issecond nature. “They’re referred to as ageneration wired, cyber tots, digital kidsand screenagers, but what they reallyare is big business.” In Canada, childrenbetween the ages of 9 and 14, alsoknown as “tweens” spend nearly $1.7billion of their own money, and influ-ence another $20 billion in purchasesby asking dad and mom (for example) tobuy the minivan with the DVD player init.” Across North America, tweens con-trol or influence about $750 billion ofspending every year.” This article con-tinues on how businesses and marketersare attracting this group of kids by ad-vertising through games on the Inter-net. It’s called Immersive Advertisingtechniques. If the “tweens” have somuch money to spend what about teen-agers, most with part time jobs? Manyparents don’t control the spendinghabits of their children. Businesses and

marketers will tap into this gold mine.They are not motivated by morals butby profits.

Let us as godly teen-aged girls andwomen be aware of the power of ad-vertising. Resist the modern fashiontrends where revealing more is consid-ered better. We are walking advertise-ments for what lives inside of us. If weadvertise our bodies by our lack ofdress, we say to the world that we areone with them. Instead let us all adver-tise the fact that we are children of ourgreat and wonderful Father by followingthe scriptural demands to dress mod-estly. As the Heidelberg Catechism saysin Lord's Day 52, “. . . Moreover, oursworn enemies – the devil, the WORLD,and our own flesh – do not cease to at-tack us. . . .” We need to pray that wedon’t join the world in immodesty butthat we see it for what it is and do ourbest to guide the younger generationby word and by example. Let us live bythe light of the Golden Rule by show-ing our love for our Lord by living hisgood demand of modest dress and lov-ing our neighbour by doing our best toprevent him lusting with his eyes.

1Clarion vol. 51, no. 18, p. 429.2Maclean’s vol. 115, no. 51, p. 36.

CLARION, APRIL 25, 2003 219

READER’S FORUM

Advertising and DressBy Joanna Vanderpol

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send someone a Gift Subscriptionvia E-mail

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Provide full name, address, including postal code/zip code; for gift subscription, full address of gift giver and gift receiver.

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220 CLARION, APRIL 25, 2003

Tinkering with Creation? ThePromise and Perils of GeneticEngineeringCornelis Van Dam, ed. Premier Publish-ing, Winnipeg - 2002. (112 pages)ISBN 0-88756-082-2 Can. $8.25, U.S.$6.90

Would you like to spend two en-gaging and informative hours for twoevenings this week? If so, I suggest youread Tinkering with Creation? This bookcontains speeches on the promise andperils of genetic engineering. Thesespeeches were held at a study confer-ence hosted by the Burlington Re-formed Study Centre in November2001, and were presented by experts intheir field of research.

The book consists of two sections.Part One deals with Genetically Modi-fied Foods as presented by Dr. JohnVanderstoep, a food scientist. In his ad-dress he seeks to remove some of theconflicting information about geneti-cally modified foods that result in con-fusion for the consumer. Vanderstoepdefends responsible genetic engineer-ing. He is well aware of certain risksand he differentiates between technol-ogy-inherent risks and technology- tran-scending risks (14). In response to aquestion about the safety of modifiedfoods he states his conviction that froma safety point of view “the evaluationsare extensive and adequate” but that“the regulatory process is not transpar-ent enough” (39, 40).

In his paper he also asks the ques-tion: “Are we playing God with geneticengineering?” Restricting himself to hisfield of research, Vanderstoep suggeststhat technology in itself is rarely the issue.The manner in which technology is usedand to what end is the issue. Technologyand all of science are tools given to us byGod, the creator of all things (23).

I had the opportunity to be presentat the conference for this address but,not having a scientific background, Ifound the topic somewhat difficult.Reading the address and the discussionthat followed has cleared this up. If you,like me, were present but did not “get itall,” here is your opportunity to makeup for it and come out ahead.

