Welcome to the Synod of the Heartland

The Bibles Are Gone

As we were meeting in a staff meeting with Rev. Gary Van Heukelom, pastor of First Reformed Church in Sibley, Rev. Arturo Gomez, Hispanic church planter, and Rev. Don De Kok, church planter in East and West Sioux and Dakota Classis, conversation went to the coming “Fiesta” that the local hospital will put on that helps the Hispanic people in the community learn more about the community services and agencies. Gary said, “At the local ministerial booth we can put out some of the Spanish Bibles we have.” Arturo responded, “I don’t think we can. They are all gone.” Gary said, “But we had two cases of Bibles – 50 in all.” To which Arturo responded, “But I have 50 people in Bible study and I’ve given them all away.” The conclusion: It’s time to order some more Bibles!!!
We praise God for His favor on this Hispanic ministry!

A Real Easter

Rev. Arturo Gomez is working for East and West Sioux Classis in the communities of Estherville and Sibley, Iowa. On Easter day Arturo was about his usual practice of knocking on doors and seeking to share the gospel with Hispanic people. In Sibley he was received by 5 men living in the same apartment. They invited him in and in the ensuing conversation Arturo shared Jesus and all 5 men asked Jesus into their lives! They asked, “Where is your church?” A worshiping location has been talked about this early in his ministry, but this may well push ahead the need to begin worship services. Please pray with us that more Hispanic people will accept Christ in the Sibley area and that a worshiping congregation may begin there by summer.

Thinking Multi-culturally

"The vision [for ministry] will be lived out by all the people of the RCA, a network of relationships, a fellowship that celebrates its gifts and confesses its failures, and where the ministries of all are valued and cherished." --RCA Statement of Mission and Vision

Download new document from Earl James, Coordinator of Multi-Racial Initiatives and Social Justice. Great information! (download Multicultural document)

Youth and Education Workers Gather to Network and Encourage

Ministry professionals and interns gather monthly in networking groups all over the Northwest part of Iowa and Southwest Minnesota. Some church communities include Sheldon, Rock Valley, Rock Rapids, Sanborn, Hartley, Orange City, Sioux Center, Rock Rapids, Alton, Maurice, Sioux City, IA, and Edgerton and Luverne, Minnesota.

Pictures shown adjacent are taken just recently at our Christmas party at the Intermission in Rock Rapids, IA. Usually we take turns meeting in churches and we begin with a lunch together and then break off into groups to prayer for one another and share what’s going on in each other’s lives. In addition, last year we brought in a professional counselor who presented a three part seminar on communication and helped guide us through the book “Abba’s Child” taking a look at our identity in Christ. (more)

Rocky Mountain High '08 hits the public in a "New" Way!

Rocky '08 brochures and publicity have hit Synod of the Heartland churches in the past 30 days and the countdown calendar shows a little over 230 days before the event begins. New Today is the theme of this year's event celebrates 30 years of Rocky Mountain High. This event which began in 1978 has impacted many lives, including students, adults and students that are now adults. The theme for this year's event is New Today, following the scripture theme of 2 Corinthians 5:17: Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a NEW CREATION; the old has gone, the NEW has come.

To check out more details for the upcoming Rocky gathering and to keep up to date throughout the coming months and during Rocky checkout the NEW website at www.synodyouth.org/rmh08.

Leaders on the Horizon

70 young people and their adult leaders from the Synod of the Heartland and 8 from the Synod of the Great Lakes enjoyed a weekend retreat entitled "You Are a Treasure". This retreat was held on two consecutive November weekends in Des Moines and LeMars, IA. The retreat is the beginning of a possible two year journey for these high school students as they experience Leaders on the Horizon. Leaders on the Horizon or LOH, is a leadership development process developed in a joint effort between 3 RCA Synods including the Synod of the Heartland office of Youth Ministries. The process includes character development, biblical knowledge, leadership skills and small group accountability, enabling a student to minister in their youth group, church and community as they move through their high school years and beyond. These students represent 7 churches beginning the first year and 1 church with students in year one and two of LOH.

If you have any questions of how to become involved in LOH contact Bob Cleveringa at the Synod of the Heartland office at 712-737-4959 or bcleveringa@heartlandsynod.org.

Celebrating the Difference Jesus Makes!

Imagine our surprise when the Mayor of Knoxville, Harv Sprafka, stopped by the church office on Friday. He had a letter of appreciation
that he wanted to share with Celebrate. The following is what he wrote:

Dear Pastor Gary and Celebrate Community Church members:
On behalf of the city of Knoxville, I want to recognize and thank you for the varied service activities you performed on Sunday, October 7 th.

Although I was out of state that special day, I have seen the results and heard so many positive comments about Celebrate’s Faith in Action projects. More....

