Greetings from the Federation Board!
Another busy year is, under the blessing and favor of our heavenly Father, well underway for the Fed Board. This article is to inform you, the members of our Young Peoples’ Societies, as to the identity, purpose, and current membership of the Fed Board.
The Fed Board is the Executive Board of the Federation of Protestant Reformed Young Peoples’ Societies. It is a 10-member body that meets in the West Michigan area once a month to discuss financial and practical matters relating to the functioning of the Federation. These include, among other things, the collection of dues from our member Societies (please pay promptly!); assisting the host church of the annual PR Young Peoples’ Convention (this year Hope Church in Walker, MI); and overseeing the two standing committees of the Fed Board, the Beacon Lights Committee and the PR Scholarship Committee. The members of these Committees are appointed by the Fed Board. They meet on their own regular schedule and send a written report of each meeting to the Fed Board.
A recent development is the establishment by the Fed Board of a Transportation Subsidy Fund to assist young people and their families with paying transportation costs to the annual Young People’s Convention. It was initially established in consideration of those in our Western congregations who must usually fly to the Michigan/Illinois area for the Convention, but the subsidy is open for application to members of all our Societies. We are currently working to get the application online with the other registration forms for the YP Convention. Details about where to mail the completed form will be available online as well. The money for this assistance comes from the dues collected each year from our member Societies, and this ought to provide yet another incentive for each of you to pay dues in full and on time.
The Fed Board exists for a three-fold purpose, according to its Constitution: 1) To enable all PR Young Peoples’ Societies to work in close unity, manifesting the unity of the church of Jesus Christ in the truth of him as revealed in Holy Scripture and summarized in our Three Forms of Unity; 2) To provide guidance for the development of faith and doctrine—Protestant Reformed faith and doctrine—by means of a Federation publication (the Beacon Lights magazine); 3) To give expression to our specific Protestant Reformed character. Part of that specific Protestant Reformed character is our confession with our parents and with the church of Jesus Christ throughout history of the doctrine of God’s unconditional covenant of grace, a covenant governed by God’s eternal decree of election and established with believers and their elect children in Christ Jesus our Lord. It is this truth as it is manifested in the organic life of the church that enables us not only to federate in a denomination as Protestant Reformed congregations—with this distinctive doctrine as our hallmark and reason for existence—but also allows our Young People’s Societies to work together in communion as covenant friend-servants of God our heavenly Father and young brothers and sisters in the Lord Jesus Christ.
The members of the Fed Board are elected by representatives from each member Society who come together at the Delegate Board meeting at the annual Convention. The current members are: Jonathan Langerak, Jr.—President; Nate Bodbyl—Vice-President; Annie Zuverink—Secretary; Kylie Mulder—Vice-Secretary; Jordan Koole—Treasurer; Dave Noorman—Vice-Treasurer, and Rachel Kamps—Librarian. Advising these seven officers of the Board are two Spiritual Advisors—Rev. Gary Eriks and Rev. Dan Holstege; and one Youth Coordinator—Mr. Scott VanUffelen. I would like to thank each member of the Board for the work they have done and the wise advice they have given thus far and encourage them in the year ahead.
The Fed Board covets your prayers as we carry out our work. And we for our part pray for each of you as members of the Societies and of the church of Jesus Christ as manifested in our Protestant Reformed Churches. You are the future of our churches and will bear the standard of the Reformed faith forward into succeeding generations.
In Christ, for the Fed Board,
Jonathan Langerak, Jr.