The RHCS Review. The Principal s Desk Dave Vander Meer. Reformation as a Lifestyle. Fall 2017

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1 The Principal s Desk Dave Vander Meer Reformation as a Lifestyle The RHCS Review 700 N. Fletcher Ave., Kalamazoo, MI This is the message which we have heard from Him and declare to you, that God is light and in Him is no darkness at all. If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin. I John 1:5-7 There is a lot of talk about lifestyles today. Americans in many ways have freedom to choose to live however they want. The societal norms of days gone by are no longer in play and what we believe to be normal, moral behavior is now an aberration (at least that is what is portrayed by many in the media). Those who defy the worldly norms of today are vilified and attempts are made to make them accept unbiblical behavior. It reminds me of Isaiah 5:20a Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil; Who put darkness for light, and light for darkness; In the days of Martin Luther, lifestyle issues also existed. Two of the biggest lifestyle issues that Martin Luther personally faced were concerning the religious leaders: those who would deny themselves the comforts of life even to the point of hurting themselves (this would be the category that Martin Luther would fall into) or those who would commit as much sin as they wanted, then go to the confessional to receive forgiveness, and then start sinning again (Luther saw this first hand when he went to Rome). Both extremes existed because of a wrong understanding of grace and a lack of knowledge of what the Bible teaches. Many priests were illiterate at this time, and these were the examples that the people in the church had. Martin wrestled with these two lifestyles. Through the work of the Holy Spirit he was able to see neither was right and that there was a third option that lead him to obtain peace with God. The Holy Spirit opened his eyes to the real meaning of Romans 1:17, For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, The just shall live by faith." He understood that grace is a gift from God and cannot be worked for or handed out by some human. This realization totally changed his relationship with God and how he was to live in God s world. Luther found out that he could enjoy life because of who gave it to him and what was done for him through Christ. But how do we know what our lifestyle should look like? We must look to the Light. God is the Light. Light exposes and overcomes darkness. God s Word is the bright beacon that shows His people the way to live (Psalm 119:05). The Bible is full of instruction and the world doesn t like it. The world makes fun of God s Word, rejects it, and wants it removed from any public place. In short, it hates God and His Word. The world doesn t realize that God s Word is living, convicting, powerful, and they cannot hide from it (Hebrews 4:11-13). I believe that it is safe to say that our children are under attack and will probably be more severely attacked in the years to come. If the world hates God and His Word it hates His followers (John 15:18-25). The most important thing we can do is teach them the Light. If the children are so grounded in God s Word and take hold of it by the Cont d on Page 2

2 Reformation cont d... work of the Holy Spirit, they will not depart from it (Proverbs 22:6). Our children will have many lifestyle choices placed in front of them. May we be in prayer that they will be moved to seek the Lord and His Word (light) and make Godly lifestyle choices. From the beginning of my Reformation I have asked God to send me neither dreams, nor visions, nor angels, but to give me the right understanding of His Word, the Holy Scriptures; for as long as I have God's Word, I know that I am walking in His way and that I shall not fall into any error or delusion. - Martin Luther RHCS Welcomes New Staff Mrs. Lynelle Schreuder Mrs. Schreuder is a familiar face to most of the RHCS family. In the past, she taught and was the administrator for our school. She is teaching math for the junior high and high school. Mrs. Schreuder graduated from Calvin College in 1996 with a BA in education, math, and social studies minors. Originally from Oak Lawn, IL, she now lives in Schoolcraft and is a member at Second CRC. She enjoys card making, decorating, cooking, and baking. She is excited to be a part of the RHCS staff once again, and so are we! Miss Billie Snieder Miss Snieder is teaching language arts for junior high and high school. Miss Snieder graduated from Providence Christian College in 2016 with a BA in Liberal Arts Studies with English and Secondary concentrations. She is ACSI Teacher Certified. Originally from Orange City, Iowa, and currently a member at Immanual CRC, she now resides in Kalamazoo and is looking for a new church home. She enjoys hiking, the beach, reading, and baking. We are happy to have you here and are looking forward to getting to know you better! HOLIDAY OPEN HOUSE & SILENT AUCTION Monday, December 4, 6:00-9:00 pm Second CRC activity building on Nichols Road All vendor fees will be donated to RHCS Funds raised from the auction will be donated to RHCS Call for more information.

