EIGHTY-FIFTH REPORT ON THE - NEW HORIZONS - Orthodox Presbyterian Church
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NEW HORIZONS in the ORTHODOX PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH
14 In Fond Recognition of
AUG-SEP T 2018
21 Review: Shona and David
Patricia Clawson // Murray’s Refresh //
by James W. Scott by Meredith Proctor
REPORT ON THE
EIGHTY-FIFTH
GENERAL ASSEMBLY
BY DANNY E. OLINGER
VOLUME 39, NUMBER 8
CON T E N T S New Horizons
in the Orthodox Presbyterian Church
Editor: Danny E. Olinger
F E AT U R E S Managing Editor: Judith M. Dinsmore
Editorial Assistant: Diane L. Olinger
Proofreader: Jessica Johnson
Report on the Eighty-Fifth
3 Cover Designer: Christopher Tobias
General Assembly Editorial Board: The Committee on Christian
Education’s Subcommittee on Serial Publications
By Danny E. Olinger
© 2018 by The Committee on Christian Education of
8 Presentation of the Trinity Psalter Hymnal The Orthodox Presbyterian Church. All rights reserved.
By Alan D. Strange Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are
from The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard
Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing
ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission.
DEPART MENTS All rights reserved. (We use the 2011 revision.)
Articles previously published may be slightly edited.
10 Foreign Missions New Horizons (ISSN: 0199-3518) is published
monthly except for a combined issue, usually August-
Moving Toward a Presbytery in Haiti September, by the Committee on Christian Education
of the Orthodox Presbyterian Church, 607 N. Easton
12 Home Missions Road, Bldg. E, Willow Grove, PA 19090-2539; tel. 215-
830-0900; fax 215-830-0350.
A Church at Calvin College • Out of Our Minds
Letters to the editor are welcome. They should deal
with an issue the magazine has recently addressed.
14 Christian Education Their language should be temperate, and they may not
Patricia Clawson • Our Membership Vows charge anyone with an offense. They should be brief,
and they may be condensed by the editor.
• Out of the Mouth … • MTIOPC Fall Courses Send inquiries, letters to the editor, and other corres-
pondence to the editor at danny.olinger@opc.org.
17 Prayer Calendar Send address changes to CCEsecretary@opc.org.
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previous issues are available at www.opc.org.
Views expressed by our writers are not necessarily
those of the editors or official positions of the
Orthodox Presbyterian Church.
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Presbytery of the Midwest commissioners (left to
right) Bruce Stahl, John Hartley, and Paul Mourreale
at the Eighty-fifth General Assembly on the campus of
Wheaton College. The assembly marked the twenty-
third consecutive time that Mr. Stahl, ruling elder at
Covenant Family Church, Wentzville, Missouri, has
attended as a commissioner.
2 / NEW HORIZONS / AUGUST-SEPTEMBER 2018
REPORT ON THE
EIGHTY-FIFTH
GENERAL ASSEMBLY
DANNY E. OLINGER // After the United Reformed Churches
in North America (URCNA) was formed on October 1, 1996,
members of the Orthodox Presbyterian Church, especially senior
saints, sympathized with the new federation’s courageous stand for
the straight teaching of the Bible.
The Christian Reformed Church and CRCNA shared Christian educa- death and resurrection.
in North America (CRCNA) had de- tion resources, ran summer camps to- It was with sadness, then, that the
termined to ordain women to the offices gether, and gladly recommended their OPC witnessed the CRCNA’s turn,
of minister and ruling elder and could members to seek out the other church but hearing of the URCNA’s forma-
not be persuaded to repent. Because when travelling or undergoing a job tion brought joy. Through its Commit-
this change affected the biblical marks transfer. The two churches even en- tee on Ecumenicity and Interchurch
of the church, some CRCNA members gaged in ecumenical discussions on Relations, the OPC at its Sixty-fourth
believed that they had no choice but to how they might become one. The basis (1997) General Assembly officially rec-
depart, forming the URCNA. The se- of this fellowship was a shared com- ognized the creation of the URCNA.
nior saints of the OPC knew from their mitment to a Bible-based, confessional The declaration expressed the OPC’s
own experience in joining the OPC Calvinism that did not shy away from thankfulness to God for the URCNA’s
that this action meant leaving behind acknowledging the sinfulness of hu- love for the truth of God and the purity
family members, and almost always manity and the good news of Christ’s of the church of Jesus Christ, welcomed
church buildings and them to the family of
church saving accounts, Reformed churches,
too. and promised to pray
But, these older for the blessing of God
OPC members also on their ministry.
knew firsthand the re-
A Joint Meeting
lationship that had
existed between the Now, twenty-one
OPC and the CRCNA. years later, URCNA
When the OPC was Synod Wheaton 2018
formed on June 11, and the Eighty-fifth
1936, the CRCNA was General Assembly of
the first church to rec- the OPC met on the
ognize it two days later. campus of Wheaton
For decades, the OPC Over six thousand Trinity Psalter Hymnals were distributed at GA. College in Wheaton,
NEW HORIZONS / AUGUST-SEPTEMBER 2018 / 3
Illinois. Together, the URCNA del- were attending an assembly for the first of shared thankfulness to the Lord that
egates and OPC commissioners cel- time. Over half of the commission- marked the meetings for the days to
ebrated their joint labors on the newly ers had been ordained for fewer than follow. Mr. Dengerink recalled growing
produced Trinity Psalter Hymnal. The fifteen years. Three commissioners, up in the CRCNA. He said, “This was
two ecclesiastical bodies furthered the ministers Thomas Tyson and George the church of my family and friends.
bonds of unity with shared meal times, Cottenden and ruling elder Donald This is the church of which I can still
devotional periods, presentations on Jamieson (San Jose, California), were hear my grandma say, ‘If you get a job
ordained in the promotion in another town that does
decade of the not have a CRC church and CRC
1960s. school, it doesn’t matter how good the
John Van promotion is. You don’t take it.’ ” But,
Meerbeke, pas- what sin destroys and divides, Christ
tor of Living heals and unites. He thanked the Lord
Hope OPC in for the “taste of heaven” that those pres-
Gettysburg, ent would experience during the week,
Pennsylvania, “as we your people, by your grace, join
was elected as in praise of your name and serve you in
moderator. He your church.”
faced the chal- The OPC commissioners then
lenge of allow- turned to the work of the advisory
ing full deliber- committees before hearing from Statis-
ation on issues tician Luke Brown. Mr. Brown report-
Incoming moderator John Van Meerbeke (left) shakes hands with outgo- without falling ed that at the end of 2017 there were
ing moderator Larry Westerveld (right) while Alan Strange looks on. behind in the 281 local churches, 40 mission works,
docket to the and 31,377 members in the OPC. The
home and foreign missions and ecu- point where the work of the Assembly “average” size of an established congre-
menicity, and a closing worship service. could not be completed. gation is 105 members, he stated, but
URCNA pastor Derrick Vander At the end of the week, the com- approximately 65 percent of congrega-
Meulen, coeditor of the Trinity Psal- missioners gave Mr. Van Meerbeke a tions are smaller in size than the aver-
ter Hymnal, welcomed everyone to the well-deserved standing ovation for his age.
