The RHCS Review. The Principal s Desk Dave Vander Meer ALL THINGS. Spring/Summer 2017

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1 The Principal s Desk Dave Vander Meer ALL THINGS The RHCS Review 700 N. Fletcher Ave., Kalamazoo, MI Spring/Summer 2017 What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things? Romans 8:31-32 We all have needs. The definition of need found on Google is: require (something) because it is essential or very important. The common needs of life are: food, clothing and shelter. Without these essentials we would die. I remember reading about children in orphanages in the Eastern Bloc communist countries back in the 80 s. The article talked about how the life expectancy of babies was lower than average in those countries. The conclusion made was that these babies weren t receiving enough physical interaction from adults. They were being fed, clothed, and housed, but from what I could tell from the article - they weren t being loved. In John 15:13, Jesus teaches us that one of the greatest acts of love is the laying down of one s life for a friend. We know this was a foreshadowing of what He was going to do for His chosen people. This year the seniors chose Romans 8:31-32 as their class verse. This passage also speaks about Christ s great sacrifice. It starts out with a looking back, What shall we say to these things? The these things is speaking about the previous chapters which tell us of our terrible sinful condition and the darkness of judgment and death that await those under the law. Man cannot obtain a right standing with God on his own; he needs someone else. Hope is interspersed in these chapters as faith in Christ is talked about as the way of becoming justified in the sight of God. After looking back, we seem to come to a climax. IF GOD IS FOR US WHO CAN BE AGAINST US! The victory over sin, death, and Satan has been secured by God. It is complete. Nothing can stand before God. Why? Because God did not spare His Son but, had Him take our place. The wrath that we deserve was taken on by Jesus at the cross. This is very personal. Even though some of the pronouns that are used are plural, it is directed to each individual in Christ. It was very personal for God. He gave up His Son. When the cry of Jesus of "My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?" (Matthew 27:46) goes out, what could be more personal? But, there is no response to the Son s cry. The Father allows the torments of hell to ravage His Son. Our curse was transferred to Him. The innocent one is judged guilty so that the guilty may have life. John 3:16 is quoted by a lot of people, sometimes even by unbelievers. But think of these words in this context, For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. All was given for us. If ALL is given already, what would God hold back? Nothing! God promises in this passage to give us all things. He already has given His greatest gift, Jesus. The sacrifice has already been made. What else would stop Him from giving us all things? This promise does not mean everything we want, but all things we need at the right moment and with love as only a Spring/Summer 2017 Cont d on Page 2

2 All Things Cont d... father can give. This will include both spiritual and earthly blessings. We will still go through trials and hardships in this life. A profession of faith in Jesus Christ doesn t mean our road is going to be smoothed out before us. Temptations will continue to come; our bodies will break down with sickness and disease. But, we also know that great blessings and joy will be given to His people. There will be births, professions of faith, graduations, marriages, enjoyment of creation, and so much more. These too come from the Father s hand. love back to the Father? You do this by keeping His commandments (John 15:10). The world will continue to war against you, but remember, God promises to never leave us or forsake us (Hebrews 13:5). The world will continue to fight against us, but God has won, and in the end, nothing can stand in God s way. He will provide you with all things. Seniors, remember that it is with love that all your needs are fulfilled by the Father. How do we show our Dave Vander Meer, Administrator SPRING BANQUET 2017 Everyone enjoyed a fabulous dinner and Christian fellowship at our annual spring fundraising banquet. This year the banquet was held on Thursday, March 16, at Second CRC. We were treated to a delicious meal made by Julie Vander Meer, with the help of Sarah Vlietstra, and the high school students. Our special guests for the evening were the Helmsman Quartet. After our meal and decadent desserts, everyone gathered in the sanctuary and was entertained with lively uplifting music sung by the quartet. We thank everyone for coming to the banquet and for supporting RHCS. We were very humbled and very blessed by your presence, support, and donations! Summer Office Hours Wednesdays 9:00 AM 1:00 PM Call before coming! # Spring/Summer

3 KINDERGARTEN ROUND-UP Mckenna Gernaat, Nora Gibbs, and Tucker Kalkman attended our annual Kindergarten Round-up on March 16 with Miss Gunst. The children enjoyed a morning of activities and they learned what they will be doing when they start school in the fall. GIRLS BASKETBALL Congratulations to the girls on another fun year playing basketball. Meghan Wykstra, Abigail Martin, Becca Bakhuyzen, Victoria VandeGiessen, and Hannah Schreuder are shown with their coaches Mr. Matt Wykstra and Mr. Jeff Burnett (from St. Michaels). They are proudly displaying their medals. International Night Travelers enjoyed a fun night at International Night held at RHCS on Thursday, March 23. The students studied and learned about several different countries and then shared the information with all who attended. The Kindergarten class hosted a trip to India, the 1st-3rd graders to The Netherlands, the 4th-6th grade classes to England, and the 7th grade class introduced everyone to Brazil. Spring/Summer

