HAPPY FEBRUARY BIRTHDAY!

1 Elizabeth Larson
Claire Schregardus
15 Keith Cravotta
Jason Naber
Ruth VanWyk
27 Lou Benes
Isaiah DeVries
Maggie Larson
THE CHIMES
2 Paul Essenburg
Ben Ypma
Krista Torres
Veronica Vroon 16 Joshua Hegg
Ian Kleinheksel HAPPY FEBRUARY
3 Josh Durfee
“And now these
ANNIVERSARY! February 2011
Addison Green 18 Dave Bossardet three remain:
Clarice Elferdink John & Nancy Ossewaarde
4 Benjamin Nykerk
Russell Norden 2/1/1992 FAITH, HOPE
Bob & Karen Schra

FEBRUARY 2011
5 Katie Hamberg
19 Barbra Rubio 2/8/1958 and LOVE...
Dorothy Kleinheksel
Bob Schra Scott & Emily Hoogewind
Peter Moes 2/9/2008

Laverne Nienhuis 20 Aaryn Bierly Paul & Anne Mulder

2/13/1960
Robert Poll
6 Brenda Hollenkamp Richard & Coryne Struik
James Voss
2/14/1969
Leah Koopmans
Ron & Alyce Prins
21 Juan Leal
2/22/1963
7 Kenneth Vos
Ron Weersing

8 Adrian Vlietstra
22 Lisa McFarland

9 Gertrude Vos
23 Denise Poll

10 Elizabeth Mulder
24 Hans Evenson
Evelyn French
12 Andrew Liang
A James Kleis
Steve Miller
Kyle Slenk
But the greatest of these is LOVE.”
25 Jill VanderStoep

14 Myka Nienhuis 1 Corinthians 13:13

26 Joe Boeve
Gene Vanderwell
Jeff Horn
Jillaine Vereeke
Amy Johansen
The Chimes is published by First Reformed Church ● 630 State Street, Holland, MI 49423 ● 616-392-8085 ● www.firstchurchofholland.org
Marcia Vlietstra
Volume 30, Number 2 ● Submit articles to te.delong@sbcglobal.net by the 20th of each month ● Editor: Ellen DeLong
• 10 •
 JOIN US FOR WORSHIP
FEBRUARY SCHEDULE
Kid’s Page
February 6 – Rev. Dr. Daniel N. Gillett - Psalm 123 – “Look to the Hand” Color all the hearts red. How many did you color? _____

Now color the rest of the picture.

February 13 – Rev. Dr. Daniel N. Gillett - John 14:23-24 – “The Sermon I Don‟t Want to Preach”

February 20 – Rev. Dr. Daniel N. Gillett - 2 Chronicles 14:2-25 – “Wise King Asa: When Strong
Gets Stronger”

February 27 – Guest Preacher

PASTOR’S PERSPECTIVE

Conventional wisdom says that you should figure out where your performance is deficient and then you
should work to make it better. There is a cute modern parable that fights against concept:

There was a school for animals and the curriculum stated that all the animals should be well balanced and
excel in all required areas including swimming, running, and tree climbing.
The duck did well at swimming, had real trouble with running, and kept cheating at the tree climbing by
flying. So they made him stay after school and work on his running until his feet were worn down and then
he couldn‟t swim any more either.
The Cheetah was, of course, the fastest runner, but wouldn‟t even get in the water, so they expelled him.
Plus he tried to eat the duck.
The frog was actually a great swimmer, but he didn‟t really run, he jumped, and as far as tree climbing he
was a dismal failure.
You get the point, but the conclusion was the dog ate the curriculum so everyone went home and sanity
was restored to the forest.
While it is sometimes appropriate to work on things that need improvement, it is also sometimes appropri-
ate to excel at and use the particular gifts God has given us. One of the great gifts God has given First
Church is a richness in generations and the ability to share life and experiences together. Some churches
have a narrow demographic, ours is wide and deep and we purposely interact to share our gifts and lives
with each other.

In order to help celebrate this „something we are gifted in‟ we are going to have a special emphasis in
March called “Generation to Generation.” More details will come but the subtitle is March Madness. We
have some fun things in the planning stages. So stay tuned as we celebrate something good God has given
us.

Pastor Dan

•2• •9•
 GL BAL CONNECTIONS
The purpose of the Global Mission Steering Committee is to design a Global Mission Ministry that
would be responsible for expanding and enhancing the global mission presence at First Reformed
Church. They have listed key objectives and currently are prioritizing a list of suggestions for imple-
mentation for 2011 and beyond.

