October 25, 2015

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CHURCH BULLETIN OF THE CANADIAN REFORMED CHURCHES AT

BARRHEAD AND NEERLANDIA Volume 21 Number 8 October 25th 2015 A.D.

WORSHIP SERVICES BARRHEAD

NEERLANDIA

October 25

Rev. C. Vanderlinde Rev. C. Vanderlinde Prince George Mission

Reading Reading Anchor Association

November 1

Exchange Exchange Prince George Mission

Rev. W.B. Slomp Rev. W.B. Slomp

Rev. C. Vanderlinde (780) 284-4080

Br. A. Vanleeuwen (780) 674-5232

The bulletin is published under the responsibility of the respective consistory. Barrhead Editors: Rev. C. Vanderlinde: [email protected], Br. J. Tiggelaar: [email protected] Neerlandia Editors: Br. A. Vanleeuwen, Br. R. VanAssen Deadline: All ads must be emailed to [email protected] or for Barrhead to one of the editors no later than 6:00 p.m. on the Wednesday before publication.

GENERAL NEWS ROLLING CALENDAR General October 25 – Young Peoples Presentation November 6 – Pembina Pro-Life Movie Night November 20 Dinner & Auction Barrhead

Neerlandia Nov 2 Baby Shower

THROUGH THE SCREEN At the end of the presentation Behind the Screen – Digital Parenting, Martin VanWoudenberg showed the little booklet called Through the Screen – Internet Safety and Tips for everyone. A guide for internet use written for all ages (kids, young teens, older teens, adults). If you would like to order a copy please sign up on the sheet in the back of the church and we will order in bulk. If you have any questions, you can check it out on www.behindthescreen.ca or contact Rianne Viersen.

REHOBOTH MEMBERSHIP CAMPAIGN REMINDER We only have a couple more weeks to wrap up this campaign. Donations need to be in my possession by November 1, 2015. Your donations support individuals with developmental disabilities. Your membership strengthens Rehoboth's profile and performance as a major Christian service provider in Alberta. For Barrrhead please contact Alie Vogelzang at 674-3039 or drop off your donation in my mailbox. For Neerlandia please contact Alice Kippers or drop of your donation in my mailbox. Please include your name(s) along with your payment for identification purposes. You can also donate online at www.rehoboth.ab.ca by clicking on the Donate icon.

YOUNG PEOPLES AND YOUNG ADULTS There will be a special presentation on Oct 25 at 7:30pm in the Immanuel Church in Edmonton. Our special guest speakers have told me their title is called "Join the Resistance" and is aimed for the age group of 16 to 20+. You are all welcome to join us for this presentation and fellowship afterwards. Have your group leaders contact me with the number of people who will be coming so we can plan accordingly. Thanks, and hope to see you there! - Brad van Delden email: [email protected]

MOVIE NIGHT- THE DROP BOX On Friday, November 6, Pembina Pro Life is hosting a movie night at Mellowdale Hall (Hwy 769)! We will be showing The Drop Box. (Synopsis below). Doors open at 7:30 pm, and the movie starts at 8:00 pm. Please come and join us! Free Admission Every human life is sacred and worthy of love. Hundreds of unwanted babies are abandoned on the streets of Seoul, South Korea, every year, forgotten by the surrounding culture. The Drop Box is a documentary about the work of Pastor Lee Jong-rak and his heroic efforts to embrace and protect his community’s most vulnerable children. By installing a drop box outside his home, Pastor Lee provides a safe haven to babies who would otherwise be abandoned on the streets to die. It’s a heart-wrenching exploration of the physical and emotional toll associated with providing refuge to save those deemed unwanted by society. But it’s also a story of hope. And a celebration of the reality that every human life is sacred, has a purpose and is worthy of love.Rated PG

CANADIAN REFORMED THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY 6TH ANNUAL CONFERENCE The preaching of the gospel is one of the most important tasks the Lord has given to his church. It is the primary means by which the Holy Spirit works faith in our hearts (Lord’s Day 25). Our 2016 CRTS conference seeks to help the church understand how the whole gospel should be preached to the whole person. The conference will take place Thursday to Friday, January 14–15 at the Ebenezer Canadian Reformed Church building, Burlington. Besides all of Friday’s speeches and discussions, it will include two free evening lectures—on Thursday, January 14 at 8 p.m. we will hear from Dr. Eric Watkins and on Friday, January 15, also at 8 p.m., Dr. Lawrence Bilkes will be addressing us. Full details can be found on the CRTS website at: www.canadianreformedseminary.ca. Registration is now open.

