Compassionate Conservative Marvin Olasky Addresses Groups at North Hills RPC

An outreach event of the North Hills (Pittsburgh, Pa.) RPC featured Dr. Marvin Olasky, editor-in-chief of World magazine. Dr. Olasky, who was on the Geneva College campus on Feb. 17, came to Pittsburgh and spoke to overflow crowds at the new Gibsonia Study Center and the North Hills RPC on Feb. 18-19. Also, a Saturday afternoon meeting at the North Hills RPC presented items of special interest to subscribers of World magazine.

On both evenings, Dr. Olasky gave a testimony of God’s grace in his search for truth. Born into a Russian Jewish family, he renounced Judaism and became an atheist at 14. He joined the Communist Party shortly after graduating from college. In graduate school, he underwent a radical change. While working on a Ph.D. in American culture, he began to study the Bible in Russian. This led to his conversion to Christianity.

After sharing his spiritual journey, Dr. Olasky showed the relevance of the Reformed faith to many of the cultural issues of our day. He encouraged us to add positive things to our culture rather than merely being negative. Citing Scripture, he emphasized three basic things we are to protect in our culture today: life, freedom to worship God, and the scriptural view of marriage.

In addition to his position with World magazine, Dr. Olasky is a professor of journalism at the University of Texas at Austin. He is the author of 13 books in the areas of history and cultural analysis, including Compassionate Conservatism. He served as an advisor to then Texas Governor George W. Bush, and later served as a personal advisor in Bush’s 2000 presidential campaign.

The event with Dr. Olasky was the first public meeting on a new property that the North Hills RPC has obtained in Gibsonia. This property, which has a church building, a house, and another building, has been designated as the Gibsonia Study Center. The prayer of the congregation is that in God’s time a daughter church may be started on this site. Also, the congregation is asking the Reformed Presbyterian Theological Seminary to consider offering non-credit courses and seminars at the Gibsonia Study Center to help people to become better equipped to serve in Christ’s kingdom.

This weekend event was planned to reach out into our community with the gospel. Most of the people who came to both locations were not current members or adherents of the North Hills RPC. It is our hope that God will use such events to contact those whom He is calling to Himself, and that His church will grow.

Pacific Coast Presbytery

The Pacific Coast Presbytery of the RPCNA met in San Diego, Calif., on Feb. 11-12. Former moderator Mark England gave the retiring moderator’s address on the intercession of Christ (Heb. 1:1-14). Harold Reyburn, ruling elder from Phoenix, Ariz., RPC, was elected moderator.

Brent England underwent his final examinations for licensure and was sustained. He has been certified to receive a call. Brent and his wife, Meg, live in Escondido, Calif., where Brent attends Westminster Seminary in California. He is to graduate this spring.

The presbytery heard from representatives of Synod’s Revitalization Committee. Wade Mann and Harry Metzger attended the meeting and invited the presbytery to consider utilizing the committee workshops. Sessions are reviewing the invitation and materials.

The presbytery will hold a family conference this summer (Aug. 8–12) at Oak Glen Conference Center near San Bernardino, Calif. The speaker is David Reese, pastor of the Springs (Colorado Springs, Colo.) RPC. His topic is evangelism.

The Pacific Coast Presbytery has five churches, and all have pastors in their pulpits.

—Ken Orr, clerk of presbytery

Rochester, N.Y., RPC

Bill Chellis, pastor

Islam is fighting a bloody war against Christians in parts of Africa. Churches are routinely bombed and villages have been wiped out. Education is being used as a tool to promote Islamic thought. As Dr. Peter Hammond, a native South Afrikaner and an active missionary to Muslims in Africa, spoke last year in Rochester, N.Y., a member of the church was listening. God led this person to speak further with Dr. Hammond regarding the educational needs of Christians in Africa. This need was then brought to the leadership of the Rochester RPC.

Working with the Rochester Rapids homeschool basketball team, two local homeschooling groups, and a few other local churches, the Rochester RPC sent 1,000 pounds of Christian homeschooling books to a Christian school in Zambia, Central Africa. God truly blessed this effort. The price for shipping was $1,000, almost all of which was given by members of the church.

—Sharon Kellogg, correspondent

Ridgefield Park, N.J., RPC

J. Bruce Martin, pastor

On Feb. 6, members, friends, and guests gathered after the morning service to celebrate the birthday of Margaret Heaney, who turned 90 on Feb. 7. Margaret has been a member of the church since childhood, so the party was well attended. The members of the church gave Margaret an electric recliner, with the help of Midge Whitehead.

Once each month, the men of the church meet at the Ridgefield Park Diner for breakfast, then at the church building for a prayer session.

On Jan. 9, the congregation had their winter communion, and on Mar. 19 held their annual congregational meeting.

On Feb. 20, Duran Perkins was the guest minister. His wife, Betsy, and their children came with him. Duran is a graduate of the seminary as well as an elder in the Elkins Park, Pa., RPC.

Sidney Chin is now helping Dick Weir as he sees that all members have a copy of the Witness.

—Joan Hammond, correspondent

Shawnee, Kan., RPC

Wade Mann, pastor

Through the review of the session, and the web design and implementation by Lori Hemphill, the Shawnee, Kan., RPC is now “online.” The church web site can be reached at <www.shawneerpc.org>. An item of praise and thanksgiving to God is the safe return of S. Sgt. Megan Porter from a year in Iraq. She was stationed with the 443rd Transportation Company as a heavy-equipment transport driver, assisting in moving soldiers and equipment through Iraq. She was often in danger zones and under enemy fire. While she was there, the congregation sent several care packages full of items not easily found in Iraq. Ryan Hemphill, a shift manager at Starbucks, even arranged for 12 pounds of coffee and several cans of hot chocolate to be donated by his fellow employees and sent to Megan. Packages were also sent to the college students during their finals weeks.

The congregation joined with five other Reformed churches in the area to form the Kansas City Area Reformed Churches (KCARC). The KCARC sponsored a conference last summer featuring Dr. Sinclair Ferguson, professor and lecturer. Dr. Ferguson delivered a series of lectures on “Who Is This Jesus?” The group has met several times, taking turns hosting the meetings and serving refreshments afterwards. It has been a great opportunity to meet others of the Reformed faith in the area.

The congregation has begun its fourth semester of small group, biweekly Bible studies. Three of the studies are held in homes, with a fourth meeting at the church. A group for the children, called Covenant Kids, also meets at the church with various Bible-centered activities. The men’s Breakfast Fellowship meets monthly, studying the book, The Man in the Mirror.

A memory program for all ages has continued through the year. It has encouraged everyone to make Scripture memory a priority. The junior high class of 2003-2004 had 100 percent participation.

Several children and youth were able to attend the Horse Creek youth camp. Through fundraisers by the congregation, all 50 members planning to attend the 2004 RP International Conference at Calvin College were offered financial assistance. Pastor Wade and Barbara Mann presented a workshop there on Christian parenting.

The church facilities have been available to other groups, including for various denominational meetings, the Midwest Presbytery CY retreats, Great Plains 4-H group, Webelos II Den of Cub Scout Pack 3050, and various soccer teams. The building is also used as a polling place for the neighborhood during various elections. Several of these groups have undertaken different work projects around the church building in appreciation.

Seven adults were accepted into communicant membership: Greg, Janis, and son Joe Stiner, Robert and Janet Herndon, Barbara Ludlum, and Brayn Buie from other denominations. Olivia Mann and Hope Wing, two covenant children, were accepted into communicant membership.