RCA News Feed

Pacific and Asian American Ministries: Fresh Air, New Spirit

Thu, 24 May 2012 05:08:00 PDT

(From RCA Communications)

The 33rd annual consultation of the Council for Pacific and Asian American Ministries of the Reformed Church in America met in Grand Rapids and Holland, Michigan, on May 1-2. More than 50 pastors and elders from New York, New Jersey, California, Minnesota, Georgia, Colorado, Florida, and Illinois were present.

As the opening keynote speaker, general secretary Tom De Vries welcomed the CPAAM community to Western Michigan. He encouraged CPAAM's involvement in the RCA and shared some of his ideas concerning the future of the RCA. Then participants engaged in the ongoing RCA discernment process. CPAAM is the first group to take part in a discernment workshop following Conversations, with the goal of discovering CPAAM's perspective on how God is working within, through, and ahead of the Asian American churches and communities we serve. After a full day of meetings, reports, and plenary session, consultation participants played charades and showed their athletic skills in a rousing game of kickball.

Read more.

Coming Full Circle: Food Pantry Helps with More than Hunger

Fri, 18 May 2012 10:01:00 PDT

(From RCA Today)

When Homewood Reformed Church—now called Living Springs Community Church—moved to a new location in Glenwood, Illinois, 10 years ago, it included a food pantry in the design for a new building.

"The leadership knew that by moving to a busy street, we would be near people in need," says Allen Jongsma, director of ministries and administration for Living Springs.

The pantry hands out one bag of food a week to anyone from the church or surrounding communities who is in need. People fill out a form when they come to the food pantry, and every month the forms are turned over to members of Living Springs' Circle Ministry, which attempts to minister to each person and family to help them meet all of their needs—not just food, but material and spiritual needs as well. The Circle Ministry is led by assistant pastor Ann Bilbrew. She and a group of volunteers reach out to families that are willing to take steps to improve their situations. They work closely with Children's Hunger Fund, which also supplies food boxes for the ministry.

"God has a special way of blessing his children," says Bilbrew.

Read more.

Gospel-Centered Community

Tue, 15 May 2012 13:08:00 PDT

(From RCA Today)

Covenant Grace, a church plant in Temecula, California, built a worshiping community of over 200 before holding its first "official" service this past Easter.

"I wish I could say that we had this brilliant plan for growing Covenant Grace, but that would not be true," says Sabo Cortez, the church planter who led the ministry team that started Covenant Grace.

"We launched out of Rancho Community Church (RCA) with 20 people, started meeting in a house, and focused on building strong relationships with each other. We really emphasized having meals together in which we shared the story of our lives and brought the gospel of grace to bear on our daily situations."

Read more.

Granberg-Michaelson to Speak at Central College Baccalaureate Service

Fri, 11 May 2012 07:29:00 PDT

(From RCA Communications and Central College)

Wes Granberg-Michaelson will speak at the baccalaureate service at Central College on May 12.

Retired in 2011, he served as general secretary of the Reformed Church in America (RCA) for 17 years. He is the author of five books; his most recent, “Unexpected Destinations,” is a memoir chronicling his pilgrimage and the church’s missional transformation.

Kathleen Sikkema will speak at commencement. A 1984 graduate of Central College and an expert in HIV prevention and mental health, Sikkema is a professor and clinical psychologist at Duke University. Her research has been supported by the National Institutes of Health for 20 years.

Both speakers are leaders in their respective fields and represent major priorities for Central College and for higher education: the health sciences and religious tolerance and fellowship.

“These two professionals and their important contributions have been influential on a global level,” said Mark Putnam, Central College president. “They are shining examples of service and dedication and clear models for our academic community. Their messages are quite powerful in showing students pathways in life with open doors of opportunities along the way.”

Both Sikkema and Granberg-Michaelson will receive honorary degrees from Central during commencement.

On May 12, 323 seniors will graduate from Central College. The baccalaureate service will begin at 9:30 a.m. in First Reformed Church. The commencement ceremony will be held at 2 p.m. in H.S. Kuyper Fieldhouse. Watch the Central College commencement ceremony streamed live online at www.central.edu.

Giving the Gift of Shoes

Thu, 10 May 2012 10:27:00 PDT

(From RCA Communications)
When Megan Campbell saw a presentation by Soles4Souls at the National Worship Leaders Conference in Kansas City in summer 2011, she felt led to get involved.

Soles4Souls is a nonprofit organization that collects new and gently used shoes and distributes them around the world to victims of natural disasters and people in poverty. Campbell, a worship leader at Harvest Community Church (RCA) in Wichita, Kansas, helped her church initiate a shoe collection.

Starting in September, members of Harvest went door-to-door, asking people in the neighborhoods surrounding the church if they’d be willing to donate shoes. If no one was home, they left a flyer explaining the shoe collection project and asking people to leave any shoes they were willing to donate on their porch with the flyer attached. Shoe collectors drove through the neighborhoods several days later, collecting boxes and bags of shoes left for them to pick up.

Several church members handed out flyers at area yard sales. Often, the people holding the sale donated any shoes they were selling.

The Wichita post office and the nursing department of Newman University both offered to serve as drop-off sites for donated shoes, collecting several hundred pairs of shoes to add to the collection.

The shoe drive lasted from September to January and netted nearly 3,500 pairs of shoes. The shoes were sent to Soles4Souls’ collection center in Dallas, Texas, to be sorted and sent around the world.

URCSA Helps People Living with AIDS in South Africa

Thu, 10 May 2012 07:37:00 PDT

(From RCA Communications)

When Edgar, a 45-year-old gardener in South Africa, was treated for TB and released from the hospital, he looked like a frail old man to Efraim Oppelt. Oppelt is a diaconal program coordinator with the Uniting Reformed Church in Southern Africa (URCSA) and is partially supported by RCA Global Mission. "I could not understand why he was discharged."

It became clear when Edgar showed Oppelt his medical report. Edgar was in an advanced stage of AIDS. Oppelt offered to bring him to a clinic, but Edgar refused. "I feared it might be only a few days before he died."

Fortunately, Edgar's family convinced him to go to the clinic to receive medication. "After being on treatment for just over two weeks, guess who came walking into my office with the support of a walking stick? Edgar, but with a much healthier skin tone and a sparkle in his eye.

"There are many more jaw-dropping stories of people living with HIV/AIDS and how God makes it possible for them to keep a positive attitude.

"Thank you for faithfully supporting the HIV/AIDS work of URCSA. It has enabled us to coordinate and provide holistic ministry to persons infected and affected by this pandemic."

Growing the Church: Commissioned Pastors Provide Leadership

Tue, 08 May 2012 10:13:00 PDT

(From RCA Today)

Beechwood Reformed Church in Holland, Michigan, has a heart to reach out to members of Spanish-speaking communities who have few options to worship in their heart language.

In order to equip leaders for new Spanish-speaking churches, the congregation currently provides mentoring and support for three Hispanic commissioned pastor candidates. Commissioned pastors are elders who are commissioned and trained to meet a specific ministry need.

It all began in 2005 when Beechwood's mission and outreach team felt the church was being called to plant new churches.
They began searching for a church planter, and found Hugo Vasquez. Vasquez had connections to West Michigan; he'd done some mission work in Texas and Mexico that had been supported by several Christian Reformed churches in West Michigan. In addition, his wife, Sarah, was from Jamestown, Michigan. "One thing led to another, and we determined he was the right person to start our first work," says Beechwood's senior pastor, Jim Lankheet.

Vasquez entered the RCA's commissioned pastor program and began work on a Spanish-speaking church plant in Holland. Iglesia Alas de Aguila--Holland held its first service in April 2007.

Read more.

In the Zone: Kingdom Enterprise Zone Takes Off in the Southwest

Fri, 04 May 2012 06:14:00 PDT

(From RCA Today)

Spurred by the Kingdom Enterprise Zone initiative that encourages church planting cooperation between the RCA and Christian Reformed Church, new ministries are springing up all over Southwest Classis.

The initiative is funded in large part by a grant from the Richard and Helen DeVos Foundation. The funds support joint efforts to spread the gospel by planting new churches in four "zones" across the U.S. that have great potential for RCA-CRC cooperation.

"The DeVos grant has been a catalyst for church multiplication in the Phoenix/Tucson area," says Gary Jarvis, associate pastor of New Hope Community Church (RCA) in Gilbert, which is part of the Phoenix metro area.
"A number of CRC and RCA leaders in our two classes had already begun to talk about partnering for this kind of effort, but there is no way we would have accomplished so much in so little time without the encouraging boost the grant gave us."

Read more.

Tsunami Survivors Honor Volunteer

Thu, 03 May 2012 01:57:00 PDT

(From RCA Communications)

At a gathering to honor volunteers, community leaders in Sendai, Japan, shared about the many tragedies that happened in their neighborhood when the tsunami came crashing in on them on March 11, 2011.

Nine people from Tokyo, including RCA missionaries Abraham and Sayuri Kist-Okazaki, made up the bulk of the volunteers at the gathering. They were just a few of the 1,500 volunteers who had done relief work with the United Church of Christ in Japan's Emmaus Center in 2011.

"[The Sendai leaders] were grateful for all the hard work and long hours which [the volunteers] put in and the connectedness and hope they offered," says Abraham.

"I felt somewhat awkward. Our group had shown up at the last minute and had hardly put in as much work as all the other volunteers who had come before us. However, as things progressed I realized that these people wanted to give something back to all who volunteered—they wanted to demonstrate their appreciation. If we had not been there, the room would have been very empty."

To donate to help with the massive recovery efforts still underway in Japan go to www.rca.org/japan.

Any Day, Any Time: New Ministry Welcomes People at All Hours

Tue, 01 May 2012 06:15:00 PDT

(From RCA Today)

Nate Bull calls the new ministry he leads in Benton Harbor, Michigan, a "guinea pig."

"Not because it's a house church. In Kalamazoo we did house churches too," he adds, referring to Vanguard, the ministry he previously served as pastor.

"What's different is that anybody from the neighborhood can come to the house any day, at any time of day. We have a guy who lives there, so the house is always open. You can get chili, a cup of coffee. Those little things build a relationship. People come knowing it's a safe place to be, to share.

"Proximity and consistency is everything," he says, when it comes to ministry in tough city areas like the core of Benton Harbor. "It's important to do the same thing in the same place all the time.

"We're dealing with people in survival mode, who are in love with Jesus, but none of them believe they are saved because of their actions," says Bull. "People would be astounded at how many active drug dealers come to the house."

Read more.

Packing Meals to Stop Hunger

Fri, 27 Apr 2012 08:54:00 PDT

(From RCA Today)

In 2011 a mission experience in our local school gym honored our Lord Jesus Christ, brought glory to God, and strengthened our bonds and witness in the Mohawk Valley of upstate New York.
Nearly 200 volunteers, ages four to 84, gathered and packaged more than 25,000 meals with the support and guidance of the Stop Hunger Now meal-packaging program.

Read more.

Interim Discipleship Staff Announced

Fri, 27 Apr 2012 02:30:00 PDT

(From RCA Communications)

The RCA's ongoing discernment process has delayed the search for a new denominational staff member in discipleship, but two people have been contracted to serve on an interim basis.

At February's Conversations event, holistic discipleship and ministry with children, youth, and young adults were identified as priorities for the RCA's future, says Ken Eriks, director of congregational mission. The discernment process is expected to shape the discipleship role, which has been vacant since January and will not be finalized until the conclusion of the discernment process next year.

"The executive leadership team places a high priority on discipleship and we want to allow the discernment process to give us greater long-term clarity about God's preferred future for discipleship in the RCA," Eriks says.

In the meantime, two people have been brought on to help.

Bob Cleveringa will serve as an independent contractor in youth ministry for the RCA until September 30. Cleveringa is director of youth ministries for the Synod of the Heartland. He will provide short-term leadership for the RCA youth team, help develop strategic focus for RCA youth ministry, and help articulate an approach to youth ministry that will best serve the congregations of the RCA.