NEWLY PUBLISHED BOOK The Inter-League Publication Board (ILPB) is pleased to announce another newly published book - "I Will Be Your God" - An Easy Introduction to The Covenant of Grace. This book written by Rev. Wes Bredenhof explains the covenant of grace in simple terms

and clearly explains how this doctrine sets us apart from most other "New Calvinist" churches. He also delves into how this affects the way we raise our children, and the way we conduct our worship services. 5 chapters, 79 pages, $7. Contact your ILPB rep or order online at www.ilpb.ca.

BARRHEAD NEWS TO AND FROM THE CONGREGATION Here we are – after much planning, fundraising, hard work and labour, and above all the Lord’s blessing – at last we have arrived, the Lord-willing, in our new church building and place of worship! How grateful we are that the Lord has provided so abundantly for us as a congregation! We are thankful for the beautiful and functional facility the Lord has given to us which will serve our congregation well for as many years as the Lord wills it. May God be praised exuberantly and wholeheartedly by us within its walls, and may that praise also extend far beyond our walls into our surrounding community as well. Today and always may our hearts echo the words of the psalmist who said, “I rejoiced with those who said to me, ‘Let us go to the house of the LORD.’ Our feet are standing in your gates, O Jerusalem.” (Psalm 122). May our gaze be set upon the New Jerusalem where we will worship our God forever and ever. On Tuesday of this past week, our brother John Jissink was called home by the Lord, and on Friday his funeral service was held, following which he was laid to rest and buried in the hope of the gospel. We are reminded by this that our days are numbered and short and therefore every day is a precious gift from God’s hand. May we then make the most of every day to live for the Lord, and not for ourselves. We are thankful for the long life of 77 years that God had given to our brother, the long and strong marriage he was given with his dear wife Helen, and for his faithful service in the home and family and also in the church over the years. May John receive his Master’s commendation “Well done, good and faithful servant!” We pray that Helen and the family may all take comfort that the Lord has worked in John’s heart a deep faith and trust in Jesus Christ which enabled him to confess that he belongs to his faithful Saviour in life and in death. May the Lord continue to give peace and hope in this time of grief. Our hearts are also filled with sorrow over the news that sister Kyla Bridgeman and her husband Brogan received this past week, having learned that they lost a child in the womb, three months along. It is no doubt difficult to fathom and understand, yet we pray that the family may find comfort in the knowledge that nothing happens apart from God’s sovereign will and in the truth of God’s covenant love which we find in Scripture in 1 Corinthians 7:14 and which is faithfully summarized in the church’s confession in the Canons of Dort Chapter 1, Article 17. This past week our country elected a new government and a new Prime Minister. It is our prayer that the Lord will work in the hearts of our new leader, his Cabinet, and all the members of the government that they may rule well and wisely, not simply in the interest of the electorate, but above all remembering that they are accountable to God who has entrusted to them their authority. We pray that truth and justice may be maintained and protected in this glorious and free country, and may God show favour toward our land and all our leaders. Let us all continue to work and pray for the Lord to bless this country, that his will may be done. This Sunday, I have the privilege of leading the first worship service in our new building, and (due to the funeral this past week) we warmly welcome our pastor-emeritus Rev. Tiggelaar who was found willing to lead our worship in the afternoon. May the Lord bless the proclamation of his Word. May He be glorified by us and may we all be enriched by the gospel and spurred on toward love and good works as the measure of our thankfulness! CVL

BARRHEAD PREACHING SCHEDULE October 25 AM – Rev. C. Vanderlinde October 25 PM – Rev. C. Vanderlinde

November 1 AM – Exchange November 1 PM – Exchange

BARRHEAD SCHEDULED COLLECTIONS October 25 – November 8: Prince George Mission November 15 – end of November: C.R.W.R.F.

CATECHISM INSTRUCTION Reminder for all: please come prepared with a Bible, Book of Praise, binder and a writing utensil. Remember that the Catechism classes will now also take place at our new building, keeping the same scheduled times. Class Three: For our next class, remember to review the questions at the end of your Lesson 6 worksheet. If you are unable to make it to class, please be courteous and inform me. Thank you. CVL

Pre-confession/Post-confession class: Meets weekly at the manse on Wednesday at 8pm – taught by Rev. Vanderlinde. Hope to see many of you come out again this week as we continue our study through the Belgic Confession. If you are unable to make it to class, please be courteous and inform me. Thank you. CVL

HOST FAMILY This week’s host family is the Jelte & Irene Jagersma family. November 1 – Alan & Fay Mul family. November 8 – Folkert & Fran Miedema family. November 15 – James & Kim Meinen family. November 22 – Dave & Grietje Manning family. .

BUDGET DEFICIT Council needs to make the congregation aware of the alarming deficit we are running with regards to our budget. At the end of July we were $16000 short of our obligation; as of the end of September that shortfall has grown to $34000! It often happens with large projects that, when they are completed, the drive and urgency for financial support trails off. The Lord has richly blessed our congregation in so many ways, not only in growing numbers but also with great financial wealth! Let us not forget to thank and praise Him with our firstfruits.

