If you would like your news

or milestone event included

in this column, please call

Jeanne or email her at

toppenbeppe@gmail.com

The Focus

Special

Points of

Interest

Graduates

Congregational

Heart Health

Youth Director

Update

Covenant

Children and

Communion

Church News 1-2

Graduates 3

Ministry Matters 4-6

Update from Robert

& Jennifer Butts

6

Covenant Children &

Communion

7

Council Minutes 8

Congregational Heart

Health Assessment

10

Inside this issue:

In Our Congregation...

Congratulations to Central Valley Christian High School Seniors Emma Johnson, Victoria VanderVeen (grand-daughter of Tom & Sharon Ko-elewyn) and Hannah Wilgenburg for earning Lifetime Membership in the California Scholarship Federation! They enjoyed a trip to Magic Mountain and were also honored at a luncheon provided by the YMCA at the Visalia Convention Center. Great job, girls!

Congratulations to Madeline Johnson who received an academic award for being one of the top students in her freshman class at Central Valley Chris-tian.

Congratu lat ions to Nathanael Atmajian who was one of seven final-ists in the California State Elementary Spelling Bee championship. Fifty-six students from twenty-eight counties participated in the Spelling Bee and Nathanael brought home a tro-phy. Good Job, Nathanael!

The Sentinel had a nice article with pic-tures about the Common Ground Youth Group's trip to Rehoboth. The article was written before the group left and Lael Dunn was quoted as she shared her ideas of what she hoped to accomplish with this trip.

The Central Valley Christian Girls' Track Team won the Valley Champion-ship on May 14th. Among the team members were Kyla Danielson and Hannah Wilgenburg. Congratulations girls!

David and Alice teVelde recently traveled to Argentina. They found it to be a beautiful country. On one of the Sundays, they worshiped in a Methodist Church in Venado Tuerto, a farming community, about one hour west of Buenos Aires. They participat-ed in communion and gave greetings from our Hanford congregation. In return, they were asked to bring greetings to the Hanford CRC from our fellow believers there.

Before Grant Verhoeven had his hip surgeries, he had the opportunity to play for Stanford in their first NCAA tournament in six years. Though they lost their third game in the Sweet Six-teen, in Memphis, it must have been so exciting to play in such an important tournament!

The Sentinel featured two pictures of the Hanford Christian School Spring Festival. Large pictures were includ-ed with the article that gave infor-mation on the Traveling Museum of Creation and History that recently vis-ited Hanford Christian. Topics includ-ed “Myths and Monsters: Dinosaurs and the Bible” and “Genesis Flood: God’s Judgment and Renewal.”

Did you see the picture in the Calen-dar section of the Sentinel of Mike and Kim Spicer? Their ‘in costume’ pose advertised the Kings Players’ production of “Hartburn Hotel.”

Jordan Koelewyn has continued to represent the West Hills Community College well. At the Central Valley Conference Tournament, he shot a 2-over 74 to lead the Golden Ea-gles. Way to go, Jordan!

June 8, 2014

PAGE 2 THE FOCUS

TEEN TALK

I HAVE A PLAN FOR YOU! “For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord.

“plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” Jeremiah 29:11

My child,

Sometimes it seems like everyone, including your friends, your parents, and maybe even yourself, has a plan for you. Well, I have a plan for you, too. I created you with it in mind. It is your destiny – the reason you exist.

We have adventures to go on, you and I. There are new friends for you to meet and new places for you to explore. There will be tough times, but I’ll give you strength; and when you’re lost, I’ll show you the way back home.

So when you need to make a decision, pray first and then listen. You will hear My voice like a whisper inside yourself. Trust Me. I only want to bless you.

Your Trail Guide, God

Congratulations to Corey Zonneveld and Stevi Shahan who were married on Saturday, April 5th on the beautiful grounds of the Santa Margarita Ranch. Theirs was the first ceremony performed by Pastor Justin Carruthers and it was a wonderful afternoon and evening! May God bless their marriage richly.

Cyle Bakker and Elyse Leyendekker were united in marriage on Friday, May 30th at the Trinity United Re-formed Church. The ceremony was followed by a lovely reception at the Koetsier Ranch. The young couple will live in Visalia where Cyle will work at California Dairies and Elyse will finish her last year at Fresno Pa-cific University. Congratulations and may God bless them with many happy years together!

Sentinel Remington Ramblers writer Patricia Machado shared “Good memories of the Montreal Expos.” She noted that John and Charlotte Frese’s son-in-law Tim Scott and his wife Nichole recently flew to Montreal where members of the Montreal Expos were honored. In 1994 they were the winning team and were head-ed for the World Series when a major league players strike wiped out the remainder of the season. After 20 years, when the team walked out on that baseball field at the Olympic Stadium, they received a standing ovation.

Preston Scott, grandson of John and Charlotte Frese, is following in his father’s footsteps. He landed a spot on the Fresno City College All Conference 1st team. His outstanding year included leading the conference in four categories: five home runs which included 2 grand slams, 29 RB1’s, a .624 batting percentage, and 53 total bases. He plans to attend Fresno Pacific University next year. Keep up that excellent hitting, Preston!

