Bill van Schie. Trowel & Sword. March 2003 Preamble: Last week, despite our “tongue-in-cheek” description of the approach of many people to attending a church service, we learned from Bill that attending a church service is serious business. How serious? Imagine the following scenario. The last day has arrived and all people have been raisedContinue reading “Worship As Dialogue”
Category Archives: Church Life
Worship – Focus
Bill van Schie. Trowel & Sword. February 2003 Preamble: Attending a church service would appear to most to be a simple process. You walk in, go to the same seat you have been sitting in, perhaps for years, and perhaps even “gently” admonish someone who has had the temerity to “inadvertently” sit in “your seat”.Continue reading “Worship – Focus”
A Survey To Make You Think
Dr. K. Runia. Trowel & Sword, November 1961 Preamble: The following are the results of a survey conducted it a Presbyterian Church in 1961 and published in “Presbyterian Life”. Dr. Runia asks a very pertinent question. If this survey had been conducted in a Reformed Church back then, would the results have been any different?Continue reading “A Survey To Make You Think”
Is It Really So Important To Go To Church Every Sunday?
K. Runia. Trowel & Sword. October 1961. Preamble: Prof. Runia begins this article by quoting statistics on the church attendance of all Australians in 1961. If these numbers were repeated in 2024 churches would be packed to overflowing and we would be living in a very different country today. Sadly, this is not the caseContinue reading “Is It Really So Important To Go To Church Every Sunday?”
My Culture – Right Or Wrong
Henk DeWaard. Trowel & Sword. June 1979. Preamble: When we think “missionary” we tend to think of men and women going off to far away places like Africa, Asia or perhaps the Pacific region to spread the gospel message to people who may have never heard it before. When Henk Points out that, “Most mission workContinue reading “My Culture – Right Or Wrong”
The Reformed Church And The Future
John VanderBom. Trowel & Sword, April 1977 Preamble: In this article John VanderBom looks over a period of fifty years – 25 into the past and 25 into the future. In the process he asks many searching questions about the Reformed church and the people who make up its numbers. It is almost another fiftyContinue reading “The Reformed Church And The Future”
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 callingContinue reading “News Concerning Our Churches”
Why Should I Give Money To The Church?
Unknown – Possibly J.VanderBom or J.W. Deenick. Trowel & Sword, April/May 1955. Preamble: The question of giving to the church is never far from the minds of church leaders, and particularly treasurers in their efforts to balance budgets. Rather than looking at this in purely fiscal terms, the author of this article looks more closelyContinue reading “Why Should I Give Money To The Church?”
What Does Our Church Teach?
C. Schaveling. Trowel & Sword, June/July 1959. Preamble: This article was originally published across two editions as shown above. It begins with a brief introduction, presumably written by Dr. K. Runia, in which he invites readers to share their copies of Trowel & Sword to people who may be interested in learning more about theContinue reading “What Does Our Church Teach?”
Should We Still Commemorate October 31?
Is Rome Really Changing? Dr. K. Runia. Trowel & Sword, October 1964 Preamble: Is Reformation day still remembered and celebrated by your local church? In our church, Reformation day was always celebrated with a combined service with the Presbyterian and Reformed Presbyterian churches. Then came the covid lockdowns and the service had to be cancelled.Continue reading “Should We Still Commemorate October 31?”
T&S Revisited 