News Concerning Our Churches

Author Unknown. Possibly J VanderBom or J.W. Deenick. Trowel & Sword, November, 1955

Preamble: The following is the church news from November 1955. We would love to hear what strikes you about these reports. On the one hand we read of an amazing dynamism that has gripped the churches. There is growth and the calling of ministers. There are pastoral issues and church education to consider as well as more parochial issues around smoking and drinking and its impact on relationships between denominations. We also draw your attention to point 4 of the Blacktown report. T&S was seen as an important tool for sharing information between the churches. This has not changed. We will continue to urge the leadership of the CRCA to find a way to re-establish this most important and invaluable form of communication between the churches and its members. We note that in the six years from 2014 to 2020, the total membership of the CRCA has gone from 8649 to 7671; a drop of nearly 1000 members. Surely this is cause for concern, if not alarm. While acknowledging that this cannot be attributed to the demise of Trowel & Sword, perhaps the loss of T&S is a symptom of a cultural malaise that does exist within the CRCA which has replaced the “amazing dynamism” spoken of earlier.

News Concerning Our Churches

BLACKTOWN. (New South Wales)

September 24 was an important day for N.S.W. The Presbytery (Classis) of this Australian State came together under the chairmanship of Rev van der Bom (sic). He specially welcomed delegates from Newcastle (for the first time officially present); Rev. van Brussel (for the first time attending Presbytery meeting since arrival in Australia) and candidate D.C. Bouma, American  born Theological student who came to Australia in an answer to a call from the Ref. Church of Blacktown.

Here are briefly a few items which were discussed.

1. After the opening, Cand. Bouma, having passed his verbal examination on Gen. 15:1 is officially admitted to the Ref. Church of Australia as minister in full status.

{A brief report on this important item will be given elsewhere or, if space does not allow it  to be printed in this issue of T .& S., in the next).

2. Sydney will be calling Church for synod 1956·.

3. A suggestion to appoint a third lecturer at our Theological College will be laid before this Synod.

4. Trowel & Sword should be more widely read. Some difficulties in connection with the distribution will be taken up with the people concerned.

5. School-Sunday will be held on 30th October. This Sunday a collection will be held and the monies received donated to the various School Committees.

6. Every fortnight, the church of Orange will have a “life” sermon conducted by one of the ministers. This decision was prompted in order to come to a more regular Catechism class and to promote more regular church going.

7. Church visitations can now properly be organised as there are now four ministers in N.S.W. Two ministers plus one elder will visit the churches once every two years.

8. At AUSTRALIA DAY a CONGRESS will be held (last Monday in Jan 1956) in which all congregations of Reformed New South Wales will participate. The preceding Sunday, Holy Communion will be administered to all scattered members.

9. BLACKTOWN invites members of the other churches to be present when Rev. Bouma will preach his ‘Maiden’ sermon on Oct. 8. Rev. van Brussel will represent Presbytery.

10. Once a month, 2GZ will broadcast a short religious program in English prepared by the Ref. Church.

11. Presbytery will meet again D.V. February 4, 1956.

MOE. (Victoria)

One of the fast-growing towns in Victoria. Moe sent a call to the Rev. J.A. Boumeester. (Heerjansdam, Holland). Rev. Bouwmeester has accepted this call.

PERTH.  (West Australia)

This city called Rev. P.van der Schaaf, (Vlissingen, Hoiland) who also accepted the call to Australia.

ADELAIDE. A Manse was purchased for Rev. J .J. van Wageningen at 48 Thomas Street, Hyde Park., South Australia.

LAUNCESTON. (Tasmania)

A call has been sent to Rev. K. Kramer (Barendrecht, Holland).

PENGUIN-ULVERSTON. (Tasmania)

Rev. van Wilgenburg arrived in Tasmania from Perth on Sept. 17. The next day, Sunday, was the official installation service. Rev. van Wilgenburg has now the pastoral care for Penguin and Ulverston and all those Ref. people that live in the North West Coast region.

NEW ZEALAND.

We are very happy and thankful being able to state that Rev J.A. Scarrow and his people of the Howick Presbyterian-Reformed Church have decided to remain within the fellowship of the Ref. Church of New Zealand.

·We all know that at the last Synod in Auckland, the issue: smoking and drinking made them very uncertain as to the possibility to remain in close fellowship with us. As we were told a few days ago, their session has now decided that this should not be a cause for such a grave step and consequently resolved to continue the warm fellowship we all desire.

Again, has God shown that He does not leave the Work He started.

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