Schedule Ahead
At last we have received our new issue of RW!
I am very much pleased with the contents and lively articles, especially with the Hymn of the Month suggestions.
I accept your apologies for the late arrival of the second issue; we did get it late in February. I can understand the frustrations in some of the scheduling and the delays that can occur. However, I would like to see the issues cover a calendar quarter at least two to three months in advance.
I have tried hard to schedule preaching and worship themes well in advance so that adequate preparations can be made for participants. Having the RW information for a month or two prior to the beginning of the appropriate seasons, would help immensely.
Could you not plan your December issue to deal with Easter to Pentecost, and your June issue with the Christmas and Epiphany season?
Rev. Chris Platteel
Maple Leaf Drive Reformed Church
Toronto, Ontario
Add Canadian Hymnal
I just received "Number Three." Congratulations on another beautiful issue!
I would like to make one small suggestion. Would it be possible to include references to The Book of Praise when you write about hymns? It is the hymnbook of the Presbyterian Church in Canada, as you may know. It is widely recognized in Canada as the finest modern Canadian hymnal, which you may not know. Presbyterians are not the only ones who use it!
I find many sources of stimulation in RW, and many goals to aim for in the future with my tra-ditional congregation. Our organist has also read your magazine with profit.
Thanks for the cross-references between the Westminster Confession and the Heidelberg Catechism. Do you plan any articles using the excellent texts of such modern Reformed statements as Our Song of Hope (RCA) and Living Faith (PCC)?
Thanks, also, for promoting the use of the Lectionary. It shows that one can be Reformed, systematic, ecumenical, and attuned to the church year with no compromising of tradition.Keep up the good work!
Rev. D. Laurence DeWolfe
Erskine Church
The Presbyterian Church in Canada
Ottawa, Ontario
Delighted
A friend and colleague of mine at our Faculty of Theology visited Calvin College (specifically the Seminary) in December and brought me back a copy of your first number of RW. I was delighted and read it with keen interest. It was most enjoyable and informative. I hereby send the subscription fee of our Church Music Department.
W. M. Louwrens Strydom
Bloemfontein
Republic of South Africa
Family Reunion
I just received my third issue, and once again found myself enjoying it greatly. I am especially appreciative of the practical aids for worship and church life which can be plugged almost directly into our ministry. For instance, in issue two, the article on banners was inspiring and well done and could be followed up by another article giving three or four patterns for our church banner makers to use.
Let me tell you about the gathering of our extended family. Dad had prepared a litany for our family devotions, which he said had been used at his church in the Thanksgiving Day service. It turned out that of the five Christian Reformed churches represented in the family, all five had used part of that litany in the Thanksgiving season. And, yes, the source was RW 1. Keep up the good work!
David Koll
Good Shepherd CRC
Flushing, Michigan
Letters regarding the contents of the magazine will be considered for publication unless specifically marked "not for publication." Letters may be shortened to meet editorial requirements. We will not publish anonymous letters; however, we may withhold names upon request.
Errata
In the article "We Used to Sing Only Psalms—What Happened?" (Reformed Worship 3, p. 32) the psalm singing tradition of several denominations was discussed, including that of the Reformed Presbyterian Church of North America, not the Presbyterian Church in North America, the name given in the article. Our apologies for leaving the word "Reformed" out of their name.
Emily R. Brink, editor