opening prayer service on Monday, gracious but decisive voice in guiding The Assembly and Synod gathered
June 11. He had the privilege of in- the Assembly through its business. on Tuesday evening for a song service
troducing the first psalm, Psalm 148A, led by URCNA pastor Christopher
Tuesday, June 12
“From Heaven O Praise the Lord,” and Folkerts. Alan Strange, coeditor with
the first hymn, “I Sing the Almighty The next morning, Michael Den- Mr. Vander Meulen, officially present-
Power of God,” sung publicly from the gerink, pastor of Delta Oaks Presby- ed the Trinity Psalter Hymnal (see pag-
new psalter hymnal. During the week, terian in Pittsburg, California, led the es 8–9), and the evening finished with
David and Susan Winslow helped devotional service, which set the tone URCNA members John Bouwers and
distribute over six Todd De Rooy and
thousand volumes OPC members Jack
for those who had Sawyer, Tony Curto,
taken advantage of and Danny Olinger
the pre-publication participating in a
offer and saved colloquium on the
shipping costs by pursuit of unity in
picking up their or- OPC and URCNA
ders at the assembly. relations.
Later that
Wednesday, June
night, the Eighty-
13
fifth General As-
sembly convened. On Wednesday,
Out of the one hun- the Assembly en-
dred and thirty-nine gaged in a daylong
commissioners that Stephen Tracey, Tony Curto, and Jack Sawyer confer. debate concerning
were enrolled, thirty the recommendation
4 / NEW HORIZONS / AUGUST-SEPTEMBER 2018
of the Committee on Christian Educa- in Rockford, and your continued ser- the man and his wife professed faith
tion that the Assembly elect a commit- vice of Christ and his church.” The As- in Christ and their daughter was bap-
tee to propose specific linguistic chang- sembly responded with a standing ova- tized.
es to the doctrinal standards Jim Cassidy
(Confession of Faith and (South Austin,
Catechisms) without Texas) testified that
changing the doctrine or robust, historic Re-
meaning of the standards. formed worship had
The kind of changes led to Providence
that the committee would OPC being clas-
be authorized to consider sified as “weird.”
would be morphological Christopher Cashen
(e.g., “hath” to “has”), the (Clarkston, Geor-
replacing of archaic pro- gia) spoke about
nouns (e.g., “thou” to “you”) ministry to refugees
and words (e.g., “stews”), in what is labeled
and substituting a modern “the Ellis Island of
translation of the Scrip- the South.”
tures for the text of the John Hilbelink recognized for his years of service Daniel Doleys
Ten Commandments and (Springfield, Ohio)
the Lord’s Prayer. The recommenda- tion in appreciation for Mr. Hilbelink. emphasized that church planting in-
tion ended with the admonition that The evening joint service contin- volves the entire congregation, not
the committee should aim with every ued the theme of home missions in the just the pastor. David Graves (Coeur
change to preserve the cadence, memo- OPC and URCNA. Mika Edmondson, d’Alene, Idaho) praised the Lord for
rability, and dignified style of the stan- OP church planter at New Life City the opportunities for an “odd duck”
dards. Fellowship in Grand Rapids, Michigan, such as himself to meet individuals in
The Assembly passed the recom- stressed that his goal was to present “ac- everyday life who were interested in
mendation and elected to the com- cessible orthodoxy” to a diverse group. learning more about Jesus. URCNA
mittee ruling elders David Noe, James He explained that at New City Fellow- Missions director Richard Bout then
Gidley, John Muether, and Mark Bube, ship, “our God in Christ has been able prayed for these OP church plant-
and ministers Alan Strange, Glen to bring together people of every tribe ers and the gospel endeavors of OPC
Clary, and John Fesko. The Assem- and nation, something government home missions.
bly also moved to notify the member and politics could not do.” Every week URCNA church planters then
churches of the North American Pres- after morning worship at New Life shared their work in taking the gos-
byterian and Reformed Council and City Fellow-
other appropriate church bodies that ship, everyone
it has erected a special committee to breaks bread
propose linguistic updating of the doc- together at a
trinal standards of the OPC and that it shared meal
welcomes any input that such churches as coequals in
might desire to give. Christ.
During the report of the Commit- Bradney
tee on Home Missions and Church Ex- Lopez (Ar-
tension (CHMCE), General Secretary royo, Puerto
John Shaw paid tribute to John Hilbe- Rico) told of
link, who was retiring from work on the a young father
committee but not from the ministry. after Hur-
Shaw said that Mr. Hilbelink would be ricane Maria
deeply missed after having served on coming to
the CHMCE for thirty-three years, the Iglesia Pres- Mika Edmondson speaking on the ministry of New Life City Fellowship
past twenty-seven years as president. biteriana Sola
He assured Mr. Hilbelink that he and Escritura (“Scripture Alone Presbyte- pel to diverse groups of people. Thabet
the members of CHMCE would “pray rian Church”) and asking, “How can Megaly spoke of Muslim outreach in
for the Lord’s continued blessings on I know about infant baptism?” After St. Catherines, Ontario. Tony Ze-
you, your dear wife—Lois, your church going through membership classes, kveld reported on the joys of ministry
NEW HORIZONS / AUGUST-SEPTEMBER 2018 / 5
to Sikhs and Hindus in Toronto, and which he has known
Mitchell Persaud talked about bring- intimately. Prior to
ing the gospel to Muslims and Hindus being appointed as
in Scarborough, Ontario. Sam Perez an OP missionary in
reported on inner city ministry in Jer- 2012, Mr. Tuininga
sey City, New Jersey. Nathan Brummel had been ordained to
spoke about prison ministry through the gospel ministry
the Divine Hope Bible Seminary in in the URCNA and
Michigan City, Indiana, whose faculty served as pastor of
includes OP minister Brett Mahlen. Immanuel Reformed
CHMCE Associate General Secretary Church in Salem,
Al Tricarico then prayed for the Lord’s Oregon. Mr. Tuininga
blessing on Mr. Bout and URCNA do- reflected on the fact
mestic missions labors. that his father, UR-
CNA minister Calvin
Thursday, June 14 Tuininga, was present
Committee on Foreign Missions to hear his presenta-
General Secretary Mark Bube had at- tion while his sister
tended the start of the Assembly on and brother-in-law,
Monday but had then flown to Cali- Carla and Mark Van
fornia for the burial of his father and Essendelft, members Eric Tuininga presents on his labors in Uganda, sharing
former OP ruling elder Richard H. of the URCNA, were the stage with CFM General Secretary Mark Bube.