CHOIR Our next practice will be on October 28 in the new church building. Our opening is coming closer so please make an effort to come.

HOST FAMILY LIST The Evangelism Committee is updating the Host Family list again. If you would like to NOT have your name on this list, please advise one of the Evangelism Committee members by the end of October. Thank you! Berdien V, BJ V, Irene J, James V and Matt V.

CHURCH SURVEY RESULTS Last spring, the Evangelism Committee gave out church life surveys for all the mailboxes. We received 9 of them back again. Thank you! We recently reviewed them and found some good results. In general, most people are in favour of hosting more activities both within the church community and also within the community of Barrhead. These church activities would include more leadership for the Young People's Society, a singles group, and ward social events. The town activities would include publicly advertising a few events such as the Taste of Barrhead and the Car Rally, and also offering deaconry support to local charities. As you can see, most of these suggestions require a substantial time commitment and possibly a financial commitment as well. As a Committee, we will work with this information, and we sincerely hope that the congregation will also be encouraged to take on some of these activities on an individual basis.

LIGHT UP! On November 13, Barrhead will hold their Light Up! festivities. The Evangelism Committee will have a float again this year. W e hope to take advantage of some technology so that we don't need to sing and try to drown out other floats with our voices alone! We hope to fill Bert Steenbergen's trailer with people, young and old! We are also considering handing out candy canes with a Christian message. Are there any strong, healthy members of the congregation who would be willing to help in this way? Thanks! Berdien V, BJ V, Irene J, James V, Matt V

GEMS Hello Gems Girls and Parents, Our next meeting is on Wednesday, November 4 from 6:30-8:30 PM. Please bring your books, a Bible, and a pen or pencil. We will be doing the sewing badge. Porscha will bring snacks and drinks. Do not forget to do your homework from the first meeting (memorize Micah 6:8 and do the Start Simply section in the workbook (pg. 69))! Hope to see you all there! If you have any questions, please contact Miranda or Stephanie Larson.

YOUNG PEOPLES BIBLE STUDY The young people will be meeting next week (November 1). Consistory has volunteered to assist the young peoples with their meetings this season. Please contact Jelte Jagersma for topic/study material and with any questions. We will be meeting shortly after second service on Nov 1st in the class room. Refreshments will be provided. Praise God for the freedom to worship and study his Word!

TUESDAY MORNING BIBLE STUDY Last week's meeting was postponed due to the impending move, so this week we are diving into session three of our book Respectable Sins by Jerry Bridges. If you would like to join us but do not have a book please email me at [email protected] for a scan of the questions. Coffee is on at 9:45! Looking forward to studying with you in our new church building.

LIVING WATERS We will meet at the home of Jordan + Jeselina Tiggelaar at 7:30 on November 1. We will be studying Session 3 of Respectable Sins.

COMBINED BIBLE STUDY We will be having our next meeting on Thursday, Oct. 29 (due to choir) at 8:00 in the new church building. The topic will be Amos 1:3-2:11. If you have the book "You Only" by Rev. Feenstra, it is chapter 2. If you have any other book on Amos, you can take it along. Come and join us to study God's Word.

A HELPING HAND The Young Peoples would like to offer their services to the elderly in the congregation who may need help around their homes with tasks such as mowing lawns, weeding, etc. You may contact either Ryan Mul at 780-674-2027 or Kurtis Wattel at 780-674-1021 to set up a date and time.

BARRHEAD CHURCH CLEANING If you are unable to clean, please find your own replacement. Also, please remember to mow the lawn. Thanks! Oct 26 – Nov 1 – Fam. M. Jissink

BABYSITTING Oct 25 Nov 1

AM PM AM PM

(INF) Berdien V, Alicia S, Dakota T, (TOD) Helena O, Rhonda V, Olivia V Stephanie D (R), Bethany V (INF) Anita V, Louise S, Arianne V (TOD) Heather A, Miranda L, Lydia V Hetty S, Kerri B