VBS Missions Tent

You are invited to participate in the VBS Wilderness Escape adventure by helping us gather donations for our missions project Manna Home in Fresno. The Manna Home is a mission of Koinonia International that pro-vides a home for teens who have behavioral problems, who have problems in their relationships with parents, or whose parents are absent. The vision of Manna Home is to restore the souls of teens and to draw them

into a relationship with Jesus.

We will be collecting donations to help cover the cost of running and maintaining a home full of teens throughout the month of June. Suggested donations include: Any household/toiletry items, cleaning supplies, toilet paper, towels/wash cloths, socks/underwear, non-perishable food items or cash donations. Donations

may be dropped off in the Manna Home bin located in the foyer.

Thank you for your support!

PAGE 3 THE FOCUS

Graduations

Congratulations to Doreen Verdegaal who graduated from National University with a Masters Degree in Best Practices in Education. Her kids and grandkids were able to join her for the ceremony in Sacramento and they had a wonderful time together. Doreen is teaching third grade at Kings River Hardwick and she is surely using

some of those “best practices”!

Congratulations to Emma Johnson who graduated from Central Valley Christian High School on May 17. Em-ma was chosen to be Valedictorian and was also honored as a Lifetime Member of California Scholastic Feder-

ation. She plans to attend Westmont College in the fall.

Congratulations to Hayden Maccagno, grandson of Richard and Marilyn Maccagno, who graduated from California State University in Monterey on May 17. He graduated with honors and received a degree in Biolo-

gy with a minor in Pre-Med. He is already working at Monterey Analytical Services.

Congratulations to Alexandria Lemos who graduated from Ouachita Baptist University in Arkadelphia, Arkan-sas on May 10. Ally graduated Summa Cum Laude with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Early Childhood Educa-

tion. She hopes to begin teaching locally this fall or wherever the Lord leads her.

Congratulations to Lauren Smith who graduated from West Hills College in Lemoore with her Associates of Art degree in Arts and Humanities. She will be transferring to Fresno State in the fall and will be studying Athletic Training. After completing her Bachelors Degree, she will go on to earn a certificate in Animal Physical

Therapy.

Congratulations to Christina Mee Noland Beeghly who will graduate from Loma Linda University with a BS in Health Science and a MS in Orthotics and Prosthetics on June 15. She will begin her residency at Hangar Pros-

thetics in Fresno and Visalia on June 2.

Renae Minnema Boerneke graduated on May 17 with her Doctorate in Pharmacy. She will be in residency

with the Veterans’ Hospital in San Diego for the next year. Congratulations go out to Renae!

Congratulations to Leslie Tos who graduated on May 17 with a Degree of Juris Doctor from Trinity Law School.

Congratulations to Erika Tos who graduated with honors from Azusa Pacific University on May 8 with a Bache-

lor of Science in Nursing. Erika was also on the Dean’s List for Fall of 2013.

Congratulations to Anneka Verhoeven Sybesma who graduated Summa Cum Laude in December from Cali-fornia State University, Fresno with a Degree in Nursing. She passed her State Boards in March and is looking

at different options in the nursing field.

Congratulations to Peter Bertus de Jong who graduated on May 9 from Dordt College with a degree in Agri-

Business. Peter will be joining the family dairy operation.

Caleb Danielson graduated from Central Valley Christian on May 17. He will be starting flight training soon

and plans to begin the Aviation Mechanics Program this fall at Reedley College. Congratulations, Caleb!

Congratulations to Hannah Wilgenburg who graduated from Central Valley Christian on May 17. Hannah was

honored as a Lifetime Member of the California Scholastic Federation and plans to attend Cal Baptist this fall.

Congratulations to Zachary van der Kooi who graduated from Eighth Grade at Hanford Christian School on May 28. Zachary plans to attend Central Valley Christian High School where he hopes to join his brother in

playing football and basketball. It sounds like Zachary is ready for a well-rounded high school career!

Chloe Hofmans-Montgomery, granddaughter of Chuck and EddyDell Huffman, graduated with honors from California State University, Fresno with a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and a minor in Criminology. Congratu-

lations, Chloe!

This may not be an all-inclusive list but only includes those who shared their information.

If your graduate is not listed, please contact Jeanne deHaan so he/she can be included in the next issue.

