Reformed Presbyterian Minutes of Synod 1997 - Rparchives.org

146 MINUTES OF THE 1997 SYNOD OF THE
of the Church. We are thankful for the extensive unity we have with our brethren
in the American Presbyterian Church and pray that God might open a door soon
for these brethren to join with us in full organic union. We note with concern
trends in the Christian Reformed Church, and pray that the Lord would guide
them back to sounder paths.
Unto this catholick visible church Christ hath given the ministry,
oracles, and ordinances of God, for the gathering and perfecting of the
saints in this life, to the end of the world; and doth by his own presence
and Spirit, according to his promise, make them effectual thereunto.
(Westminster Confession of Faith XXV:3)
We thank the Lord for the work of the Committee to Revise the Directory for
the Public Worship of God, and we trust that it shall issue in a Directory which will
assist our churches to bring greater glory to God in His public worship. We thank
Him for the work of our presbyteries and congregations. We praise him for
preserving the RP Seminary since 1810 as a sound, orthodox institution of
Scriptural instruction for men entering the ministry. We thank the Lord that
through RPTS and Ottawa Theological Hall He is raising up preachers of His word.
We are thankful for His sending us the students and for providing the finances
necessary for these works of instruction. We share with the cry of our Japanese
Presbytery that the Lord would raise up more workers. We pray that the Kobe
Theological Hall will be an effective means to see new Japanese pastors come
forward. We pray, "O Lord, Send us Laborers for the Harvest! And give us eyes
to see the Harvest white before us!" We are thankful for an increasing awareness
as a denomination of home missions, we are grateful that we are growing in
confidence to plant new churches and see them come to full stature.
We note with awe the new congregations, mission churches and exploratory
works the Lord of the Church has placed among us: Anchor (Adelphi, Md),
Evansville (Indiana), Hazleton (Penna), Elkhart (Ind.), Iron County (Mich.),
Wichita (Ks), Christ Our King (Orange, Co., Calif.), Bancroft (Ontario), New
Hartford (NY), Triangle (Raleigh-Durham, NC), Lansing (Mich), South Hills
(Pittsburgh, Pa.), Russell (Ontario), Cincinnati (Ohio), Atlanta (Georgia), Syracuse
(NY). We are thankful for the new ministers and elders who were presented to
the Synod this year.
We are also thankful for the progress of our Cyprus sister Church, for Bill and
Pitsa Sterrett who have gone there to labor in the word at Trinity Community
Christian Fellowship. At the same time we are concerned that we are at this time
putting so few missionaries in the Field. We need the Lord's help to keep up the
work in Japan. We are thankful for those who are on the mission field, and we
pray that new missionaries would be given us by the Lord of the Harvest.
We give thanks for Mr. Takiura being present and join in his prayer for the Lord
to raise up missionaries to go to Japan to finish the work of outreach we began.
We give thanks for our missionary chaplains serving through the Presbyterian St