Bube, who had died on Saturday. The serving as OP mis-
general secretary returned in time for sionary associates at the Karamoja sta- below the minimum of four required in
the Thursday evening joint presenta- tion in Uganda. the OPC Book of Church Order.
tion on foreign missions. He expressed Thursday, however, also marked The Assembly transferred Faith
an enthusiasm for potential opportuni- the bittersweet dissolution of the Pres- OPC in Lincoln, Nebraska, to the Pres-
ties for the OPC and URCNA to work bytery of the Central United States. bytery of the Midwest, and Westmin-
together in bringing the gospel to the Representing the presbytery, James ster OPC in Bartlesville, Oklahoma,
nations. Stevenson, pastor of Providence OPC and Providence OPC to the Presbytery
In one of the most poignant mo- in Tulsa, Oklahoma, reported that the of the Southwest. Mr. Stevenson urged
ments of the joint meetings, Eric Tuin- presbytery enjoyed wonderful fellow- the brethren to pray regularly that the
inga, OP missionary to Mbale, Ugan- ship, but by 2017 the number of congre- Lord would raise up OP congregations
da, addressed the two churches, both of gations in the presbytery had dropped in the central portion of the United
States so that, in
time, a new pres-
bytery could be
established.
In the report
on the Com-
mittee on Dia-
conal Ministries,
Administr ator
David Nakhla
focused on the
disaster response
efforts in 2017 in
Houston, Texas,
and Puerto Rico.
Mr. Nakhla ex-
pressed thanks-
giving for the
$620,000 that
URCNA and OPC church planters, from Puerto Rico to Georgia to Toronto, presented together on their labors.
had been donat-
6 / NEW HORIZONS / AUGUST-SEPTEMBER 2018
ed to hurricane relief in Houston and The Synod and Assembly gathered alism, Van Til wrote, “I hope that you
Puerto Rico. “The Lord always proves for a group photo on the steps of the and a group of faithful people will seek
faithful in supplying sufficiently for all Edman Memorial Chapel. The sheer admission to the Orthodox Presbyteri-
needs through the generous giving of number of 350 delegates, commission- an Church as a separate congregation.
his people,” he said. Earlier on Tues- ers, and fraternal representatives chal- I do not know of any other Presby-
day, Steve Larson, the regional disaster lenged the photographers, but there terian body in which you would have
response coordinator after Hurricane was also evident joy in how the Lord such loyalty to the Reformed Faith.”
Harvey, and Bradney Lopez on behalf had worked in bringing the members Van Til then added, “I need not boast
of members living in Puerto Rico who of these two sister churches to such to say this. The O.P. church has plenty
were affected by Hurricane Maria, had close fellowship. of faults. We are all petty human be-
thanked the Assembly for showing ings with plenty of sins to fight against
Friday, June 15
compassion and helping many who had daily. But I do think that you would
suffered greatly. On Friday at 4:00 p.m., the As- find the fellowship you want and need
Lendall Smith, chairman of the sembly and Synod combined one last for your work.”
less-than-one-year-old Committee time for a closing joint worship service Van Til was writing as an Or-
on Ministerial Care (CMC) and its led by Larry Westerveld, moderator thodox Presbyterian to a Presbyterian
vice-president, Gregory De Jong, rul- of the Eighty-fourth (2017) General who had asked for his opinion, but,
ing elder at Bethel in this writer’s
OPC in Wheaton, judgment, his
Illinois, introduced sentiments today
David Haney as could be applied
the new director of to the United Re-
CMC. formed Churches
In appoint- in North Ameri-
ing Mr. Haney ca. For those Re-
as director, the formed believers
committee saw a who find them-
unique opportu- selves in denomi-
nity to combine nations that are
professional coun- straying openly
sel with a personal from the Bible,
touch. Mr. Haney, the URCNA,
in his role as Di- like the OPC,
rector of Finance is a church that
and Planned Giv- should be sought
ing, has worked out. It knows its
in one way or an- Joel Ellis and David Haney singing praises from the new Trinity Psalter Hymnal faults and sins but
(Photo by John Van Dyk, courtesy of Christian Renewal)
other with nearly is self-consciously
every pastor and/ seeking to be loy-
or congregation for over a quarter of Assembly. Mr. Westerveld proclaimed al to the Reformed faith. In it, Chris-
a century. Mr. Haney explained the God’s Word from Amos 9 and John 4, tians can find the fellowship they want
committee’s three-pronged goal: man- encouraging those gathered from the and need for their work.
aging the OPC retirement fund (306 OPC and URCNA that, through Jesus May we in the Orthodox Presby-
participants), providing counsel and Christ, there will be an abundant har- terian Church continue to pray for and
assistance in financial planning, and vest. work with these dear brothers and sis-
informing sessions and presbyteries of It was an appropriate message for ters in the Lord, even as we look for-
tools available for care of their minis- two churches who have taken stands for ward to that great day in heaven when
ters. In assuming his new responsibili- biblical orthodoxy and suffered earthly we will join together to sing God’s
ties, Mr. Haney is hopeful of visiting consequences. Cornelius Van Til was praise eternally.
every presbytery in the next eighteen a son of the CRCNA who joined the
months in order to share CMC’s vision OPC at its beginning. Responding to The author is the editor of New Hori-
of expanding care of pastors through- a man who had asked Van Til what he zons. Photos provided by Tricia Steven-
out their ministry, not just as they near should do now that his church had em- son, Rachel Stevenson, and Sara Grace
retirement. braced the tenets of theological liber- Baugh.
NEW HORIZONS / AUGUST-SEPTEMBER 2018 / 7
PRESENTATION OF THE
TRINITY PSALTER HYMNAL
ALAN D. STRANGE // The Trinity Psalter Hymnal is hereby
presented to the church to aid her in fulfilling the mandate of
Psalm 150:6: “Let everything that has breath praise the Lord!”—
Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, who created and sustains all things,
and who is, from first to last, the one who grants eternal salvation.