PAGE 4 THE FOCUS

MINISTRY MATTERS The Cadets concluded this season with a pizza party at the church where they played games and enjoyed the company of the Gems. We once again participated with other local clubs in the Pacific Sierra Council. We were at the Westras in early May for the annual Rocket launch and Car show. Our rockets performed well, and the boys enjoyed looking at all the old “cool” cars. We also joined them for Field Day in March and raced our pinewood derby cars against them last fall. We had a lot of fast cars this year and some really good looking ones too. Our theme of “A Work in Progress” fits our club well because we are relative-ly small (only 11 boys) and most of them are in the younger grades. A few boys will be traveling to Alberta Canada the last week of July to the International Camporee located somewhere between Calgary and Ed-monton. Plans are already in progress for next year’s season which will start mid to late August. If you know of any boy in 3rd through 8th grade that likes to camp, fly rockets, build derby cars, and hangout with a bunch of other great boys and do “boy stuff”, send them our way. Our dedicated counselors look forward

to serving them. Dave Danielson

Tuesday night Coffee Break enjoyed their studies of “Titus and Philemon” and “I Samuel.” Our large group of 19 ladies continues to grow closer to the Lord and to each other. The first half of the evening includes a few songs, then sharing and prayer. As each lady shares their praises and concerns, everyone enters them on their prayer sheet which is taken home for further prayer. We are so blessed with the ladies’ participa-tion in our extended prayer time. Because this prayer time is so precious to everyone, we take two weeks for each lesson. This season concluded with an evening supper social on May 6 with a “Friends” theme. The ladies submitted their summer prayer requests which are being printed in pamphlet form, and everyone has

a prayer partner for this summer. It’s been an inspiring season. God is so good!! Anita Lemos

Wednesday morning Coffee Break wrapped up its season with a breakfast social on May 14. This year we’ve studied “The Fruit of the Spirit”, “Elijah and Elisha”, and “Jonah.” We’ve had an average of 45 wom-en in attendance split into six groups. The groups are large but the fellowship is sweet. There are 28 wom-en from our congregation involved in leadership, story hour, and the nursery, and one very patient custodian. The young moms’ group continues to show the most growth so we had to divide them into two groups. These same young moms are the ones responsible for 13 children in Story Hour and 12 babies in the Nursery. It’s

been a busy but rewarding year! Jeanne deHaan

Story Hour. About thirteen children attended Story Hour each Wednesday morning this year. Our Bible sto-ries emphasized how the believers in the New Testament church shared their belonging and passed on the Good News about Jesus. The Christians also prayed for one another. To carry on that mission, the Story Hour children made treat baskets for some of the shut-ins of our church. After colorful ribbons were woven through the sides of the baskets, the children put crackers, raisins, chocolate chips, Fruit Loops, etc. into the baskets. By each basket was a picture of the shut-in. A little prayer card was attached, a picture of the kids was included, and then the treats were delivered. The long-time church members were very appreciative of the kind thoughts, actions, and prayers of the Story Hour kids. Young or old, we’re all an important part of

the church. Marlene VanderMoren

Wednesday night First Place ended their season with a wonderful book by Lysa Terkeust called “Made to Crave.” We were so blessed by her book and the participant guide. It’s about how we are to satisfy our deepest desire with God, not food. Her lessons include humor and show how she understands because she has experienced a lot of the same things we have. Our group recommends this book to anyone who wants

to draw closer to God and learn more about the rich promises He has in store for us. Lori Koelewyn

The Friendship Ministry had a great year. We gained two new students and have enjoyed good times with these special people. They look forward to Thursday night Bible study and singing together. This year we studied the Psalms and ended in the spring with the Ten Commandments. We are so blessed by their singing which is now shared with our church family twice a year. We are looking forward to September when we

start a new season. Maggie Woodhouse

PAGE 5 THE FOCUS

Gems is a well-rounded program involving badges, service work, and most important, growing as a girl in Christ. The leaders are praising God for His great blessing on the Gems program. Counselors Amada Clemente, Maegan DeJong, Julie Dragt, Shelaine Goebel, Rachel Kootstra, and Sheri Tos projected an attendance of ten girls. There were 24 girls at the first meeting! This year’s theme “He has to be greater; we must become less” was taken from the gospel of John, chapter 3, verse 30. Our Soup Supper and Gems Sunday had beautiful turnouts. The outpouring of support is humbling but very appreciated. We welcome girls from 3rd to 8th grade to join us. For more information, you can contact me at sheribryan@att.net or

585-3550. Sheri Tos

The Kings Rehab Ministry started some ten years ago, when Gerrit Boogaard, my Dad, was residing at Kings Rehab and missed going to church, especially the singing. The convalescent facility was willing to allow us to come there once a month to have a worship service, so we have done that ever since. Sundays were my Dad’s favorite day of the week because he could worship God and see people from our church. We go there the first Sunday of every month; many residents come to hear us sing and bring a message. They tell us how much they appreciate our coming. Dean Johnson and Denise Postma take turns leading the worship with prayer and a short devotional. Elsie Barba and Jane Tos share the piano playing but there are only a few church members who come along to sing. Marlene Vander Moren usually leads the singing, but it would be nice to have a few more people joining us. We meet from 2:00 to 2:30 p.m. in the dining hall. There is an opportunity to greet the residents for anyone who is comfortable doing that, but it is not a necessity. Sev-eral members of our church now reside at Kings Rehab, so please try to come help them worship each month. Children are welcome too. Kings Rehab is located on Leslie Lane, just west of 11th Avenue and off of

Hanford Armona Road. Elsie Bowlby Barba

Martha’s Daughters has had a lot of activity during the ten years we have been serving our church and com-munity. We bring meals to families who need a little bit of help. Tiffany Mackey arranges meals for fami-lies after giving birth to a new baby. We also provide meals to those returning home from the hospital after surgery or illness. Many people have helped provide these meals, and families have been very blessed by not needing to cook for a week or too. The past three years we have provided meals to Bert and Norma Boogaard twice a week.