The steering team consists of Ruggles and Sandra Church, leaders, Paul and Doris Alderink, Rachel
Billings, Russ and Ellie Nordens, Lenora Ridder, Mark Schrotenboer (liaison to Embody Christ), Katy
Sundararajan, Adeline Sybesma, Mary VandePoel, and Gene Vanderwell.

WORDS OF HOPE - Good News No Boundaries

In the country of IRAN, the primary way for the people to hear the gospel is via radio, TV and the Inter-
net. In spite of the ongoing governmental interference with radio and TV signals, blocked internet
sites, strict censorship and severe penalties for showing an interest in Christianity, the Farsi-speaking
people have shown a very positive response to the gospel. The injustice, intolerant government, sor-
row and suffering have caused many to reject Islam and find peace and healing in Christ. Bibles are in
short supply because importing them is restricted, but the growing demand indicates the gospel is
advancing.

Pray:
For efforts to expand the production of Farsi language gospel broadcasts.
For indigenous workers who visit Christians and teach new believers.
For God‟s grace to sustain the Christians through times of severe persecution as
many are choosing to leave the country due to the harassment and hardship.

Since 1998, WORDS of HOPE has joined with broadcast partners to transmit the
gospel via shortwave radio from Germany to Iran. Each day there are two 30 min-
ute broadcasts. The annual cost for Words of Hope is $94,540.

First Reformed Church budgets $3000 to the general broadcast ministry of Words
of Hope.

RCA NEWS - GLOBAL MISSIONS TODAY

Have you ever heard of the Pokot Church? It sure doesn‟t have a familiar ring to most of us!

It is a church in northern Kenya of some two thousand people who had worshipped many gods and
spirits but now have become Christians and have formed 18 congregations in and near the village of
Alale.

The Pokot people were first introduced to Christ by Reformed Church missionaries working in partner-
ship with the African Inland Church (AIC). This partnership developed into a full range of mission
work, evangelism, medical care and training for nurses, clean water development and farming and
better cattle development. This RCA and AIC partnership was so productive and blessed by God that
the work was turned over to AIC to continue the development of churches and church ministries.

“Just as Jesus came ministering to the whole person, so his people - missionaries and national Chris-
tians working together - have ministered among the Pokot people,” says Larry McAuley, our mission-
ary in Malawi, “God is continuing to bless that work - ever true to his in 1Cor. 15:59 (NIV): „Stand firm.
Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves full to the work of the Lord, because you know that your
labor in the Lord is not in vain.‟

Pray for the Pokot Church! If you want to know more about this exciting full Gospel work of the RCA
see Paul or Doris Alderink or other members of the First Church Global Mission Steering Committee.
They have more information available. You can also see www.rca/rcatoday.

•5•
 The sun is shining brightly. Katy just sent me a note on Face-
book telling me that it was a “balmy 8 degrees” in Holland, MI.
It makes me shudder. It is almost 85 degrees here today. My
body will have to deal with an 80 degree temperature drop
later this weekend when I return. Yikes!

I am currently in India to help the staff brainstorm big plans as we look to the
future. God has been working in spectacular ways here in India. As is usu-
ally my modus operandi, I have a great story for you. Last week, my brother
News from JP and I made our way up to the desert state of Rajasthan in NW India. We
were there to meet with some leaders and make plans to do some re-
cordings there. Rajasthan, literally translated, means the Land of Kings. Needless to say, their his-
tory is ripe with stories of brave rulers, and regal customs. Being in a desert bordering Pakistan, it also
served as the first line of defense for the Hindu kings against rampaging Muslim invaders. Stories of
valor and scandal fill the history books here. One such story is what touched me.

A long, long time ago, a king in Rajasthan took for himself a concubine who was a tribal woman from
the western part of the state (not an unusual saga). Life was good. Problems began to surface later
on in their history. While the portioning of the kingdom happened a few generations later, descendants
of the tribal woman, came to the Raja (king) asking for their portion. The king at that time was embar-
rassed by these tribal half-siblings of his. In order to both appease their request, and to squelch his
own shame, he banished them into a remote part of the state where they were asked to live in forests,
eating berries and nuts.