Stephanie Doeschot will serve as coordinator of adult discipleship until September 30, 2013. She will lead the RCA discipleship team; help the RCA develop an overall vision and strategy for holistic adult discipleship for the future; resource congregations to be healthy, vital centers of Christian witness in their communities; and sustain and broaden relationships with various ministry partners. Doeschot is copastor of Christ's Church in Saint Peters, Missouri.

Hope for a Hungry World

Thu, 26 Apr 2012 06:56:00 PDT

(From RCA Communications)

U.N. world hunger statistics are shocking:

Hunger is the world's number one health risk, killing more people than AIDS, tuberculosis, and malaria combined.
One in seven people in the world will go to bed hungry tonight.
One out of four children in developing countries is underweight.
There are more hungry people in the world than the combined populations of the U.S., Canada, and the European Union.

Your gifts to RCA Global Mission and Reformed Church World Service support work with indigenous mission partners to offer sustainable ways for hungry people to get food.

Read more.

Church Volunteers on Fifth Sundays

Mon, 23 Apr 2012 11:14:00 PDT

(From RCA Communications)

The R.O.C.K. Church in Los Angeles began four years ago with a vision to become an urban multiethnic church that impacted its community in creative and authentic ways.

The church plant, which shares space with Park Hills Community Church (RCA), is particularly focused on making an impact whenever there are five Sundays in one month. On the fifth Sunday, rather than meeting for worship, they go into the community and serve. On these "Impact Sundays" the congregation has ministered to homeless people, renovated a community center, set up for a neighborhood Christmas party, and more.

"Our Impact Sundays have brought the church closer together to live missionally in community," says pastor Pete Watts. "We have been able to take the gospel message of Jesus Christ and make it tangible. People within our church have grown spiritually because of our Impact Sundays and are always encouraging the members to stay ‘outward focused' on the community around us."

As a result of Impact Sundays, two new families have begun attending the R.O.C.K. and one young girl was baptized.

Finding God behind Bars

Tue, 17 Apr 2012 06:34:00 PDT

(From RCA Today)

Each Monday, the members of Celebration Fellowship begin their time together with an hour of Bible study in groups, followed by a time of prayer and then a worship service. They praise God through song and prayer and celebrate communion, just like any other church.

But the members of this congregation are all wearing blue jumpsuits, because Celebration Fellowship worships behind the bars of Bellamy Creek Correctional Facility in Ionia, Michigan.

Celebration Fellowship is one of only 17 prison congregations in the United States, and the only one of its kind in the Michigan prison system. "We don't do 'prison ministry'--we plant a congregation in the prisons," says Rich Rienstra, who recently retired as pastor of Celebration Fellowship. "[The inmates] are the church there right now. They're the ones who are praying for their fellow inmates. They have a lot of mission and vision--they are sensing what it means to be a church."

Read more.

Singing Bach and Bluegrass

Fri, 13 Apr 2012 12:13:00 PDT

(From RCA Today)

On Tuesday afternoons during the school year, Old First Reformed Church in Brooklyn, New York, rings with the chatter, laughter, and singing of children and young people.

Boys and girls of all ages come for friendship and fun thanks to a choral program run by Old First member Jennifer Nelson. Their parents appreciate the high quality program Nelson offers, especially since New York City public schools no longer teach music.

Read more.

Church Celebrates Clean Water for Earth Day

Wed, 11 Apr 2012 08:21:00 PDT

(From Bay Ridge United Church, Brooklyn, New York)
On Sunday, April 22, part of Bay Ridge United Church’s Earth Day celebrations will include an update on the work of El Porvenir, an organization the church supports.

El Porvenir means “the future” in Spanish, and clean water means a healthier future for rural Nicaraguans. In partnership with the people of Nicaragua, El Porvenir helps improve their future by providing clean drinking water and improved sanitation. In addition to sustainable water and sanitation projects, El Porvenir provides health and hygiene education and reforestation.

During the coffee hour following the service Rob Bell, executive director of El Porvenir, will speak on the organization’s work in Nicaragua.

The worship service will begin at 11:00 a.m.

At Tiny Church, A Time of Renewal

Tue, 10 Apr 2012 10:42:00 PDT

(From the Times-Union)

The water has been here since the beginning.

God created Earth, the Bible tells us, and even when it was nothing it was covered with water. Next came the heavens, and light and dry land.

And so this is our natural harmony: light divided from dark and sea from earth. Except sometimes, the waters rise up and reclaim the land.

In Middleburgh, flood walls and river dredging will never be enough to stop Schoharie Creek.

The Middleburgh Reformed Church, built along the creek's banks in 1786, has no floor, and workmen are carrying buckets full of mud out of its guts. In August, Tropical Storm Irene's rains swelled the Schoharie, which rose up and blasted off the church doors, pushed in the windows and carried off the toys in the children's Sunday school room. The watermarks were 10 feet high.

Read more.

Sustainable Health Care Model is Underway in Niger

Tue, 10 Apr 2012 07:25:00 PDT

(From RCA Communications)

When RCA missionary Susan Beebout and her husband, Jeremy, came to Niger in 2007, they thought Susan would be working in a rural clinic outside of Niamey.

"God obviously had other plans as political issues have kept us from being able to use that clinic," says Susan. "We now see another opening for serving in a sustainable, meaningful way by creating a simple health cooperative.

"Patients pay about $2 per year and $1 per consultation to receive basic outpatient care. The fees go to pay our nurse and some of the overhead of the office."

She adds that some medications are donated but most are purchased from a European organization at a very low cost and resold at cost. Nearly all patients are able to pay for the medications they need.

"In this simple model we are finding that sustainable, affordable, quality healthcare can be a reality," Beebout says, adding that 800 patients are enrolled, the vast majority of whom are Muslims from the surrounding neighborhood.

"We truly believe that this model is going to work and will be replicable in the interior of Niger where access to healthcare is much more limited."

Learn more at www.rca.org/beebout.

Fearless Highland Park Pastor Continues to House Immigrants Facing Deportation

Mon, 09 Apr 2012 07:33:00 PDT

(From the Newark Star-Ledger)

He is young and looks even younger than his 36 years. Yet, in the midst of a confrontation with the federal government that could have grave consequences for his future, Seth Kaper-Dale acts with the poise of a much older man.

"I’m not afraid," says the co-pastor of the Reformed Church of Highland Park. "To me, we’re facing a cross and crosses are what we face. We know about facing crosses and we know about the hope that’s found on the other side of crosses, so we walk with confidence toward crosses."

So, in the last few days, he has admitted two more men into his church to find sanctuary, refuge from federal immigration officials who want to deport them. That makes three. Kaper-Dale is likely to bring in more.

Read more.

Revival, Not Revolution

Tue, 03 Apr 2012 08:27:00 PDT

(From RCA Today)

You know how the story goes—the church starts shrinking a little at a time.

Soon it divides itself even further between traditional and contemporary services, thinking worship style is the problem. Or it sells the building and heads to the 'burbs, thinking location is the problem. Or it does nothing, figuring the last one out will turn off the lights, because it's convinced culture is the problem.

The story of First Reformed Church in South Holland, Illinois, is a bit different and goes something like this.

One hundred sixty-three years ago Dutch immigrants settled on the fertile farming soil on the south side of Chicago and formed First Reformed Church of South Holland. In the 1950s and '60s First Church was growing faster than the onion sets that made this community "the onion set capital of the world." Pastors like Zandstra and Punt stewarded the pulpit and saw the membership balloon to well over a thousand people. Unfortunately biological growth only goes so far.

Read more.

Established Church Helps Fledgling Congregation

Fri, 30 Mar 2012 06:56:00 PDT

(From RCA Today)

When New Hope Community Church (RCA) in Gilbert, Arizona, began the process of becoming a parent church, they envisioned starting a new church from the ground up. But God had something else in mind: adoption.

Dan Beyer, who at that time was serving as regional strategist for the Classis of the Southwest, contacted New Hope about an opportunity to adopt a small Hispanic congregation.

It was already meeting and was looking to get plugged in to a larger ministry body.

Gary Jarvis, associate pastor of New Hope, says it seemed like a good fit. "This congregation was looking for a home, a place to do worship and ministry. We were in the process of becoming a parent church, being coached on how to cast a vision and poise our congregation to plant and multiply."

Israel Camacho, the pastor of that small Hispanic congregation, says New Hope "welcomed us with open arms; we feel it's the same heart we were looking for."

Read more.

West Michigan Bible study attracts Japanese students

Wed, 28 Mar 2012 06:00:00 PDT

(From RCA Communications)

Andy Nakajima and his wife, Emma, were surprised at what happened when they invited Japanese college students to meet in their home in Holland, Michigan, for a Bible study. "Beyond our wildest expectations, 25 students have been coming."

He adds that one-third are not Christians, and three have accepted Christ.

When he was a senior at Western Theological Seminary in Holland, Andy and other Japanese students at the seminary caught a vision for reaching out to Japanese people living in western Michigan. They held their first worship service in 1992.

The ministry now organizes worship services, Bible studies, language classes and tutoring, and pastoral care ministries in four western Michigan cities: Holland, Grand Rapids, Battle Creek, and Kalamazoo.

Goats keep bringing hope in Africa

Tue, 27 Mar 2012 07:59:00 PDT

(From RCA Communications)

Fifty-six families in Malawi recently received their first goat and a boost toward a brighter future thanks to donations to the Give-a-Goat program.

Goats are key providers of income and food for the families that receive them.

They provide offspring and dairy products to sell.

Many of the goats distributed in Malawi were pregnant. Their offspring will be given to other, community-chosen families to ensure that the program expands and is sustainable.

The goat distribution in Malawi was overseen and coordinated by staff of the Church of Central Africa Presbyterian Nkhoma Synod, an RCA mission partner. Synod staff arranged for vets who taught recipients how to care for goats.

People who contributed to Give-a-Goat through the 2011 Christmas Gift of Hope appeal have ensured that many more families in Africa will receive a goat in 2012. Reformed Church World Service began receiving offerings for Give-a-Goat in 1999, and since then about 900 goats have been donated each year.

Youth discipleship energizes congregation

Mon, 26 Mar 2012 07:47:00 PDT

(From RCA Communications)

Vriesland Reformed Church is a young church. Well, it's 166 years old, but the congregation includes a lot of young people—nearly 40 percent are under the age of 20.

"Years ago, VRC made significant commitments to its children's and youth ministries, and the fruit of that investment is paying off in amazing ways," says Tim Rotman, pastor of the Zeeland, Michigan, church.

Recently the youth and adults traveled together to downtown Grand Rapids to provide a hot meal, clothes, and other items to homeless people.

Rotman says the congregation's children's and youth programs bring vibrancy to Vriesland Reformed. "Teenagers have a lot of energy and passion, and they tend to have a lot of idealism. Because of the energy and idealism these young people and teens bring, the congregation gets excited and is proud of that."

End in Sight: Bible Translation Nears Completion

Fri, 23 Mar 2012 12:07:00 PDT

(From RCA Communications)

"Something thrilling is happening in Africa," write Pat and Harry Miersma, longtime RCA missionaries. The Majang people of Ethiopia will soon have a Bible translation in their native language.

"Almost 40 years ago, as very 'green' missionaries in the Reformed Church in America, we began our mission careers in the southwest rainforest of Ethiopia," they write. "In an isolated setting along the Godare River (a distant tributary of the Blue Nile), we lived among the Majang people. A very isolated and unreached people, they lived scattered throughout the rainforest in open-sided thatched roof huts with dirt floors. They had no written language and only a few Bible stories in their language on tapes that Harry would share with them on solar powered cassette players on his treks from village to village."

Read more.

St. Croix Church Dedicates Wind Turbine

Thu, 22 Mar 2012 06:39:00 PDT

(From RCA Communications)
On February 29, St. Croix Reformed Church held a service inaugurating its new 10-kilowatt wind turbine. More than 80 people gathered for the dedication ceremony led by St. Croix’s pastor, Rod Koopmans, who thanked the many volunteers and officials who made construction of the turbine possible, and offered a prayer of dedication. At the close of the ceremony, the turbine was christened with water balloons (champagne was deemed too messy), and then local officials flipped the switch to turn the turbine on for the first time.