I would like to thank those who have so selflessly provided at least one meal a month for them: Marge Duyst, Eddy Dell Huffman, Carla Kootstra, Tiffany Mackey, Kathy Pacheco, Charlene Van Heeringen, Grace Vander Moren, Cora Vryhof, Maggie Woodhouse, and Gayle Zonneveld. Bert and Norma always looked forward to the delicious meals they received and were so grateful for this service. Now that Bert has gone to his heavenly home, Norma’s caregivers are providing her food. (Editor’s Note: Elsie Barba also provided meals for her aunt and uncle.)

Meals are now being provided for Tilde and Susie Norwood. Their address is 6585Hanford Armona Road. They love all kinds of food but ask that there be no rice dishes as they are difficult for Tilde to swallow. Til-de is confined to bed and Susie deals with constant pain that restricts her ability to cook. Marlene Vander Moren is arranging these meals, so please call her at 584-0654 if you are willing to provide a meal for them occasionally.

Vera Castle also appreciates receiving food from us. Kathy Pacheco, Grace Vander Moren, and Maggie Woodhouse have been bringing her food, so if you have some leftovers, Vera would love having some small meals. She is not able to stand to cook meals. Her address is 852 E. Grangeville Blvd., Space 58 and her phone number is 582-7935.

When you bring food, please bring it in a disposable container, so they don’t have to return dishes. The dol-lar store sells aluminum cake pans that work well for most things. I will try to keep a supply of those in the kitchen cupboard at church. Please let us know if there is a need in our church or community so we can help. If you would like to add your name to our list of willing cooks, leave your name and phone number in my

church mailbox or feel free to call me at 589-5068. Elsie Bowlby Barba

(continued next page)

PAGE 6 THE FOCUS

Robert and Jennifer Butts

Serving in Tegucigalpa, Honduras—World Gospel Outreach

The Butts family has been as busy as ever these last many months with some pretty exciting new things. Right before Christmas, we were able to complete, or almost complete, the process for Rodolfo’s adoption with the U.S. government. The Honduran adoption process completed last spring, but we’ve been waiting for the U.S. to recognize the adoption. They have now done that. In December, we were able to travel to the U.S. so that Rodolfo could be physically present on U.S. soil. With that, he was given a perma-nent visa and the only remaining step appears to be giving an oath of allegiance that will grant him U.S.

Citizenship. We hope that will take place this summer.

Jennifer has been teaching art at the bilingual school that Rodolfo attends. This has been a good experience for her as it gives her the artistic outlet she needs while helping out a little with the family fi-nances. She has been able to build some neat relationships with the other teachers and administrators at the school. In addition to this work, she is still active at World Gospel Outreach, helping out by managing our corporate communications plan, assisting in our Mission House store, and providing support to our other

staff.

This past January, World Gospel Outreach completed its first 30 years of ministry in Honduras. That is an amazing thing that God has done. Jennifer has been part of WGO for 15 years of those years while Robert has worked for WGO for 11 years. We have seen many changes over the years and been part of making some of those changes ourselves. We have seen the staff grow from less than 20 to over 100. There are a lot of people here who are very committed to seeing Honduran men, women and children come

to know Christ in a deeper way. We are certainly pleased to have the team of servants God has given us.

While WGO has ministered to Hondurans for now over 30 years, the impact has extended will be-yond these borders to other countries by people who had their first experience in foreign missions with WGO and are now serving in other corners of the world. We have always known that God would one day expand the physical ministry of WGO also beyond the borders of Honduras. In recent months, Robert has spent time travelling to Belize with the other WGO leadership to fulfill a charge given by the Board of Di-rectors to see if Belize is that next place of ministry for WGO. It has been an exciting time and we are humbled to be part of what could be such an important moment in WGO’s history. Please be in prayer for the WGO Board of Directors that God would give them discernment to know where He would lead his min-

istry next. Pray for Robert as an expansion of ministry would mean additional workload as well.

We consider ourselves more than blessed by God and each one of you who care for us, pray for us,

and support the work God is doing through us at World Gospel Outreach. God has been so faithful!

