August 2019 Update – Praise and Prayer Requests

July:

Because of Rev. Stetler’s emergency surgery the events and activities for July were postponed or cancelled. Your prayers for his recovery have been greatly appreciated and he is doing well – the Lord is healing and restoring him to good health – Praise the Lord!

August and Beyond:

In August we are back on track – Lord willing, we have planned one RGM event and 2 other activities as we pursue spreading the Gospel of Jesus Christ in Sioux Center and a neighboring town, Orange City. We look forward to serving the Lord in these ways:

• The July Gospel in the Park (GiP) has been rescheduled for the 10th at the band shell in Central Park, Sioux Center, IA. A gospel message, “Man’s Goodness,“ will be preached by Rev. Stetler – The message will address whether or not there is any “good” in man. From God’s word we will learn of man’s total depravity; that is, man is not good, but rather in need of salvation and a transformed heart by the regenerating work of the Holy Spirit through preaching of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, “the power of God to salvation, to all who believe in Him” (Romans 1:16). There will also be a gospel singing group, “The Klassen Family Singers.“ They are a family group from Worthington, MN that I discovered at the Hope Haven Music Fest last year, who also performed at the music fest this year. They will sing before and after the message. Our Bible, book and literature table was set up to give away without charge to those who desire them (nor do we require for a donation from them to take any of them – that would defeat the purpose of making them free of charge – the Gospel of Jesus Christ is NOT for sale on any level).

(Pictures below from the June GiP event)

. . . but where’s the preacher?

True will never be found outside of Christ – at best the world can only give us a false hope, a temporary hope, whether it political, wealth, or some other material comfort in this world – but as sinners this kind of hope will never satisfy, or give us real joy in this life or in eternity

Call upon the name of Jesus Christ and you will be saved from the condemnation that you rightly deserve – and in doing so you find that true hope is in knowing Him, who secure on your behalf life everlasting to the glory of God, forever. This is true hope in the midst of our troubles, trials and tribulations in this world as we look with great anticipation of being with our Savior in the new heavens and new earth forever.

• On the 17th we will begin offering free Bibles, booklets and gospel tracts at the Farmers Market in Orange City. Approval of our table is pending but we are confident that the Lord will move in the heart of those in charge to approve our application. If approved, we will be at there for 4 hours from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.

(Picture from the Indoor Market Fair in March)

• On the 28th, just as we did last year we will be participating in the Taste of Sioux Center held at Dordt University (formerly, Dordt College). We will have a table with our usual free Bibles, books and literature. We will also, Lord willing, have some books and DVDs to give away to help the students as they begin or continue their studies at Dordt in defending the Faith. There will also be resources available that defend the authority of the Bible and the reliability of its historical record of creation about 6,000 years ago, man’s beginning and his fall into sin, resulting in the pain, suffering and death we see today. We will also offer them the ability to volunteer in helping RGM spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ. We plan to give away 100’s of Biblically sound resources to these students and staff; so please pray that the Lord will provide the donations needed to do so.

(A picture from last year)

For September we have one event scheduled and one in the works:

• On Saturday, the 14th our last Gospel in the Park is scheduled for the year. Though the message title has not been finalized, be assured it will be a message of hope and comfort that is found only in Jesus Christ, who suffered and died for our sins and rose again for our justification (Romans 4:25), who is our only confidence for the forgiveness of sins, righteousness, salvation and everlasting life. There will also be a gospel singing group performing at this meeting, “Men of Jubilant Praise” of Orange City, IA. We are excited about this new group. I also heard them at the Hope Haven Music Fest in June and they are a really good group of 4 men singing gospel hymns and songs

We hope to schedule another booth at the Farmer’s Market in Orange City, IA to give away Bibles, books, and literature; and to engage people in one-on-one evangelism. We looking at Saturday, the 21st of September.

