THE REFORMED WITNESS HOUR
Over 60 years faithfully proclaiming the Word of God
HISTORY
In early October 1941, the Reformed Witness Hour produced and
aired its first broadcast in Grand Rapids , MI. It originated
as a project of the Young Men's Society of First Protestant Reformed
Church and was known as the "Witness Hour". It was broadcast
over WLAV-AM for the first few years, but later moved to WFUR-AM. In 1945, the
Young Men's Society asked the Consistory of First Protestant
Reformed Church in Grand Rapids, Michigan to sponsor the program, and since then
the broadcast has been sponsored and supported by the whole Protestant Reformed
Denomination.
Rev. Herman Hoeksema was our first full-time radio pastor. He
served in this capacity for many years during which time and into
the sixties, we expanded our witness from Pennsylvania to California,
from North Dakota to Texas, and over two short-wave stations in
Curacao, West Indies and Monte Carlo, Monaco. At one time our
program was broadcast over 14 stations in the U.S.
Our current radio pastor is the Rev. Carl Haak, minister of the Georgetown
Protestant Reformed Church. As we move into 2009, the number of
stations that we broadcast on stands at 20 and growing, including stations in Ireland and the
Philippines. Our program does not currently make use of
shortwave radio.
The Radio Committee would like to expand our witness. The extent
of our radio coverage depends 100% on the contributions given
for this Kingdom work. We are looking to other churches or individuals
to sponsor a station of their choosing. We will supply the program
and help you in your evangelical outreach. Individual contributions
are always welcome as well. Please continue to remember this important
work in your prayers.
STATEMENT OF PURPOSE
The Reformed Witness Hour is committed to the proclamation of God's Truth from the viewpoint of
Romans 11:36," For of Him,
and through Him, and to Him, are all things: to whom be glory
for ever. Amen." We believe that man was created to serve
and glorify the one true God revealed in the Bible. Man's great
problem is that, fallen in Adam, he will not and cannot do so.
This brings upon man the just wrath of the Holy God. It is only
through God's Son, Jesus Christ, and God's grace in Him, that
we are able to know and glorify God. The Bible, which is the inspired
Word of God, reveals Jesus Christ and God's grace in Him to us.
Through the proclamation of His Word, God is pleased to gather
His people to Himself in the way of repentance and faith.
Our first radio pastor, Rev. Herman Hoeksema, in the very first
broadcast of our program explained it this way. His words remain
the confession of the Reformed Witness Hour today:
"The supreme and, in a sense, the only task of the Church
is to preach the Word of God. But if there is a Word of God to
be proclaimed by the Church, it must needs be a Word which God
Himself speaks, and Which He speaks concerning Himself. And if
God speaks concerning Himself, the basic and all-pervading note
of that speech must inevitably be: I am God! Unless the Church
proclaims this truth in all its implications, in all its purity
and without compromise, she cannot preach, she has nothing to
say. Unless she proclaims this truth, not as one of the tenets
of her faith but as the truth of all truths, not occasionally
but always, she forfeits the right and lacks the power to say
anything at all about man, the world, Christ, salvation, life
and death, sin and grace. We hope to make this the theme of our
radio broadcasts, whatever may be the particular subject of discussion,
whether we speak of Him directly or of man, of Christ and salvation,
of the Church and the world, of sin and grace, of life and death.
God is God!"
RADIO PASTOR
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Rev. Carl Haak
Email: haak@prca.org
Phone: (616) 662-0257
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Our current radio pastor is the Rev. Carl Haak,
minister of the Georgetown Protestant Reformed Church.
Rev. Carl Haak graduated from the Protestant Reformed Seminary in June of 1979
and was ordained into the ministry in September, 1979 as pastor of
Southeast Protestant Reformed Church of Grand Rapids, MI.
In 1986 he accepted the call to serve as pastor of the Lynden Protestant
Reformed Church of Lynden, Washington.
In 1994 he began serving Bethel Protestant Reformed Church of Roselle, Illinois.
In 2004 he accepted the call to the Georgetown Protestant Reformed Church of Hudsonville, MI.
ASSOCIATE RADIO PASTOR
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Rev. Wilbur Bruinsma
Email: willb52@comcast.net
Phone: (412) 727-6778
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Pastor Wilbur Bruinsma has spent over 32 years in the ministry, serving in three
PRCA congregations and twice as missionary.
Currently he is the Eastern Home missionary, stationed in Pittsburgh, PA.
ASSOCIATE RADIO PASTOR
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Rev. Rodney Kleyn
Email: r.kleyn@prca.org
Phone: (509) 926-0372
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Pastor Rodney Kleyn has labored in the ministry in the PRCA for over 8 years.
Prior to pastoring his current congregation, Covenant of Grace PRC in Spokane, WA,
he served in the Trinity PRC in Hudsonville, MI.
We invite you to attend a Protestant Reformed Church in your area!
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