The Motor Ministry is managed by the deacons in our church. We are taking turns giving Diane Wilbanks a ride to church every Sunday. Those doing this are Elsie Barba, Ray Danielson, Julie Dragt, Dean John-son, and Connie Minnema. The deacons are requesting more volunteers for others who may need rides. If

you are interested in helping, please contact Darryl Koelewyn at 582-8963. Elsie Bowlby Barba

Stephen’s Ministries are alive and doing well in our church. We are available to give spiritual help to those who need it. We have 18 people who have been trained to give this confidential help. This is a sep-arate ministry from those that the pastors provide. Our pastors do not even know with whom we are meet-ing. We have been trained to be good listeners and know how to give spiritual help for as long as is need-

ed. Feel free to call Dennis Rietema at 584-9422 or me at 589-5068. Elsie Bowlby Barba

This does not include all of our ministries but only those who responded to our request for information

PAGE 7 THE FOCUS

Covenant Children & Communion

An Implementation Guide Revisited June, 2014

Six years ago the Board of Elders decided, that with regard to spiritual formation, it is in the

best interest of our membership that participation in the sacrament of communion be offered

to all believers as well as their baptized children, provided the following guidelines are fol-

lowed:

1) Confessing members of our congregation, not under discipline, are always invited to

participate in the blessed sacrament of communion.

2) Visitors and guests who meet the following criteria are also invited to participate in

the sacrament:

A. They testify that they are believers in Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior

as these things are taught in the Bible.

B. They acknowledge their sinfulness and need for forgiveness in Christ’s shed

blood at Calvary.

C. They attest that they are sorry for such sin in their life and resolve to repent

and live obediently in the power of the Holy Spirit.

3) The baptized children of confessing members may request that their children also

participate under the following conditions:

A. Parents submit a written request to the elders specifically requesting that

their children (listed by name) be allowed to participate in the sacrament of

communion.

B. Parents will be expected to meet with an elder delegation who will be charged

to discuss the following topics with the parents:

i. What is the plan and processes for spiritual formation undertaken by

the parents in their home?

ii. Have the parents taught their children about the sacrament of com-

munion and its relationship to the preaching of the word of God?

C. Parents understand that their children will still be expected to participate in

the full course of spiritual formation classes offered through our Catechism

program

D. Parents impress upon their covenant children that the expectation of the

church remains that they too make a personal and public profession of their

faith in Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior.

4. It is understood that the children of believing parents who have NOT requested permission

for their children to participate should not do so on those occasions when the sacrament is

celebrated. It is the assumption of the board of elders that parents who have NOT requested

permission for their children’s participation have done so conscientiously, not apathetically.

The elders will honor the decision of parents to withhold the sacrament from their children

without prejudice nor undo pressure.

Pastor Lambert Sikkema

PAGE 8 THE FOCUS

Hanford Christian Reformed Church

Council Meeting Minutes

May 5, 2014

1. Council Chairman Floyd Burrus called the meeting to order at 7:00 PM. Council members Rick

Koelewyn, Darryl Koelewyn and John Zonneveld were not present.

A. Special guests Al Schapp and Brad Smith were also present.

2. Pastor Sikkema read Psalm 144, verses 1 – 4 and led the council in prayer.

3. Visitors Al Schaap and Brad Smith were given the floor

A. First official visit by Classis in six or seven years

B. Al Schaap and then Brad Smith led a very pointed and interesting discussion

i. What battles with Satan are we fighting on an individual basis

ii.What battles with Satan is the congregation fighting

iii. What weapons do we have to fight Satan

iv. What keeps Hanford CRC from retaining and attracting younger members?

C. What are the strengths of Hanford CRC?and attracting younger members?

D. Classis hopes to visit every two or three years going forward

4. Minutes of the March 3, 2014 were approved.

5. Recommendation for Deacons to establish an organ refurbishing fund

A. Pastor Sikkema explained the needs for repairs and upgrades as well as the associated costs

i. $4,000 needed for repairs to get organ in proper operating condition

ii. Approximately $36,000 needed to upgrade organ to current standards including

digital controls

B. Motion was made and passed to pay for repairs out of 2014 - 2015 budget and to pay for up-

grades with an organ fund.

6. Update on Youth Pastor Search – Pastor Justin Carruthers

A. Seven names are under consideration

B. Two of the seven will be interviewed

i. Jacob Kitson – Visalia

ii Justin Gloudemans – Sioux City, Iowa

C. Motion made and passed to bring Jacob and Justin to visit Hanford CRC

7. Meeting was adjourned to July 7, 2014

8. Mike Pacheco led in closing prayer

Respectfully submitted,

Bill Wynne, Clerk of Council

PAGE 9 THE FOCUS

KIDS KORNER

1. Who climbed a sycamore tree to see

Jesus?

a) Zacchaeus

b) Nicodemus

c) Lazarus

d) Curious George

2. Which of the following rivers was not a

branch of the river that watered the Gar-

den of Eden?

a) Gihon

b) Tigris

c) Euphrates

d) Danube

3. Which of the following was a missionary

companion of the apostle Paul?

a) Barnabas

b) Barbados

c) Bar-Jesus

d) Barabbas

4. What is the first of the Ten Command-

ments?

a) You shall not murder.

b) You shall not commit adultery.

c) You shall have no other gods

before me.

d) Honor your father and your

mother.