3 Field Trips On August 3, the junior high class went to South Haven on a field trip to see replicas of the Nina and Santa Maria. These were two ships that accompanied Christopher Columbus on his voyage to find a faster route to Asia, instead, he discovered a "new world". The junior high class had been studying explorers at the time and it was a good opportunity for them to understand the types of ships that were being used and the living conditions that the sailors would endure for weeks at a time. After touring the ships, the class looked at displays inside the Michigan Maritime Museum and finished their time by eating lunch by Lake Michigan. Submitted by Mr. David VanderMeer On Thursday, September 11, grades 1, 2, & 3 took a trip to Shalom Ministries on Riverview Drive in Parchment. Shalom Ministries is a service for cognitively impaired adults in the Kalamazoo area. Pastor Keith and those who run it take I Corinthians 12:22-23 literally, honoring those members of the Christian body who are more weak. Shalom Ministries has a farm and a woolery. We saw small animals to hold and goats to walk (or should we say push? ). The Alpacas really came galloping up once the treat box rattled. There is also a maple grove where the residents get sap to boil into syrup. We went to the woolery where we worked with our new friends to sort, clean, and wash wool. We helped weave, too. It s always fun to end up at McDonald s for ice cream, and so we did! Submitted by Mrs. Gayle Esman Student Council Left to Right: Parent Advisor: Mrs. Kathy Kloosterman Vice-All and Treasurer: Lydia Kloosterman President: Abigail Riedstra Secretary: Caleb Riedstra Teacher Advisor: Miss Billie Snieder

4 This year we celebrated the 500th anniversary of the Reformation at our Fall Program on Thursday, October 19 at Covenant United Reformed Church. The foundation for the program was formed on the Five Solas that summarized the convictions of Christianity during the Reformation: Sola Scriptura (Scripture alone), Sola Fide (faith alone), Sola Gratia (grace alone), Sola Christus (Christ alone), and Soli Deo Gloria (to the glory of God alone). The students sang A Mighty Fortress is Our God, a song written by Martin Luther, one of the founding fathers of the Reformation. Others songs included, Wonderful Words of Life, Thy Word, By Faith, My Faith Looks up to Thee, I Know Not Why God s Wondrous Grace, In Christ Alone, and Glory be to the Father. Each song correlated with the Five Solas referenced above. Many verses from God s Word were memorized and recited by each grade. These verses backed up the truths of each Sola. VOLLEYBALL The evening ended with fellowship and refreshments with the student body, staff, family, and friends. It was a wonderful evening to celebrate the 500th Anniversary of the Reformation. It brought us back to the truths of God s Word and His message of Jesus and salvation through Him and Him alone. We can do nothing in and of ourselves to earn this glorious gift. Praise be to God! Top row L to R: Melanie Hoeksema, Abigail Martin, and Victoria VandeGiessen. Bottom row L to R: Rebecca Bakhuyzen and Kenzie Martin. RHCS OPEN HOUSE Thursday, February 22, :30-8:00 pm Friday, February 23, :30-11:30 am

5 All School Picture FUNDRAISING TOTALS 2017 MUMS $ BUTTER BRAID BREAD HARDING S REWARDS 4.81 TOTAL $ ONGOING FUNDRAISERS: Please continue to clip: BOX TOPS AUNT MILLIES SPIRIT UPCOMING FUNDRAISERS Watch the RHCS newsletters or your church bulletins for these upcoming fundraisers, or feel free to call our office to place your order! KOEZE NUTS - November 1-December 1 WREATHS, SWAGS, & GARLAND - November 1-15 THANKSGIVING FEAST - November 17 (donations will be collected) Sign up by 11/09! HOLIDAY OPEN HOUSE - December Second CRC activity building 6:00-9:00 pm CINNAMON ROLLS - January 24-February 7

6 November Calendar of Events January 1-10 Iowa Basics 2-3 Parent-Teacher Conf., 1/2 Days 9 Association Meeting 7:00 pm 10 Chapel 17 Thanksgiving Feast 12:00 pm, 1/2 Day 22 Thanksgiving Sing, 1/2 Day Thanksgiving Break December 1 Chapel 18 High School 1/2 Day High School Exams 22 Christmas Chapel & Parties 23 Christmas Break Begins 1-5 Christmas Break 8 School Resumes 12 Chapel End of 1st Semester K-8 Record s Day, 1/2 Day February 1 Parent-Teacher Conferences 2-5 Winter Break, No School 9 Chapel Staff Appreciation Week 22 Open House 6:30-8:00 pm 23 Open House 9:30-11:30 am Friendship Day K-3 Notice of Nondiscriminatory Policy as to Students: Reformed Heritage Christian School, 700 North Fletcher Avenue, Kalamazoo, admits students, grades K-12, for the academic year of any race, color, national and ethnic origin to all the rights, privileges, programs and activities generally accorded or made available to students at the school. It does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national and ethnic origin in administration of its educational policies, admissions policies, scholarship and loan programs, athletic and other school-administered programs. For more information, refheritagechrsch@att.net or write to 700 North Fletcher Avenue, Kalamazoo, MI Reformed Heritage Christian School 700 North Fletcher Avenue Kalamazoo, MI