The descendants today belong to a tribe called the Garasias. It has been 500 years since this portion-
ing happened but the wounds have never fully healed. The Garasias have always felt rejected and
unloved. One of our contacts in Rajasthan has been working extensively with this tribe. He told us
stories of when they first went into this field, people warned him about how dangerous this tribe was.
Undeterred, he went. He had opportunities to minister to this group. The biggest revelation, he said,
for this tribe was the knowledge that God loves them. They could not believe that anybody would
love them. It began there. Suddenly realizing that they were not alone in life radically altered the
worldview for this fearsome animalistic tribe. Now, the Garasias are thirsty for God’s Word. They
want to know more about this God who loves them. The translation of the Garasia New Testament
only recently got finished. However, less than 5% of the entire tribe is literate.

We have a good relationship with the translators. We’ve got readers already picked out, and as soon
as we can get logistics figured out, we hope to get the Garasia NT recorded. Talk about an exciting
project! We get to tell them again that God loves them, and that His Word is now available in their
own language. This will be the first recording in the tribe’s history!

I am still reliving our fellowship in Rajasthan. In Bangalore, meanwhile, we are making serious plans
on how to proceed with the Ministry Center here. We have very promising leads. I will be able to
update you personally when I am back with you. For now, keep praying for this important step in our
ministry here. We badly need to update our current facilities but we are also waiting for clear instruc-
tions from God on how to proceed. It is encouraging.

Thank you for your love and prayers. India is wonderful but it will also be good to be back with all of
you. Blessings! JP

• 6•
 THE BIG RED TULIP AWARD
It‟s no secret that we here at First Church love to eat! Our Wednesday night meals have
become so popular that we had to make our eating space larger in the Family Life Center
this year in order to accommodate everyone. We also enjoy our coffee fellowship every
Sunday morning and especially when there is cake! There is another wonderful opportu-
nity for you to enjoy a meal with members of First Church in a more intimate setting.
These are usually groups of six or eight (couples of singles) that either go out to a local
restaurant or are invited to one of the group member‟s homes. The group itself decides
where it would like to eat. There is no limit to what you can do as a group. Some like
walks on the beach, some like a picnic at the beach, and some like to hike or ride bikes
together. This could easily be an „Empty Chair‟ event if you know of someone or a couple
who is looking for a church home. This event was started a few years back by Barb
Coney and has proven to be a time of getting to know one another. Barb will usually try to
mix up the group so that we have different ages as well as long-time members and new
members as well. If you are a new member, this is a time where you can get to know
some more of the congregation in a smaller group setting. For her willingness to set up
these groups and administer this whole process, we honor Barb Coney with the BIG RED
TULIP AWARD for this month. You can contact her at 399-0269 or 2atthe-
beach@sbcglobal.net to get yourself or yourselves signed up or sign up at the VIP station
in the back of church.
LAUGHTER IS THE BEST MEDICINE
That after the first two weeks of the Biggest
Loser contest a total of 119 pounds was lost by
the participants. Way to go!!
That Gert Vos is on the board for Max Bus.
That anyone can submit „Did You Know‟ items to
the Chimes. If you have an item of interest to
the congregation please email it to the editor at:
te.delong@sbcglobal.net.
You’ll never know God is all you need
until God is all you’ve got.
•8•
NEWS & NOTES FOR THE CONGREGATION
THANK YOU FROM CONSISTORY: We all know that 2010 was an-
other tough year economically. Yet we received offerings of about the
same amount, paid down our indebtedness by over $50,000, baptized
believers, had some very significant special offerings for community/
global ministries, sent a mission team to Mexico, continued on our mis-
sion to plant a church, and were the people of God to each other as a
family. That all happened because of the heart and self-giving of this
fellowship we call First Church and the Consistory gives thanks.
Come and join us at Pine Trails Camp for a day-long women's retreat on Sat-
urday, March 12, 2011. We seek refreshment, renewal, and enrichment as
women are so often pulled in many directions at once. Come and soothe
your frazzled edges with activities, meals you didn't cook, move-
ment, fellowship, and our own Katy Sundararajan as the speaker.
Please invite a friend as this is an extra chair event.
Contact Catherine Ristola Bass at catherinerb@yahoo.com or 355-0001.
We look forward to spending the day with you!
NEW BOOKS AVAILABLE NOW IN THE FIRST CHURCH LIBRARY
Heaven is for Real: A Little Boy's Astounding Story of His Trip to Heaven and Back by Todd Burpo
A young boy emerges from life-saving surgery with remarkable stories of his visit to
heaven.
Heaven Is for Real is the true story of the four-year old son of a small town Nebraska pastor
who during emergency surgery slips from consciousness and enters heaven. He survives
and begins talking about being able to look down and see the doctor operating and his dad
praying in the waiting room. The family didn't know what to believe but soon the evidence
was clear. Told by the father, but often in Colton's own words, the disarmingly simple mes-
sage is heaven is a real place, Jesus really loves children, and be ready, there is a coming
last battle.
Made to Crave: Satisfying Your Deepest Desire with God, Not Food by Lysa TerKeurst
Made to Crave is the missing link between a woman's desire to be healthy and the spiritual
empowerment necessary to make that happen. You can reach your healthy weight goal --
and grow closer to God in the process. This is not a how-to book. This is not the latest and
greatest dieting plan. This is a book and Bible study to help you find the 'want to' in making
healthy lifestyle choices.
Holy Superheroes! Revised and Expanded Edition: Exploring the Sacred in Comics, Graphic Novels,
and Film by Greg Garrett
Spider-Man. Batman. The X-Men. The Fantastic Four. Comic books and the characters they
have spawned have become twenty-first-century mythology. Greg Garrett helps us see the
profound depth that can be found in the glossy, fast-paced, and often violent world of comics,
graphic novels, and the films they inspire. It includes an appendix with descriptions of twenty-
five comics and graphic novels Garrett recommends for discussion of spirituality and comics.
•3•
 2nd ANNUAL FIRST REFORMED "AMAZING RACE"
Knowledge in God’s Word
SAVE THE DATE!! SATURDAY, JUNE 11, 2011
Adult Education February Spiritual Disciplines
Helping People Grow in Christ
Teams will be competing for the top spot and having fun, fun, fun!! Electives Christian Life Skills
Ministry/Mission
NO athletic ability needed - only the ability to laugh and enjoy a summer day with friends.