Beyond:

Though there are no events scheduled for October, we will be holding our final event of the year on the 1st and 2nd of November, Lord willing: The Fall Reformation Conference. We are happy to inform you that this conference will be co-sponsored by the area United Reformed Churches:

This 2-day conference will be held at the Sioux Center United Reformed Church in Sioux Center, IA. It will begin on a Friday evening from 6:30 to 8:45 with 2 presentations; and then the next day in the morning from 8:30 to noon with another 3. The topic covered for this conference will be, “The 5 Solas and Evangelism.“ Lord willing, there will be 5 speakers covering each of the 5 Solas; Sola Scriptura, Sola Gratia Sola Fide, Solus Christus, and Soli Deo Gloria (Scripture alone, Grace alone, Faith alone, Christ alone, and Glory to God alone). The following is the schedule of speakers:

• Sola Scriptura (Our authority for Evangelism – our directive & guide to evangelism) – Speaker: Rev. Wes Brice, Dickinson, ND. He is a minister emeritus of the Reformed Church of the United States (RCUS). He served the Lord for many years as a missionary pastor for several mission works
• Sola Gratia (Our passion for evangelism – God’s grace reflected in our evangelism) – Speaker: TBA
• Sola Fide (the means of evangelism (salvation/evangelism through faith alone) – Speaker: Rev. Randall Kynsma, Omaha, NE. He is a minister of the Reformed Church in the United States, serving as a missionary pastor to the Omaha Reformed Church, under the oversight of St. John’s Reformed Church, Lincoln, NE
• Solus Christus (the message of evangelism – the focus our evangelism – His person and work) – Speaker: Rev. John Vermeer,Doon, IA. He is a minister of the United Reformed Churches in North America. He is pastor of Doon United Reformed Church, Doon, IA. since February of 2018. Prior to serving at Doon, Rev. Vermeer served in Dispatch, Kansas and Sheldon, Iowa, with his most recent charge at the Oak Glen United Reformed Church in Lansing, Illinois
• Soli Deo Gloria (the goal of evangelism – God’s sovereignty in our evangelism) – Speaker: Rev. Sacha Walicord, Orange City, IA. He is a minister of the Presbyterian Church in America, serving as pastor of Grace Reformed Presbyterian Church, Orange City, IA. He is also a professor of Business Administration at Dordt University and an adjunct professor at a seminary in Germany; oftentimes, he fills pulpits in Europe and Great Britain, including Ireland, preaching God’s word to the saints in those countries.

We are praying that the Lord will use this conference to motivate hearts, drive passions, and direct evangelism efforts to the glory of God

Your Prayers are Needed – Reformation Gospel Ministries needs your prayers for God’s grace (without which we could do nothing) for boldness, courage, and perseverance as we seek to spread the gospel of Jesus Christ to the lost and those who sit in darkness, and encourage and build up the saints in Christ to engage in personal evangelism as they reach out to their communities with message of the cross.

Donations are needed – Reformation Gospel Ministries is a faith based 501(c)3 non-profit organization dependent on the donations of people like you so that we might continue to labor in spreading the gospel message, as we work with local congregations to assist and educate them in Biblical Reformed evangelism. We need both regular donors and those who seek to make one-time donations. Please pray about giving to this important outreach ministry.

Volunteers – if you believe God is leading you to help or participate in the events of Reformation Gospel Ministries, we would love to have you join us. Please contact Rev. Stetler at RefGosMin@gmail.com, or by calling him at (712) 441-5793. Your participation will be welcomed and greatly appreciated.

Reformation Gospel Ministries (RGM) is made up of a six member Board of Directors: 3 ministers and 3 elders, all holding to the biblical Reformed faith and committed to spreading the gospel message to the lost throughout the world. RGM is also under the oversight of Sioux Center United Reformed Church, Sioux Center, IA. Rev. Richard Stetler, chairman and CEO of the RGM, is a retired minister of the RCUS with oversight of his labors from Covenant East Classis of the RCUS.

To Donate by mail:
Send your check payable to RGM to:

Reformation Gospel Ministries
Rev. Richard Stetler
PO Box 65
Sioux Center, IA 51250

Soli Deo Gloria!