4 FUNDRAISING TOTALS Klassic Arcade Night Mums $ Butter braid Bread $ Koeze Nuts $ (Businesses Only) Wreaths $ Heilman s Popcorn $ nd CRC Auction/ $ Craft Show Spring Dinner $ 15, Klassic Arcade $ Walk-a-Thon $ Spring Flowers $ TOTAL $ 28, ========= WALK-A-THON Grandparent s Day The Grandparent s Day Program was entitled Our Reformed Heritage. It was a held on April 21. The program was a wonderful reminder of why we are Reformed, what is special about our Heritage, why we are called Christian, and what is taught at School. Reformed: the history of the reformers of the Christian faith. Heritage: our beliefs passed from one generation to the next. Christian: each subject is taught in line with God s Holy Word. School: we teach all subjects. Spring/Summer

5 Flower Sale FIELD TRIPS Kindergarten Trip to Vliestra s Dairy Farm SPRING CONCERT 2017 We Have Reason to be Joyful Hope in God! Kindergarten field trip to Vlietstra s Dairy Farm where they petted the cows, fed the baby calves milk and learned that cows sleep on the sand. They also saw pigs, different cow barns, the milking parlor, dehorning of the cows, and they even rode on a golf cart! Jr. High Class Trip to Michigan s Adventure The Jr. High took their class trip to Michigan s Adventure. The kids had a great time riding on all of the rollercoasters! High School Spring Activity On Wednesday, May 10, the high school students were able to enjoy an after school outing to Craig s Cruisers in Grand Rapids. There were plenty of activities to do both indoors and outdoors, including go-carts, laser tag, mini-golf, bumper cars, and much more. We also were able to enjoy their pizza buffet. Thanks to fundraising and generous donations from friends of the student council, the whole night was paid for by student council funds. A good time was had by all! Spring/Summer st-3rd Trip to Holland, Michigan The 1st through 3rd grade classes visited the Dutch Village in Holland, Michigan. They listened to the Dutch Street Organ, watched wooden shoes being made, and learned how cheese was made. They also learned about chocolate sprinkles on sandwiches, that delft tiles were story starters, and that some people lived in windmills!

6 FIELD DAY SENIOR CLASS TRIP We seniors (Matt Kloosterman & Joshua Vander Meer) and our chaperones (Tim Kloosterman and Dave Vander Meer) left for our class trip the afternoon of March 6. This was the first time that Matt was going on a plane! The trip started with a stop at one of our favorite restaurants in the Chicago area, Portillo s. We then arrived at Midway airport and traveled to San Diego, California. The home base for the trip was the Best Western hotel in Escondido. This hotel was just minutes from our first activity on the trip, a visit to the San Diego Zoo Wild Safari Park. The park has open savannahs with hundreds of animals moving about freely. There are many animal exhibits, including one where you were just inches away from some tigers, as only glass or a mesh fence was between you and the tigers. A few more highlights from our trip were centered on some military stops. We toured the Midway aircraft carrier that had many different types of airplanes on it. We took a harbor tour where many different Navy ships were in port. The highlight of this tour was seeing the new destroyer that was being constructed. We also spent an afternoon at Camp Pendleton Marine base. We were able to get inside some vehicles and handle some weapons. We also watched a prestigious Marine color guard perform. This was all because the base was celebrating its 75th anniversary. We did so many more things, and we would recommend this trip to anyone. It was a great trip and a good way to remember our senior year. Thank you to everyone who supported us so that we could enjoy such an experience. Spring/Summer

7 2017 SENIOR GRADUATES MATTHEW THOMAS KLOOSTERMAN Matt plans on working at the family business, Kloosterman Greenhouses, after graduation. He would like to enroll at Kalamazoo Valley Community College for the upcoming fall classes and earn an associates degree in business. This summer, Lord willing, he will be attending a Teens Actively Serving Christ (TASC) mission trip and going to California for the Reformed Youth Services (RYS) annual convention for high school students. Matt had a lot of fun at school with his friends. He was able to serve on the student council as secretary in his sophomore year and as president in his senior year. He enjoyed working on service projects and learning leadership skills while on student council. JOSHUA DAVID VANDER MEER Josh s plans are to continue working at Kloosterman Greenhouses after graduation this summer. This summer he is taking a welding class at Kalamazoo Valley Community College in the Welding program, and will continue taking classes there in the fall. Soon after graduation, he is going to Mexico with his family on a mission/service project. His favorite chapter in the Bible is Psalm 23 because it reminds him of his family. He enjoyed his experience at Reformed Heritage and learning at a Christian school. He also had the privilege of serving on student council. Spring/Summer

8 Calendar of Events July 05 TRIP Orders Due (9:00 am-1:00 pm) 12 TRIP Order Pick-up (9:00 am-1:00 pm) 20 Summer Get Together 6:00 Kloosterman s House August 1-14 School Cleaning 2 TRIP Orders Due (9:00 am-1:00 pm) 9 TRIP Order Pick-up (9:00 am-1:00 pm) 16 Teacher In-Service 9:30 am 22 First Day of school, 1/2 day (including Kindergarten) 22 School Potluck 6:30 pm 2nd CRC 30 Picture Day, All school devotions September 1-4 Labor Day Weekend 5 Return to School 8 Chapel 13 Mother s-at-work (MAW) 8:10 am Library October 6 Chapel 9-13 Elementary Spirit Week 19 Fall Program 19 End of 1st Quarter 20 Fall Break, Record s Day No School 27 Reformation Chapel 30 Iowa Basic Testing begins Your testimonies I have taken as a heritage forever, for they are the rejoicing of my heart. Psalm 119:111 Spring/Summer Reformed Heritage Christian School 700 North Fletcher Avenue Kalamazoo, MI