All praise, honor, and glory be rendered Music for Worship tian church.
unto our great and gracious God for all We believe that Christ is present
that he is and has done, particularly for Music, which the Oxford English in all the Word and certainly in the
the Father bringing his own from death Dictionary defines, in part, as “one of psalms, even the imprecatory psalms. In
to life by the person and work of the the fine arts which is concerned with those, our Lord Jesus Christ in his own
Lord Jesus Christ, in and by the power the combination of sounds with a view person, particularly at the cross, receives
of the Holy Spirit, through all the ap- to beauty of form and the experience God’s wrath against us for our sin and,
pointed means. And singing his praise of emotion,” is one of the greatest gifts in and by the gospel, makes many for-
forms no small part of that worship that God ever gave us. It is especially mer enemies to be friends. (In this way,
that we render to him in the appointed suited to the expression of those sen- his enemies are vanquished even as Is-
means of Word, sacraments, and prayer. timents that pertain to all the parts of rael often pleaded for their defeat.) We
In the liturgy and worship of the the soul. We can understand why one also sing hymns that explicitly mention
church in the last century and more, of the ancient church fathers said “Qui the Lord Jesus Christ and speak of his
especially in North American evan- bene cantat bis orat” (“he who sings well glorious person and finished work.
gelicalism, hymns have eclipsed psalms. prays twice”). Not only are the words of
our psalms and hymns prayers (at least Developing the TPH
Actually, in many communions, hymns
themselves have given way to ubiqui- quite often, and they are always the out- Perhaps it would be good at this
tous Scripture songs and choruses. pouring of the soul to God), but music point to step back and reflect on where
This comparatively recent loss of itself is a sort of prayer, giving expression this all began. The Presbytery of Ohio
psalm-singing is quite remarkable, es- to the emotions which accompany our brought an overture to the Seventy-
pecially in Reformed and Presbyterian prayers (joy, sadness, grief, etc.), so that third (2006) General Assembly request-
churches, whose liturgies historically singing becomes something that speech ing the production of a psalter hymnal.
consisted either mostly or exclusively of by itself never could be. That Assembly tasked the Committee
psalms. We intend for the Trinity Psal- We offer this volume, then, to the on Christian Education “to seek to de-
ter Hymnal to assist in the recovery of church, containing not only settings of velop a Psalter-Hymnal by 2011 (our
psalm-singing for all those churches. At all 150 psalms (more than one setting 75th anniversary)—which includes mu-
the same time, by the publication of the for some psalms—278 altogether) but sical settings of all 150 Psalms, in their
TPH, we want to foster a recovery of also 458 of what we deem to be the entirety, with as much accuracy and as
first-rate hymnody. best hymns, old and new, of the Chris- little archaic language and confusing
8 / NEW HORIZONS / AUGUST-SEPTEMBER 2018
syntax as possible—for use in our con- adopting a fairly detailed set of prin- approved the psalter and then the hym-
gregations.” ciples to guide us in this project. nal, requesting and receiving significant
Immediately following the 2006 input from both churches (and beyond,
Joining Forces with the URCNA
Assembly, the CCE erected a special in a few cases), particularly by posting
committee of its membership to direct Following the Seventy-seventh on the web all the psalms and hymns for
the work: Alan Strange, chairman; Dar- (2010) General Assembly, the unex- inspection by our respective churches
ryl Hart; Danny Olinger; and Stephen pected happened. Contact with the and members.
Pribble. URCNA Songbook Committee led to Finally, in 2016, both bodies gave
The special committee erected two a discussion with them of sharing the overwhelming final approval for the
subcommittees that would do the bulk fruits of each other’s labors and enter- production of the TPH. Much work re-
of the work in these early years of the ing into a working arrangement. The mained in terms of securing copyrights
project, the primary being the Compo- CCE recommended to the Seventy- and further editing, layout, and other
sition Subcommittee (CS). It ultimately eighth (2011) General Assembly that production and printing concerns. From
had in its membership the present and it approve the two committees working December 2017 through February 2018
past CCE general secretaries (Danny together and that it extend an official we ran a special prepublication offer,
Olinger and Larry Wilson), the pastor invitation to the next URCNA Synod working with our outstanding distribu-
whose church furnished the working
document for the psalter (Peter Wallace,
pastor of Michiana Covenant PCA in
Granger, Indiana), our Hebraist (Bryan
Estelle), musicologist (Timothy Sha-
fer), music editor (Lou Ann Shafer), a
PCA brother (Terry Johnson of IPC
in Savannah, Georgia), and two special
committee members (Stephen Pribble
and Alan Strange, chairman). Dr. Dale
Grotenhuis (URCNA) also served as a
musical consultant to the CS.
The CCE reported to the Seventy-
fifth (2008) General Assembly that it
had determined to develop the TPH
through its special committee and that
The new Trinity Psalter Hymnal, available for order at gcp.org
the CCE had committed $200,000 of
its own funds to this project. No objec-
tions were raised, and the CCE pro- to work together with the OPC to tor, Great Commission Publications of
ceeded full-steam ahead. produce “a Psalter Hymnal for use in a Atlanta. We had hoped to sell 15,000
The subcommittee then began the wide range of confessional Presbyterian copies. We sold over 30,000 copies (and
actual initial task of putting together and Reformed Churches.” more since).
the TPH. From the Trinity Hymnal and The Assembly took these historic We thank all of you for this great
other sources, we made a number of ini- steps and a new day in Reformed and partnership that has already made this
tial hymn selections. Sensing, however, Presbyterian ecumenicity dawned as the project such a success and a testament
that the heavy-lifting would be on the URCNA Synod in 2012 gladly accepted to the oneness that we enjoy in our Lord
psalter, we shortly thereafter plunged the invitation and the two bodies began Jesus Christ, in answer to his prayer in
into that section. Using Michiana Cov- the hard yet sweet labor that led to the John 17 for unity as he faced Calvary.
enant PCA’s project as a default, we be- TPH. My colleague Derrick Vander We present the Trinity Psalter Hymnal
gan working systematically through the Meulen, coeditor and my counterpart for the edification of the people of God
psalms, with fresh translations provided on the URCNA side, will speak in a bit and the glorification of our Lord Jesus
by our Hebraist, a variety of options about the members of his committee Christ. All praise be to our blessed tri-
provided by our musicologist, and the and the progress to recent times that has une God!
music editor working to check inflec- witnessed the erection of a Joint Venture
tions, suggest new harmonizations, and Board, consisting of three each from the The author is coeditor of the Trinity Psal-
make a host of editorial suggestions. We OPC and the URCNA, responsible for ter Hymnal. This presentation, given to
spent much time working through the the publication and ongoing mainte- the Eighty-fifth General Assembly on June
psalms, seeking to achieve a congru- nance of the TPH. 12, 2018, has been edited and condensed
ent affect between music and text and Subsequent assemblies and synods for print publication.
NEW HORIZONS / AUGUST-SEPTEMBER 2018 / 9
FOREIGN MISSIONS
MOVING
TOWARD A
PRESBYTERY IN
HAITI
// OCTAVIUS DELFILS Men working on the Book of Church Order for
the Reformed Presbyterian Church in Haiti
and self-governed with ordained elders. Furthermore, it is the
elders’ duty to unite in sessions and presbyteries to serve the
D uring his third missionary journey, the Apostle Paul, af-
ter visiting several cities and churches, stopped at Mi-
letus in Greece and asked the Ephesian elders to meet him.
church under the great Shepherd, Jesus Christ.