5. What sign protected Israelites homes in

Egypt from the plague on the firstborn?

a) a candle in the window

b) bread in the oven

c) a goat in the yard

d) blood on the doorposts

6. According to Jesus, what would not fall

to the ground apart from God’s will?

a) a sparrow

b) a rain drop

c) a leaf

d) brimstone

7. Which biblical man had the longest

recorded timespan?

a) Adam

b) Isaac

c) Methuselah

d) Noah

8. Which of the following disciples was not

with Jesus when He was arrested at

Gethsemane?

a) Andrew

b) Peter

c) James

d) John

9. Which tribe was in charge of assembling,

disassembling, and moving the tabernacle?

a) the tribe of Reuben

b) the tribe of Dan

c) the tribe of Levi

d) the tribe of Judah

10. What destroyed the golden-headed

statue in King Nebuchadnezzar’s dream?

a) a violent whirlwind

b) a flood of the Euphrates River

c) a mighty angel of God

d) a rock not cut by human hands

If the answer you do not know,

Just look right here, down below.

Bible verses will help your mind

All the answers quickly find.

Bible References

1. Luke 19:2-4 2. Genesis 2:10-14

3. Acts 13:2 4. Exodus 20:3

5. Exodus 12:7,13 6. Matthew 10:29

7. Genesis 5:27 8. Mark 14:32-33

9. Numbers 1:50-51 10. Daniel 2:32-35

PAGE 10 THE FOCUS

Hanford Christian Reformed Church

Congregational Heart Health Assessment

Overview: A few months ago, the Elders began a conversation regarding the future of our congregation as it relates to the great commission and our passion for reaching others with the gospel of Jesus Christ. We gave

a heart health assessment to members of the congregation to fill out and give back to us.

Results: We received a total of 34 forms. The results are as follows:

Mean (Average) = 6.53 Median (Middle) = 7

Mode (Most Used #) = 6 Range = 6 (One low of 4 and two highs of 9)

All Scores = 4, 5, 5, 5, 5, 5, 6, 6, 6, 6, 6, 6, 6, 6, 6, 6, 7, 7, 7, 7, 7, 7, 7, 7, 8, 8, 8, 8, 8, 8, 8, 8, 9, 9

Conclusion:

A healthy sample size would be 10-15% of the congregation (40-60 people). We were a bit under that. Of all 34 assessments, no one gave the church a flat line score. Also, very few gave it a weak pulse score. Most congregants believe that our congregation loves God and wants to be faithful to His love for the lost. They believe members may be tired from outreach programs and adjustments may be necessary. They also be-lieve that the church has moderate difficulty finding leaders and volunteers. A few people suggested that one challenge may be that 10-20% of the members are actively involved, while the other 80-90% are moder-

ately to rarely involved.

Follow up:

The board of elders decided that this information should be given to the entire congregation for their viewing pleasure. This information is simply ‘for your information/interest’. We also hope that edifying dialogue can

take through this. Some questions you can ponder (alone or with others) are:

A) Are any of these results surprising to you?

B) What should we take from these results?

C) What implications do you think this has on our ability to advance Christ’s Kingdom in our community?

Each church has been specifically mandated and (hopefully) equipped to carry out the great commission, that is, to ‘make disciples’ – to invite others into the fold of Jesus Christ. Our church is no different. Continue to pray for our leadership as we think about how we are to serve our Hanford community for the expansion of God’s Kingdom as well as for each member of our church as we strive to follow God’s will to love our neigh-

bor.

If you have any additional comments or question, please contact your district elder or one of the Pastors.

Respectfully submitted, Pastor Justin

PAGE 11 THE FOCUS

FAMILY RESOLUTIONS

The summer time is an excellent time to focus on your family life.

Think about each family member individually: Are there fences you should mend? Apologize for harsh words or slights, repay loans, return borrowed items, perform postponed tasks and promises.

Does any family member have needs or desires you could help satisfy? Concentrate on emotional needs before material ones. Your child would prefer your time, attention, and approval more than a new bike or loan. A family member may need your endorsement and support for a new endeavor.

How can you make the relationships healthier? Do you take your spouse for granted, talking only about chores and logistics, and neglecting companionship and romance? Do you dominate the conversation or determine their activities, never focusing on his or her concerns and preferences? Do your children depend upon you too much, failing to develop independence or learn to take care of themselves?

On the other hand, do you feel ignored, unappreciated or taken advantage of by any family member? If so, how can you change your behavior to achieve a better balance? For instance, if you’re always hurt when your children skip the dinner you’ve cooked, either require family meals or have them fix their own food.

For your whole family: Many families complain that they’re too rushed, that they’re over-organized, that social pressures force them into questionable activities and spending, that the children are growing up too fast without the shared family experiences the parents would like to have.