Part Two looks at Human Engineer-ing. In this section, Dr. Tony Jelsma ad-dresses the area of human cloning andstem cell research. I am extremelygrateful for this address. Not only doesJelsma explain several terms and thecloning process in a way I can under-stand, but he also explains why someprocedures are acceptable to Christiansand other are not. He rejects the culti-vation and use of stem cells taken fromembryos as ethically unacceptable be-cause it destroys life that begins at con-ception. The use of adult stem cells,however, he considers ethically ac-ceptable. This is a helpful and very rel-evant essay.

The book also contains responsesto both speeches by Dr. Nelson Kloost-erman. He hones in on the issue as anethicist and his insights will be a greathelp to all. This book is a great read. Iam grateful that these speeches, andthe discussions they generated, areavailable in print. The Burlington Re-formed Study Centre is to be congratu-

lated for hosting conferences on cur-rent and relevant topics.

• • •The Encyclopedia of the MiddleAgesNorman F. Cantor, ed.Viking, 1999 (464 pages)ISBN 0-670-10011-0 Can $65.00

This one volume encyclopaedia is areal treasure. The articles vary in lengthfrom a few paragraphs to a few pages,and are often cross- referenced. Thereare maps and beautiful illustrations,and the book serves its purpose as aquick reference source. It contains factsand anecdotes, and just reading someof the articles for general information isa delight. This book would serve well forelementary school libraries.

BOOK NOTES

Reviewed by G. Nederveen

Dr. G. Nederveen is minister of theEbenezer Canadian Reformed Churchat Burlington, Ontario. gnederveen@canrc.org

Press Release – Classis Niagara,March 19, 2003

1. OpeningOn behalf of the convening church,

Rev. J. Van Vliet calls the meeting toorder. We read Matthew 24:1-14. Rev.Van Vliet speaks a few words from thispassage. We sing Psalm 99:1, 2, 3 andpray for the Lord’s blessing. Everyone iswelcomed, especially br. and sr. E.Dethan and Rev. and sr. A. Souman.

2. Credentials and constitution ofClassis

The credentials are examined andfound to be in good order. Classis wasdeclared constituted, and the suggestedofficers take their places:

Chairman – Rev. K. KokVice-chairman – Rev. J. Van VlietClerk – Rev. D. AgemaThe chairman mentions a couple

matters of memorabilia.

3. Adoption of AgendaAfter adding one piece of corre-

spondence the agenda is adopted.

4. Preparatory Examination of br. E.Dethan

Br. Dethan gives his sermon pro-posal on Mark 2:13-17. In closed ses-sion classis discusses the report of thedeputies ad examina and decides toproceed with the rest of the examina-tion. The brother is examined in OldTestament and New Testament, as wellas the confessions of the church. Afterdiscussion in closed session, classis de-cides to declare br. E. Dethan eligiblefor call. We sing Psalm 105:1, 2, 3 andgive thanks to the LORD our God. Thenwe break for lunch.

5. Colloquium with Rev. A. SoumanAfter lunch we continue, first by

singing Psalm 126:1, 2. Revs. Kok andAgema lead the discussion with Rev.Souman on the topics of doctrine andchurch polity. In closed session thedelegates discuss the colloquium andthe outcome is favourable. Next, clas-sis deals with the approbation of the callextended to Rev. Souman. All the doc-uments are in order. The brother alsosigns the Subscription Form. The instal-lation of Rev. Souman will take place,DV, March 23, 2003. We sing Psalm

36:2, 3 and Rev. Van Vliet leads us inthanksgiving prayer.

6. Question PeriodThe chairman asks the required

questions. In their answers the churchesat Smithville, Rockway and Lincoln askfor advice. Rockway has a request con-cerning the classical pulpit supplyarrangements. They will bring this upagain at the next classis. In closed ses-sion Smithville requests advice in a mat-ter of discipline. Advice is given. Lin-coln asks for general advice concerninghow to deal with members who intendto withdraw from the church. Again, ad-vice is given.

