OVERVIEW
The Randolph Protestant Reformed Church is a congregation of 59 families, totaling about 230 members. In many ways, we are the usual mix of people found in a church. Some of our members are old, others young; some married, others single, widowed, or divorced; some richer and some poorer. Our members have diverse interests and varied occupations. What binds this diverse group of people together is our confession that each of us is a sinner, of ourselves unworthy of God’s favor, but saved by grace alone, according to God’s choosing, only on the basis of the shed blood of Jesus Christ.
Our children and young people are one element of our congregation for which we especially praise God. We believe that God continues to gather His church not only “out there,” on the mission field, but also “in here,” by giving covenant children to God-fearing, believing parents, and by causing those parents to raise their children in God’s fear. Accordingly, we thank Him for a proportionately large number of children and young people, and for the grace that He has worked in their hearts.
HISTORY
In the summer of 1942 the Rev. Cornelius Hanko, pastor of the Protestant Reformed Church in Oak Lawn, Illinois, visited Waupun, Wisconsin. His purpose was to determine how many people in Waupun and surrounding communities were interested in forming a congregation which would consistently teach and defend the Scriptural truths and Reformed doctrines of sovereign, particular grace. Within a few weeks, several families expressed strong interest in this venture. For the next 12 months the Protestant Reformed Churches did intensive mission work in the area. In August of 1943, eight families were organized as the Randolph Protestant Reformed Church. Within a few months the church’s first pastor, Rev. George Lubbers, moved to Randolph and took up his labors here.
At first the congregation met in the building owned by the Congregational Church in Randolph. In 1951, a building was purchased from the Second Christian Reformed Church. In 1974 this building was demolished and a new one constructed on the same site – the same building in which we currently meet at 229 Hammond St.
In the 1990s, members of our congregation organized Faith Christian School for the education of their children from Kindergarten through Eighth Grade. Faith Christian is a parental school, not a parochial school. That is, it is not governed by Randolph PRC. But the members of Randolph PRC, believing the need to educate their children more thoroughly in the Reformed faith as they understand it, maintain and supervise Faith Christian School through a society of fellow believers.
Since its beginnings, the congregation has enjoyed slow but steady numerical growth. By the grace of God alone, the congregation has also grown spiritually. To accomplish this growth, God has used not only the eleven men who have pastored the congregation during her history, but also faithful elders and deacons, and the commitment and zeal of the congregation as a whole.
Reflecting our history, the congregation makes two confessions. First, that to this point in our history, God has brought us in His grace. “Ebenezer: Hitherto hath the LORD helped us” (I Samuel 7:12). Second, that He will continue to be our God, and our guide, even until death. “For this God is our God for ever and ever: he will be our guide even unto death” (Psalm 48:14).
WORSHIP AND FELLOWSHIP
Our congregation meets for worship every Sunday at 9:30 am and 2:00 pm. During the year, we also gather for worship on special occasions – such as on the mornings (9:30) of New Years Day, Thanksgiving Day, and Christmas Day, and on the evenings (7:30) of Prayer Day (the second Wednesday in March), Good Friday, Ascension Day, and Old Years Day.
Our catechism season, geared for the religious education of our youth, runs from September through April. Once a week children in Grades 1-7 receive special instruction in Bible history, and young people in Grades 8-12 and higher receive special instruction in the teachings of Scripture as confessed by Reformed churches.
Our Sunday School meets immediately after the afternoon worship service during the three summer months, June through August. Again this is geared to the instruction of children from preschool through eighth grade.
From September through April, four other groups meet regularly for Bible Study: the Young People’s Society (Grades 9 through Post High School), the Men’s Society (open to any interested men), the Ladies’ Society (open to any interested women), and the Adult Bible Society (open to all adults).
A choir meets periodically on Sunday afternoons to practice for special programs around Thanksgiving and Easter.
THE NECESSITY OF ACTIVE CHURCH MEMBERSHIP
Being a faithful member of the true church of Jesus Christ is so very important. It is a great tragedy that so many professing Christians today imagine that they do not need to be an active member of the church.
The church exists for the glory of God in the world. We must be members of that church in order to worship and serve God together with His people. We are commanded by the Lord Himself to join together with fellow Christians to preach the gospel and stand for the truth of God. We not only have an individual responsibility as Christians but also a corporate calling together with the church of Jesus Christ in the world.
We need the preaching of the Word of God to instruct us in the truth of God and to strengthen our faith. No one can neglect that without serious spiritual consequences for themselves and for their families.
We must belong to the TRUE church of Jesus Christ. It is a sad fact that many modern day churches are not worthy of the name. They have departed far from the truth of the gospel and degenerated into being nothing more than social clubs. They do little to instruct and encourage their members for life in the modern world of confusion, unbelief and ungodliness.
The faithful Christian can and must measure the Church that he belongs to with the absolute standard of the Word of God.
For several good reasons we invite and encourage you to visit our church:
- We are a church that preaches and maintains the historic Christian faith.
This faith confesses and believes the one only true God and His Son Jesus Christ. It is based on the infallible and inerrant Word of God recorded in the Bible. It is unchanging over all the centuries of time. It is the faith that millions of Christians have believed from the beginning of the world. - We are a Reformed church.
We believe the Reformed Faith which God in His great mercy restored to His church in the great Protestant Reformation of the 16th century. The Reformed Faith emphasizes the absolute sovereignty of God over all His creation and in saving and keeping the people He has chosen unto salvation. We believe that the Reformed Faith accurately represents the gospel of God as revealed in the scriptures. It is the gospel of salvation by grace alone. - Our worship services are reverent and God-glorifying.
Worshiping God is the most important duty of man. The church worships chiefly to glorify her Lord and Savior. The preaching of the gospel is the most important part of the worship of God. God’s people are saved by its power and also constantly strengthened and encouraged in their faith. The preaching at our church is based on clear and careful exposition of the scripture - We believe in the importance of serious holy Christian living.
This implies spiritual separation from the evil of this world. It involves taking God’s law seriously and living in good works. It is a life of devotion to the glory of God. - We believe in the importance of maintaining strong Christian homes.
This means first of all faithfulness in marriage and living according to God’s own marriage ordinance as husbands and wives. We believe that God has made a covenant with believers and their children. This covenant obligates us as God’s people to be serious about the instruction of our children. Our church has a strong program for the instruction of children in the truth of the Word of God to equip them for later life as mature Christians and citizens of the Kingdom of Christ. Conviction in this regard motivates the members of our church to operate and support a Christian day school, where instruction is given in every area of learning from a distinctive Christian perspective. - We strive to maintain a warm, lively and encouraging Christian fellowship at our church and we would welcome your visit.
There are many activities at our church besides the worship services on the Lord’s Day. There are Bible study groups and instructional classes for all ages, including special classes for new Christians who wish to become members of our church. We take God’s word seriously and by His Holy Spirit seek to know its meaning for our every day life. - The Lord has blessed us in many ways and we want to share His blessings with you.