Whatever your concerns: Make a list. Ask each family member which five shared family activities they would enjoy. The best activi-ties may be those that are spontaneous and least expensive. Eliminate. Ask each family member which organized activity they would give up if they had to give up one, and which one they would keep if they could only do one. If an activity shows up more than once on the “drop” list and not at all on the “keep” list, you will probably decide to eliminate it. Make plans. Discuss and choose activities that you would like to do this summer. Eliminate friction. Identify household tasks or processes that create friction. Develop an action plan with support from each family member. Look for ways to cooperate with each other and share household du-ties. (adapted from Crosswalk)

Our Church History

Our church started broadcasting its evening service over radio station KRDU in Dinuba in 1961. The broad-

casting continued for several years. We continued to grow, with a number of families driving from Fresno and from

Visalia to attend Sunday services. As people filled the sanctuary and the balcony, the nursery was absolutely over-

flowing with babies and toddlers. It was time to start some daughter churches. The Fresno Christian Reformed

Church organized in 1964; their first pastor was Rev. D.A. Visser. The following year, the Visalia Christian Re-

formed Church was established with 20 families; Rev. Bartel N. Huizenga was installed as pastor.

In that same year, 1965, the young married couples formed the Couples Club. They got underway with their

activities immediately, hosting their first dinner and program in April 1966. The evening was so successful that it

became an annual spring event. Each year the skits and musical selections were centered on a theme, such as West-

ern, School Days, and Love. Many hours were spent in planning each event. The funds raised over the years were

donated for improvements and a new bus garage at Hanford Christian School. Dinner tickets were purchased until

1979 when it changed to a free well offering.

This active group started the “Focus” newsletter in 1967. Marian Danielson served as the dedicated Editor

of the Focus for many years. Also in 1967, Robert W. Prys was killed in action in the Vietnam war. Later his fami-

ly received the bronze star medal with a “V” in honor of his bravery in battle.

That same year Wesley Nichols became the new choir director, a position he held for ten years. Many of us

remember the day when he turned around and led the congregation in singing – soon telling us “It’s O.K. to smile

while singing God’s praises!” (That was actually a very appropriate comment because our worship was way too seri-

PAGE 12 THE FOCUS

“Youth Ministries” A Letter from Pastor Justin

Dear First CRC Congregation,

You may recall a month ago receiving a letter from the Admin Committee in regards to our church hiring a full-time “Director of Youth Ministries”. In case you didn’t read it or forgot the details, let me summarize what

was said:

In April, the Board of Elders met together to discuss the prospect of hiring a full-time “Director of Youth Minis-tries” in light of Lael Dunn sharing with us that she would be stepping down after three years of faithful ser-

vice as our volunteer youth director.

The board considered the extensive requirements within our Youth Ministry Objective Statement as well as our church mission statement and unanimously decided that it would be in the best interest of our church to

start pursuing a list of eligible candidates for a full-time “Director of Youth Ministries” position.

Since then Admin has been collecting names for the position. On Monday, May 5th the full council met togeth-er and approved the recommendation for two candidates to come and visit our church for the purpose of

interviewing and getting to know them as well as the opportunity for them to get to know us.

What’s The Purpose of the Change?

It should be noted that this endeavor is not only for the purpose of our youth ministry program, but also for the express purpose of our church working within the public schools in Hanford and Kings County. Our prayer would be that the new Youth Director would devote a considerable amount of time serving as a Chaplain within these schools. Consider for a moment just how amazing such an opportunity is. Most school districts shudder from the prospect of Chaplains entering their public schools. Ours does not. Due to the high volume of drug use, teen pregnancies, high school drop-out rates, and divorce rates among families within our school systems, our district is, for the lack of a better word, ‘desperate’ enough to allow Chaplains to enter the lives

of these youth in aim for them to be a positive role model. What an opportunity!

Why the Sudden Change?

To be clear, it should be explained ‘why’ it seems the council has been moving so expeditiously in this pro-cess. May 8th was the first many members heard of the church’s endeavor to pursue a full time Youth Director. However, this process started in March when the board of Elders met together to discuss its options moving forward. By the time you read this, committees (Council, Elders, and Admin) will have met 6 times over 3

months discerning, collaborating, and praying about the prospect of a Youth Ministries Director.

Also, due to the nature of the Youth Ministry program, it would be advantageous for the church to have this new staff member working by July at the latest so that they can start planning for the 2014-15 Youth Pro-gram which starts mid-August. That is why we have made this a priority over the last few months. Having a Youth Director start once school and Youth Group is already underway would prove to be exceptionally

challenging. We are hoping to avoid that if possible.

Over the next two weeks, we will extend an offer to one of our candidates and await their response.

I Still Have Questions:

The purpose of this letter is so that you can be informed and in prayer for our leadership as we pursue po-tential candidates and prayerfully consider how to best serve our youth and the youth of Kings County. If you have any comments or questions, I welcome them. Pastor Lambert, Floyd Burrus (Chair of Council), and

Bill Tos (Youth Elder) would be good people to talk to as well.

If you would like to see details related to the job description, go to: http://hanfordcrc.org/#/news-and-

updates/job-openings

As leadership, we are very excited about the prospect of this position. We hope and pray that the Lord will

continue to lead and guide us in this process.

