pilgrim people

WSC grad and candidate for the ministry Brian Cochran put together this helpful map of NAPARC churches in California.

It's actually quite impressive to see how many confessional churches exist in the Golden State. It makes me weep all the more for countries such as Italy where there is almost nothing at all.

Yesterday, the White Horse Inn interviewed Sebastian Heck, a Reformed church-planter in Heidelberg, Germany. This is definitely worth reading, especially for members of any URC congregation or those who love the Heidelberg Catechism. Indeed, we owe a debt to those  crafted the catechism (Ursinus & Olevianus) and those who brought it to America and into the English language. Sebastian is now seeking to bring the Reformed witness back to the "Geneva of the North," a place that in the sixteenth century was the training ground and launching pad for hundreds of Reformed pastors.

This interview is helpful because Sebastian gives a vivid sketch of the state of Christianity in Germany today and the immense need for planting Reformed churches in Europe once again. To find out more about Reformation 2 Germant click here.

Here's the info provided by Christ URC intern and soon-to-be WSC M.Div graduate (dv), Mark Vander Pol: 

For those that live in the Tacoma/ Gig Harbor, WA area: Are you interested in seeing a solid, Confessional Reformed church in your area? There is currently in the early planning stages a Bible study/church plant in Gig Harbor with the goal of establishing a URC church. Since this is still in its infancy we are trying to gather some rough idea as to how many people might be interested in this work. This is a unique opportunity that the Lord has placed before us and we hope and pray that the field is ready for the harvest on the Kitsap Peninsula.

So if you live near Gig Harbor and this interests you then please send an e-mail to Mark Vander Pol at gigharborreformed@gmail.com or check our blog at gigharborreformed.wordpress.com. If you know somebody that lives close to that location then please forward this information on to them! This group needs to know that you are out there so please contact them!

The Oceanside URC has called Rev. Derrick Vander Meulen, an experienced URC pastor currently serving in Jennison, Michigan, to be the church-planting pastor of Kauai Reformation Church. Please give God thanks for providing this servant to work in the fields of his harvest on the island of Kauai, and pray for him, his family, his current church, and for more disciples to be made throughout the Hawaiian islands.

As a native Southern Californian, I look at  Rev. Mander Meulen's boys and have only one question: How many of them do you think will grow up to be good surfers? Something tells me this may be one of the last photos of them in ties and tucked-in shirts for a long time! Aloha Vander Meulens!

The consistory of the Oceanside URC is convinced that the area of San Clemente/Dana Point/San Juan Capistrano needs a confessionally Reformed congregation. Over the past six months they have discussed, prayed for, studied, and developed a plan to explore gathering a core group. They have commissioned Jon Moersch, who recently sustained his candidacy exam, to do this work. They ask two things of their fellow churches of Classis Southwest: 1) to pray for a core group in this area, and, 2) play an active role by directing friends in south Orange County who are not members of a Reformed congregation to check out their website

Jon Moersch is a personal and long-time friend of mine. I rejoice to see him assigned to serve in this capacity, and ask that you would pray for him and his family as well as the work.