Volume 38 Issue 1

February 2017

CHRISTIAN PERSECUTION www.christianitytoday.com/gleanings/2017

The top 10 nations where it is most dangerous and difficult to practice the Christian faith are:

North Korea, Somalia, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Sudan, Syria, Iraq, Iran, Yemen, and Eritrea. The findings and trends noted by Open Doors are stark: Approximately 215 million Christians experience high, very high, or extreme persecution. North Korea remains the most dangerous place to be a Christian (for 14 straight years). Islamic extremism remains the global dominant driver of persecution, responsible for initiating oppression and conflict in 35 out of the 50 countries on the 2017 list. Ethnic nationalism is fast becoming a major driver of persecution. “While this took an antiestablishment form in the West, in Asia it took an anti-minorities form, fueled by dramatic religious nationalism and government insecurity. It is common—and easy—for tottering governments to gain quick support by scapegoating Christians.” The total number of persecution incidents in the top 50 most dangerous countries increased, revealing the persecution of Christians worldwide as a rising trend. The most violent: Pakistan, which rose to No. 4 on the list for a level of violence “exceeding even northern Nigeria.” The killings of Christians in Nigeria saw an increase of more than 62 percent. The killings of Christians were more geographically dispersed than in most time periods studied. “Hitting closer to home, 23 Christian leaders in Mexico and four in Colombia were killed specifically for their faith,” said Open Doors of the “rare” event. The worst increase: Mali, which moved up the most places on the list from No. 44 to No. 32. Asia is a new center of concern, with persecution rising sharply in Bangladesh, Laos, and Bhutan, and Sri Lanka joining the list for the first time.

DEACON’S DISCUSSIONS Upcoming Events Each Sunday morning service we collect two offerings. The first is for the Budget/General Fund and

the second is for the Christian Education Fund. The evening service offering is focused on specific needs. February 5, 2017 - Seamless Service February 12, 2017 February 19, 2017 - AM - Communion February 19, 2017 - PM February 26, 2017

FMO Ministry Shares Benevolent Fund/Safe Families World Renew Cornerstone Prison Ministries

December Offering Update Budget/General Fund totaled: $46,667 YTD General Fund giving (FY Dec ’16 – Nov ’17) is $310 above budget. Last year at this time giving was about 11.1% or $4,992 behind our budgeted amount. Faith, Mission, and Outreach (FMO) totaled: $5,242 YTD FMO giving is above our goal by $1,492. Last year at this time giving was about $1,560 above our budget. BILD totaled: $4,350 YTD BILD giving is above our budget by $1,017 for FY 2017. Offering Spotlight Safe Families (February 19) Safe Families is a movement of thousands of families of faith who open their homes to care for children whose parents or guardians are struggling. By extending hospitality to others in need, Safe Families returns the church to its historic role of caring for orphans and widows. The scriptures lead us to make room in our busy lives to minister to others and help a stranger. In early church times, hospitality was considered dangerous and even radical, yet it served as a foundational ministry. Today, Safe Families remains integrally linked to local churches, and assists with the church reemerging as a champion for families in need, even as our society faces legal and governmental constraints and depleting resources. Read More: www.safe-families.org/news/ Cornerstone Prison Ministries (February 26) Cornerstone Prison Church, through the working of the Holy Spirit, strives to expand God’s Kingdom amongst the inmates at the South Dakota Penitentiary. Their vision is to share the life-changing love of God through Jesus Christ. It is their mission to help the men at the Penitentiary to develop into faithful disciples of Jesus Christ, both for life on the inside and hopefully on the outside of the institution. The Cornerstone Prison Church feels called to reach out to the men at SDSP and to disciple them in the Christian faith. As in the outside world, the church setting is instrumental to their growth as mature and faithful disciples of our lord. It becomes a place to nurture, encourage, and provide opportunities for the men to serve others as they grow in their faith. A church behind the walls gives our members a true sense of ownership, acceptance, and belonging. Many of our members look for opportunities to participate in various inside ministries, such as our weekly worship services and our Faith Fellowship Weekends. Read More: www.cornerstonepcsd.org