PAGE 13 THE FOCUS

Tile Tribute: Celebrate the contribution that Hanford Christian School has made to your life and/or the lives of your family and friends. You can purchase an engraved tile on our new Hanford Christian School 70th Anniversary Tribute. With your personalized tile, you can tell the story of God’s faithful-ness to countless children over all the years! For more information, please see the flyer provided in your church mailbox or contact the school office at 559-584-9207. “One generation commends your works to another, they tell of your mighty acts…” (Psalm 145:4). ***************************************************************************************************

Next year Central Valley Christian Schools

will be celebrating its 35th Anniversary with a Mural Project 2014-15.

All along God has been so faithful in His leading and providing for His work here at CVC. Like the children of

Israel in the Old Testament, we want to create a visual monument, a testimony of God’s faithfulness. We will

be commissioning and installing a 50-foot-long mural at the middle school campus that shares the story of

God’s faithfulness over the years.

This mural will represent a timeline of the history of CVC and serve as a reminder for all of us to never stop

declaring God’s faithfulness.

How do you get to take part? We are currently seeking sponsors who will partner with us. There will be 1200

individual hand-painted (by a friend of CVC) Delft-inspired tiles. You can purchase a single tile for $35, a

whole column of 10 tiles for $350, or an entire row of the verse—100 tiles for $3,500.

You will find Sponsorship forms at the Information Booth. More information is available on our school’s web-

site @ cvc.org.

What Do You Know About the Heidelberg Catechism?

THE PREACHER

The preacher who came to Heidelberg came there straight from prison. Frederick III paid a large

ransom to have him released, and the city that let him go ordered him never to return. So it hap-

pened that Caspar Olevianus arrived a year after Frederick became elector.

Olevianus had grown up in the city that imprisoned him. It was the proud old city of Treves which

boasted that it had been standing on the banks of the Moselle River since before Christ was born.

The Archbishop of Treves was an elector of the Holy Roman Empire, and so for centuries the

Church of Rome had ruled the walled city.

The father of Olevianus was a prominent citizen, city treasurer, council member, and master of

the bakers’ guild. His grandfather was master of the butchers’ guild, and he had enough money

to send his 14 year old favorite grandson to study in France.

The boy from Treves found France pulsing with the Reformation. Almost every city had its

Protestants. If they could not worship openly, they met in secret places, using passwords and

posting guards to protect themselves. Eagerly they studied the Bible and the writings of such

leaders as John Calvin, a Frenchman like themselves. They were not afraid of torture or of death

by burning or by the hangman’s rope.

Soon Olevianus joined these brave people. During the six years that he was in France he be-

came an enthusiastic Protestant. When he was saved from drowning in a river accident, he

made a vow to become a preacher, instead of a lawyer. The 21 year old Olevianus received his

doctor’s degree the following year. After a brief stop at his home in Treves, he set out for Geneva

and Zurich where the great reformers lived.

(to be continued)

2175 Leoni Drive ~ Hanford, California

FIRST CHRISTIAN REFO RMED

Phone: 559-582-4423

Fax: 559-584-2235

We’re on the web

hanfordcrc.org

THE FOCUS PAGE 14

If there are any needs in the congre-

gation for the Deacons, please feel

free to give one of them a call and

they will be willing to address them.

Thank you.

Your Diaconate

THIS-N-THAT

We rejoice with all the parents and grandpar-

ents of our elementary school, high school, col-

lege, and university graduates. What a blessing to

have a God who has blessed these students with

alert minds and the ability to learn well! Let us

each pray that jobs will be available for our young

adults who have completed their education.

Mother’s Day has been celebrated and Father’s

Day is right around the corner. We hope and pray

that the “Family Resolutions” article on page 11

will help you focus on your family. Have a blessed

summer! Nancy and Anita

Answers to Kid Korner Question

1. a 2. d 3. a 4. c 5. d

6. a 7. c 8. a 9. c 10. d

“Whoever believes in Me, as the

Scripture has said, streams of

living water will flow from within

him.” John 7:38

“I tell you the truth, anyone who

has faith in Me will do what I

have been doing. He will do

even greater things than these,

because I am going to the

Father. And I will do whatever

you ask in My name, so that

the Son may bring glory to

the Father.” John 14:12-13

Seniors Scene

I INHABIT YOUR PRAISES

Did you know that your spirit blesses Me?

You give Me joy and I live in your silent songs of praise!

The music in your heart bathes and renews Me.

You are a fine-tuned instrument

Perfected with practice and tears and age;

Mellowed with years, smooth and making

Perfect inner harmony.

You are one of my precious few, a chosen one.

You think, “But Lord, it can’t be true!

I am slow to speak and move!”

Be still and know

That there’s a river of love flowing

Through you to all you meet!

The nighttime nurse who weeps her sorrows out

In the privacy of your silent compassion;

The grandchildren whose same gift of love

Sparkles in their eyes, matching the twinkle in your

own;

The doctor whose hands relax

When touching yours, who feels your calm.

I touch, I love, I heal through you!