God Uses It All!
McNary Home Burns in San Antonio

Family and friends, here are some pictures of what used to be the McNary home in San Antonio. It burned up today, (Oct. 24) along with 98% of our earthly possessions. The good news is we are all ok, and earthly possessions are just that, stuff that we can't take with us. Praise God that no one was hurt. For further prayers we would just ask that you pray the insurance process goes smoothly, that we find temporary housing soon, and that we can return a little bit of normalcy to Sierra's life. We already had a chance to witness to the firefighters, and the local TV news did a great story on us tonight mentioning that our faith is what will get us through this. God uses it all!

More later, kind of tired,

Steve
(More photos)

See the news video

The Crossing:
Worshipping God With Passion, Honesty and Relevancy

The Crossing is committed to provide a relevant and meaningfully worship experience for their worshippers primarily targeted to the post-modern, young adult community. You saw evidence of that throughout the service in lit candles, laid-back dress, emphasis on doing community in small groups but even greater than that was a great spiritual vulnerability, openness to God’s Spirit and the leaders’ attitude of getting out of the way so God can do His work and see Him in His full glory and majesty. more....

Time to Linger
by Dan DeVries
Leaders for the Harvest

Have you ever set aside time to linger in God's presence? On September 22, twenty-seven emerging and equipping leaders from four churches gathered at Inspiration Hills to experience God's presence through nature and a variety of spiritual disciplines.

We agreed that just as too many logs on a fire do not provide enough space for the fire to burn brightly, busy schedules do not provide the space we need to be attentive to the Spirit of God at work in our lives. Lingering in Psalm 63 reminded us that our souls are thirsty and our bodies long for God." more...

Ministry....
After School

Churches all over the Synod are thinking outside the box when it comes to reaching and connecting with kids. A few churches have found a ministry connection with kids in the after school time frame. Hear how these two churches are meeting building caring relationships, providing mission education, and reaching kids one heart at a time: more....