7. Regulations for Classis NiagaraSince Classis Niagara was formed,

the regulations of the former ClassisOntario-South had still been in use.The church at Attercliffe had beenasked to come with a proposal con-cerning Regulations for Classis Nia-gara. This proposal is discussed. Only afew minor changes have been proposed.After one more additional change, thisproposal is adopted.

8. CorrespondenceA letter from the Immanuel ORC

at Jordan invites a fraternal delegateto attend the upcoming URC classisof Southern Ontario. Rev. Van Vliet is delegated.

9. AppointmentsNext classisSuggested officers: Chairman – Rev.

Van Vliet; Vice-chairman – Rev. Agema;Clerk – Rev. Kok.

Convening church: RockwayDate: June 18, 2003Church VisitorsRevs. Agema and Kok (Rev. Van

Vliet as alternate)

10. Question PeriodQuestion is made use of.

11. ClosingThe chairman judges that censure

ad Art 34 is thankfully not needed. Theacts are read and, after a few corrections,they are adopted. The press release isread and approved. The chairman asksus to sing Psalm 93:1-4. He then leadsus in prayer. Classis is adjourned.

Rev. J. Van VlietVice-chairman, e.t.

CLARION, APRIL 25, 2003 221

PRESS RELEASE

222 CLARION, APRIL 25, 2003

Advertisements:Advertisements:Announcements of Weddings, Anniversaries (with Open House)should be submitted six weeks in advance.

I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your worksare wonderful. Psalm 139:14With joy and thankfulness, we announce the safe arrival of our giftfrom God, a sonCASON DANIELBorn January 30, 2003Matt and Ruby Vandenberg1st grandchild for Henk and Ria Vandenberg3rd grandchild for Ted and Tineke DeVries7225 Rochester Avenue, Chilliwack, BC V2R 1H3

We are thankful to God for making all things well and entrusting intoour care, a daughterTAMRYN GRACEBorn February 4, 2003A sister for Mitchell, Kyra and Jaymee Jay and Wilma Vanderwoude 13th grandchild for John and Grace Vanderwoude15th grandchild for Herbert and Maaike Strating2046 Miles Road, Mount Hope, ON L0R 1W0

The LORD is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and rich inlove.” Psalm 145:8With sincere thankfulness to our Heavenly Father, who made all thingswell, we, Mark and Johanna Byker (nee van Orizande) are pleased toannounce the birth of our first child, a daughter, whom we have namedPATRICIA ANNEBorn March 9th, 200316th grandchild for Mr. and Mrs. D. Byker (Yarrow, BC)5th grandchild for Mrs. F. van Orizande (Edmonton, AB)9765 George Street, Chilliwack, BC V2P 4K6

This is the LORD’s doing, it is marvelous in our eyes. Psalm 118:23We must offer much thanks to our Heavenly Father for He has richlyblessed our family with the birth of a precious little girl, our daughterand sisterRYENN JOHANNABorn March 9, 2003She’s a princess to her brothers Cullen and JackProud parents are Edwin and Debbie Jans16th grandchild for Mike and Ann DeBoer18th grandchild for Gerald and Hetty Jans2 Carl Crescent, Waterdown, ON L0R 2H4

O LORD, our LORD, how majestic is your Name in all the earth. From thelips of children and infants You have ordained praise. Psalm 8:1a, 2aWe thank our heavenly Father for entrusting into our care anothercovenant child, a sonSAMUEL HAROLDBorn February 21, 2003Harold and Janice JonkerReuben, Logan and Alayna4901 Sixteen Road, St. Ann’s, ON L0R 1Y0

With thankfulness to the Lord for bringing us together, weMARGARET HUIZING and JOHN SPANNINGAjoyfully announce our engagement!March 22, 20034 Versailles Court, Richmond Hill, ON L4C 8V4

TERESA GERALDINE OOSTERHOFF and ADRIAN PETER SCHOLTENSwill pledge their love and make their vows before the Lord on Friday,May 30, 2003 at 3:15 p.m. at the Attercliffe Canadian ReformedChurch, Canborough Road, Dunnville, Ontario.Rev. D.G.J. Agema officiating.Future Address: 750 Ninth Avenue, Hamilton, ON L8T 2A6