This goal of having a self-governing and self-propagating
church has been a major focus of the Reformed Presbyterian
When they came, he prayed with them, encouraged them, and Church in Haiti. We have never envisioned remaining as indi-
warned them against false teachers who would come after his vidual, independent churches. Rather, since the beginning, we
departure and who would not spare the flock. He reminded have sought to form a presbytery and an indigenous denomi-
them that, during his ministry among them, he had declared nation that is biblically oriented and solidly Reformed. We
the whole counsel of God to them. The Holy Spirit had made have been praying for this since the beginning of the church-
these men overseers to care for the church of God, which Je- planting endeavors on La Gonâve and in Port-au-Prince and
sus Christ had bought with his own blood. Therefore, they have worked to join the efforts of all of the Reformed mis-
had tremendous work to accomplish in feeding the flock with sionaries.
sound teaching and in remaining alert to guard the church After the devastating earthquake in January 2010, the
against twisted teaching. initiative to develop a presbytery in Haiti faltered. However,
we praise the Lord
The Work of the
that the Reformed
Elders
churches in Haiti are
The work of the gathering again to
elders is still essential start a presbytery and
to the health of the a project for a Book
church today and to of Church Order.
the overall good of
the people of God. Presbytery
Whenever it is pos- Planning Meeting
sible and when the During the last
time is appropriate, two years, four or-
the local church has dained Reformed
an obligation to train, pastors and mission-
elect, and appoint el- aries working in three
ders as overseers. It is different ministries
similarly part of the in Port-au-Prince,
missionary’s prayer, on the island of La
work, and hope that Gonâve, and in Go-
faithful indigenous March 2018 meeting in Port-au-Prince of pastors, elders, deacons, and others naïves, have met
churches be planted several times. We
10 / NEW HORIZONS / AUGUST-SEPTEMBER 2018have shared information about the far apart in distance—can work to-
churches and set goals toward the gether in Christ to use each other’s
formation of a presbytery in Haiti. resources for the work of the king-
The Lord has blessed our planning. dom!
In December 2017, we had our first As we work through the trans-
meeting in Port-au-Prince with lated text, it takes time to make
about thirty men from all the Pres- sure that everyone agrees on the
byterian and Reformed churches of terms used and that they make
these three different ministries. sense to the church in Haiti and
It was the first time the pastors, the culture around us. We are mov-
elders, deacons, and candidates for ing slowly in adapting the Book of
these offices met together for fel- Church Order in order to make it
lowship and training. The teacher easily understood.
was Arie van Eyk, pastor of Provi- We hope to continue with
dence Presbyterian Church (OPC) two or three other meetings in the
in Greensboro, North Carolina, same format of working and wor-
who has trained men in the church shiping together. The next meeting
Octavius and Marie Delfils with their daughter, Farah
in Port-au-Prince since its begin- is scheduled for later this summer.
ning and is a faithful supporter of We will meet in Gonaïves, a little
the church in Haiti. He taught the doctrine of the church and more than two hours north of Port-au-Prince. In each ses-
laid down for the group the biblical foundation for Presbyte- sion, we are blessed to have representatives from the Com-
rian church government. mittee on Foreign Missions of the OPC as well as from the
Four other meetings were scheduled for training, discus- mission agencies and sending presbyteries of the other Re-
sions, and fellowship with these men in 2018. The Lord again formed ministries and churches.
blessed our plans. The first session of the year was held on We are praying that the Lord will allow us to complete
March 22–23 in Port-au-Prince as a follow-up to the Decem- the Book of Church Order project this year and move closer
ber meeting. This time, the same churches from the three dif- to the formation of a new presbytery in the beginning of 2019.
ferent Reformed ministries laboring in Haiti sent about forty We are so grateful to the Lord that we are getting close to the
men to gather for two days to continue to consider the idea goal that we have cherished for a long time. We appreciate
of forming a presbytery in Haiti. We had a profitable time in your prayers for these important upcoming events and for this
worship and discussion of church polity. key moment in the history of the church in Haiti.
A Book of Church Order for Haiti The author, a missionary of the Calvary Presbytery of the PCA,
We also began to address the need for a Book of Church is an associate missionary of the OPC, laboring with the OPC
Order for the Reformed Presbyterian Church in Haiti. We are Haiti Mission and serving as pastor of the Reformed Presbyterian
mainly adapt- Church of Delmas, a church plant in Port-au-Prince.
ing the Book of
Church Order
of the Presby- What’s New
terian Church
of Uganda. It // Comings/Goings
was translated
Completing thirty-one-and-a-half years of service with
into French the Committee on Foreign Missions, Miss Linda R.
for the under- Posthuma retired from her labors as the Foreign Mis-
standing of sions administrative assistant at the end of July 2018.
the French-
Miss Schylie J. La Belle (Presbyterian Church of Cape
speaking Cod, OPC, West Barnstable, MA) concluded her
brothers in one-year term as a missionary associate in Karamoja,
Haiti. What a Uganda at the end of July 2018.
privilege that
Mr. Donald P. Owens III (Christ Covenant Church,
the church OPC, Midland, MI) has been appointed to serve as
The three areas of ministry in Haiti: the small in Haiti and a missionary associate for six months, beginning in
city of Gonaïves, the capital city of Port-Au- the church in September 2018, in Karamoja, Uganda.
Prince, and the island of La Gonâve Uganda—so
NEW HORIZONS / AUGUST-SEPTEMBER 2018 / 11HOME MISSIONS
A CHURCH
AT CALVIN
COLLEGE
Marylynn Gaastra and Alli Zielstra during
// DAVID C. NOE a fellowship time at Reformation OPC
cluding Leona DeWaard Klooster (daughter of OP founding
pastor John DeWaard). Through the summer, we studied the
W hen J. Gresham Machen died in January 1937, Classis
Grand Rapids East of the CRCNA sent a sympathetic
telegram to the OPC, mourning the passing of a man who,
Old Testament sacraments and their fulfillment in the New.
And in September, by which time we had grown to five core
households, we started to meet on Sunday afternoons.
more than anyone else, had worked to distinguish between the As a licentiate, I began teaching from the book of Acts,
biblical faith called Christianity and that other religion known taking Acts 2:42 as the foundation for the work along with
as liberalism. Also in Grand Rapids, but seventy years later the words of Westminster Shorter Catechism question 88.
in 2015, three OPC families began meeting for Bible study, Together, the core group attended the Calvin College church
prayer, singing, and fellowship. fair, inviting incoming students to attend our fellowship. Ref-
The group, including my family and me, grew in fellow- ormation was also publicized in Calvin’s student newspaper,
ship and purpose. A year later, we met with Steve Igo of the The Chimes, via both a feature on our fledgling church written
Church Extension Committee. Igo quickly saw an opportuni- by Juliana, a regular attender, and a series I wrote on the 500th
ty to plant a church on the campus of Calvin College, making anniversary of the Reformation. In addition, God sent faith-
use of my position as a longtime professor there. The session of fully attending students like Ryan, Alli (pictured above), Dan,
Hillsdale OPC—a congregation with experience in planting Anne, Rachel, and Amelia.
near a college—agreed to oversee the work.
