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Below is a list of the ministries and causes financially supported by Sioux Center URC.
Local Ministries
ATLAS: This local ministry mentors and facilitates mentoring for those hurting in various ways, coming alongside them in the name of Christ to both the churched and unsaved. ATLAS currently facilitates the operation of both a men's and women's accountability house to provide temporary housing and rehabilitative support for those struggling with negative behaviors. They also provide referral services, including some that are co-located with them such as professional family and marriage counseling and financial education.
http://www.atlasgroupltd.org/atlas/communities/sioux_center/
Justice For All: This local minstry based in Rock Valley seeks to promote Biblical justice and reconciliation, by encouraging and equipping volunteers, empowering the poor, and partnering with other ministries that share a commitment to Christian community development. Some of the concrete ways include the organization of work projects in coordination with existing neighborhood ministries in poor and disenfranchised urban and rural settings, and a warehouse ministry which distributes good clothing, household items, toys, building supplies, furniture and appliances to ministries across the nation and the world.
http://www.jfa-nwiowa.org
The Gospel Mission: This mission provides shelter and food to those who need it in Sioux City. They also operate a women and children's shelter.
http://www.thegospelmission.org
Radio Ministries
Reformed Faith and Life (RFL): Using radio, television, cassettes, and literature this ministry present God's Word from a distinctly Reformed perspective. The broadcast ministry of this organization is 'Christians for Armenia', the fruit of Rev. A.R. Kayayan's (d. 2008) earlier radio ministry work for the Back To God Hour.
http://www.christiansforarmenia.org
http://www.foi-vie.org.za
Whitehorse Inn: On both the old medium of radio and on the internet via podcasts, this nearly twenty-year old ministry strives to recover and spread the central truths of the Reformation: the sufficiency of Scripture, the centrality of Christ, the freedom of grace, the foundation of faith, and the focus on God's glory. Hosted by Dr. Michael Horton, professor of apologetics and systematic theology at Westminster Seminary California, he is a member of Christ United Reformed Church (Santee, CA).
http://www.whitehorseinn.org
Prison Ministry
Divine Hope Reformed Bible Seminary: Under the oversight of Immanuel United Reformed Church in Dyer, IN, Divine Hope Reformed Bible seminary has plans to educate inmates in theological instruction at the Danville Correctional Facility in Danville, IL. Qualified students in a Master’s program will be trained to be “exhorters” who could deliver sermons in prison under the direction of the chaplains. Students in the bachelor program will be taught how to direct family worship, teach Bible studies, and lead Adult Sunday schools. Other degrees to be offered will be Bachelor of Arts in Theological Studies, Masters of Arts in Theological Studies, and Master of Divinity in Theological Studies. Organizations such as MARS and MINTS Theological Seminary (for curriculum) are involved, along with individuals such as Dr Neal Hageman and Rev. Alan Vander Pol. Rev. Nathan Brummel is the more recently hired coordinator of DHRBS.
http://www.dhrbs.org
Colleges
Dordt College: As an institution of higher education committed to the Reformed Christian perspective, the mission of Dordt College is to equip students, alumni, and the broader community to work effectively toward Christ-centered renewal in all aspects of contemporary life. Students from the United Reformed Churches make up the second largest denominational group of the college.
http://www.dordt.edu
Providence Christian College: Providence views the college experience holistically, seeking to educate mind, body, and soul in unity. A strong liberal arts education forms the basis of the college's approach. Each course is taught from a Reformed, biblical perspective, emphasizing critical thinking, analytical skills, effective communication, and research abilities that prepare graduates to succeed vocationally as well as to serve as leaders in their churches, families, and the broader community. Located in Ontario, California, it is the newest Christian college in the Reformed tradition.
http://www.providencecc.net
Seminaries
MINTS International Seminary: This seminary takes a unique approach to provide ministry training: rather than bring the students to the seminary or through letter/e-mail correspondence, MINTS International Seminary sends professors to where the students are so that they can study in their own culture and locale. This allows for mentorship, skills development, interaction, contextualization, and the establishment of a study center that could grow into a local seminary for the residents. Based in Miami, this seminary has expanded beyond Central and South America to eastern Europe, southeast Asia, and parts of Africa.