But as for me and my household we will serve the LORD. Joshua 24:15With joy and thankfulness to the Lord Who brought them together,Albert and Sonja Vanleeuwen and Pieter and Grace VanDasselaarare pleased to announce the wedding of their childrenCYNTHIA SHARON VANLEEUWEN andKLAAS BRADLEY VANDASSELAARThe ceremony will take place, D.V., on Friday, May 16, 2003 at 11:00a.m. in the Canadian Reformed Church of Neerlandia, Alberta.Rev. W.B. Slomp officiating.Future address: PO Box 43, Neerlandia, Alberta T0G 1R0

But as for me and my household we will serve the LORD. Joshua 24:15With thankfulness to the Lord for bringing our lives together, weSHARON EMMA BARTELS and MATTHEW BENJAMIN VAN POPTAwith our parents Mr. and Mrs. Ben Bartels and Reverend and Mrs.George van Popta announce with joy our upcoming wedding on Fri-day, May 9, 2003, D.V. This event will take place in the Ancaster Cana-dian Reformed Church at 3:00 p.m.Father of the groom officiating.Future address: 649 Mohawk Road, Ancaster, ON L9G 2X1

1 Corinthians 13:4-8aWith thankfulness to the LORD for bringing our lives together, weCAROLYN JOAN BARBER and KEVIN JOHN BULTENAwith the blessing of our parents, Russell and Nancy Barber and Haroldand Joanne Bultena, are pleased to announce our upcoming marriage.The ceremony will take place, the LORD willing, on Saturday, May 24,2003 at two in the afternoon, in the Maranatha Canadian ReformedChurch of Fergus, Ontario.Rev. W.W.J. VanOene officiating.406 St. George Street East, Fergus, Ontario N1M 1K8

Births

CLARION ADVERTISEMENTS

Weddings

Engagements

CLARION, APRIL 25, 2003 223

1943 ~ April 21 ~ 2003 Tell the children of Israel that they go forward. Exodus 14:15cThe Lord willing, our dear parents, grand- and great-grandparentsGERRIT and ANNEKE PLANTINGA (nee BAKKER) will have been united in marriage for 60 years on April 21, 2003. As family, we are very thankful to the Lord for His care and bless-ings granted them these many years. Since Mom suffers fromAlzheimer, we pray for the Lord’s continued care and nearness for Dadand the staff of Shalom Manor who lovingly provide for her.Medicine Hat, AB: Ann† and Bill SlofstraLangley, BC: Minnie and Henk HoogstraTiverton, ON: Stewart Plantinga and Anna VeenmanRenton, ON: Elly and Mark VanderVlietBeamsville ON: Gerri and John VanderMeyGuelph, ON: Henry and Titia PlantingaBurlington, ON: Norman and Grace Plantingaalong with their 21 grandchildren and 15 great-grandchildren.Correspondence address: 12 Bartlett Avenue, Grimsby, ON L7M 4N5

1963 - Chatham ~ May 17 ~ Smithville - 2003With gratitude and praise to our Heavenly Father for His constantcare, we announce the 40th Wedding Anniversary of our dear par-ents and grandparentsDONALD BOS and TIENA BOS (deWolde)But one thing is needful: and Mary hath chosen that good part, whichshall not be taken away from her. Luke 10:42 KJVBeamsville, ON: Geraldine and Leo Post

Stephanie, Ashley, Nathan, BrandonSmithville, ON: Rick and Ann Bos

Katelyn, Courtney, TylerScott and Ria Bos

Miranda, LarissaSandra and Frank Deboer

Joshua, CailynKevin and Tonja Bos

Shawna-Marie, MeganStoney Creek, ON: Brenda BosAn Open House will be held, DV, on May 17th, 2003 from 1:00 p.m.till 3:30 p.m. in the Annex of the Canadian Reformed Church inSmithville. Best Wishes Only Please.6240 Young Street, RR 3, Smithville, Ontario L0R 2A0

1978 ~ May 27 ~ 2003The LORD will keep your going out and your coming in from this timeforth and forever more. Psalm 121:8With gratitude to our faithful God, we announce the 25th WeddingAnniversary of our dear parentsED and ELLEN HEKERT (nee Dantuma)We praise and thank the LORD for the gift of these godly parents, whohave always strived to nurture and guide us according to His Word. Mayyou be blessed with many more happy years together, Mom and Dad!