A Mission Work of the PMO
Calvin College is a mission field. In the last twenty-five
years, the number of CRCNA students at Calvin has dimin- At their April 2018 meeting, the Presbytery of Michigan
ished from 80 percent of the student population to 29 percent. and Ontario (PMO) voted to receive Reformation OPC as a
The rest are broadly evangelical, Lutheran, Roman Catholic, mission work, to the great joy of our core group, and they ap-
Eastern Orthodox, or of no faith affiliation. This presents an pointed a provisional session of men from the Grand Rapids
excellent opportunity to help these young people discover the area to oversee the plant. The session of Hillsdale OPC, which
whole counsel of God, which the Reformed faith teaches. had faithfully shepherded the effort, was pleased to see the
Our church, Reformation OPC, intends to gather those work placed on a solid footing.
in and around the Calvin College community to worship. We Reformation OPC looks forward to holding its inaugural
seek to welcome students who may be completely unfamiliar worship service on July 22 in the Prince Conference Center
with the Reformed faith as well as those from a variety of Re- on the campus of Calvin College. Everett Henes of Hillsdale
formed communions looking for a church away from home. OPC will preach, new members will be received, a covenant
Because many students do not make an effort to leave infant baptized, and the Lord’s Supper celebrated.
campus for Lord’s Day worship, we are bringing the church We are presently seven households committed to the
to them. In spring 2017, Raybrook Manor retirement home, work, with an average attendance of twenty-five. Please pray
which is next to Calvin’s campus, became the site for our out- with us that God will continue to build his church and that we
reach. A handful of students began to attend as we studied would grow in unity, maturity, and love for one another.
John Calvin’s teaching on self-denial, cross-bearing, and med-
itating on the future life. Raybrook residents also visited, in- The author is a licentiate of the Presbytery of Michigan and Ontario.
12 / NEW HORIZONS / AUGUST-SEPTEMBER 2018evangelist. When I arrived, there were twenty-five members,
OUT OF OUR MINDS including my own family. Over the last six years, the mission
work has lost twenty-four, but it has also gained thirty-five.
M. Jay Bennett
People thought they were out of their minds! That’s how Outreach at ALC
Paul describes the apostles in 2 Corinthians 5:13: “If we are One of our most fruitful ministries has been our outreach
‘out of our mind,’ as some say, it is for God; if we are in our to Alice Lloyd College (ALC), a Christian liberal arts college
right mind, it is for you” (NIV). It is not difficult to imagine in Pippa Passes, Kentucky, that offers a work-study program
the same invective being directed toward men like J. Gresham for regional students. Nine students have embraced the Re-
Machen when they risked losing their prestigious teaching formed faith, seven joining NRPC and two joining a PCA
and ministerial positions in the influential and well-funded church in South Carolina.
mainline Presbyterian church nearly a century ago. But those I’ve been asked how I got the outreach “going” at ALC,
who continued after him understood that faithfulness is better but there was no slick method. It fell into my lap like every
than worldly significance and that “the foolishness of God is other good thing in my life! A few months after arriving in
wiser than men” (1 Cor. 1:25). Neon, I received a call from a gentleman named Richard Bow-
When the Presbytery of the Southeast took in a small ers who was working part-time in a local Bible Church and
group of believers and began full-time in the music depart-
holding services in the one-light ment at ALC. He invited me
Appalachian town of Neon, Ken- to teach at a student ministry
tucky, on April 1, 2000, some may he had recently begun. I agreed
have thought they were out of and met several students who
their minds. The region was not were hungry for God’s Word. I
wealthy, its economy was in de- asked if I could come to every
cline, and its culture was acutely meeting and was welcomed.
different from those where suc- Within a year, I had become
cessful churches were being the regular teacher of the big
planted. All the usual markers group and was leading a small
said no, but God said yes. group. Richard will not be re-
Lacy Andrews led the first turning to ALC next year, so
worship service of what would there is some question about
Jay Bennett teaching at a conference at NRPC
eventually become Neon Re- what the outreach will look like
formed Presbyterian Church moving forward. We anticipate
(NRPC). Fifteen people came. At that meeting, elder Seth continuing with a small group of about eight to ten students
Long recalls praying for God to provide local men to be min- along with walk-up evangelism on campus.
isters and elders in the OPC. Sunday, April 1, 2018, marked The ALC outreach produced many relationships that led
the eighteenth anniversary of that meeting. Forty-six people to the formation of two new Bible studies about forty min-
attended—including thirty-six members and six visitors utes from NRPC. One is near Hazard, Kentucky. It includes
from the community. One of the members in attendance was five to seven young men and women. The other is in Pikeville,
a young man named Corey Paige. Corey recently came un- Kentucky. We have seen more than ten under-churched and
der care of presbytery and began MDiv studies at Greenville unchurched people in it. God is working among these young
Seminary. It may have taken eighteen years, but it appears men and women!
as though the Lord is answering the prayers of his people in For the last five years we have consistently prayed for the
Neon with another yes! Lord to bring us to organization by 2020, and the session be-
Much has happened in the past eighteen years. The core lieves he may be doing just that. We have had several new visi-
group was formally established as a mission work in Octo- tors recently, giving has increased, and our triune God seems
ber 2000. John Belden was installed as evangelist four years to have renewed the work’s vitality and hope for the future.
later, serving faithfully for six years. In 2012, I was installed as His foolishness is indeed wiser than men! Please join us in
giving thanks to him for these blessings and asking that his
mission in the mountains of eastern Kentucky might continue
Home Missions Today to flourish, and the kingdom of our Lord Jesus Christ might
For up-to-date Home Missions news and prayer be advanced.
updates, e-mail HomeMissionsToday@opc.org.
New editions: August 1, 15, 29, and September
12, 26. The author is evangelist of Neon Reformed Presbyterian Church in
Neon, Kentucky.
NEW HORIZONS / AUGUST-SEPTEMBER 2018 / 13C H R I S T I A N E D U C AT I O N
IN FOND
RECOGNITION
OF PATRICIA
CLAWSON
// JAMES W. SCOTT Recently retired CCE office
secretary Patricia Clawson
of Choosing the Good Portion, an inspirational account of the
lives and labors of many women who made important contri-
O n June 1, Patricia (Pat) Clawson took an early retire-
ment from her position as office secretary for the Com-
mittee on Christian Education (CCE) in order to devote her
butions to the OPC over the years.