Start recruiting a team of 4 - 6 members and be ready to sign your team up beginning in April
~ ANNUAL SWEETHEART DINNER ~
Youth Fundraiser
Saturday, February 12
Mark your calendars now!
Be sure to get your reservation in soon!
YOUTH NEWS ! ! ! !
SENIOR HIGH
February 6 – Super Bowl Party!!
February 13 – Little People Big World
February 20 – Adam and Steve
LAKE ANN SKI/SLEDDING
RETREAT WEEKEND
FEBRUARY 25-27
SAVE THE DATE!
March 19 - 3 :00 PM
Speaker: Judy Squier
A fund raiser for
Renew Therapeutic Riding Center
(Phyllis DeHaan, Jodi Geerlings, and Tina Reynen)
Event to be held at Holland Christian HS
FEBRUARY
YOUTH
SCHEDULE
JUNIOR HIGH
February 2 – One Small Step – Acts 2:42-47
February 9 – Church Is So Puzzling – Romans 12
February 16 – Fun Night
February 23 – Dangerous People – Daniel 1:3-21
February 6, 13, & 20 January 9 - February 13
For Such a Time as This: The Fearless
Book of Esther as a Guide for
Today’s Church Max Lucado DVD series.
Rev. Dr. Carol Bechtel
Imagine your life without fear. And faith as
Christians have often been confused as to the appropriate- your default re-
ness of the book of Esther. (Martin Luther said it was “full of action to threats.
pagan naughtiness.”) In this class we will explore some of This DVD study
addresses how
the ways this book can guide modern Christians in how to
to fear less and
be faithful in the midst of an unfaithful culture.
trust more by
The Rev. Dr. Carol Bechtel is Professor of Old Testament taking an honest
at Western Theological Seminary in Holland, Michigan. She hopeful look at
recently served as President of the RCA‟s General Synod what can hap-
and moderator of its General Synod Council. She is author pen when fear
of several books and bible studies. She and her husband meets faith.
have four children.
February 20 - March 27
Servant or Sucker?
Wise & Compassionate Ways to Help the Poor
We‟ve all been there. Someone obviously poor approaches you and asks for money. What do you do?
Give money, say no, ignore the person? No one wants to be a sucker in these situations but at the
same time Jesus‟ call to help the poor echoes in our minds.
This DVD series will help viewers discern appropriate, Christ-centered actions when it comes to ad-
dressing poverty on a personal or organizational level. It combines on camera discussions by Rev. Beth
Templeton, poverty tours, and on the street interviews with those who have or have been helped with
the intention of helping the listener take steps to be an effective servant without getting suckered.
Coffee and Current Events
Grab a cup of coffee and join facilitator, Bruce Eckert, in the library
every Sunday for an informal discussion of current events and their re-
lationship to our life and faith.

•4• •7•