Rebecca and Reuben Bredenhof Erica Hekert and Josh SiedersColin HekertTrevor Hekert

Please join us for an open house, D.V., on Friday, May 30, from 7 to10:30 p.m. at the Hekert home: 5470 Walkers Road, Mount Hope, Ontario L0R 1W0

Anniversaries Obituaries

October 12, 1938 – March 29, 2003If we live, we live to the LORD, and if we die, we die to the LORD,so then, whether we live or whether we die, we are the LORD’s.Romans 14:8Suddenly and yet at his appointed time, our Covenant God tookunto Himself His child, our brother, brother-in-law, and uncleDIRK LOFSmithville, ON: Peter and Alice LofWellandport, ON: Jacob and Liz LofSt. Anns, ON: Liz and Don BosDunnville, ON: Mary and John VanderHoevenAssen, the Netherlands: Sophia and Henk te VeldeAlbany, Australia: Margaret and Peter WittenAlso lovingly remembered by many nephews and nieces.

Teaching Positions

The Board of the Coaldale Canadian Reformed School Society,Coaldale, Alberta invites applications for anELEMENTARY and a HIGH SCHOOL (SCIENCE/CHEMISTRY/PHYSICS) TEACHERfor the 2003/2004 school year.Positions would commence August, 2003.For further information, please contact the PrincipalMr. J. Harthoorn(403) 345-4055 (school); 345-4891 (home); Fax: (403) 345-6436 e-mail: ccsoffic@telusplanet.netLetters of application should include university and teaching qualifi-cations, and two letters of reference. Mail to: Coaldale Christian School2008 - 8th Street, Coaldale, Alberta T1M 1L1

The Board of Dufferin Christian School, Carman, MB invites appli-cations for the following full-time positions:GRADE ONE TEACHERGRADE FIVE TEACHERWe are seeking applicants who:• are members of a Canadian Reformed Church, or of one with

which we have Ecclesiastical Fellowship• are committed to Reformed Covenantal educationDuties to commence 01 August 2003.DCS is a K to 12 school with 225 students and 20 full-time staffmembers. Additional information on the school, the community, andeducation in Manitoba can be found on our web-site: <home.merlin.mb.ca/~dufferin>.For more information, please contact the principal: Rob vanSpronsen Phone (204) 745-2278 – school or (204) 745-3996 – home e-mail: rvans@merlin.mb.caApplications can be sent to the Secretary of the Board: Anton Borst PO Box 1450, Carman, MB R0G 0J0 fax: (204) 745-3441; e-mail: dufferin@mb.sympatico.ca

224 CLARION, APRIL 25, 2003

The Board of Eben-ezer Christian School, Chatham, Ontario invitesapplications for 2 PRIMARY TEACHERSDuties commencing September 2003.Eben-ezer Christian School is a Primary School with grades K-8. Wecurrently have an enrollment of 52 students. We are a friendly, closeknit school with good relations between staff members and schoolmembership. We also have a vibrant church community with many ex-citing study societies. Chatham is a city of approx. 40,000 and weare within 1 hour’s drive of major centers. Applicants must be a member of the Canadian/American ReformedChurches and committed to Reformed Education. If you have any in-quiries or would like to apply, please forward these to: Al Bergsma – Education Committee Chairman887 Shetland Road, RR 2, Florence, ON N0P 1R0 Phone and Fax: 1-519-695-3891 Email at: abergsma@netrover.comTies not a prerequisite!!!