Pat’s administrative skills were put to work as the coor-
dinator of the Ministerial Training Institute of the OPC. She
time and energy to the care of her daughter Katie, who has processed applications, reports, and other paperwork, made
Hodgkin’s lymphoma that has not been responding to treat- the arrangements for the intensive training sessions, and han-
ment. dled the finances. For the internship program, she managed
Pat moved to the Philadelphia area with her husband, both the finances and the paperwork involving interns and
Douglas, when he began serving as the associate general churches. Each year, when a list of the interns and families,
secretary for the Committee on Foreign Missions in 2002. along with photos, was needed for the Thank Offering issue
Actually, they were returning to the area; they had also lived of New Horizons, she had it all ready.
in Philadelphia while Douglas was a student at Westminster Her work for New Horizons included putting together
Seminary. Pat became the CCE office secretary when the po- the prayer calendar, with contributions from Foreign Mis-
sition opened up in April 2005. sions and Home Missions.
Pat brought to the job more than the usual secretarial Pat’s servant’s heart was manifest in all her dealings as
skills, such as typing in triplicate at six- CCE office secretary. She was—and
ty words per minute, taking shorthand, is—a peacemaker and a deeply caring
and serving coffee. Having been a pas- person. Her love for others compels her
tor’s wife for many years (at Grace OPC to bring the needs of many people before
in Sewickley, Pennsylvania, and then at the throne of grace on a regular basis.
Grace OPC in Hanover Park, Illinois), When asked what she wanted to be
she also came with a knowledge of, and said about her, she replied that she was
appreciation for, the Orthodox Presby- thankful for the blessing of being able to
terian Church and many people in it. work with fellow Christians and for the
She brought in addition an understand- church. It was a privilege, she said, to get
ing of self-sacrifice and frugality. to know so many people in the OPC.
While living in the Chicago area, And when asked what she didn’t
Pat had been a freelance journalist, want to be said about her, she couldn’t
writing for no less a newspaper than think of anything.
the Chicago Tribune. This experience Pat went about her work faithfully,
was well utilized in her new position as often while dealing with physical weak-
editor Danny Olinger put her to work nesses. A breast cancer survivor, she also
writing articles for New Horizons mag- had to fend off colon cancer and battled
azine. Her biggest assignment was be- chronic conditions. Despite an uncoop-
ing the coeditor (with Diane Olinger) erative hip, she carried all but the heavi-
14 / NEW HORIZONS / AUGUST-SEPTEMBER 2018est boxes of ordered CCE literature up and down the hall
for processing and mailing. This spring—only after the CCE OUR MEMBERSHIP VOWS
meeting was over—she finally had her needed hip replace- True Repentance
ment.
When Pat retired, she was one of four women in the Glen J. Clary
OPC office building (out of eight) in the vicinity of six feet
The Shorter Catechism defines repentance as:
tall. I don’t know when I have ever been around so many
women I’ve had to look up to! ...a saving grace, whereby a sinner, out of a true sense
Pat will be missed at the OPC offices, but she will con- of his sin, and apprehension of the mercy of God in
tinue to coordinate MTIOPC from home and write articles Christ, doth, with grief and hatred of his sin, turn from
for New Horizons. Right now, her ministry to her daughter, it unto God, with full purpose of, and endeavor after,
fighting for her life, must take precedence. Your prayers for new obedience. (Q. 87)
Katie, Pat, and the rest of the family would be much appreci- When the Holy Spirit gives the gift of repentance to
ated. sinners, they respond by recognizing and confessing their
guilt, grieving over their offenses, turning away from their
The author is a member of Trinity OPC in Hatboro, Pennsylva- sins, and turning toward God with a desire to serve him in
nia. the newness of the Spirit (Rom. 7:6).
Repentance begins at our conversion, but it doesn’t end
there. From that moment on, our whole life is one of repen-
Congratulations tance. Every day, we turn away from sin and endeavor, by
the grace of God, to serve him through Spirit-empowered
The Shorter Catechism has been recited by: obedience. Our need for repentance will not end until we
enter heaven. Only then will we be made perfect in holiness
• Timothy Robbins, Covenant Presbyterian (Shorter Catechism Q. 37).
Church of Monterey Bay, Marina, CA The third membership vow of the OPC requires us to
confess that because of our sinfulness, we abhor and humble
The First Catechism has been recited by:
ourselves before God. The word “abhor” means to hate,
• Hannah Olivier, Pineville Presbyterian Church, detest, or despise. However, the vow does not mean that we
Pineville, LA should abhor ourselves as human beings but that we should
abhor ourselves as sinful human beings; that is, we should
• Ethan Bolyer, Pineville Presbyterian Church,
abhor our fallen and corrupt nature.
Pineville, LA
Repentance also leads us to reject the notion that we
The Children’s Catechism has been recited by: are able to save ourselves or that we are good enough to be
accepted by God on our own. There is absolutely nothing
• David McCabe, Grace Presbyterian Church, that we can do to make ourselves acceptable to God.
Vienna, VA Because of our sinful condition, we are utterly unholy,
• Benjamin Borg, Providence OPC, Bradenton, FL unrighteous, and unable to do any spiritual good in the
sight of God. We must, therefore, not trust for salvation in
ourselves but in Jesus Christ alone. True repentance requires
nothing less.
Out of the Mouth . . .
The Sunday school teacher was telling the story
of Adam and Eve’s disobedience. He asked the
class, “Why did bad things happen when Adam
ate the fruit? My five-year-old son answered,
“Because the fruit was not washed.” The teacher
rejoined, “No, back then the fruit was all organic.”
—Stan Liao
Ethan Bolyer and Hannah Olivier, coached by their teacher
Saratoga, CA
Diane Sawyer, successfully recited the First Catechism Note: If you have an example of the humorous “wisdom” that can
come from children, please send it to the editor.
NEW HORIZONS / AUGUST-SEPTEMBER 2018 / 15fresher, taught by Rev. Dr. Matthew H. Patton.
NEW COURSE OFFERED The fall semester begins on August 20, 2018, with on-
line reading and writing assignments. MTIOPC culminates
AT FALL MTIOPC with three days of mandatory, in-person Intensive Training
from November 6 through 8 at Grace Presbyterian Church
Patricia E. Clawson
in Columbus, Ohio. Students, excluding commuters, should
The Ministerial Training Institute of the Orthodox Pres- plan to arrive on Monday, November 5, and leave after classes
byterian Church for the first time offers an offshoot of Rev. conclude at 2:30 p.m. on Thursday, November 8.
