Church Life: Church News - February 2008
Churches Rally to Support Maasai Wells Project
New Hope Community Church in Fremont, California, is thoroughly informed of the need and benefit of clean water around the world--particularly among the Maasai people in Kenya, Africa.
Through a variety of educational and special events, the congregation has raised more than $25,000 for a well-digging project via the RCA and Maasai Outreach Mission.
"This has been an experience of reaching way beyond ourselves to the other side of the world to be the blessing God intended," said New Hope pastor Jim Schoon.
Maasai Outreach Mission is an indigenous church of nearly forty congregations under the leadership of the Rev. Simon Montolol. The Maasai are a nomadic people, often in search of water. They suffered a devastating drought 2003-2006.
Clean water is at a premium for many Maasai tribe members, who have been
affected by a drought for the past several years.
"One of the specific problems they are addressing is the need for clean water--to facilitate growing crops and service livestock," said the Rev. Derrick Jones, RCA global mission supervisor for Africa. "Available water also means they will have more time for things like education," he said of family groups who often must walk long distances to access water.
Each well costs about $39,000. A partnership between the RCA, the Presbyterian Church in East Africa, and the Maasai mission calls for a goal of digging one or two wells each year over the next three years. Jones visited the area last March.
As of mid-December more than $72,000 had been received from churches and individuals toward an initial $80,000 goal.
"If they have everything in place within the next month, we hope to begin digging at least one well during the first quarter [of 2008]," Jones said.
New Hope Community's involvement in the project was spearheaded by church member Barbara Oliveira, who had a vision for the effort and presented it to the consistory. "At first when God put this in my head, I argued with him that I wasn't going to do it--there was too much happening in my life," recalled Oliveira of her internal struggle, particularly felt one day during a trip down a California interstate highway.
"But I gave in on that trip and said yes to God. He made everything happen, and he isn't done with us yet."
Oliveira formed a team to help in promoting and planning fundraising events for this project. Besides direct sponsorships and donations, there were recyclable collections (which netted around $1,000) and a dinner-auction.
"I preached a four-week series of messages on various aspects of water presented in Scripture," Schoon said. "The ultimate was the passage in John 4 where Jesus offers the water of life. The emphasis throughout [this project] has been that this is more than physical water. It's about people coming to know the Lord and never being thirsty."
Montolol visited Fremont last summer and preached at New Hope.
The Massai church leader, who has eight pastors under him trained in evangelism, also has a connection with the area of Cedar Grove, Wisconsin.
Fourteen years ago, a Wisconsin woman named Pat Just was chaperoning a youth mission trip to Nairobi, Kenya, and met Montolol. She continued to communicate with him regularly for a number of years, but the two eventually lost touch.
"Then one day, he just appeared on her doorstep," recalled Bev Sohre, administrative assistant at First Reformed Church in Cedar Grove. He spent some time in the community, and several area residents rallied around the project.
"People came to know [Pastor Simon] because he was seen frequently walking around in his bright red cloak," said Sohre. "Red is their tribal color."
Just worked with First and other area churches with fundraisers such as a brat fry, ice cream social, and special Sunday school offerings. There also have been community-wide efforts with a local coffee house, grocery store, and pizza shop. Recently, the church sent a check for $13,000 for the project.
"If anything the drought there has worsened," Oliveira added. "Maasai [people] have been coming to Pastor Simon's village for food and water. There is much to do to help, but the first is to get water to them--drinking water and living water."
Central Alum Reports from Campus
Harry Smith, co-anchor of CBS News' The Early Show and a Central College alumnus, visited the Pella, Iowa, campus December 3 and provided several live reports for a nationwide TV audience.
Harry Smith interacts with students duing a reporting session from Central College in Pella, Iowa.
Smith was reporting on Iowa's forthcoming presidential campaign caucuses and interviewed several Central students and community members on campaign issues and choices. He also answered student questions and gave viewers a mini-tour of the campus. Smith is a 1973 graduate and has a degree in communication studies and theater.
Vacation Bible School--Japanese Style
A vacation Bible school (VBS) last August at Yokohama Union Church in Yokohama, Japan, welcomed nearly eighty children for a time of games and learning.
A group photo show students and staff at vacation Bible school in Yokohama, Japan.
RCA missionaries Nathan and Nozomi Brownell were involved with the VBS--Nozomi and their son Ken were volunteers and their two other sons, Ray and Luke, attended. Assisting at the church was a volunteer team from Michigan. The Brownells are working in relational youth ministry in the Yokohama area. Nathan is teaching at a mission school and supervising a youth center.
Conference Takes Prayer Focus
Carol Ruvolo, author and conference speaker, shared much about prayer at a fall women's conference hosted by Grace Community Church in Thorold, Ontario.
"I heard many people say she gave us enough food for thought to last us a year," said Cindy Kerr, coordinator of the two-day event.