APPLICATION FOR KINDERGARTEN TEACHERThe Board of the William of Orange Christian School of Surrey, BC,invites certifiable teachers to apply for aKINDERGARTEN TEACHER position commencing September 2003.Inquiries about this position may be directed to the principalMr. John Siebenga before June 15, 2003.School: (604) 576-2144, fax: (604) 576-0975, home: (604) 850-0334Email: admin@WofO.orgApplications should be sent to:Mr. Allan Faber7193 - 115 Street, Surrey, BC V4E 1X8

Come and teach in the heart of the beautiful Fraser Valley wherespring comes early!

The Board of the Canadian Reformed School Societyof Abbotsford, B.C. operating the John Calvin School

invites applications for: PRIMARY (K-Gr. 3) and INTERMEDIATE TEACHERS (Gr. 4-7)Successful applicants must:• be a communicant member of a Canadian/American Reformed

Church or a sister church;• be able to obtain an Independent School certificate or certification

from the BC College of Teachers;• be able to commence duties as of September 1, 2003;• furnish two letters of reference;• furnish a character reference from the applicants’ pastor.• Applicants with French and Music proficiency would be an asset.For information contact the principal, Mr. P.H. Torenvliet1-604-823-6814 (school); 1-604-854-5851 (home)1-604-823-6791 (fax); jcsyarrow@uniserve.com (e-mail)Send applications to the Secretary of the Board:c/o John Calvin School4268 Stewart Road, Chilliwack, BC V2R 5G3

John Calvin School 320 Station Street, PO Box 280, Smithville, ON L0R 2A0 “The hub of the Niagara Peninsula”Due to expanding enrolment and perhaps some staff changes theBoard and Education Committee of John Calvin School haveopenings for TEACHERS for the school year 2003-2004. Enquiries about and applications forthese positions are encouraged. Please contact the Principal, Mr. F.C. Ludwig, for further information (905) 957-2341 School; (905) 957-3111 HomeApplications and resumes may be faxed directly to the school at (905) 957-2342, to the attention of the Principal, or addressed to: The Education Committee c/o Mrs. J. Boverhof, Secretary RR 1, 2829 South Grimsby Road 14, Smithville, ON L0R 2A0

The Board of the Canadian Reformed School Society of Winnipeginvites applications forTEACHING POSITIONSin the primary grades of Immanuel Christian School.Duties to commence August 1, 2003. Applicants should be able to ob-tain or be willing to work toward acquiring a Manitoba Teacher’sCertificate.Immanuel Christian School has. . . • 13 full time teachers• 5 teacher aides• mostly single grades• a resource program• 197 students in grades K – 12Winnipeg has. . .• two Canadian Reformed Churches• a population of 650,000• a wide variety of services and cultural activities• affordable housingIf you are interested or would like additional information, please contact:Mr. H. Slaa Mr. A. GunninkChair of the Board PrincipalPhone: 204-222-2880 (home) Phone: 204-224-9206 (home)e-mail: haslaa@gatewest.net 204-661-8937 (work)

e-mail :gunnink@shaw.caMail or fax your application to:Immanuel Christian School215 Rougeau Avenue, Winnipeg, Manitoba R2C 3Z9Fax: 204-669-7013; e-mail: Immanuel@office.ca

The Canadian Reformed School Society of Burlington, Inc., oper-ating John Calvin Christian School, invites applications for possibleopenings for TEACHERfor the 2003-2004 school year.For more information about this position, please contact the Principal,Miss Jane Holtvluwer at (905) 634-8015 or Fax at (905) 634-9772. Applications may be addressed to:Mr. Rob Wildeboer, Chairmanc/o John Calvin Christian School607 Dynes Road, Burlington, ON L7N 2V4

CLARION, APRIL 25, 2003 225

The Niagara Reformed Christian Education Association, whichoperates Heritage Christian School invites applications for the2003/2004 academic year.We especially need teachers who are qualified to teach French fromGrades 7-12. We would also consider applications for full-timeand/or part-time positions.HCS• in the heart of Ontario’s beautiful Niagara Peninsula,• a student body of 525 students from K to 12,• a dedicated and supportive Christian community,• a cohesive, professional faculty and staff of close to 40 persons• beautiful, modern facilities.We seek• Qualified applicants who seek to serve Jesus Christ in the area of

Christian education and who submit to Holy Scripture as con-fessed in the Reformed creeds.