As the turbine turns, electricity generated will be fed back into the island’s power grid and will be credited against energy used each month by St. Croix Reformed and Kingshill School. Based on its current energy consumption, the church expects that the power generated by the turbine each month will be more than enough to zero out its electric bill—a huge savings, since the cost of electricity in the Virgin Islands is among the highest in the United States.

Construction of the turbine was made possible by a $50,000 renewable energy grant from the U.S. Department of Energy. The church kicked in an additional $16,000 from its reserve fund; expected electric-bill savings will enable replacement of the reserve fund money in about seven years. The turbine was installed by church member Jeff Cabrera, owner of Mayan Windpower.

For more information on St. Croix’s new wind turbine, check out stcroixreformed.org/our-wind-turbine.

Remembering Pope Shenouda III: 'A Heart for Unity'

Tue, 20 Mar 2012 11:25:00 PDT

(From RCA Communications)

The late Egyptian Coptic Pope Shenouda III was buried today after a funeral attended by thousands.

Members of the RCA had the opportunity to visit Pope Shenouda III in the last several years. Read about their experiences, as well as reflections on the life of the pope from Wes Granberg-Michaelson, the RCA's associate for ecumenical relations:

Meeting with a Pope by John Hubers (2003)
Meeting with Pope Shenouda III by Wes Granberg-Michaelson (2009)
Remembering Pope Shenouda III by Wes Granberg-Michaelson (2012)

Northwestern Women Win National Basketball Championship

Mon, 19 Mar 2012 07:46:00 PDT

(From Northwestern College)
Northwestern College’s women’s basketball team won the NAIA Division II national championship for the third consecutive year on March 13 with a 75-62 victory over the College of the Ozarks. Northwestern has held the championship title for four of the last five years.

For more details about the game, visit Northwestern’s website.

RCA and CRC Classes Meet Together

Fri, 16 Mar 2012 10:49:00 PDT

(From RCA Communications)

The RCA and CRC Classes of Central California met together in March for a historic joint classis meeting.

More than 150 delegates from the two classes gathered in Ripon, California. The event began at Calvary Reformed Church with a leadership seminar on "organic outreach" led by pastor Kevin Harney.

That evening, more than 300 people attended a joint worship service, held two blocks away at Almond Valley Christian Reformed Church. The sermon was delivered by Joel Boot, interim executive director of the CRC, and Tom De Vries, the RCA's general secretary. Communion was administered by three seminary presidents: Jul Medenblik, president of Calvin Theological Seminary; Tim Brown, president of Western Theological Seminary; and Scot Sherman, president of Newbigin House of Studies.

"It was a great experience on Thursday evening to worship together, and then be able to share the preaching responsibility with Joel Boot," De Vries says. "These times of joint worship have been rare since 1857, the year the Christian Reformed Church started out of the RCA."

"I valued the opportunity to remind us that we are not two denominations, but one body."

Read more.

Tailgating: The Rural Church

Fri, 16 Mar 2012 06:52:00 PDT

(From RCA Today)

One of our missionaries once asked, "If your church was not in the community, would people miss you?" Like all churches, the rural church needs to serve the people surrounding it.

Seven years ago, Greenleafton Reformed Church began hosting its annual National Night Out event. National Night Out, held the first Tuesday of August, is a time of gathering neighbors together for food, fun, and fellowship; it's a night when people reacquaint themselves with their neighbors.

On that night, the hamlet of Greenleafton swells from 65 to 550 in population as the church offers free pork sandwiches, baked beans, milk, and entertainment for all ages. The evening is given to the Lord through a Sunday morning prayer walk within the community and a prayer drive down the dusty gravel roads surrounding Greenleafton.

Read more.

Crystal Cathedral downfall offers cautionary tale

Fri, 16 Mar 2012 06:31:00 PDT

(From Religion News Service)

Last Sunday (March 11), Pastor Sheila Schuller Coleman appeared for apparently the last time before some 800 people at the morning service of the Crystal Cathedral in Garden Grove, Calif.

For members of the extended Schuller family who had built and shepherded the iconic megachurch into the spiritual home for 10,000 members, so much had changed.

As members of the Schuller family head in new directions -- Coleman and brother-in law Jim Penner plan to start a new church this Sunday -- the famous glass-walled church offers a cautionary tale of the potential pitfalls facing family-run ministries.

Read more.
See also: In Video, Schuller Fears Financial Security

Finding Freedom: Recovery Ministry Offers Grace

Tue, 13 Mar 2012 07:18:00 PDT

(From RCA Today)

Janet and Kerry Kruger have seen many lives changed through a recovery ministry called Finding Freedom that has been embraced by Place of Grace, the church they attend.

Kerry tells of one young man who admitted he was a crack addict and at the end of his rope. "After the message this man stayed for the support group where the men prayed together. He recognized his need for God to change his life and to rely on God for strength. He has continued to attend Finding Freedom and had the courage to enroll in a men's drug rehabilitation center."

Read more.

Tales of a Globe-Trotting Bible

Mon, 12 Mar 2012 10:41:00 PDT

By Tim Breen, pastor of First Reformed Church in Orange City, Iowa

Like most pastors, I get lots of junk mail. Scarcely a day goes by when my mailbox at church is free from subscription offers from magazines I wouldn't read, catalogues for curriculum I wouldn't use, or funding requests from ministries unfamiliar to anyone on my staff. On occasion, I even get a piece or two of mail addressed to a predecessor who's been gone for years.

So I was intrigued to discover a carefully-wrapped package in a manila envelope in my mailbox a few weeks ago. My curiosity rose to another level entirely when I saw the return address: The Islamic Society of Central Florida.

I supposed that the book-sized package represented some national effort to put the Qur'an into the hands of Christian ministers. I was completely surprised by what I found when I opened the package.

A folded note included with the package described the contents: "This Dutch Bible was obtained during my travels in the Middle East. I am returning it to you in hopes it can find its way home."

I gently opened the aging book. On the first page, in faded blue ink, were the faintly-inscribed words "M. Nienhuis, Orange City, Sioux County, Iowa, 1890."

The book was a Dutch New Testament, psalter hymnal, and catechism printed in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, in 1885. It had traveled from Europe to Orange City and then on to the Middle East, only to be purchased by an American and sent to my office back in Iowa.

The sender had included his name and email address, so I immediately sat down at my computer and typed out a message of thanks. Through a series of emails, I learned that the author of the note, a Muslim man named Louis, had obtained the Bible at a market in Damascus, Syria. After discovering the inscription inside the cover, he felt compelled to return it to Orange City.

That story alone amazes me. I'm sure the part of the Bible's story I don't know is even more incredible. How did it get to M. Nienhuis in Orange City in the first place? How did it make its way to the Middle East from Iowa? Was it brought there by a missionary? Where has it been for the last hundred years? And what motivated a Muslim from Florida to buy it in Syria and then send it back here to Orange City?

As I imagined the story of this globe-trotting book, Isaiah 55:10-11 came to my mind: "As the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish, so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater, so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it" (NIV).

Isaiah invites us to consider a drop of water, freed from a glacier by the spring sun, watering a flower, trickling to the sea, evaporating to the clouds, then returning to refresh a young tree in a thunderstorm. In the same way, he writes, the Word of God moves from continent to continent, nation to nation, and person to person, nurturing, healing, and bringing growth and life.

Who knows what comfort and joy this small book has brought during its more than 125 years of existence? Perhaps it provided courage to an immigrant family on stormy transatlantic seas. Maybe it held peace for an Iowa farmer during a crop failure or following the death of a child. It may have ministered to a Christian living as a religious minority in the Ottoman Empire during the early 1900s. God alone knows how and to whom this book has revealed God's great story.

I sent that little black book on its way again. It has found its next home with Simon Roderburgh, a neighbor of mine and a concentration-camp survivor. Simon recently shared with me that the words of the Dutch psalter gave him great peace during the dark time he was incarcerated in the camp. Now he has the opportunity to read those words again.

Simon was recently diagnosed with colon cancer. It's very likely that trying days lie ahead. My prayer is that, whatever his future holds, the precious words contained in that worn old Bible—thousands of years old, recorded in a book printed more than a century ago—will once more accomplish the purpose for which God sent them.

Kits, Donations Needed for Storm Recovery

Fri, 09 Mar 2012 18:17:00 PST

(From RCA Communications)

Communities in 13 states in the midwestern and southern United States were devastated by a powerful storm system that spawned multiple tornadoes from February 28 to March 3, 2012. A total of 51 people lost their lives in the storms. Indiana was one of the worst-hit states; nearly every house in the town of Marysville was heavily damaged. Eleven tornadoes touched down in Tennessee, resulting in three deaths and 40 people injured. Kentucky reported 32 tornadoes, with 12 deaths. Flash flooding was also reported in Bell County, Kentucky. Alabama was also hard hit; at least 16 tornadoes destroyed 40 homes and damaged several hundred more. Some of the houses that sustained damage had only recently been rebuilt after damage incurred by tornadoes in April 2011. Ohio had nine tornadoes that left three people dead and eight injured.

Working with Church World Service, Reformed Church World Service has provided $5,000 for clean-up buckets, blankets, and hygiene kits for tornado-devastated areas. In cooperation with RCWS and the relief agencies of other denominations, CWS is already moving resources and people to aid tornado survivors and to assist with cleanup activities. As the affected communities move from initial response into the recovery phase of the disaster, CWS emergency response specialists will work with local, state, and federal organizations and agencies to train and prepare affected communities for long-term recovery.

How you can help:

Pray for those who are grieving the loss of loved ones, and for those whose lives are in upheaval because of the tornadoes.
Contributions (designated "U.S. Disasters") can be sent to Reformed Church in America, Attn: Finance Office, 4500 60th St. SE, Grand Rapids, MI 49512 or, in Canada, to Regional Synod of Canada, 201 Paradise Rd. N., Hamilton, ON L8S 3T3. To donate by credit card (U.S. only), go to www.rca.org/givercws or call the RCA Michigan Regional Center at (800) 968-3943.
Assemble and mail Church World Service emergency clean-up buckets. Baby kits, school kits, and hygiene kits are also needed (see www.rca.org/kits).
Watch www.rca.org/volunteers for future volunteer needs.

Theology of Place: New Church Is Firmly Rooted in Philadelphia

Fri, 09 Mar 2012 06:36:00 PST

(From RCA Today)

A new church start in downtown Philadelphia, liberti, is committed to being a neighborhood church.

It's also expanding to launch a second campus in the Mainline, a string of towns just outside the Philadelphia city limits.

That may seem like a contradiction--but not to planting pastor Jared Ayers.

"Most of the people who come to our church walk there instead of driving," he says. "But a lot of our people who bring their friends to church, they work with people who live out that way, or they went to school out that way. More and more, people are joining us who live out on the Mainline, because a friend invited them."

For Ayers, a new campus in the Mainline means liberti can continue its neighborhood ministry focus.

Read more.

Joy Rediscovered: Appreciative Inquiry Transforms Church Focus

Tue, 06 Mar 2012 08:51:18 PST

(From RCA Today)

Members of Abbe Reformed Church in Clymer, New York, have embraced a way to change the church's focus, and that has resulted in a new vision for ministry.

Appreciative Inquiry, the process at the heart of Abbe Reformed's new direction in ministry, is a way to deliberately focus on the assets and positive attributes of a congregation rather than its weaknesses.

"It is so easy to focus on the negatives, point fingers, and dwell on past mistakes,” says Lucinda Legters, a member of the vision team that guided the church through Appreciative Inquiry (AI). "But once you start focusing on the positives, you quickly realize God's faithfulness and the blessings he has bestowed throughout the history of the church. Bitterness and anger quickly turn to joy and thanksgiving with very little effort."

Read more.

Youth explore IT-ministry connection in India

Fri, 02 Mar 2012 07:11:15 PST

(From RCA Communications)

A group of tech-savvy young Indians wanted to stop by and learn about JP and Katy Sundararajan's audio scripture ministry. "They rode in on motorcycles and scooters and spent their Saturday morning listening to stories of what God is doing through our ministry here in India," says JP.