Dr. A. Craig Troxel’s popular Ecclesiology class with his newly The MTIOPC courses are primarily designed for OPC
developed Ecclesiology: Pastoral Theology course. ministers, licentiates, and men under care of a presbytery.
Taking Ecclesiology’s theoretical approach and founda- OPC elders and ministers from related ecclesiastical bodies
tional principles one step further, Troxel will look at the doc- may enroll in Reformed Worship or A Hebrew Refresher.
trine of the pastoral ministry in the church known as Pastoral
Returning Courses
Theology. Like a seminary course on preaching, this Pastoral
Theology course will combine both the theoretical and the The Reformed Worship class will learn the biblical and
practical. The goal of the Pastoral Theology course is to help theological foundations of Reformed worship as well as the
equip ministerial candidates and pastors to better understand history and practice of Christian worship. The students should
become equipped to plan and lead worship
services that accord with Scripture and the
OPC’s Directory for Public Worship.
A Hebrew Refresher course is designed
for ministers and licentiates who seek to
deepen their knowledge of Hebrew. The stu-
dents should gain confidence in reading Old
Testament Hebrew and understanding how
to use this skill in their preaching and teach-
ing.
Registration deadline is July 31, 2018.
Lodging, food, rides to and from the
airport, and local travel are provided for free
during Intensive Training. Travel scholar-
ships are available to OPC pastors, licenti-
ates, and men under care of a presbytery.
All students pay a $50 registration fee,
which is fully refundable upon successful
May 2018 MTIOPC participants at Harvest OPC in Wyoming, MI completion of the course. While tuition is
free for OPC ministers, licentiates, and men
under care, OPC elders pay an additional
and perform their ministerial responsibilities to the flock, said $50 and non-OPC ministers pay $100 in tuition.
Troxel. Applications and course descriptions are available at
The Ecclesiology and Ecclesiology: Pastoral Theology www.opc.org. Go to Worldwide Outreach, then Christian
courses will have minimal overlap in content. “Pastoral The- Education, then Ministerial Training. Click on MTIOPC.
ology will be more focused For questions, contact
upon how a minister should Pat Clawson, MTIOPC coor-
conceive of his work and what dinator, through her new con-
principles guide him as he
Fall 2018 MTIOPC Quick Facts tact information: (215) 896-
conducts his ministry,” said 6825 or email pat.clawson.
Starting Date: August 20
Troxel. Intensive Training: November 6–8 at Grace Presby-
opc@gmail.com. MTIOPC
Ecclesiology: Pastoral terian Church in Columbus, Ohio Director Danny Olinger may
Theology will join this fall’s Registration Deadline: July 31, 2018 be reached at danny.olinger@
slate of MTIOPC courses, Classes: Reformed Worship, Ecclesiology: Pasto- opc.org.
comprised of Reformed Wor- ral Theology, and A Hebrew Refresher
Instructors: Glen Clary, Craig Troxel, and Matthew
ship, taught by Rev. Dr. Glen The author is the coordinator of
Patton
J. Clary, and A Hebrew Re- MTIOPC.
16 / NEW HORIZONS / AUGUST-SEPTEMBER 2018P R AY E R C A L E N DA R
AUG-SEPT
Items pertaining specifically to September are in italics.
6
Mr. and Mrs. K., Asia. Pray for
opportunities for Mr. K. to share
the gospel with his language
study classmates. / Chris and
Tina DeJong Grace Ann Cashen, Clarkston, The Medcalfs
GA. Pray for children in the sum-
mer program to truly hear the
truth about Jesus.
1 Pray for the labors of Mr. and
Mrs. M. M., Mr. and Mrs. J. M.,
and tentmaking missionary T. 7
Pray for missionary associates
E. C., E. K., and M. S., Asia, as
11
Kevin and Rachel Medcalf,
Cumming, GA. Pray that the
Spirit would multiply the Word
D., Asia. / Summer intern Josh fall semester classes begin at through the church. / Army
Valdix, Immanuel OPC, West the university. / Janet Birkmann, chaplain David (Jenna) DeRienzo
Collingswood, NJ. communications coordinator for and Navy chaplain Cornelius
Short-Term Missions. (Deidre) Johnson.
2 12
David and Rebekah Graves, Coeur Summer intern Aaron (Jacque-
d’Alene, ID. Pray for a new facility line) Mize, Trinity OPC, Easton,
to accommodate the growing PA. / Mark and Jeni Richline, Mon-
8
Lacy (and Debbie) Andrews,
congregation. / Praise the Lord regional home missionary for tevideo, Uruguay. Pray for good
for the publication of the Trinity the Presbytery of the Southeast. involvement as they prepare the
Psalter Hymnal. / Summer interns Brendan West- new church facility.
erfield, Lakeview OPC, Rockport,
ME, and Bryce (Kelcie) Souve,
Escondido OPC, Escondido, CA.
3 13
Ben and Heather Hopp, Haiti. Missionary associates Markus
Pray for opportunities to share and Sharon Jeromin, Montevideo,
Jesus Christ with many grieving Uruguay. Pray that the English
over recent deadly accidents. Club may bring new visitors to
9
Ben and Melanie Westerveld and
/ Gregory Reynolds, editor of missionary associate Janine Ey- church. / Home Missions admin-
Ordained Servant, and part-time genraam, Quebec, Canada. Pray istrative assistant Katie Stumpff.
staff accountant Doug Watson. for good participation in the Au-
gust Teen Camp. / Pray for David
Haney in his new responsibilities
4 14
Jay and Andrea Bennett, Neon, Larry and Kalynn Oldaker, Huron,
as director of the Committee on
KY. Pray that NRPC would be OH. Please pray for the conver-
Ministerial Care.
organized by 2020. / Mr. and sion of several witnessed to
Mrs. F., Asia, give thanks for time at Grace Fellowship. / Pray for
10
with their daughters before their Chris and Megan Hartshorn, Ana- Stephen Pribble, senior technical
daughters return to the US for heim Hills, CA. Pray that Ana- associate, and Linda Foh, techni-
school. heim Hills Presbyterian would cal assistant for OPC.org.
see conversions and growth. /
Ray and Michele Call, Montevi-
5 15
Matt and Elin Prather, Corona, deo, Uruguay. Pray for their son Affiliated missionaries Craig
CA. Pray that God would prepare Jeremiah as he prepares for and Ree Coulbourne and Linda
the men in officer training to college life in the US. Karner, Japan. / Pray for stated
shepherd Corona Presbyterian clerk Ross Graham as he works
Church. / Pray for CCE general on the minutes and yearbook of
secretary Danny Olinger as he the Eighty-fifth (2018) General
oversees the intern program. Assembly.
NEW HORIZONS / AUGUST-SEPTEMBER 2018 / 17You can also read