	The Bibles Are Gone As we were meeting in a staff meeting with Rev. Gary Van Heukelom, pastor of First Reformed Church in Sibley, Rev. Arturo Gomez, Hispanic church planter, and Rev. Don De Kok, church planter in East and West Sioux and Dakota Classis, conversation went to the coming “Fiesta” that the local hospital will put on that helps the Hispanic people in the community learn more about the community services and agencies. Gary said, “At the local ministerial booth we can put out some of the Spanish Bibles we have.” Arturo responded, “I don’t think we can. They are all gone.” Gary said, “But we had two cases of Bibles – 50 in all.” To which Arturo responded, “But I have 50 people in Bible study and I’ve given them all away.” The conclusion: It’s time to order some more Bibles!!! We praise God for His favor on this Hispanic ministry! A Real Easter Rev. Arturo Gomez is working for East and West Sioux Classis in the communities of Estherville and Sibley, Iowa. On Easter day Arturo was about his usual practice of knocking on doors and seeking to share the gospel with Hispanic people. In Sibley he was received by 5 men living in the same apartment. They invited him in and in the ensuing conversation Arturo shared Jesus and all 5 men asked Jesus into their lives! They asked, “Where is your church?” A worshiping location has been talked about this early in his ministry, but this may well push ahead the need to begin worship services. Please pray with us that more Hispanic people will accept Christ in the Sibley area and that a worshiping congregation may begin there by summer. Thinking Multi-culturally "The vision [for ministry] will be lived out by all the people of the RCA, a network of relationships, a fellowship that celebrates its gifts and confesses its failures, and where the ministries of all are valued and cherished." --RCA Statement of Mission and Vision Download new document from Earl James, Coordinator of Multi-Racial Initiatives and Social Justice. Great information! (download Multicultural document) Youth and Education Workers Gather to Network and Encourage Ministry professionals and interns gather monthly in networking groups all over the Northwest part of Iowa and Southwest Minnesota. Some church communities include Sheldon, Rock Valley, Rock Rapids, Sanborn, Hartley, Orange City, Sioux Center, Rock Rapids, Alton, Maurice, Sioux City, IA, and Edgerton and Luverne, Minnesota. Pictures shown adjacent are taken just recently at our Christmas party at the Intermission in Rock Rapids, IA. Usually we take turns meeting in churches and we begin with a lunch together and then break off into groups to prayer for one another and share what’s going on in each other’s lives. In addition, last year we brought in a professional counselor who presented a three part seminar on communication and helped guide us through the book “Abba’s Child” taking a look at our identity in Christ. (more) Rocky Mountain High '08 hits the public in a "New" Way! Rocky '08 brochures and publicity have hit Synod of the Heartland churches in the past 30 days and the countdown calendar shows a little over 230 days before the event begins. New Today is the theme of this year's event celebrates 30 years of Rocky Mountain High. This event which began in 1978 has impacted many lives, including students, adults and students that are now adults. The theme for this year's event is New Today, following the scripture theme of 2 Corinthians 5:17: Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a NEW CREATION; the old has gone, the NEW has come. To check out more details for the upcoming Rocky gathering and to keep up to date throughout the coming months and during Rocky checkout the NEW website at www.synodyouth.org/rmh08. Leaders on the Horizon 70 young people and their adult leaders from the Synod of the Heartland and 8 from the Synod of the Great Lakes enjoyed a weekend retreat entitled "You Are a Treasure". This retreat was held on two consecutive November weekends in Des Moines and LeMars, IA. The retreat is the beginning of a possible two year journey for these high school students as they experience Leaders on the Horizon. Leaders on the Horizon or LOH, is a leadership development process developed in a joint effort between 3 RCA Synods including the Synod of the Heartland office of Youth Ministries. The process includes character development, biblical knowledge, leadership skills and small group accountability, enabling a student to minister in their youth group, church and community as they move through their high school years and beyond. These students represent 7 churches beginning the first year and 1 church with students in year one and two of LOH. If you have any questions of how to become involved in LOH contact Bob Cleveringa at the Synod of the Heartland office at 712-737-4959 or bcleveringa@heartlandsynod.org. Celebrating the Difference Jesus Makes! Imagine our surprise when the Mayor of Knoxville, Harv Sprafka, stopped by the church office on Friday. He had a letter of appreciation that he wanted to share with Celebrate. The following is what he wrote: Dear Pastor Gary and Celebrate Community Church members: On behalf of the city of Knoxville, I want to recognize and thank you for the varied service activities you performed on Sunday, October 7 th. Although I was out of state that special day, I have seen the results and heard so many positive comments about Celebrate’s Faith in Action projects. More.... God Uses It All! McNary Home Burns in San Antonio Family and friends, here are some pictures of what used to be the McNary home in San Antonio. It burned up today, (Oct. 24) along with 98% of our earthly possessions. The good news is we are all ok, and earthly possessions are just that, stuff that we can't take with us. Praise God that no one was hurt. For further prayers we would just ask that you pray the insurance process goes smoothly, that we find temporary housing soon, and that we can return a little bit of normalcy to Sierra's life. We already had a chance to witness to the firefighters, and the local TV news did a great story on us tonight mentioning that our faith is what will get us through this. God uses it all! More later, kind of tired, Steve (More photos) See the news video The Crossing: Worshipping God With Passion, Honesty and Relevancy The Crossing is committed to provide a relevant and meaningfully worship experience for their worshippers primarily targeted to the post-modern, young adult community. You saw evidence of that throughout the service in lit candles, laid-back dress, emphasis on doing community in small groups but even greater than that was a great spiritual vulnerability, openness to God’s Spirit and the leaders’ attitude of getting out of the way so God can do His work and see Him in His full glory and majesty. more.... Time to Linger by Dan DeVries Leaders for the Harvest Have you ever set aside time to linger in God's presence? On September 22, twenty-seven emerging and equipping leaders from four churches gathered at Inspiration Hills to experience God's presence through nature and a variety of spiritual disciplines. We agreed that just as too many logs on a fire do not provide enough space for the fire to burn brightly, busy schedules do not provide the space we need to be attentive to the Spirit of God at work in our lives. Lingering in Psalm 63 reminded us that our souls are thirsty and our bodies long for God." more... Ministry.... After School Churches all over the Synod are thinking outside the box when it comes to reaching and connecting with kids. A few churches have found a ministry connection with kids in the after school time frame. Hear how these two churches are meeting building caring relationships, providing mission education, and reaching kids one heart at a time: more....





Synod Annual Reports President's Report Meeting and Financial Details Upcoming Events Youth Events Rocky Mountian High July 26-30, 2008 YMCA Camp of the Rockies Estes Park, CO
		Special Dates Special Information Questions and Answers about 2nd Campus Ministries Transforming Discipleship November Newsletter Here are the latest compensation guidelines from the Synod of the Heartland Download the Compensation Guide Ministers On The Move Rev. Vic Folkert to the Reformed Church of Holland, Hickman, NE. Rev. Jody Habinck from Western Seminary to First Reformed, Sheldon, IA, as associate pastor Rev. Jon Sherrill from Meredith Drive, Des Moines, IA, to Fifth Reformed, Grand Rapids, MI Rev. Gary Hanson from Bethel Reformed, Ellsworth, MN, to Faith CRC, Pella, IA Rev. Aaron Anderson from Delaware, Lennox, SD to Grace Reformed, Holland, MI Rev. Travis Else from Western Seminary to The Connection, Harrisburg, SD. Rev. Terry Muller from Pella, Adams to Parma Park Reformed, Parma Heights, OH. Rev. David Powers from Stout, IA to Newkirk Reformed Church, Hospers, IA Rev. Mark Starr from Friesland, WI to First Reformed Church, Willmar, MN.