They were especially curious about the ministry's new digital audio players. "We taught them how to assemble the players for use on the mission field. Their eyes lit up! They loved the opportunity to put their skill set to good use."

Read more.

Evangelism in Ethiopia, one drop at a time

Thu, 01 Mar 2012 06:51:53 PST

(From RCA Communications)

Dick and Donna Swart recently took stock of their ministry with the Daasanech people in southern Ethiopia, whom they serve along with their son, Caleb, and daughter-in-law, Joanna. "We often feel that what we do is just a drop in the bucket," say Dick and Donna.

"We stand assured, though, that the Lord does care about the needs of each and every one of the Daasanech." Here are the Swarts' "drops in the bucket" for 2011:

8 families received a windmill (bringing the total to over 60) to pump water from the Omo River to grow produce.
5 new donkey carts help people take produce to market.
2 islands in the river delta have been planted with mango trees.
237 women took part in the prenatal program, 15 patients were taken to the hospital for emergencies, and 22 children were treated for burns.
32 people bitten by rabid animals received injections to prevent rabies.
5 Bible lessons were translated, giving Ethiopian church leaders an evangelistic tool as they reach out to surrounding villages.

"Because of you," say Dick and Donna, "these little drops in the bucket have turned into springs of living water for those we minister to."

The March mission offering will supply windmills to help more Daasanech families get the water they need to grow nutritious produce to eat and sell.

Granberg-Michaelson Speaks on Belhar

Wed, 29 Feb 2012 11:49:37 PST

(From RCA Communications)

General secretary emeritus Wes Granberg-Michaelson delivered an address on the Belhar Confession on Wednesday, not far from where it was written in Belhar, South Africa.

The speech in Cape Town, South Africa, was the first in an annual lecture series sponsored by the Uniting Reformed Church in Southern Africa. URCSA grew out of the Dutch Reformed Mission Church, the denomination whose members wrote and first adopted the confession. The speech was attended by URCSA pastors and elders, as well as guests from other denominations.

In his speech, Granberg-Michaelson focused on the Belhar's call to unity. He considered internal issues that threaten unity in mainline denominations as well as global divides in world Christianity, looking at what the Belhar contributes to these situations. He also shared the RCA's engagement with the Belhar Confession since 1995, including its adoption as a Standard of Unity in 2010.

Read more.

Crafting with Purpose

Wed, 29 Feb 2012 08:01:28 PST

(From RCA Communications)
Women at Park Hills Community Church in Los Angeles, California, are blessing others with their crochet hooks.

The church’s Create in Thee group meets twice a month to knit, sew, and crochet. “We have big things planned from our creative hands!” says group founder Marian Wade. Their crafty projects have included many efforts on behalf of others: theme tablecloths for the church’s evangelism program, embellishing t-shirts for vacation Bible school, sewing costumes for a play performed at a local elementary, and making hats, scarves, and afghans for people with cancer.

Next up, the group is partnering with the R.O.C.K., a church plant that shares the Park Hills facility, to hold a fashion show and tea. “The members will mentor young women in fashion by collaborating on designs, fabrications, and accessories,” says Wade.

The group began in 2009 with donations of sewing machines, fabric, yarn, and other supplies. Participants range in age from 10 to 87.

Ecumenical Event Responds to Racism

Tue, 28 Feb 2012 07:28:45 PST

(From RCA Today)

Six RCA members attended the annual meeting of Christian Churches Together in the U.S.A. February 14-17 in Memphis, Tennessee. CCT is an ecumenical group with members from all the faith families that make up Christianity in the United States: Catholic, evangelical, Pentecostal, historic Protestant, Orthodox, and the historic black church.

At the meeting, 85 leaders from member organizations sought to better understand and more effectively organize to combat racism and poverty in America. During the meeting, participants visited sites related to racism in the U.S., including an Underground Railroad safe house and the National Civil Rights Museum.

"CCT is a picture of what it means to set aside our differences and focus on our unity in Christ and in Christ's proclamation that he came to 'bring good news to the poor...the captives...the blind...the oppressed,'" says Kate Davelaar, a Hope College chaplain who represented the RCA at the event.

Read more.

Learning How to Become Like Jesus

Tue, 28 Feb 2012 06:14:01 PST

(From RCA Today)

Karen Bables is "kind of addicted" to the Apprentice program she leads at her church, Christ Memorial Reformed Church in Holland, Michigan.

"People are happy in this class. They find peace and joy. I love watching transformation take place before my eyes."

Bables, director of adult discipleship at Christ Memorial, introduced the Apprentice program there in 2009, when it was just being published. So far 80 participants have gone through the program, which utilizes three books by James Bryan Smith: The Good and Beautiful God, The Good and Beautiful Life, and The Good and Beautiful Community.

"Apprentice is a program to help people experience transformation in becoming like Jesus," she says.

Read more.

Working to Build Relationships

Fri, 24 Feb 2012 06:36:52 PST

(From RCA Today)

This spring Bruce and Laurie Hawley will again offer RCA work groups a great opportunity to grow spiritually through volunteer service. They'll be leading volunteers who will take on the tremendous flood damage to an RCA church and homes in upstate New York.

For seven years, the Hawleys have connected RCA folks with dozens of major rebuilding and renovation projects. With their guidance, hundreds of volunteer workers have helped rebuild hurricane-devastated neighborhoods in Texas, cleaned and repaired flooded homes in Iowa, fixed tornado-damaged homes in Missouri, rehabilitated RCA churches in urban neighborhoods in New York and New Jersey, and built a reconciliation training center in what is now South Sudan.

On all of the projects they facilitate, Bruce and Laurie work with and are accountable to RCA mission partners. They help the partner with project development and oversight, and they are on-site to orient volunteers and coordinate their work. All the while, the Hawleys are alert for opportunities to offer hospitality and spiritual care and build bridges of communication and understanding between the volunteers and the people they have come to serve.

Read more.

When We Pray, We Move Our Feet: A Sankofa Journey

Tue, 21 Feb 2012 11:39:00 PST

(From Peggy Byland, seminarian, Western Theological Seminary)

The bus rolled along, mile after mile, southbound through the night, carrying thirteen Western Theological Seminary (WTS) students, eight seminary guests, and one WTS administrator, all partnered with someone of another race, on an intercultural immersion trip. As the sun began to rise, the bus pulled into Selma, Alabama. In a way, our group identified with the "Freedom Riders" of 1961, who traveled from Washington D.C. to New Orleans to test the U.S. Supreme Court's ruling banning segregation in restaurants and waiting rooms used for interstate travel. In 2012, our group of riders journeyed to identify and stand against racial prejudice. We would discover in the days to come just how deep the roots of racism run.

For the next three days the 22 travelers, led by Earl James, the RCA's coordinator of multiracial initiatives and social justice, were immersed in a Sankofa pilgrimage on the Selma-to-Montgomery civil rights trail in the deep South. The Ghanaian word "sankofa" suggests a bird flying with an egg (representing the future) in its beak, looking back over its shoulder in the direction it has come. It symbolizes that the past is a crucial part of the future.

The rough night trying to sleep on a Cardinal tour bus was a small sacrifice for the travelers, and was soon forgotten in the midst of meals of southern comfort food, thought-provoking conversations, engaging speakers, and visits to historical sites that document the fight for African Americans' civil rights during the 1950s and 1960s. For me, the trip exposed layers of prejudice that I was unaware were hiding deep within my psyche.

Our Sankofa experience began at the Edmund Pettus Bridge, where we walked in memory of the 600 men, women, and children who crossed the bridge on Sunday morning, March 7, 1965. These marchers were hopeful that their walk, which began in Selma and covered 54 miles to Montgomery, might result in awareness and enforcement of Alabama's voting rights laws, which were blatantly and forcefully ignored at voting precincts around the state. As a result of the violence inflicted on those marchers by policemen with clubs and tear gas at the north end of the bridge, that Sunday lives in history as "Bloody Sunday."

Reflecting on individual responsibility, each person in our group was invited to stroll the boardwalk or sit on the rocks alongside the Alabama River at the base of the bridge to ponder the roles of those who fought for justice more than four decades ago as well as the role that he or she will personally play in relieving the oppression of those who suffer injustice today. Jesus' directives in the Sermon on the Mount, found in Matthew 5:3-11, remind us that we are called to be merciful, pure in heart, and peacemakers. While transformation can take place in hearts and minds, our bodies also must be transformed to become the vehicles for change. As the inscription on a monument honoring Congressman John Lewis in the park near the bridge states, "When we pray, we move our feet." As Christians, black or white or shades in-between, we are called to be doers as well as hearers of the Word. We cannot sit idly in the face of injustice.

From Selma, the group traveled to Montgomery, Alabama. There, we toured the Civil Rights Center adjacent to the Southern Poverty Law Center. The Southern Poverty Law Center was established in 1971 to provide legal defense for the most vulnerable members of society who are unable to hire attorneys to fight hate and bigotry in order to seek justice in cases of oppression.

Located on a sidewalk plaza at the base of the steps to the center is the the Civil Rights Memorial. The memorial is a circular black granite table, bubbling with water and inscribed in radial fashion with the names of martyrs and historical dates of the movement; it honors the memory and achievements of those who died in the civil rights struggle from 1954 to 1968. On a curved black granite wall behind the table, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s well-known paraphrase of Amos 5:24 is engraved: "We will not be satisfied until justice rolls down like waters and righteousness like a mighty stream."

The bus rolled on to Birmingham, Alabama, but not before we stood on the sidewalk in memory of Rosa Parks at the place of the Montgomery bus boycott. In Birmingham, two speakers engaged our attention. Ron Carter spoke about the challenges and hopes facing the churches in Birmingham today. Carolyn McKinstry spoke of her experience and healing after the Sixteenth Street Baptist Church bombing, which killed four of her friends when she was young.

On the way to the Civil Rights Institute in Birmingham, the bus passed Sixteenth Street Baptist Church, the site of the church bombing, and Kelly Ingram Park, where many demonstrations originated. At the institute, the story of the civil rights movement is documented chronologically through videos and photos; replicas of churches, schools, stores, and homes; and interactive displays. Positioned prominently throughout the building are white, slightly less than life-sized plaster statues depicting people at play, at work, and sitting at lunch counters in defiance of Jim Crow laws. As I puzzled over the white color of the statues, I recalled the fact that, scientifically, "white" may or may not be considered a color at all, since "white" is actually the reflection of all the colors of the visible light spectrum.

In Atlanta, Georgia, the final stop on our Sankofa trip, we walked the plaza at the Martin Luther King Jr. National Historical Site, where Martin Luther King Jr. and his wife, Coretta Scott King, are buried. An eternal flame burns there in memory of Dr. King. A short walk away from the plaza stands Ebenezer Baptist Church. Inside, visitors can listen to taped recordings of the choir and sermons by Dr. King. Sitting in the pew with head reverently bowed, I imagined sitting there with Dr. King at the pulpit. His taped voice was strong and firmly commanding as he recounted the progress in the civil rights struggle and reaffirmed his nonviolent stance. Listening to his sermon, I was impressed with the depth of his biblical knowledge and the strength of his faith.

The bus headed north and we reminisced about the places where we had walked and the speakers we had heard. We silently and privately reviewed the documentaries and movies, which prompted thoughts and questions that we shared in dialogue with our partners. We also considered challenges that would alter our call to ministry. After a heartfelt goodbye to our partners, who would continue back to Holland, the WTS students began the second leg of our intercultural immersion trip, which focused on obstacles to and opportunities for urban ministry in Chicago.

Sankofa, a unique word and an equally unique experience, will live in our memories and influence our activities for years to come. Flying into the future with history not far behind us, we will go forward as servants of God and witnesses to the ministry of Jesus. Where the Holy Spirit paves the way, these followers of Sankofa will lead.

General Synod Council Processes Conversations Impressions

Thu, 16 Feb 2012 11:54:01 PST

(From RCA Communications)

The General Synod Council (GSC) of the Reformed Church in America met for its spring meeting in Orlando, Florida, on February 12 and 13, 2012.

The GSC discussed the written impressions that came collectively from those at the Conversations event.