Lao-BLD Report By Chief Evangelist, Phouphet Vannavong On November 4-5, 2016, our church conducted a youth camp. There were 120 young leaders from 8-10 churches. The theme for this year was “Heart to Serve”. Everyone learned lessons that they could use to develop their local churches. On November 24, 2016, we baptized for the last quarter for this year, because we conduct group baptisms four times per year. There were six people baptized. Please add those six people in your prayers. On November 28-30, 2016, we managed training for pastors and elders from all local churches. There were 16 leaders from 11 churches representing 8 provinces. It is a continuation of Bild lesson in laying basic foundation of faith. We have taught them the vision of serving others to encourage them to carry out their responsibilities in their community. On December 10-11, 2016, we organized a Christmas celebration to officially celebrate Nakoung Faith Church* with the local government. Officials and government units participated. Thanks be to God. The church has been publicly accepted and the district officials have issued a certificate of honor to them. The village chief has also appreciated the good deeds of the church. Please keep praying for us. On December 24-25, 2016, there will be Christmas celebrations and a sport tournament. Editor’s Note: BLD stands for Biblical Leadership Development—Faith CRC’s work in Laos. BILD is the Biblical Institute in Leadership Development (Ames, IA) that has developed the study materials used by our partners in Laos. *Named in honor of Faith Church, Sioux Center

Hmong Native Dress

My wife and I were invited to celebrate Christmas at a Hmong Church in Borlikhamxay Province.

YOUTH CAMP

Six people baptized!

BACK IN THE U.S. I have been back in the U.S. for just over one month. This month has been full of reunions, travel, Christmas celebrations, continued processing of my two years in Malaysia and a Navigators debriefing. I have felt joy at being reunited with family and friends, sadness in leaving Malaysia, my home for two years, and confusion as I make adjustments for life back in the U.S. I am encouraged as I reflect on the work God has done in and through me. I want to say a huge thank you to Faith CRC! I felt very loved and supported during my two years in Malaysia by your notes, emails, packages, and continued prayers. Your financial support and steadfast prayer was a continual encouragement to me, especially when times were hard. I was often reminded of the importance of the body of Christ as I saw it showed through your support. As you can imagine, life in Malaysia and the U.S. are not the same. Here are some fun and interesting adjustments and highlights so far: The weather is COLD! On my last day in Malaysia, the high was 90°F. When I arrived home in Sioux Center a few days later, the temperature was -5°F! Needless to say, I don’t sweat quite as much. Driving through town on my first day back, I marveled at how flat and open Sioux Center is. After living in Kuala Lumpur, a city of six million people full of 20+ story buildings, the grain elevators felt a little bit smaller and the sky felt a lot larger. I am relearning American social norms and unlearning certain Malaysian social norms, such as how to hand money to someone, taking shoes off when entering a house, driving style (and side of the road!), and more. Answering whatever questions might come my way, such as “How was your time in Malaysia?” or “What was McDonalds like in Malaysia?” and struggling with how to convey two years of my life in 30 seconds. One of the most common questions I have been asked has been, “What’s next?” By the time this Faith Focus is published, I will be living in Colorado Springs and continuing to serve with the Navigators. I will be helping with Entrepreneur Readiness Workshops. ERWs give personal training and coaching opportunities to Christians interested in starting businesses overseas as a means of advancing the Gospel. I will also be receiving leadership and discipleship training, as well as time to discern where God is calling me in the future. Since I will be continuing to serve on staff with the Navigators this spring, I greatly appreciate your continued prayer and financial support! If you have any questions, want to catch up, or anything else, please call or text me at my new phone number, (712) 463-3359, or email me at [email protected]. Thank you! Laboring with you, Tim Bierma

Songs of Ascent Submitted by Marje Brunsting

You are invited to hear the Sioux County Oratorio Chorus present a work by Shawn Kirchner titled "Songs of Ascent" which cover the words of these Psalms. Pastor Bob is doing a series of messages on the Psalms of Ascent. Watch for the performance date in late April. The Oratorio Chorus will perform at Dordt under the direction of Dr. Ben Kornelis and will be joined by singers from Dordt College. They will also perform a Haydn work known as the "Little Organ Mass". At least two members of Faith CRC sing in the Chorus and love how the Kirchner piece ties in with our Sunday messages. Hope to see you there!

IF GATHERING Submitted by Kristin Brouwer Ladies you are invited to participate in the 2017 local IF: GATHERING, February 3-4, at Trinity Reformed Church, 201 St. Paul Ave., Orange City, Iowa. The IF: GATHERING is a global gathering of women across denominations, generations and cultures as women come together via simulcast in the name of Jesus. An incredible time to disconnect and experience the Spirit of God. For more information and to register, go to https://register.ifgathering.com/event/iforange-city or contact the IF team at [email protected] Blessed are the people who know the passwords of praise, who shout on parade in the bright presence of God. Delighted, they dance all day long; they know who you are, what you do—they can’t keep it quiet!