NEERLANDIA NEWS FOR AND FROM THE FLOCK

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What a beautiful fall we have had this year. Many flowers are still blooming. October 25 and we still have no frost in the ground. Crops are in the bin and the land is being prepared for another year. We can see the Lords providence all around us. What an awesome creator. We have some congregational news with the engagement of Jordan Wierenga and Vanessa Sikma. We wish you both a blessed time as you prepare for the wedding day and your new life as husband and wife. Also congratulations to parents and grandparents. It is a blessing to see the Lord’s faithfulness in our children as they desire to begin their married lives in His service. Classis Alberta will be held this coming Tuesday in Edmonton and the main item on the agenda is the preparatory exam of Br. nd Gerard Veurink. There will also be a Regional synod held on November 2 in BC and at that time they will be delegating men to go to General Synod this coming May 2016, DV. It seems such a short time ago we were discussing decisions of Synod and here we are preparing for another Synod. The election is over and we have a Liberal Government. Many of us may have concerns on how this will affect our church life and our covenant schools. We know that some of the election promises made go directly against what we believe. Yet we know that the Lord will provide and protect his people and we can trust in Him. We also pray for all the elected MPs as they take up their task. May they have the wisdom and courage to stand up for the truth according to God’s Word. We also received the sad news that the Lord has called home to heavenly glory our Brother John Jissink of Barrhead, the father and grandfather of Andrew and Mona Jissink’s family and Harry Peters’ family in our congregation. We pray that the Lord will comfort Sister Helen Jissink and the families in their lives, trusting in the sure promises that their dear husband, father and grandfather is with the Lord. We pray that we all may be encouraged to continue our lives in the conviction that we too may look forward to the day when we can serve our God in perfection for eternity. This Sunday we have sermon reading and we wish those brothers leading the service the Lord’s blessing and may we all be strengthened in our faith by the preaching. AV

PREACHING ARRANGEMENTS October 25

AM Br. Rob VanAssen PM Br. Grant Vanassen

November 1 AM Rev. Slomp PM Rev. Slomp

TWO LITTLE HANDS AND TWO LITTLE FEET A baby boy and girl we would like you to meet. All ladies please join us as we celebrate and give thanks to God for Levi Jacob, son of John and Dawna Van Duyn and Jasmine Raine, daughter of Jesse and Leanne VanLaar. The shower will be held on Monday November 2, D.V., at 8pm in the church basement. Please keep in mind that Levi is 2 months old and wearing size 6 month clothes. Thank you and hope to see you then!

ANCHOR ASSOCIATION The Anchor Association provides a caring environment where brothers and sisters with special needs may live among their peers in a family atmosphere and are taught how to live meaningful lives as Gods covenant children. The deacons received a letter from Anchor Association that they are staying within their budget but have not received the funding that they would normally have at this time, at the end of August they were a substantial amount behind in funds. For the month of October we will be collecting for Anchor Association to try help them with their short fall. Let us please give of the gifts that the Lord has so graciously given to us. From the Deacons

CLARION YEAR END GREETINGS If you would like your name (s) included in the year end greeting of “Clarion”, please put the envelope included in a recent Clarion with your name in my mailbox #143. The deadline is Nov. 10. If anyone would like to subscribe to "Clarion" please contact me @ 780--674-5729 Thanks. Carol Werkman.

YOUNG PEOPLES SOCIETY Another season of study for the Young Peoples has begun. The kick-off meeting was well-attended and an enjoyable evening of fellowship. This year we will be studying the book Respectable Sins by Jerry Bridges. The dues for this year are $20 and are to be paid to our previous treasurer, Caleb Kos, within the next two months. Our next meeting will be held at Janaye Wierenga’s place at 8:00 pm on October 25, 2015 D.V. Any members who were not at the first meeting and who would like to join, please contact Caleb ASAP to order a book (otherwise you won’t get the group rate). The cost for the study book (including the textbook) for this year is $32. This must be paid when you receive your books. Our two new presidents were decided at the first meeting: Levi Wierenga @ 780-284-3739 and Pieter Steenbergen @ 780-284-4060. Feel free to contact them if you have any questions. SVA

TUESDAY MORNING BIBLE STUDY Our next topic will be 'A Worthy Life and Our Suffering. Phil 1:27-30' from our book on Phillipians. The leader will be Jolene B, baking and prayer Laura St., babysitters Jocelyn VL, Bec P, Rachel B. See you there.

WEDNESDAY EVENING WOMEN'S SOCIETY For our next meeting we are to study the second half of the first chapter of the book "Messiah: the Holy One of God". Pages 2838. Coffee and Prayer: Margaret VanAssen Starts at 8:00. We would love to see you!

SERVICE COMMITTEE To all seniors or disabled members of our congregation: We as Young Peoples Society continue to offer our services with chores in and around your home. To make arrangements please call Nelson W. @ 780-305-5099 or Kurt V. @ 780-206-6604. We would love to help you!

HOST FAMILY Oct 25 Konroy & Christina Kippers Nov 1 Lee & Kathy Kippers Nov 8 Ed & Diane Kos

BABYSITTNG Cleaning for November 2: Kristen H, Christy K, Kathy K Oct 25 AM Up- Tamara B, Jolene B, Iris B Down- Rita B, Becky D, Kira D, Rachel W PM Up- Benita D, Judith D, Amily V Down- Joanne D, Esther VA Nov 1 AM Up- Whitney D, Adanna D, Brooke VA Down- Jennifer D, Deanna D, Gelsey B PM Up- Henrietta F, Charlene H, Marian H Down- Rebecca F, Morgan VL