The agenda included a number of items that will be brought to this summer's meeting of the General Synod.

Following are some of the significant accomplishments that came out of the two-day meeting.

GSC Processes Initial Impressions of Conversations
The GSC discussed the next steps in communicating both the initial impressions that came from RCA members at Conversations, as well as sharing the process that was used throughout the event. The GSC agreed to a number of steps to ensure that this is shared with and includes the entire church. Next steps will include continuing in conversation with those who were in attendance to ensure that the initial impressions resonated with them and ask if anything is missing from the impressions. Information will be shared with consistories, classes, 2012 General Synod Delegates, and regional synods inviting feedback. This process will also continue to be moved forward and tested at General Synod where it will be an integral element of the advisory group process.

Read more.

Conversations: Initial Impressions

Sun, 12 Feb 2012 11:48:29 PST

(From RCA Communications)

A six-person writing team on Sunday reported the initial impressions of what 26 groups said they are discerning about God's future for the Reformed Church in America.

"We've heard from many that you 'came skeptical and are leaving hopeful,'" Don Poest, moderator of the General Synod Council, said Sunday morning to the 500-plus participants who gathered in Orlando, Florida, for Conversations: Seeking God's Future for the RCA.

"What's next? The GSC begins meeting at 3 o'clock this afternoon, and we deliberately did not predetermine what will happen next because we wanted to see what would come out of our experience here this weekend."

Acknowledging that many groups were not represented at Conversations, Poest said the writing group's statement will be distributed throughout the RCA for response and refinement.

Read more.

Conversations: "Go into a broken world"

Sat, 11 Feb 2012 20:53:26 PST

(From RCA Communications)

Continuing the missional drumbeat that's been a refrain throughout the RCA's 10-year goal, Our Call, guest preacher Efrem Smith on Saturday night emphasized the importance of moving outside the church's walls to bring justice to the painful realities of a fallen world.

"God desires to give the church power and authority to bear his name and to advance his kingdom," Smith said to more than 500 gathered in Orlando, Florida, from across the RCA. "But how can the church be missional in today's context of diversity, dysfunction, chaos, and destruction?"

Exploring the context and themes of Matthew 9-10, Smith made several references to Martin Luther King's "beloved community" that depended on the self-giving "agape love of Jesus, because only that power can redeem and transform, and cause enemies to be friends."

Those who gathered are taking part this weekend in Conversations: Seeking God's Future for the RCA. The event has brought together pastors, elders and deacons, lay leaders, and other congregants of all ages to discern God's future direction for the Reformed Church.

Read more.

Hubers Offer Reflections on Missionary Donald Bosch

Sat, 11 Feb 2012 10:03:00 PST

(From RCA Communications)

Donald Bosch, an RCA missionary to Oman from 1950 to 1984, died last week. John and Lynne Hubers, former missionaries in the Middle East, wrote these reflections about Bosch's work.

Dr. Donald Bosch, career missionary to Oman, died this week at the age of 94 in his beloved adopted country. He will be buried in a Christian cemetery in a cove near his home where several other missionaries from earlier eras are buried. We celebrate his life and honor his memory.

Don and his wife, Eloise, were parent figures and mentors to those of us who went to Oman when things were far more comfortable than they were in the mid-50s when they made that long journey. That was back when missionaries were expected to stay long term, learning what it means to become one with the people God has called them to serve. That's what Don and Eloise did with a spirit of sacrifice and service that was honored by the Omani government with the granting of honorary citizenship and a small mansion built on a cove which was theirs for life. "This is not just for us," Don often said, "this is for all those RCA missionaries who came before us and with us to share God's love with the Omani people."

We offer prayers of thanks for this mentor and friend, this inspiration to all who were privileged to know him. We offer prayers for God's peace to be with Eloise and the children in this time of grief. We do so with words of scripture we pray we will all hear some day: "well done, thou good and faithful servant."

Conversations Kick-Off: Listen for God to Speak

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 19:23:10 PST

(From RCA Communications)

Friday evening, RCA general secretary Tom De Vries asked more than 500 people gathered from across the RCA to listen for God to speak, and then to trust and obey God's direction.

"The temptation is to hear from each other and claim we heard from God," De Vries cautioned. Instead, he said, what will be vital will be "listening to hear what God is saying to us and about our life together."

Read more.

Disability Awareness Sunday a Time of Welcome

Tue, 07 Feb 2012 06:51:05 PST

(From RCA Communications)

Steve Breen has learned first-hand the value of relational children's messages that are practical, personal, and vulnerable. As pastor of Middleburgh Free Grace Reformed Church near Orange City, Iowa, on one occasion he raised awareness about the challenges of a living with his own temporary disability—a retinal detachment.

"Children are listening, but their parents are, too!" Breen says. "Various objects can begin a discussion of the needs and nurturing of persons with limitations."

In making Disability Awareness Sunday an annual part of its worship life, Free Grace Reformed varies its focus from year to year but regularly seeks to highlight the abilities of people with disabilities.

"Whether they read Scripture, offer a prayer, sing, or share a testimony, people with disabilities are not just tolerably usable as worship leaders, but they are often powerfully inspirational," Breen says. "That does not mean that there are not the occasional awkward moments and miscues, but we know that those things regularly take place in any gathering of believers!"

Disability Awareness Sunday provides churches with an opportunity to open themselves to another dimension of God's inclusive love—welcoming and including people with disabilities. In designating March 4 as Disability Awareness Sunday, the RCA encourages congregations to highlight the gifts of people with disabilities in their midst and grow in their awareness of ways the body of Christ is enriched when people of all abilities are welcomed and engaged in ministry.

New Program Helps Seminarians Transition into Ministry

Mon, 06 Feb 2012 07:09:57 PST

(From RCA Communications)

Western Theological Seminary is reworking and expanding a program to help its graduates transition into ministry smoothly.

The program, called "Learning to Follow, Learning to Lead," has been expanded from three post-grad gatherings (formerly the 1, 3, 5 Gathering) to an eight year ministry formation process. The process starts from a student's call to seminary, includes core classes and a formation for ministry process with the office of the dean of students, and continues with learning opportunities for five years after graduation.

"The biblical and theological work we want to do centers around these two dynamics: learning to follow Christ and others, and learning to lead the church," says Keith Derrick, director of Journey: Center for the Church's Learning at Western.

Read more.

VBS Adapted for Christmas

Fri, 03 Feb 2012 11:01:37 PST

(From RCA Today)

For years, Good News Reformed Church in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, has had great success with its summer vacation Bible school programs.

So when someone asked how best to remind children—and parents—about the true meaning of Christmas, the church's Education Ministry Team went back to a successful formula: vacation Bible school.

The one-day event was called CBS—Christmas Bible School—and was held for two hours on December 10, so that even people with busy holiday schedules could make time to attend.

Parents and grandparents were encouraged to attend as shepherds and be with their children throughout the various stations and during the closing program.

Read more.

Center Connects Japanese Youth with a Christian Community

Thu, 02 Feb 2012 06:15:32 PST

(From RCA Communications)

"The Japan earthquake and subsequent mega-tsunami and nuclear disaster have uncovered many heartfelt needs in Japanese young people," says Nathan Brownell.

"While each of the schools we serve has a daily chapel and Bible classes, we believe there is a need to grant students the chance to put what they are learning about Christian community into practice."

That's why Brownell encourages students to come at least once a week to the GreenHouse youth center. There, nine teachers from the U.S., Canada, and Singapore share their faith and hope in Christ with students through fellowship, songs, and messages so students can experience the love of God, says Brownell.

"We believe that this may help them learn that it is all right to seek such Christian community."

After-School Program Expands into New Church

Tue, 31 Jan 2012 06:50:48 PST

(From RCA Today)

It took leaders at Grace Reformed Church a while to realize it, but the new church they were planning to start was already underway.

In 2009 Grace had approved "nesting" a new church that would better reflect the surrounding community, which has become predominately Hispanic in recent decades.

"We knew that starting a new church that would meet in Grace Reformed's building would give ownership to those who came and be much more effective in reaching people for Christ," says Rick Oppenhuizen, Grace's pastor.

The Wyoming, Michigan, church had been reaching out to its urban neighbors with some success through service-oriented activities. But neighborhood people weren't interested in attending Grace, which has a worship style that felt too formal to Hispanic people who visited.

After the congregation approved the "nesting" plant, the mission and outreach team began praying and looking for a church planter. Their efforts just couldn't seem to get any traction.

Meanwhile, George Grevenstuk, an RCA pastor who was seeking a new pastorate, had begun leading Grace's after-school program.

Read more.

Susan Beebout Honored by University in Niger

Mon, 30 Jan 2012 11:28:28 PST

(From RCA Communications)

The dean of the medical school in Niger where RCA missionary Susan Beebout teaches called her to his office. "He started the conversation with the best type of Nigerien compliment: 'Dr. Susan, you look like you've gained some weight!' (In case you were wondering, I haven't.) Really, it's a compliment. Really."

He then told her that he wanted to roast a sheep for her that Friday evening and invite the minister of public health, the minister of higher education, and the U.S. ambassador. Susan was flabbergasted. "This is the type of ceremony they usually do when someone gets tenure or something really important happens.

"The ceremony was lovely and God was glorified. His name was lifted high and the Evangelical Church of the Republic of Niger [the mission partner of Susan and her husband, Jeremy] got the credit it deserved for desiring to partner with the state to improve higher education."

McAuleys experience joy at mission site they once served

Mon, 30 Jan 2012 11:26:23 PST

(From RCA Communications)

On a recent trip, RCA missionaries Linda and Larry McAuley witnessed the fruit of seeds they helped plant among the Pokot people in Alale, Kenya, from 1981 to 1997.

"It was a beautiful experience to see old friends and see how God has worked in their lives.

"We met people in a new satellite church of Africa Inland Church Alale. We had time to chat with the local pastor and to hear how hope and faith and joy have sprung up in this valley.

"Another saving miracle is the work of AIC Alale in rescuing young girls from forced marriages to older men as second, third, or more wife, and other boys and girls from parents who refuse to let them go to school.

"Another miracle is the continuous flow of water from the springs blessing many families with clean water and making the development of schools, clinic, community, and government possible. People come from all around to take this clean, fresh water home."

Family resource center expands

Mon, 30 Jan 2012 11:18:56 PST

(From RCA Communications)

What began 23 years ago as a mom's friendship program in a Welland, Ontario, church office now occupies two buildings and serves hundreds of people each year.

Gail MacLaurin, executive director of Elisha House Pregnancy and Family Support Centre, says the center's biblical counseling program has grown from 124 appointments in 2006 to over 800 in 2011.

Sarah Janssen provides counseling to over 100 women each year who are challenged by an unplanned pregnancy. "She presents what adoption looks like today in that the birth mom can choose the family and still have a relationship with her child. She gives her hope that parenting is possible while continuing her education," says MacLaurin.

Janssen also helps women understand how abortion can harm them emotionally, physically, and spiritually. "I was a participant of this biblical healing group over eight years ago," says MacLaurin. "I thank God they were there for me."

Redevelopment Addresses Challenges

Fri, 27 Jan 2012 13:08:00 PST

(From RCA Today)

During their last pastoral transition, members of Faith Reformed Church recognized that calling another pastor wouldn't necessarily take care of the issues they were facing—frustration, conflict, misunderstanding, lack of trust.

Church leaders began to pray. They sought guidance from the classis and the regional synod. Regional minister Dale Assink recommended that rather than an interim pastor, they consider a three-year redevelopment plan.

That's how Faith Reformed found its redevelopment pastor, Carl Boersma. He's one of four current "redeveloper" pastors in the RCA. They're in a network together for accountability and support, and each has a three-year contract with a congregation to lead a turn-around effort.

"We come in to resolve issues and work through a process seeking to bring healing and life and a new sense of purpose and direction for the church family," Boersma says.

Read more.

Bible translation the Yupik way

Thu, 26 Jan 2012 08:24:48 PST

(From RCA Communications)

Bible translations usually take 10 to 20 years, but the Yupik translation has been underway for more than 30. RCA missionary Brian Renes, who teaches translators around the world to use computers effectively, recently returned to Alaska to work with the Yupik. He had first visited them in 1998 and observed that they still had a lot of work to do.

