This month marks the completion of the 125th year of magazine publishing in the Reformed Presbyterian Church of North America. In January we published a special anniversary issue that focused on the history of the *Reformed Presbyterian Witness *and its predecessors.

The issue contained some brief articles reprinted from past editions. But we hoped to also reprint a few feature-length articles as well. In this issue, we have done just that. Since our anniversary issue focused more on the distant past, the three articles in this issue were written in the past few decades. You’ll see for yourself that they are still relevant. In fact, the passage of time has added a dimension to them.

Take the “Setting Our Sights on Growth” article, for example. It sets out the writer’s passion for how our denomination could live out its vision in the years ahead. Looking back almost 20 years later, how have we done?

The vision for church planting mentioned in the article has continued, even broadened, in the past 20 years. What in 1988 was a short-term focus on the health, growth, and multiplication of congregations has been employed by Synod as a long-term commitment. We have 13 more congregations (but 3 fewer mission congregations)than we had in 1988.

RPCNA mission work is broader than it was in 1988, and now has the added dimension of dozens of short-term missionaries, mostly youth. RP conferences and programs have renewed focus on the training of youth.

The stronger emphasis on prayer, beginning at the Synod level, has continued. The seasons of prayer during each Synod session, which were new when the article was written, have continued.

One area of concern from the statistics is whether we have focused enough on reaching the lost. Professions of faith have remained at the same level in the past 20 years. I plan to write about one aspect of this in my February editorial.

While this is far from a complete picture, it is evident that a denomination’s mission can turn into some concrete action. Read Kenneth G. Smith’s article with a view toward how the RPCNA’s mission can be advanced through your own life.