GS 1968 ARTICLE 189

The Chairman, Rev. W.W. J. VanOene, addresses Synod as follows: Dear Brethren in the Lord,

The saddest and at the same time happiest moment in the brief life of a General Synod has arrived: we have come to the end of our work, and Synod will presently be adjourned.

It is a sad moment. During the weeks we have been together and have been holding this Synod, we have grown into a group of men who have learned to know each other,

whereas before in more than one instance we were more or less strangers to each other, though united by the one bond of faith.

It is this bond of faith in which we have been brought together, by which we have been kept together, and in which we have done the work we were charged to do.

Those who were members of previous Synods will recall the feeling of loneliness which was unmistakable once the Synod had died: That closely-knit community of sixteen men now stood dissolved; each one of them knew only one thing: how to reach his family in the shortest possible time and to make an end to a separation of several weeks.

Members of Synod who for many days worked together, had their meals together, and sometimes slept under the same roof, now realize that there are distances: distances of hundreds and even thousands of miles. It is a moment of sadness.

It is at the same time a happy moment. There is happiness because within a day

practically every one will – under the guidance and the protection of the LORD – have been re-united with his family and have returned to his daily task.

However, that is not all. It is not even the first thought that comes up. In the first place there is the happiness that the work has been finished, the task been accomplished. The weeks that passed by were not spent in idleness. There was a constant strain: Every member was well aware of the responsibility and of the necessity to give account to his LORD. One wrong step, one wrong decision, one wrong turn, and the Churches might start on a road which will lead them away from their basis, away from the faithfulness to

the Scriptures and to the Forms and Regulations they have agreed upon.

Now we have come to the last point on the agenda: Closing. That is the first reason for our happiness and, to a certain extent, satisfaction. It is something to be satisfied with when one has been allowed to complete the task given to him.

Now we depart from here; there is gratitude in our hearts: the LORD has kept us, given us strength and wisdom, and enabled us to deal with all matters entrusted to us.

One of the reasons why we were able to deal with all matters brought up in such a relatively short period was the way in which this Synod was prepared by the Church at Orangeville, and especially by those who were thereunto appointed by the Orangeville Church. The care with which the preparations for this Synod were carried out and the care which has been bestowed upon us in every respect during these past weeks made us forget almost completely the unfriendliness of the climate. I wish to express our heartfelt thanks to all who in any way gave their attention, their time, their care, and their skill. It could hardly have been better and it may serve as an example for the convening Church for the next General Synod. Brethren and sisters: Many thanks!

In due time the printed Acts will reach the Churches so that our work and its results can be examined, not in a spirit of a wrongly-understood and exaggerated “ratifi­cation-idea”, but in the spirit of faithfulness to the promises made also in the credentials, given to those who were delegated to the broader assemblies.

That our actions and decisions will be examined and scrutinized by the Churches should not refrain us from cautiously evaluating them at the close of this Synod.

This Synod was a “first” in more than one respect.

It was the first Synod where the discussions were held in the English language.

It was the first Synod of which the Acts will be published in the English language, the English text being the authentic one.

At the beginning of this Synod we heard the title “Workers of the first Hour”. It is an appropriate expression to denote those who were the pioneers, through whose labours and sacrifices the LORD caused His Church to grow.

We met in Orangeville. This is a “Church of the first Hour”. Who does not recall the name “Georgetown”?

Again we have some “Workers of the first Hour”.

One of the most important and far-reaching decisions this Synod has made is the one by which a Theological College has been established.

We cannot disguise from ourselves the difficulties with which our Professors and Lecturers will have to cope. There is a considerable difference between becoming a Professor and Assistant-Professor at an established College and having to build everything from the ground up. Our Professors and Assistant-Professors are facing an enormous task. That among them several “Men of the first Hour” are found can only be a valuable asset. It is a reason for sorrow that the very first minister has been taken from us by the LORD. The Rev. J. T. Van Popta passed away without learning of his appointment as Professor. We gratefully acknowledge the mercy of the LORD, which was so abundantly

clear in our late brother.

We all are aware of the financial consequences of the decision to establish a Theological College. It is only because we are convinced of the necessity to establish our College that we took it. The reactions which we have heard so far confirm this our conviction that we have done the right thing. And with the prayer that the LORD will establish the work of our hands we wish our College Godspeed: a blessed journey and a safe arrival!

May from its gates come forth a steady flow of well-trained and thoroughly Re­ formed candidates for the Ministry, that the Churches of the Lord be provided with faithful shepherds and be preserved in the unity of the true faith, in order that the Son of man, at His coming, may find the faith on the earth.

The strain of the work and of the discussions became evident. This strain will undoubtedly have contributed to the illness of br Bouwman who had to be admitted to the hospital. The Lord graciously restore his health and grant him that he may return to his family in good health.

As for the others: no one was prevented from doing his work; we were also allowed to do our work in peace and quiet. Six years ago, when the Synod of Hamilton was held, there was a serious threat to world-peace when the Cuban missile-crisis held the attention of the whole world.

No such thing happened during this Synod: we could give our undivided attention to the matters placed before us.

These matters were varied and frequently extensive.

I have already mentioned the matters concerning our Theological College. It would amount to gross neglect if I should fail to mention the whole cause of an English Calvinistic Psalter.

One might wonder whether we are not taking upon ourselves burdens too heavy and responsibilities too great for us by trying to establish a College and by endeavouring to complete an English Calvinistic Psalter. Are not these causes too great and too high for us? Are we not trying to walk on stilts that are too tall and in boots that are much too large for us?

We are convinced that these are necessary undertakings when we take our calling seriously. It is not from a desire to act big that we have made bold to take up those tasks and are endeavouring to fulfil them; but it is from the desire to serve our God and Father and to maintain and preserve what He has given to us, His Church and children. His we are and Him we serve.

It is from this same desire that we have maintained contact with the Christian Reformed Church and the Orthodox Presbyterian Church.

The fact that discussions and talks are being held is no cause for alarm. It is only for those who misunderstand their character.

No one will deny that sometimes contact is sought by persons who have already forsaken and denied their own stand.

But to everyone who has seriously taken note of the reports of our Deputies and for all those who have followed the discussions at Synod it is abundantly clear – and let our God be praised for this – that the brethren who were our voices at the meetings of contact-committees have not for one second given an impression as if they doubted that the cause for which they stood was the cause of the Son of God. Continuation of such discussions can never be detrimental to the cause of Christ’s Church.

It is not my intention to discuss or defend this Synod’s decisions. We believe that they are clear and speak for themselves. We have acquitted ourselves of our task to the best of our abilities. We have done what we had to do: it is the LORD from Whom we expect the outcome and the blessing. Here, too, we confess that without His blessing neither our care and labour nor anything else can profit us.

Brethren, we must part.

But we shall not do so without a word of thanks to all of you.

It was a pleasure to chair the sessions. You placed considerable trust in me when choosing me to be the president of this Synod. It was you who rendered it possible not to put this trust to shame. At least, I hope that I have not done so.

The LORD our God be with us all.

Thank you.