"Why has it taken so long?" asks Renes. "One of the best translators died of cancer; others had to retire; winters are harsh; fishing season is busy. Even more significant, [the Yupik] live in community."

During Renes's latest visit, when the translators learned that a woman from their church was in her final hours of battling cancer, they were on their way to see her within a few minutes.

"They do not check to see if they have time, they take the time to fulfill their responsibilities to their community," says Renes.

"Does God think [their translation work] has taken too long? I don't think so. He cares as much about the process as the end, maybe even more. The Yupik Bible will be finished, and the timing might just be perfect."

The February mission offering will support the worldwide Bible translation support ministry of Brian Renes.

RCWS Calls for Prayer for South Sudan

Wed, 25 Jan 2012 07:50:32 PST

(From RCA Communications)

Reformed Church World Service (RCWS) is calling for prayers for peace in South Sudan. A recent resurgence of inter-ethnic violence there has left thousands dead.

Since late December, Luo-Nuer people have attacked Murle people in the towns of Lekwangole and Pibor. Local authorities report that more than 3,000 people have been killed and 120,000 displaced.

Many became separated from family members as they fled the violence; 19,000 remain missing. Homes in Lekwangole and Pibor were burned to the ground, and many cattle were stolen. Sources in South Sudan say the attacks are believed to be retaliation for a Murle attack last August in which 740 Luo-Nuer were killed. Those attacks resulted in 31,000 displaced persons and 166 orphaned children.

RCWS will work with the Presbyterian Church of Sudan, an RCA mission partner, to assist the displaced people with maize seed, sorghum, ground nuts, blankets, medicine, and cooking utensils. RCWS will send $10,000 to the Presbyterian Relief and Development Agency, an agency of the Presbyterian Church of Sudan.

RCA Global Mission continues to support RECONCILE, a mission partner that promotes peace-building in South Sudan by providing training in trauma healing, civic education, and conflict transformation. RECONCILE works in areas with high inter-tribal tension. New RCA missionaries Shelvis and Nancy Smith-Mather are currently raising support to join RECONCILE and help address inter-ethnic conflict.

Peace pole planted

Mon, 23 Jan 2012 13:00:00 PST

(From RCA Communications)

On September 11, Allwood Community Reformed Church in Clifton, New Jersey, dedicated a new memorial garden and peace pole.

It was built by the church's Boy Scout troop.

Pastor Cari Keith says, "The Allwood peace pole was dedicated on the tenth anniversary of the September 11 terrorist attacks so that we could stand with our neighbors on that day and raise one voice in prayer for peace in our world, for an end to violence in our world, and for healing for those who have suffered from acts of terror in our world."

"May peace prevail on earth" is engraved on the peace pole in 12 languages. The peace pole is registered with the World Peace Prayer society, which recently honored Boy Scout Troop 22 for its work on the pole.

A Firm Foundation: New Classis Structure Builds on Prayer

Fri, 20 Jan 2012 06:30:13 PST

(From RCA Today)

New structures in the Classis of Wisconsin have prayer at their heart.

At its spring 2010 meeting, the classis voted to adopt a new structure with five ministry-focused commissions. (A classis is an assembly of pastors and elders from a group of churches.) The prayer commission was the first to be established—the cornerstone of the new structure, according to Clyde Rensink, a pastor who chairs the commission.

"They wanted everything to be prayed for before the other four went into ministry operations," he says.

The prayer commission, made up of 12 people, has been given the task of creating a classis-wide prayer network, providing teams to pray for classis events and meetings, and bringing innovative ideas to deepen prayer life in the classis and its congregations.

Read more.

Church's $10 challenge results in $11,000 in gifts and is still growing

Wed, 18 Jan 2012 12:44:25 PST

(From the MLive.com)

It is known as the "Ten Dollar Challenge," but the congregation of Immanuel Reformed Church of southeast Grand Rapids helped it grow to more than 100 times that in only a year's time. And the challenge is still going.

The challenge, first issued by Pastor Brian Smilde in November 2010, was not planned, but rather evolved out of a sermon about what God expects in terms of giving.

Illustrating from a passage in Deuteronomy 15, which uses the phrase "open handed" to the needy more than once, Smilde finished his sermon with a spontaneous gesture. "I reached into my pocket and took out a $10 bill and asked if there was anyone who would be willing to give it away. One man said, 'Sure, I'll do it.' I really hadn't planned on doing it, but then he became sort of a salesman. He walked into the lobby and asked for more to give away."

By the time the person who accepted the pastor's challenge had left the building, the $10 had already grown to nearly $100. The following week the parishioner told his story of how he waited at a Goodwill store and watched for people who had trouble paying and stepped up to pay their bills.

"After he told his story, I reached into my pocket and pulled out another $10 and asked if anyone else would like to try it," said Smilde.

Read more.

Reformed Roots: Church Connects with Its Heritage

Tue, 17 Jan 2012 11:54:39 PST

(From RCA Today)

Three years ago, Reformed Church of Huguenot Park in Staten Island, New York, was searching for a pastor. The past decade had brought eight years of interim pastoring and two years of pulpit supply; having a different preacher every Sunday had taken its toll on the congregation.

Along the way, church members had become disconnected from their Reformed heritage—they were no longer grounded in the foundational confessions and creeds of the Reformed tradition.

Then they found Alfred Correa, a Baptist pastor who was seeking a place to rekindle a more confessional faith.

"I had reached the place where I knew I needed to reconnect with some of the teachings of my upbringing," says Correa. "That was lost along the way—the value of sacraments and of embracing the creeds and confessions that shaped and formed my faith. I began to look for a setting that would complement and re-ignite that love I had for the confessions and creeds."

Read more.

RCA Pastor: King's message is still relevant

Mon, 16 Jan 2012 05:12:05 PST

(From the Albany Times Union)

By the Rev. Harlan Ratmeyer

Recently someone asked me, "What do you think Dr. King would have said about the Occupy movement?" The question prompted a memory of a sultry summer night in Chicago in 1966. A group of women and men preparing for an open housing march gathered in the basement of a Baptist church on the South Side. The neighborhood was tense. Dr. King was facing opposition within the African-American community. Some were impatient with the long journey to freedom and inclined to retaliate with force. While huge crowds supported the civil rights movement, some were questioning the nonviolent philosophy of Dr. King.

As we milled around, Dr. King walked into the church. He picked up a cane propped in a corner of the room and walked among us. Suddenly he spun around and gestured with the cane, as if to strike a fellow who looked angry. The man clenched his fists and crouched to defend himself, or perhaps to attack. We stopped talking in midsentence, shocked, a community collectively holding our breath.

Read more.

Texas Church Explores Biblical Stewardship

Thu, 12 Jan 2012 08:57:55 PST

(From The Examiner)

In response to the concerns of community and congregation members regarding the still- depressed economy, Reformed Church in Plano is taking action. On January 15, copastors Elizabeth and Michael Hardeman will begin a sermon series based on the book Enough, by Adam Hamilton. The book addresses the reality of economic uncertainty through the lens of a deep trust in God.

"This series is designed for those looking for straightforward teaching about money and stewardship from a biblical and theological perspective," says Michael Hardeman. "If you are struggling to make ends meet; if you have high balances on your credit cards; if you find yourself living under the perpetual curse of always wanting more; and if you want to know if God has something to say about all these things, then check it out!"

Read more.

Audio Bibles Grow the Church

Wed, 11 Jan 2012 11:48:06 PST

(From RCA Communications)

By the time Chad Vanden Bosch and his partner Sergio reached the remote village in Mozambique to distribute audio Bibles, the sun had set and it was pouring rain. He was amazed when people came running to greet them before the truck even rolled to a stop, and they handed out 40 audio Bibles.

All night they were serenaded by a chorus of Makua voices as people heard God's Word, many for the first time. "People were so excited to have God's Word that they didn't want to go home."

The next morning Chad and Sergio watched the local pastor baptize 17 people. After the baptism they headed back for a service at the church. "Word had gotten out that there were audio Bibles available in their language, and people came from miles around. Before the church service started we distributed the 60 remaining audio Bibles.

"Most people stayed for the service and a church that normally has 20 on a Sunday morning had well over 100 people, many who had never been to a church service before—including several chiefs from nearby villages. Audio Bibles are helping the church grow exponentially!"

Munroe Named Western Seminary VP

Mon, 09 Jan 2012 10:53:07 PST

(From Western Theological Seminary)

The Western Theological Seminary community welcomes Jeffrey L. Munroe as its new vice president of advancement and communications. For nearly 30 years, Munroe has worked with Young Life, a Christian ministry to middle school, high school, and college-aged youth in the U.S. and more than 70 countries around the world. Munroe most recently headed their Western European Region from his home in the Netherlands.

"I couldn't be more thrilled about this appointment," says seminary president Tim Brown. "Jeff's years at Young Life, with its highly relational ministry style and deep commitment to 'always win the right to be heard,' make him a natural fit for us. He will be a great leader for an already great team."

A 1988 graduate of Western Theological Seminary, Munroe is an ordained RCA pastor and a frequent contributor to both Words of Hope and Perspectives Journal. He helped lead the fundraising campaign for Young Life's Timber Wolf Lake camp outside Lake City, Michigan, and has also served as a fundraising consultant for InterVarsity Christian Fellowship.

"I love Western Seminary and am honored and excited to be able to serve my alma mater in this way," Munroe says. "I've tried to spend my life building the kingdom of God, and the seminary's mission of preparing men and women for leadership in the church resounds deeply with me."

Café starts conversations

Mon, 09 Jan 2012 08:32:24 PST

(From RCA Communications)

A new RCA church in Fort Dodge, Iowa, is making connections through a conversation café.

"One of our first and most interesting outreaches to the community is Lifetree Café," says Barb Huisman, church planter of Cana. The café takes place each week for an hour and includes stories and conversation on various topics relating to life and faith.

"It is through relationships crafted around the tables that other opportunities bubble up," Huisman says. "Lifetree Café is a great connector. There is never a question of whether anyone will show up; it is becoming a question of how many chairs to add!" The program draws up to 45 people each week.

Huisman says Cana sees itself as a complement to other local churches. "While we are technically a church plant, I would offer that we are more of a mission station—a hub where the experience of God often opens doors to adventures."

Holmes Named Executive Coordinator

Thu, 05 Jan 2012 12:07:52 PST

(From RCA Communications)

Leslie Holmes has been named executive coordinator to the general secretary of the RCA. She began her responsibilities on January 3, 2012.

Holmes will serve as a link between the general secretary's office, the General Synod and General Synod Council officers, and staff of the regional synods, classes, congregations, and the various boards and agencies of the RCA.

"I am both thankful and excited to serve the RCA in this capacity, and eager to join in the denomination's mission and ministry," Holmes says. "The RCA has been an important part of my life and my faith formation since I was young, and I look forward to working with colleagues, pastors, and congregations throughout the denomination."

Holmes was baptized at Faith Reformed Church in Portage, Michigan, and spent much of her youth at Rockford Reformed Church in Michigan, where she made profession of faith.

"Leslie brings both a passion for ministry and a love for the RCA with her to this position," says general secretary Tom De Vries. "I look forward to serving with her as we finish out the remaining years of Our Call well, while looking forward to God's continued plans for the RCA. I also appreciate the perspective Leslie will bring as a young woman in ministry."

Holmes attended Anderson University, majoring in mass communications, and Church of God Theological Seminary, focusing on discipleship and Christian formation.

Holmes was ordained through International Ministerial Fellowship and will be working toward ordination in the RCA. Previously, she served as associate pastor at Mosaic Church, a church plant in Florida, and as an associate pastor/children's ministry director at Beach United Methodist Church, overseeing the ministry to more than 900 children and 300 adult volunteers. She has also worked as a site director for EagleCrest Youth Ministries.

Native American Congregation Celebrates 100 Years

Wed, 04 Jan 2012 12:02:00 PST

(From RCA Communications)
On November 13, 2011, Winnebago Reformed Church held a celebration of praise, worship, and thanksgiving for one hundred years of ministry on the Winnebago (Ho-Chunk) reservation in Nebraska.