http://www.mints.edu
Mid-America Reformed Seminary (MARS): Mid-America's mission is to prepare pastors as faithful servants of the Word and sacrament in the heritage of Reformed and Presbyterian Churches. Founded in 1981 in Orange City, Iowa, the seminary currently resides in Dyer, Indiana. The seminary supplies a significant portion of new ministers for the United Reformed Churches.
http://www.midamerica.edu
Westminster Seminary California (WSCAL): Westminster Seminary California is a Christian institution seeking to glorify God through graduate theological study. Its primary responsibility is to educate future pastors for Christian churches, especially for Presbyterian and Reformed denominations. It also provides theological education for others who will serve in the Christian community and the larger society. The seminary supplies a significant portion of new ministers for the United Reformed Churches.
http://www.wscal.edu
Missionaries
Neal Hegeman, MINTS International Seminary: Neal Hegeman is the the academic dean and Hispanic program director for MINTS International Seminary and the Hispanic program director for Ministries in Action. The seminary offers bachelors, masters and doctoral degrees in theological education in over a dozen Central American and Caribbean countries. Ministries in Action is an organization that uses volunteers to work on service projects in the same region. He has been called to this work by Trinity Reformed Church (URCNA) of Cape Coral, Florida.
http://www.mints.edu/index.php?option=com_contact&Itemid=3& contact_id=2
Rev. Nick Lamme, CLIR (Confraternidad Latinoamericana de Iglesias Reformadas): Rev. Lamme is a graduate of MARS and called by Trinity URC of Caledonia, MI as minister of the Word and Sacraments. He is currently pastoring a church in Costa Rica and working for CLIR. He has been working in Costa Rica since September, 2008 and his duties include: teaching at Tepeyac School, preaching, translating, writing, editing, and preparing the CLIR theological journal.
Rev. Eric Pennings, Hispanic Christian Ministry (HCM): Professor and Associate Academic Dean for MINTS International Seminary, Rev. Pennings seeks to train leaders in Central America. He is supervised by Covenant Reformed Church of Toronto, Ontario.
http://missionsurc.org/?q=node/82
Rev. Mitchell Persaud: Rev. Persaud has been working as a church planter and evangelist among the Muslims in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) since 1997. Part of that work includes New Horizon United Reformed Church, a church plant established in April 1999 and located in Scarborough, Ontario. Rev. Persaud and the church are under the supervision of Cornerstone URC in London, Ontario.
http://www.newhorizonchurch.ca
Rev. Steve Poelman: Under the supervision of Cornerstone URC (Hudsonville, MI), Rev. Poelman serves as a teacher in Presbyterian Theological Seminary in Dehra Dun (located in North India). During summer and other school breaks he gives seminars with a special emphasis on the theme of "Covenant" and provides training to a group of Reformed congregations.
http://missionsurc.org/?q=node/7
Rev. Allen Vander Pol, MINTS International Seminary: Director of southeast Asia for MINTS International Seminary, he writes courses in English for students the Far East and lectures in countries such as the Philippines, Myanmar (Burma), India, Thailand, and others. He is under the spiritual supervision of the elders of First URC (Chino, CA) and a Joint Venture Committee representing First URC and other supporting churches that join with representatives of MINTS International Seminary in overseeing his work.
http://www.chinourc.org
Mission Organizations
Middle East Reformed Fellowship (MERF): This ministry serves in the Middle East on behalf of Reformed Family of Churches and believers worldwide. Based in Cyprus, it evangelizes through broadcast radio, is a church extension through training and literature, provides biblical training, and delivers diaconal aid.
http://www.merf.org
Third Millennium Ministries: This ministry seeks to provide Christian education to pastors around the world who lack sufficient training for ministry. This goal is accomplished by publishing and globally distributing free multilingual, multimedia, digital seminary curriculum in English, Arabic, Chinese (Mandarin), Russian and Spanish. Norlan De Groot, current member of Redeemer URC (Orange City, IA) and former member of Sioux Center URC, is employed by Word and Deed Ministries who in turn funds his work for Third Millennium Ministries. Word and Deed Ministries depends on donations to fund Norlan's work for Third Millennium. Norlan develops and writes script for the videos produced by Third Millennium Ministries.
