Biography of Jules Taco Van Popta

RPPress is putting the last touches on our first biography, Man of the First Hour: A Son’s Story. The story of Jules (Jelle) Van Popta is a remarkable one and it has fallen to his youngest son to give an account of his father’s struggle and triumph. This is the story of the first minister who served within the Canadian Reformed Churches. As such, we gain a uniquely personal perspective of some of the ecclesiastical issues that have faced our church federation. In addition, the details of the political and ecclesiastical trials in the Netherlands during the war years, and the early years in Canada will no doubt resonate with all children of Dutch immigrants. We have benefitted enormously from the choices of those who, post WW II, voyaged across the Atlantic to make a new beginning for themselves and their offspring. How the Lord has blessed those who had the courage to cast their bread upon the waters! This story provides reasons for opportunity to shed tears, laugh heartily, and truly, to thank the Lord for His faithfulness! With this book, George van Popta goes beyond family history, as fascinating as this is, and salutes all parents who journeyed as pilgrims in a strange land, never losing sight of the heavenly city.

Order here.

Contact with the FRCNA

The Clarion magazine issue of March 9, 2018, has a report about the recent meeting of the International Conference of Reformed Churches (ICRC) held in Jordan, Ontario. Among the many interesting things reported is a note about the four delegates of the Free Reformed Churches of North America (FRCNA) approaching the four Canadian Reformed (CanRC) delegates with the question why the FRCNA and the CanRC are no longer talking (at the level of synod and/or ecclesiastical committee). It led to the eight brothers having lunch together and agreeing that more formal effort should be put into connecting with each other. Talks petered out long ago and the eight brothers agreed it was time for them to be resumed.

This is great news. The FRCNA and the CanRC are both members of both the ICRC and the North American Presbyterian and Reformed Council (NAPARC) At the grass roots level we have come to know each other better through organizations such as ARPA and CARDUS. Hopefully we will, before long, officially recognize each other for what we surely are, sister churches. That will smooth the way for acknowledging one another's preaching, worship, and discipline as faithful to the Word of God.

We live in a post-Christian context where we increasingly need one another. We hope the brothers who met informally will be able to encourage our respective ecclesiastical contact committees to reach out to one another and to submit good recommendations to the two synods. May God bless the new talks and contact for the edification of the church of Christ!