• Enthusiastic, dedicated rookies or seasoned veterans looking fora positive change.

How to join us• submit a résumé, with a statement of your philosophy of educa-

tion, a statement of faith, and references,• forward inquiries and/or applications to:Mr. A. Ben Harsevoort, PrincipalHeritage Christian School Box 400, Jordan Station, Ontario, Canada L0R 1S0 Phone: (905) 562-7303; Fax: (905) 562-0020Home: (905) 664-1234 Email: heritage@on.aibn.com or hrsvrt@sympatico.ca“Behold, children are a heritage from the LORD.” Psalm 127:3

The Covenant Canadian Reformed School of Neerlandia, AB, invitesapplications for 2 HIGH SCHOOL and possibly 1 ELEMENTARY teaching position.High school applicants with training in English, Social Studies, Sci-ence, Math, Physical Education and French are especially encour-aged to apply. For more information, please contact the principal: Mr. A. deLeeuw Phone 1-780-674-4774 (school); 1-780-674-2531 (home) Applications should be sent to: Covenant Canadian Reformed School Attention: Mr. Ed DeRuiter Box 67, Neerlandia, AB T0G 1R0

The Maranatha/Emmanuel Canadian Reformed School SocietyInc. of Fergus, Guelph and district invites applications for possibleTEACHING POSITIONSfor the 2003-2004 school year.We are a two-divisional, 258 student school with a grade 1 to 6 ele-mentary wing and a grade 7 to 10 junior high school wing. Our re-quirements are:1. an elementary grade position and/or2. a junior high position with expertise in the math and science areapreferred although other arrangements are possible.For more information contact the principalH.J. NobelSchool: 1-519-843-3029; Home: 1-519-848-3922Applications to be addressed to:Maranatha/Emmanuel Christian Schoolc/o Brad Vanderwoude (Ed. Com. chairman)RR 3, Garafraxa Street, Fergus, ON N1M 2W4

The Canadian Reformed School Society of London and District,operating Covenant Christian School, invites applications for thepossible opening ofPRINCIPAL/TEACHER(S)for the 2003-2004 school year.For more information please contact the Principal:Mr. Clarence Blokhuis at 519-681-1196 or email ccslondon@execulink.comLetters of applications, including experience, and philosophy of edu-cation may be sent to:Mrs. Hilda Boeringa, Secretary of the Education Committee5776 Underpass Road, RR 5, Watford, ON N0M 2S0Telephone: 519-849-5369Email: jhboeringa@brktel.on.ca

Is it still considered a privilege to be Reformed? Why doevangelical churches attract many Reformed believers to visittheir services or join them?It can not be denied that many Reformed churches have seenserious Christians leave their ranks to join evangelical orBaptist congregations. That begs the question: is theReformed faith missing something essential? What is in factthe difference between Reformed and evangelical? Can welearn something from each other?In two successive public meetings qualified speakers discussedthese and similar issues and questions in the EbenezerCanadian Reformed Church in Burlington, Ontario.

Soft cover, 140 pages . . . .Can. $8.50 . . . . . .U.S. $6.50

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Speeches and discussions on The Attraction of EvangelicalismGerhard H. Visscher

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The Beauty of Being Reformed

Jelle Faber

edited by Johannes Mulder

226 CLARION, APRIL 25, 2003

The Theological College of the Canadian Reformed Churches

Foreign Student Bursary Fund

A UNIQUE OPPORTUNITY!Last year, the Theological College was pleased to an-nounce the establishment of the Bursary Fund. Through thegenerosity of many donors, plus the allocation of part of abequest received, $33,097 has accumulated in the Fund.