Ruvolo drew from her book, Before the Throne of God: Focus on Prayer, written as a study guide with questions following each chapter. Each woman attending received a copy of the book. The conference attracted more than 130 women, many from the host church.
An evening concert featuring the band Red Mountain Music attracted more than 220 persons from the conference and community.
It's the ninth consecutive fall conference at the church, which drew women from all over the province, as well as some from New York state. "One year we had seventeen women from Japan," said Kerr. "They came to hear a speaker who had spent time in Japan leading conferences there."
The mailing list of women who have attended has grown to more than 400.
Kerr said that Grace Community will also host a spring conference for men and women on the topic "Who Is the Holy Spirit?"
Churches
St. Paul's Evangelical Reformed Church in Perth Amboy, New Jersey, recently observed several anniversaries. The church celebrated its 119th anniversary, the twentieth anniversary of the Rev. Dr. Benjamin Alicea as pastor, and the tenth anniversary of its Spanish-speaking congregation.
Benjamin Alicea (left) ministers with pastor Abercio Ramirez, elder of the Spanish mission,
at St. Paul's Evangelical Reformed Church in Perth Amboy, New Jersey.
Community Church of Wurtsboro, New York, sent twelve members on a mission trip to Swaziland, Africa, last summer. Their work included painting, planting, and digging postholes, as well as playing and helping with children at an orphanage.
Fairview Reformed Church in Fairview, Illinois, observed its 170th anniversary in the fall with the theme "This Far By Faith." A playlet written and directed by church member Mary Jo Willis portrayed the 1837 beginning of the church by its eight founding members. Also included was a video from Fairview's 150th observance twenty years ago. "The celebration was dedicated to the elders and deacons who have served the church for the past 170 years," said church member Randy Hartstirn, who offered a welcome to those gathered at the anniversary program. Fairview is the oldest RCA congregation west of the Allegheny Mountains.
Elmendorf Reformed Church, the oldest church in Harlem, New York, broadcast its Sunday school, called "One in the Spirit Ministry," on cable television during the month of November. "This is for the homebound and those who are seeking a church home in our community," said a church spokesperson. The program aired on cable systems in both Manhattan and Brooklyn. The congregation also recently celebrated the fifth anniversary of the ministry of the Rev. Patricia Singletary, and witnessed its second annual Christmas cantata, "The Christmas Story," directed by minister of music Lewis Anderson.
Peace Reformed Church in Eagan, Minnesota, featured Scripture readings in eleven different languages during a service on World Communion Sunday. Selected members read John 6:35 in Lao, Swahili, Japanese, Indonesian, Ibo, Chichewa, Korean, and four other languages. Peace Reformed has had a multicultural presence since its Lao ministry began in 1976. "We wanted to celebrate the blessing of our cultural diversity on World Communion Sunday by hearing God's Word spoken in languages from many different countries" said senior pastor the Rev. Al Pruis. The guest speaker at the service was Larry McAuley, missionary to Malawi, one of the RCA missionaries supported by the Peace congregation.
Worshipers come forward for communion at Peace Reformed Church in Eagan, Minnesota.
Ministry
The Rev. Jody Habinck is serving as associate pastor of First Reformed Church in Sheldon, Iowa. He is a 2007 graduate of Western Theological Seminary in Holland, Michigan.
The Rev. Gary Hanson has left Bethel Reformed Church in Ellsworth, Minnesota, to become pastor of congregational life at Faith Christian Reformed Church in Pella, Iowa. He began his new assignment in November.
The Rev. Mark Starr is now serving as pastor of First Reformed Church in Willmar, Minnesota. He previously served as associate pastor of First Reformed Church in Friesland, Wisconsin.
The Rev. Rich Davis has left Martin Reformed Church in Martin, Michigan, to accept a call to First Presbyterian Church in River Forest, Illinois.
The Rev. Marcia Gibbons was installed January 13 as pastor of Owasco Reformed Church in Owasco, New York. Previously she had served at Linlithgo Reformed Church in Livingston, New York.
Staff
Ronald Roskamp is the new assistant controller for the RCA. The Allendale, Michigan, native began work in the RCA Michigan Regional Center in October.
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| Ron Roskamp |
"Ron is wonderfully qualified for the position with fourteen years' experience working in the financial management of Grand Rapids and Lansing (Michigan) Christian schools," said RCA controller Barbara Boers.
Roskamp immediately plunged into work on the coming fiscal year budget.
"My initial responsibilities include budgets, cash management, and accounting for investments," said Roskamp, who has an MBA in management and spent two decades in the insurance industry.
He is also part of the team working on the transition of numerous financial operations from New York City to the Michigan office.
Among other areas of service, Roskamp has served as a chair of church deacons, treasurer of a Christian school board, and as treasurer of Little People of America.
People
The Rev. Dr. Charlotte Heinen, a retired RCA pastor, is a part-time music teacher for the Little Red School House--a school that meets in the education building at Rolling Hills Community Church in Zellwood, Florida. "I am a mentor for a child at the school, and also am a volunteer at a convalescent home," reports Heinen. Playing her tenor guitar, she leads residents in singing each Friday morning.