Scripture promises that God has a plan for our lives but also reveals that he wants us to play an active role in that plan. In 2 Kings 3, three kings band together to defeat Moab but end up in an 80-mile desert. Amid this dire situation, God commands the people, “Make this valley full of ditches” (verse 16, KJV) and promises to fill them with water — even though it won’t rain. Before the people’s need was supplied, they had to trust God and act. The next morning, water filled every ditch they had dug. Plus, they were victorious in battle. The takeaway? God will bring the blessing, but we may have to dig first!

GEMS is continually making a splash while learning about the unconditional love God has for us. We ended our 2016 year with our Christmas party at the All Season Center. We joined the GEMS girls from First/Bethel for a night of moonlight skating. January found us back at Covenant Church jumping right back into our year. Our large group devotions taught us of the unmeasurable love God has for us. Counselor Kris showed us we are unable to measure his love, it is not measurable by measuring cups or tape measurers. After large group devotions the girls broke into their small groups. The 4th graders enjoyed their ice cream party for winning the highest average of sales during our fundraiser, 6th graders worked on the "Names of God" badge and the 8th grade girls made tie blankets for Safe Families. Plans are being made for the Leadership Conference for this summer at Dordt College. Many of our counselors will be attending this four day event in July. Many businesses and individuals have been contacted for needed donations to make this event possible. Churches have also been asked for special offerings to help offset the expenses. Please be in prayer as plans are finalized, donations are collected to bless the attending ladies and counselors register to attend.

LOVE AS SEEN THROUGH THE EYES OF CHILDREN www.letjesushelpyou.com A group of social scientists asked this question to a group of children: “What does love mean?” The answers they got were broader and deeper than anyone could have imagined. See what you think. “When my grandmother got arthritis, she couldn’t bend over and paint her toenails anymore. So my grandfather does it for her all the time, even when his hands got arthritis too. That’s love.” “Love is that first feeling you feel before all the bad stuff gets in the way.” “When someone loves you, the way they say your name is different. You know that your name is safe in their mouth.” “Love is when you go out to eat and give somebody most of your French fries without making them give you any of theirs.” “Love is when someone hurts you, and you get so mad but you don’t yell at them because you know it would hurt their feelings.” “Love is what makes you smile when you’re tired.” “Love is when you kiss all the time. Then when you get tired of kissing, you still want to be together and you talk more. My mommy and daddy are like that.” “Love is what’s in the room with you at Christmas if you stop opening presents and listen.” “If you want to learn to love better, you should start with a friend who you hate.” “When you tell someone something bad about yourself and you’re scared they won’t love you anymore. But then you get surprised because not only do they still love you, they love you even more.” “There are two kinds of love—our love and God’s love. But God makes both kinds of them.” “Love is when Mommy gives Daddy the best piece of chicken.” “Love is like a little old woman and a little old man who are still friends even after they know each other so well.” “My mommy loves me more than anybody. You don’t see anyone else kissing me to sleep at night.” “Love is when Mommy sees Daddy smelly and sweaty and still says he is handsomer than Robert Redford.” “Love is when your puppy is so glad to see you even though you left him alone all day.” “Love cards say stuff on them that we’d like to say ourselves, but we wouldn’t be caught dead saying.” “You really shouldn’t say I love you unless you mean it. But if you mean it, you should say it a lot. People forget.” “When they crucified Jesus, God could have said magic words to make the nails fall off the cross, but He didn’t. That’s love.”

Christian Education Fund Update The Christian Ed Committee would like to thank the congregation for their continuous support throughout the year. God has blessed us and we in turn continue to bless the schools that educate our children. But, the work is not done, as you can see in the attached graph we still have some work to do to meet our obligations to Sioux Center Christian School, Unity Christian, Hull Christian and Western Christian. We are currently 52% paid to each school which is great when you look at us being five months into the fiscal year. The other side of this is that the auction proceeds, Thanksgiving offering and end of the year giving is already collected. The only fundraiser remaining is the July 4th pancake breakfast. So in order to meet our budget we need to take in $28,259 per month for the remaining 7 months. To meet the Legacy plan stretch goal, we will need to take in $32,545 per month for the remaining 7 months. As you can see from the graph, our normal monthly offerings are in the range of $25,000 per month. This leaves us a gap of $3,259.00 per month or approximately $23,000 short and the end of the year. When looking at the Legacy stretch goal, these numbers are $7,500 short per month or a shortfall of almost $53,000 at the end of the year.