Now, a wonderful opportunity has presented itself in thatthe Senate of the Theological College was able to admit anapplicant from Sudan. The Lord willing, he will be the firstrecipient of our new Foreign Student Bursary! Although heis married and blessed with five children, he will come hereon his own and travel back to Sudan each summer to bewith his wife and children. The Middle East Reformed Fel-lowship will fund these travel expenses. His wife and ex-tended family will provide for the needs of his children inSudan. That leaves us with the privilege of providing for thestudent in Canada. He comes highly recommended by thosewho know him well, among whom is Rev. Victor Atallah.

The Fund, as it stands now, will take care of his study needsfor close to two academic years, but we need to be able tocommit to the full four years of study in order for theCanadian govenment to allow him to enter our country.

We encourage all those who are able to make a contributionto the Fund to do so now by making out a cheque to TheTheological College, Foreign Student Bursary Fund, andmailing it to:

The Theological College110 West 27th Street, Hamilton, ON, Canada L9C 5A1

Your donation is tax deductible and receipts will be issued.

Thank you so much for your donation and making it possi-ble for the equipping of a Sudanese pastor and churchleader to be equipped with the biblical doctrine of salva-tion! He in turn will be able to pass on to many others theriches of the Reformed faith and thus your gift today will,made under the blessings of the Lord, multiply greatly inthe years to come.

The Finance and Property CommitteeTheological College

In LINKwith you

Check out Clarion’swebsite at:

<premier.mb.ca/clarion.html>

Churches Note: We invite you to link Clarion’shomepage to your church’s homepage.

Christian Moralsand EthicsOriginally published in the Netherlands under the title: Verantwoord Handelen.

J. DoumaDr. Douma’s study on Christian moralsand ethics deals with the following points:

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PostmodernismA CHRISTIANAPPRAISAL

by F.G. Oosterhoff

This book consists of five lectures,each of which deals with differentaspects of postmodernism.Beginning with the reasons why themovement arose, the book describespostmodern attitudes with respect to social justice,the environment, religion, and education. It also shows the usepostmodern thinkers make of language and literature, and it dealsat some length with the central element in postmodernism, whichis the changing attitude toward knowledge and truth.The author is a graduate of University College, London University,England, where she received the Ph.D. in European history. Nowretired, she has taught courses in Ancient and European history,Church history, and the history of ideas for several years at thesecondary and college levels.

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• Morals and Ethics• Christian Morals• The Compromise• A Few More Differentiations• The Use of the Scriptures

• Casuistry• A Definition• The Conscience• Love• Ascetics

CLARION, APRIL 25, 2003 227

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CLARION, APRIL 25, 2003

Don’t forget Denver . . .where a small Reformed congregation is trying tomaintain its own Reformed school. With helpfrom believers around the world.

Thank you for your support!

Heritage Christian SchoolViola Van Otterloo5611 E. Amherst Avenue, Denver, CO 80222-7014303-759-0984

JOB DESCRIPTION:Do you have aspirations for mission work?

We are seeking a second worker for our mission field inPapua New Guinea (PNG) to assist our present missionary.We have been involved in the field for almost 5 years andwish to send our workers out in twos. The prospective candidate should be married (his wifepreferably have skills, abilities, and strengths that couldcomplement his work), have teaching capabilities,leadership abilities (experience as an elder an asset), andbe able to involve himself in agricultural and/or technicalprojects. They would team up with our missionary and hisfamily and divide the workload. The task will be demanding but rewarding. They should becommunicant members of one of our Canadian ReformedChurches or of a church in ecclesiastical fellowship withthese churches. If you are interested, please contact:

Carol Griffioen-Diomedi 192 Connaught Avenue

North York, ON M2M 1H5

107 Griffin St. S.Smithville, ON L0R 2A0

Cell 905-517-1451Res. 905-386-7494Fax 905-957-1204

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