“Over the years, the Reformed church has been one of the primary influences in the Winnebago community,” says Lowell TenClay, pastor of Winnebago Reformed. “Most of the people have been part of the church or its work sometime in their lives. Many of the leaders of the tribe have their roots in the Reformed church.”

Guest participants in the celebration included Tom Smith, vice president of General Synod; Dale Assink, representing the Regional Synod of the Heartland; Mark De Kock, president of West Sioux Classis; William DeBoer, RCA coordinator of Native American/First Nations ministries; and Roger De Young, who pastored the congregation from 1980 to 1986.

After the service, there was an open microphone time for sharing memories about the congregation’s past, a number of slide presentations, and a dinner featuring traditional Ho-Chunk dishes like fry bread and corn soup.

Winnebago Reformed was organized in 1911 with 23 charter members, but mission work on the reservation was started 30 years earlier by the Presbyterian Board of Foreign Missions. The mission was transferred to the RCA in 1908 and placed under the care of the Women’s Board of Domestic Missions; RCA minister Gustavus Watermulder and his wife, Frances, were appointed to be the first RCA missionaries to the Ho-Chunk people in Nebraska.

Winnebago Reformed Church has since transitioned from a mission congregation supported by RCA Global Mission to a self-supporting congregation. RCA volunteers, church mission teams, and individual donors help the congregation make ends meet. “The economic reality is that the people of the congregation do not have the resources to cover the costs of maintaining the ministry by themselves,” says TenClay. “Volunteers and groups who help with finances, repairs, maintenance, and programs are a tremendous encouragement and support for the work here.”

TenClay and his wife, Connie, began serving Winnebago Reformed in March 2011. “We are looking forward with anticipation as the church begins its second century of service to God and the Ho-Chunk people,” says TenClay.

Drawing Near Resource Now Available

Wed, 28 Dec 2011 08:33:00 PST

(From RCA Communications)

Drawing Near, a new 40-day devotional for individuals and groups seeking God's leading, provides a prayerful way to begin the new year.

Beginning January 1, each day's devotion includes a Scripture passage, a few questions for reflection, related readings from the Heidleberg Catechism or Belhar Confession, and a brief prayer.

Read the Drawing Near flip-book online, download it as a PDF, or sign up to have each day's devotion emailed to you.

While those getting ready for the RCA Conversations event are using Drawing Near to help prepare their hearts and minds for the gathering, it's a resource any individual or group can use to seek God's direction or to engage in the denomination's ongoing discernment process.

Christmas Brings Gifts of Hope

Wed, 28 Dec 2011 06:27:09 PST

(From RCA Communications)

A goat doesn't exactly fit in a Christmas stocking, but through Reformed Church World Service's Gift of Hope program, 445 goats were purchased this Christmas as alternative Christmas gifts.

The Gift of Hope program, offered every year, encourages people to give gifts that make a difference. This year's gift options were goats for families in East Africa, audio Bibles in indigenous languages, and food for food pantries in the U.S. and Canada.

2011 Gift of Hope donations to date total $36,201. As designated by donors, 445 goats will be distributed to families in East Africa; recipients give the goat's first offspring back to the program so that another family can be blessed. The donations will also fund distribution of at least 183 solar-powered audio Bibles in indigenous languages, which will be distributed in India or Mozambique. Seventy-five gifts were made in support of hunger initiatives.

Reformed Church World Service is a ministry of compassion and hope, working with partners to alleviate hunger and poverty and to seek justice for people around the world.

Though Christmas is past, it's not too late to support these initiatives with a donation.

RCWS Assists Anti-Racism Efforts in Italy

Sat, 24 Dec 2011 12:04:44 PST

(From RCA Communications)

African immigrants and Roma (Gypsies) are descending into a state of fear in Italy in the wake of a series of recent attacks--including one suicide attack--against them.

In response, the Italian churches and especially the Waldensian Church, working through the already established program Being Church Together, have declared a humanitarian disaster and are strategizing to find ways to comfort and shelter those who have been targeted.

Reformed Church World service has sent $2000 to support Waldensians in that effort.

"The situation is rapidly escalating," says Paolo Naso, the national coordinator of the multicultural program Being Church Together and an RCA mission partner personnel, "and our churches are moving as fast as they can to embrace the victims with love. The future of our living together--as black and white, Italian and immigrant in the one family of Christ--is at stake. We cannot be silent or quiet. Last Sunday we had a massive gathering of multicultural congregations and we preached the Gospel message of love and reconciliation. It was an inspiring and profoundly moving day."

As part of that effort, the project Being Church Together is organizing meetings to discuss the attacks and to give Italian Protestants an opportunity to show their solidarity with the immigrants who are under attack.

Read more.

RCWS Works with Mission Partners on Relief Efforts in the Philippines

Wed, 21 Dec 2011 06:43:18 PST

(From RCA Communications)

A devastating storm swept southern islands in the Philippines on Friday, and RCWS is sending an initial gift of $5,000 to its mission partner the United Church of Christ in the Philippines (UCCP) to help with relief efforts.

On December 16, flash flooding and mudslides caused by Typhoon Washi left 957 people dead and 49 still missing on the islands of Visayas and Mindanao. The typhoon also damaged or destroyed 10,000 homes and left tens of thousands of Filipinos homeless.

Thousands of homeless survivors are crowded into temporary shelters in gyms, schools, and churches; the shelters are desperately overcrowded and officials are worried that disease will begin to spread. Morgues and funeral homes are filled beyond capacity, causing some officials to consider burying bodies in mass graves.

"We enjoin all our church members in fervent prayer to God for the victims of disaster in Visayas and Mindanao," says UCCP general secretary Reuel Norman Marigza. "Let us sow hope amidst despair. The spirit of Christmas is more meaningfully expressed through our generosity in giving help and comfort to those whose lives have become bleak because this horrible experience."

Read more.

Eight-Year-Old Raises a Mile of Pennies

Tue, 20 Dec 2011 10:43:00 PST

(From RCA Communications)

Alex Daniels is only eight years old, but he already has a heart for kids around the world who don’t have enough to eat.

Alex took his dad by surprise one day when he asked for a donation. When his dad, church planter Jim Daniels, asked what the donation was for, Alex told him that he wanted to help feed hungry kids. He said he’d been lying in bed the night before, thinking of how he could get more money, when he realized that there are people in the world who don’t even have money to buy food. So he decided he wanted to help.

Alex developed a goal to raise a mile of pennies (84,480 pennies, or $844.80) by Thanksgiving. The money would go to support the RCA’s Feed One program, which assists ministries that feed hungry kids in Malawi, Nicaragua, and India. A special collection from Embody Christ Fellowship (RCA) in Holland, Michigan, helped Alex reach his goal. An article published in the Holland Sentinel also helped him get the word out.

Alex exceeded his fundraising goal; through his efforts, Embody Christ Fellowship was able to send a donation of $988.03 to the Feed One program, enough to feed 20 children in Malawi for a year.

Church Delivers Thanksgiving Meals

Tue, 20 Dec 2011 06:22:54 PST

(From RCA Today)

This Thanksgiving, North Park Reformed Church oversaw distribution of 2,500 Thanksgiving meals, delivered hot to people's doors. And pastor Paul Fazio says the meal delivery is just one example of the congregation's growing missional outlook.

The Kalamazoo, Michigan, church takes advance orders by phone and also works with local organizations to learn of people who would be without a holiday meal. The meal program, now in its thirteenth year, has gradually built up relationships between North Park Reformed and those community organizations, including the Kalamazoo Deacons Conference, the Gospel Mission, Meals on Wheels, Senior Services, and the Hispanic Council of Kalamazoo. "Not only is it people calling in and looking for a meal for their loved ones and their families, but partnering with these community organizations and meeting the needs of their constituents as well," Fazio says.

On Thanksgiving morning, volunteers met between 4:00 and 5:00 a.m. to begin cooking 900 pounds of turkey. A local meat locker, Galesburg Meats, loaned a mobile roasting facility to the church to cook the turkeys.

Read more.

Native American Women Build Community through Creative Ministry

Fri, 09 Dec 2011 09:00:00 PST

(From RCA Communications)

In Dulce, New Mexico, the women of Jicarilla Apache Reformed Church turn yarn and fabric donations from other RCA and Dulce churches into items that they use to bless others.

A weekly sewing group of Apache women stitches blankets for babies in Africa, Jicarilla Apache veterans, and Head Start preschoolers. They also make aprons, potholders, and king-size quilts to sell.

Members of a crocheting class turn out scarves, slippers, and Easter eggs, and sixth and seventh grade girls build healthy relationships in their knitting groups.

As the women bless others, they've been blessed themselves.

"We've had fellowship that has taught us so much!" says Ina Montoya, the church's youth pastor (and one of the crocheters). "Not just in sharing stories of the past, but in Jicarilla language, intergenerational conversations, and getting to know congregational and community members we wouldn't interact with otherwise."

Learn more at www.rca.org/montoya.

Coaching Helps Pastor Lead

Tue, 06 Dec 2011 06:46:48 PST

(From RCA Today)

When Todd Buurstra was on sabbatical, he took a long, hard look at himself. He was wondering if he still had the right skill set to lead North Branch Reformed Church in Bridgewater, New Jersey.

The church had been in six years of slow numerical decline. It had launched a daughter church, which hadn't survived more than a year and a half. After that, Buurstra says, "I went into a little fog about what my next steps should be in terms of the renewal of North Branch and helping the church multiply."

As it turned out, Buurstra and the consistory both felt that he should continue as pastor. "Throughout my sabbatical, it became clear to me that I needed to make one more try, with content-based coaching," he says. In September 2010, he entered a coaching relationship with Mike Hayes, executive pastor at City Church of San Francisco (RCA).

Read more.

Kingdom Enterprise Zone leaders gather to share collaboration progress

Mon, 05 Dec 2011 06:06:55 PST

(From RCA Communications)

Church planting leaders from across the RCA and CRC gathered November 15-17 to share about how the planting collaboration is bearing fruit in four "Kingdom Enterprise Zones" across the US.

The collaboration is funded by a grant from the Richard and Helen DeVos Foundation, which solidifies and expands the church planting efforts of the two denominations.

Leaders from the "Kingdom Enterprise Zones" (KEZ) gathered along with leadership from the RCA and CRC to share the successes and challenges encountered in the four zones: Florida; the San Francisco/Sacramento area, Phoenix and Tuscon, Arizona, and Wyoming, Michigan.

Read more.

Church Plant Offers Thanksgiving Meal and Fellowship

Tue, 29 Nov 2011 10:21:00 PST

(From RCA Communications)
City Center Community in Englewood, Colorado, opened its doors on Thanksgiving Day, offering anyone who stopped by an all-you-can-eat meal of turkey and other Thanksgiving treats as well as a place to hang out and watch football on a big projection screen.

Planter Dave Cheadle says City Center served more than 100 people on Thanksgiving, including many homeless residents who live in camps near the South Platte River. Thanks in part to a grant from Reformed Church World Service, the center was able to provide bottled water so homeless visitors could each take a few bottles back to their camp. Other visitors included residents of a nearby apartment complex who didn’t have anywhere else to go on Thanksgiving.

City Center Community, a community center located in a public transportation hub in downtown Englewood, reaches out through free community movie showings and other gatherings each week. The center provides a welcoming place for Englewood residents from all walks of life to gather and fellowship. City Center is connected to CenterPoint, an RCA church plant.

Newbigin House Continues Long Commitment of RCA to the City

Tue, 22 Nov 2011 13:24:06 PST

(From RCA Communications)

The Reformed Church in America's 70-year commitment to ministry in San Francisco was given a blessing at the inaugural conference of Newbigin House of Studies.

Don Werkhoven, stated clerk of the Classis of Central California, presented a gift of $50,000 to Newbigin House for its efforts to train and coach church planters.