http://www.thirdmill.org
Reformed Mission Services: RMS is a distinctly Reformed organization devoted to spreading the love of Christ through service and mission projects throughout His world. Youth are the primary focus of this organization, organizing mission trips to provide young people the opportunity to serve in various aspects.
http://rms.org
Church Plants
Sioux Falls United Reformed Church Fellowship (Sioux Falls, SD): This is a church plant in our classis supervised by Hills URC (Hills, MN). This church seeks to be a distinctively Reformed church to reach the city of Sioux Falls for Christ. This church has been meeting since September 2005 and called their first minister in December 2006.
http://www.sfurc.org
Covenant URC (Prinsburg, MN): This newest church plant in our classis is located in central Minnesota. It is supervised by Cornerstone URC (Sanborn, IA), and seeks to be a confessionally Reformed witness in that town.
http://www.covenanturc.org
El Pacto de Gracia (Covenant of Grace) (Chicago, IL): This church plant is the outreach ministry of Faith URC (Beecher, IL) reaching Spanish speaking people in the greater Chicago Heights area. Two ESL classes (using Scripture as the text) are offered to promote the ministry. The ministry is led by Rev. Valentin Alpuche.
http://www.faithwebsites.com/elpactodegracia/
Covenant Reformed Church (Missoula, MT): This is a church plant under the oversight of Belgrade URC in Belgrade, Montana.
http://www.missoulaurc.com/
Ontario URC Spanish Ministry (Ontario, CA): This church plant is an outreach of Ontario URC (Ontario, CA) and under the direction of Rev. Reuben Sernas. They draw from a wide base in southern California where their goal is to bring the gospel message to Spanish speaking individuals in Southern California.
http://www.ontariourc.org/espanol/
New Horizon URC (Scarborough, ON): New Horizon Church in Toronto, Ontario is a community of mixed ethnic and Canadian Christians adhering to the historic Reformed Protestant faith. The are under the leadership of Rev. Mitchell Persaud and the oversight of Cornerstone URC (London, ON).
http://www.newhorizonchurch.ca
Covenant Christian Church Mission Outreach: Hope Centre (Toronto, ON): This ministry is seeking to reach the South Asian community, dominated by Sikh and Hindu backgrounds and bring them to realize the saving grace of Jesus Christ. This church is under the leadership of Rev. Tony Zekfeld under the oversight of Covenant Christian Church (Wyoming, ON).
http://hope-centre.ca
Messiah's Reformed Fellowship (New York City, NY): Messiah's Reformed Fellowship founded as a Christian response to the terrorist attacks of 9/11, as a way to serve the local and greater community of New York City with the saving message of the gospel of Jesus Christ. They currently serve in a number of capacities in the downtown Manhattan area. Rev. Paul Murphy is minister of Word and Sacraments. This church is under the oversight of West Sayville Reformed Bible Church (West Sayville, NY).
http://www.merfnyc.org
Christ Reformed Church: (Washington D.C): Christ Reformed church was planted by Rev. Brian Lee under the oversight of Covenant URC of Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. The mission of this church plant is to bring a distinctly reformed gospel message to the Washington D.C area
http://www.ChristReformedDC.org
Kauai URC (Kauai, HI): This church plant is under the oversight of Oceanside URC (Oceanside, CA) and seeks to be a confessionally Reformed witness in Hawaii. Rev. Derrick Vander Meulen is minister of the Word and Sacraments.
http://www.kauaiurc.com
Chiesa Evangelica Reformata ‘Filadelfia’ (Milan, Italy): Rev. Andrea Ferrari was called by Christ URC (Santee, CA) as a missionary/pastor to establish a federation of reformed churches modeled after the URCNA. Rev. Ferrari currently pastors this small congregation in Milan, Italy and looks to spread the Reformed message and further church plants throughout Italy.
http://www.reformationitaly.org
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