The deadline for the March issue is February 15. Please place articles or pictures in the Faith Focus mailbox, or (preferably) e-mail them to [email protected]. Shirley Kaemingk, editor; Rachele Warner & Rhonda Van Donge, asst. editors; Allison Obbink, births/marriages/new members; Verlyn DeWit, council member.

Feb 5

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Feb 12

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Feb 19

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Feb 26

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John & Beth Baas Glen & Lois Mouw Al & Jolene Bandstra Kally Mouw Todd & Rhonda Bartels Trevor & Jordan Mouw Matthew & Stefanie Behrens Bruce & Ingrid Mulder Terry & Mary Beimers Jordan & Sarah Mulder George & Mary Bierma Lindsay Mulder/Michele Hofland Al & Lynne Bloemendaal Arlan & Cindy Nederhoff Laura & Cory Bloemendaal Jeff & Kim Nibbelink Steve & Denise Boer Lorraine Nieuwsma/Faye Pluim

February 5 February 12 February 19 (Communion) February 26 March 5

Infant AM: Karmin Kruger, Onita Van G, Ashtyn Veerbeek Toddler AM: Greg Van Dyke family, Brooklyn Vander Veen Combined PM: Jeremy Driesen family, Cambree De Jong Infant AM: Kim Noteboom, Gail Van Vugt, Deidra Noteboom Toddler AM: Shane Vander Kooi family, Ben Broers Combined PM: Dan Mouw family, Nicole Koops Infant AM: Bret Van Wyk family, Emily Tuschen Toddler AM: Veronica Hoekstra, Sara Feekes Combined PM: Trevor Mouw family, Riley Van Ginkel Infant AM: Jim Bolkema family, Julie Van Middendorp Toddler AM: John Baas family, Kendra Wieringa Combined PM: Benj Van Donge family, Dylan Reinders Infant AM: Lindsay Mulder, Judy Ter Haar, Erika Driesen Toddler AM: Laura Dekkers, Danielle Frankl, Katie Broers Combined PM: Kirk De Jong family, Lyndsey Calkhoven

Juice U S H E R

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February Center Mike Hoekstra Center Jeremy Driesen North Vern Haagsma South BJ Hofland Balcony Brent Black

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March George Bierma Karl Kaemingk Jereemy Hummel Henry Kraayenbrink Johnathan Holwerda

Feb 5 Feb 12 Feb 19 Feb 26 Mar 5

Dan & Lisa Mouw Glen & Lois Mouw Trevor & Jordan Mouw Bruce & Ingrid Mulder Jordan & Sarah Mulder

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Coffee Eric & Rachel Moerman Dan & Lois Mouw Glen & Lois Mouw Trevor & Jordan Mouw Bruce & Ingrid Mulder

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1 Megan Argo Brenda Haan BJ Hofland

2 Marla Hofmeyer Beau Van Essen Jeremy Knibbe

3 Marlys De Groot Nancy Van Lingen Sharla Van Holland Jonathan Ter Haar *Ross Hooyer’s

4 *Bill Van Kley’s

5 Kendra Schreier Levi Altena

6 Terry Schouten

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8 Anousack Baccam Clint Schoellerman Arlene Heynen Autumn Van Beek

9 Andrew Roelfs Clark De Vries Tricia Van Vugt Ellie Dokter *Kelly Snieder’s

10 Judy Walvoort

11 Nicole Kaemingk Trevor Mouw

12 Shelley Gesink Nicole Koops

13 Jessica Van Holland Jeff Koops Onita Van Ginkel

14 Mitchel Ten Napel Youri Lee

15 Beth Baas Brooke Granstra Ashtyn Veerbeek Hunter Hofland

16 Arlene Dykstra Brooke Vos

17 Shirley Kaemingk Xavier Dekkers

18 Logan Visser

19 Jan Meyers Treyton Veerbeek Abby Vander Zwaag *Bryan Van Kley’s

20 Kyle Van Laren

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22 Jeff Visser Cole Calkhoven

23 Alex Langeraap Alex Ten Napel Keith Hoekstra

24 Troy Broers June De Wit Mike Schouten Makartlee Van Vugt

25 Aaron Dreise Brent Kooiman Joshua Mouw

26 Russ Feekes

27 Kari Timmer Jan Reitsma Marlin Ten Napel Kristi Van Wyk

28 *Byron Bonnema’s