Gerald Van Diepen of First Reformed Church in Sibley, Iowa, was honored in October for serving fifty years as a church organist. Van Diepen began playing organ at age 14, and has been a member at First since 1969. "He still plays almost every week," said a church assistant.
Obituaries
The Rev. Wilhelm Haysom, a retired RCA pastor, died November 13. He was 94. He served churches in Bloomingdale, Saint Remy, Amsterdam, Wallkill, New York City, Elmsford, and Kerhonkson, New York; and Harrington Park, New Jersey. He served as interim pastor at two churches in Saugerties, New York, and as stated supply and contract pastor at several others. During his ministry he served terms as clerk for both Montgomery and Bergen classes, and was active in the selection and purchase of the Warwick Conference Center by the Regional Synod of New York. He also served as chaplain for several area fire departments. His first wife, Minnie, died in 1988. He is survived by his wife, Cordelia, son Alan, and several grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
Fred Gibbons, husband of the Rev. Marcia Gibbons, died November 21. He was 66. Surviving are his wife, Marcia, currently pastor of Owasco Reformed Church in Owasco, New York; children Carrie Spector, David Gibbons, Trevor Peck, and Katy Wibert; and twelve grandchildren.
The Rev. Andy Kamphuis, a retired RCA pastor, died November 25. He was 87. The Alto, Wisconsin, native and his wife, Marjorie, served as missionaries to the Winnebago, Nebraska, Children's Home 1956-60 and then as pastor of Apache Reformed Church in Apache, Oklahoma, until his retirement in 1985. During his retirement years in Pella, Iowa, he served as a representative for Portable Recording Ministries and as a calling pastor for Trinity Reformed Church. Marjorie died in 2004. He is survived by children Elsie and Gary Claypool, and Reynold and Doris Kamphuis; and four grandchildren.
Alberta Van Beek, wife of retired RCA pastor the Rev. Gilbert Van Beek, died November 27. She was 85. The couple farmed for many years before Gilbert began serving as a lay pastor in Calgary, Alberta. They moved to Strasburg, North Dakota, where he was granted dispensation from General Synod in 1973 to serve as stated supply. Surviving are her husband of sixty-seven years, Gilbert; children Arnold and Sylvia Van Beek, Ilean and LeRoy Hollaar, Connie and Cal Van Den Elst, and Jacqueline and Mike Langley; ten grandchildren; and fourteen great-granchildren.
The Rev. Glenn Bruggers, a former RCA mission staff supervisor to Asia and Africa, died November 28. He was 84. After graduation from seminary in 1951, he immediately began serving as a missionary to Japan. In 1974 he took on administrative duties as RCA secretary of Asian/African ministries, and in 1980 focused exclusively on Asian ministries until his retirement in 1989. The Holland, Michigan, native and U.S. Air Force veteran is survived by his wife of fifty-nine years, Phyllis; children David and Denise Bruggers, Stephen and Barbara Bruggers, Joan Bruggers and James Sullivan, and Carolyn Bruggers; and eight grandchildren.
The Rev. Dr. Frederic Dolfin, a retired RCA pastor, died November 29. He was 87. He served churches in DeMotte, Indiana; Grand Haven, Grand Rapids, Kalamazoo, and Byron Center, Michigan; Waupun, Wisconsin; and South Holland, Illinois. He also served several interim pastorates, as well as a term in 1970 as president of the former Particular Synod of Chicago. Dolfin was the son of an RCA pastor, the Rev. Cornelius Dolfin, who died in 1960. Fred is survived by his wife of sixty-four years, Viola; children Donna Koetje, Mark Dolfin, Lois and Bill Bass, and Mary and Bob DeHaan; daughter-in-law Sue Dolfin; nine grandchildren; and eleven great-grandchildren.
Astrid Zabriskie, a long-time RCA educator and wife of the Rev. Everett Zabriskie, died November 30. She was 71. Astrid was a former member of the Council for Christian Education, an educational consultant for the Regional Synod of the Mid-Atlantics, and the founder of the Fig Orchard, an ecumenical group in northern New Jersey that supports churches in their efforts toward discipleship and education. Everett, who survives, is a former GSC staff member and clerk of Passaic Valley Classis. Also surviving is a son, Thomas, and family in her native Denmark, where she was buried. Another service was held January 6 in Wyckoff, New Jersey.
The Rev. William Hillegonds, a former RCA pastor, died December 23. He was 85. With his wife, Elizabeth, he served Reformed churches in Chatham and Rochester, New York; Holland, Michigan; and Pella, Iowa. He also served as a chaplain at Hope College 1967-78. He left Second Reformed Church in Pella in 1980 to begin service in various Presbyterian churches. He is survived by his wife, Elizabeth; sons Paul and Timothy Hillegonds; five grandchildren.
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