"It's from the sale of the Miraloma church and is appropriately given to continue the RCA's commitment of ministry to San Francisco and the city," Werkhoven says. Miraloma Community Church served its San Francisco neighborhood from 1940 until 2010. The building has since been sold to a non-RCA congregation. Other proceeds from the sale are supporting classis church planting efforts, projects around leadership development, church health, and prayer, and an emergency reserve fund.

The mission of Newbigin House of Studies is to provide theological, cultural, and spiritual formation for men and women interested in a wise and engaging missional impact in an increasingly secularized culture.

Read more.

True Friends in Christ

Tue, 22 Nov 2011 06:44:29 PST

(From RCA Today)

When the consistory of Delmar Reformed Church embarked on the Natural Church Development (NCD) church health process, little did they know how transforming an exercise it would be!

The NCD evaluative process showed that we were neglecting the ministry of small groups in our life together. We had offered many small group opportunities, and while they were widely supported by our members, they never seemed to last. They were program-driven, and once the program was completed, the small groups disbanded.

Through the NCD process we realized we needed a major shift in the way we experienced community life and discipleship.

Read more.

N.T. Wright Launches Newbigin House

Fri, 18 Nov 2011 08:34:42 PST

(From RCA Communications)

On Thursday, theologian N.T. Wright called on the church to spring from the foundations of Christ's resurrection and do its job building for God's kingdom.

Wright was speaking to more than 400 people gathered for "Leadership for the Church-in- Mission," the inaugural conference of the Newbigin House of Studies, a new theological training center in San Francisco.

"We have to learn to tell the story of the world," said Wright. "We have to get back and tell the true story that Jesus is risen from the dead, and that there is hope."

Read more.

Catholic diocese buys Crystal Cathedral

Fri, 18 Nov 2011 08:29:58 PST

The Roman Catholic diocese that has won the right to buy the bankrupt Crystal Cathedral in Garden Grove, Calif., plans to renovate the shimmering glass structure to make it suitable for Catholic services, but won't change the exterior, The Orange County Register reports.

Read more.

A Prescription for Health

Fri, 18 Nov 2011 06:51:05 PST

(From RCA Today)

Christian Park Reformed Church in Indianapolis has spent the last several years living into revitalization. "Transitioning from an inward to a more outward focus is a lot like a roller coaster ride," says pastor Cory Moss. "We have experienced highs and lows, but hope is on the horizon."

Moss acknowledges that in the past, his congregation was aging, and people began to reminisce about another time in the church's history when the sanctuary was filled with enthusiasm. They had questions about why the church wasn't flourishing and how to reach their community. Moss shared this with a pastor from nearby Tuxedo Park Baptist Church, who recommended a program that had helped that congregation.

Read more.

Grace on the Move

Tue, 15 Nov 2011 06:28:06 PST

(From RCA Today)

Years after upheaval in the congregation drove many people away, ministry is thriving again at Grace Reformed Church in Allen Park, Michigan.

The church is located about five miles from Ford Motor Company's world headquarters, just south of metro Detroit, in an area known as Downriver. It's a solidly blue collar community that's still reeling from the severe effects of the recession on the auto industry.

The renewal Grace Church is experiencing has grown out of years of prayer by a core group of leaders who remained at Grace, convinced that God wasn't done using Grace Church. Eventually God led them to send out a letter asking for forgiveness from those who had been wounded by what people had said and done in the past.

"We had to learn to speak the truth in love and take everything to prayer," says Linda Partin, who has served many times as elder. "It was a long process."

Read more.

Ministry Quilting

Tue, 08 Nov 2011 06:31:36 PST

(From RCA Today)

West Michigan women are putting their gifts to work through a new quilting ministry.

"Living Threads is a memorial quilt-making ministry that seeks to help a grieving family celebrate the life of someone they loved and to keep his or her memory alive," says Scott Van Oostendorp, pastor of First Reformed Church in Zeeland, Michigan.

Family members meet with Living Threads director Jill Dannenberg, a member of First Reformed, and share memories of their loved one. Together, they design a unique quilt that is inspired by the person's interests or by mementos like embroidery work, photos, or clothes. Quilts vary from a small wall hanging to a large quilt for a bed.

The quilting process
Once the design is completed, it's turned over to volunteers during scheduled "ministry sewing days." Three or four people come at a time to cut fabric, iron, and sew the quilt top together. "Ministry sewing begins at 10:00 in the morning, and we open at 9:40 for prayer," Dannenberg says. "We spend intentional time in prayer, and that has been amazing what we've seen happen as we've prayed over the quilts, for the families and the children we minister to, and how God has answered those prayers."

Read more.

New Jersey Church Dedicates Peace Pole on 9/11 Anniversary

Thu, 03 Nov 2011 10:49:00 PDT

(From Cari Keith, Allwood Community Reformed Church, Clifton, New Jersey)
More than 100 people gathered on September 11 at Allwood Community Reformed Church in Clifton, New Jersey, to celebrate the dedication of a new memorial garden and a peace pole handcrafted by Boy Scout Troop 22.

“The Allwood peace pole was dedicated on the tenth anniversary of the September 11 terrorist attacks so that we could stand with our neighbors on that day and raise one voice in prayer for peace in our world, for an end to violence in our world, and for healing for those who have suffered from acts of terror in our world,” says Cari Keith, pastor of Allwood Community.

During the dedication ceremony, members of five different faith families and many nationalities prayed together, each in their own language, “May peace prevail on earth”—the message engraved on the peace pole. As part of its mission to be a place of healing and hospitality for all God’s people, Allwood Community wants to make that message a prominent part of its identity.

“May peace prevail on earth” is engraved on the six-sided peace pole in 12 languages, including Hebrew, Arabic, and Braille. The garden is open to the community and includes several benches that invite those who pass by to sit, rest, and pray for peace.

Allwood’s peace pole is registered with the World Peace Prayer Society, which recently honored the Boy Scout troop for their work on the church’s peace pole. There are peace poles registered in more than 190 countries around the world.

RCWS: Recovery Efforts Continue in Flood-Devastated RCA Churches

Tue, 25 Oct 2011 10:23:10 PDT

(From RCA Communication)

Costs Estimated at $1 Million

Hurricanes Irene and Lee may be a distant memory for much of the U.S. and Canada, but for the members of many churches and communities in upstate New York and New Jersey that were devastated by record-setting floodwaters, rain, and storm damage, the process of rebuilding their lives is still a daily reality.

Three churches in the Classis of Schoharie in New York are still engaged in the hard work of removing debris and mold and coping with structural issues caused by flooding. New challenges seem to emerge regularly in the battle to get things back to normal. The same is true for some hard-hit New Jersey churches. It will take months or even years for these congregations to recover from the wall of water that devastated communities; tossed pews, pianos, and commercial-grade ovens around like matchsticks; washed belongings away; moved houses off their foundations; and tore large chunks out of church buildings.

Even congregations that had only a few feet of water flowing through their buildings have found the resulting damage and repairs to be more extensive than they anticipated, especially if mold has developed. Most of the affected churches have been placed in a tough financial situation, as their insurance policies either don't cover flood damage or will only cover a small fraction of their clean up and repair costs.

Read more.

Purposeful Living Helps Congregation Connect, Engage

Fri, 21 Oct 2011 06:20:06 PDT

(From RCA Today)

At Rose Park Reformed Church in Holland, Michigan, the Purposeful Living process is helping members of the congregation move beyond surface-level relationships to deeper levels of fellowship, sharing their life stories with each other and discovering God's calling on their lives.

"We have gotten to know each other in our congregation at a completely different level than we ever knew each other before," says Tracy VanOpstall, Rose Park's community life pastor.

Read more.

Return to Vietnam: Experiential Journey Brings Healing

Tue, 18 Oct 2011 07:18:00 PDT

(From RCA Today)

"Never in my life did I think that I would ever go back to Vietnam," says Pedro Windsor, pastor of La Capilla del Barrio in Chicago, Illinois. Windsor served in the U.S. Marine Corps during the Vietnam War. "The Vietnam I knew and the Vietnam I returned to were two different situations.

"Returning to Vietnam in peace time was kind of coming full circle for me. I left wounded and I came back with a sense of healing."

Windsor returned to Vietnam for the first time since the war in March of 2011, along with Drew Yamamoto, supervisor of RCA mission in Asia and the Pacific, and Al Pruis, pastor of Peace Reformed Church in Eagan, Minnesota, who served in the U.S. Army during the Vietnam War. The trip was an experiential journey organized by RCA Global Mission.

A country at peace
Both Windsor and Pruis expressed the sense of blessing they felt to be able to see the country at peace and full of activity, with none of the sights and sounds of war they remembered.

Read more.

Taking It to the Streets: Children and Worship Adapts to City Life

Fri, 14 Oct 2011 06:37:04 PDT

(From RCA Today)

Life in Compton, California, is rough. Located south and east of downtown L.A., the city struggles with gang violence and crime.

So you might be surprised that a recently planted church in Compton is taking Children and Worship to the streets, literally.

"No worship center, no shelves, not even a designated storyteller," says Children and Worship trainer Carol Jones. That's because City Church of Compton meets in a two-car garage attached to the home of pastor Pat Dirkse and his wife, Julie. So Jones started their Children and Worship program on the front lawn.

Read more.

Double Typhoon Prompts Emergency Aid to Philippines

Tue, 11 Oct 2011 11:48:59 PDT

The Philippines was battered by two typhoons within days of each other—Typhoon Pedring on September 27 and Quiel on October 1—impacting at least 170,000 people and killing dozens. Damage estimates are in the millions of dollars with crops lost and buildings destroyed.

Reformed Church World Service is sending an emergency grant of $5,000 to its partner there, the United Church of Christ in the Philippines-North Luzon Jurisdiction, to assist in relief efforts.

Most of the damage occurred in northern Luzon, the island that includes the capital city of Manila. Several villages are isolated and cannot be reached, roads are destroyed, and the telecommunication systems remain down.

UCCP-North Luzon Jurisdiction is focusing on relief needs for the most vulnerable populations, providing food, water, water containers, mattresses, blankets, clothing, and soap. The jurisdiction covers the Ilocos Region, Cagayan Valley, and the whole of Cordillera.

How You Can Help

Pray for the people of the Philippines, especially for those who are homeless or have lost loved ones. Pray that rescue workers and disaster recovery personnel will be able to reach villages and distribute relief aid.

Give to allow RCA Global Mission to respond to international disasters around the world. Donate online or mail a check, designated "RCWS International Disasters" to Reformed Church in America, Attn: Finance Department, 4500 60th St. SE, Grand Rapids, MI 49512, or, in Canada, to Regional Synod of Canada, 201 Paradise Rd. N., Hamilton, ON L8S 3T3.

Growing Community: New Garden Makes Connections

Tue, 11 Oct 2011 11:06:57 PDT

(From RCA Today)

Not long ago, neighborhood folks thought Church of the Master was closed. Now, however, it's hard to miss the signs of life.

"When I first moved here, one of the neighbors said to me, 'Oh, I thought that church was closed," says Paul Bakker. "And a month after that, a realtor wanted to know if we wanted to sell the property. It was very little happening, very little community and neighborhood involvement."

But the church--located in Warren, Michigan--is changing its tack.

The small congregation, with Bakker as its redevelopment pastor, has a new vision to get into the community and make connections. And they're getting the ball rolling with a community garden.

This year, a portion of the church's 4.5 acres has been built into a raised-bed community garden with help from Home Depot.

Read more.

Recharging for Ministry: Students Bring Energy to Church in Decline

Tue, 04 Oct 2011 10:27:59 PDT

(From RCA Today)

Opening up an old sexton house for college student housing has utterly transformed life at Second Reformed Church in New Brunswick, New Jersey.

The move paired the church's abundance of facilities with two things it needed: people and energy.

"They had the desire to reach out, but they didn't have the energy or the people to do it," says pastor Doug Shepler. The congregation is aging, with 45 to 50 people at worship on Sundays. "They were on the typical path of 'Should we close up shop?' We had facilities but not enough people, so when we put the facilities together with students to do the work, it just ignited."

Read more.

Duke Summer Institute Equips Participants for Reconciliation

Fri, 30 Sep 2011 06:27:18 PDT

(From RCA Today)

The third annual Duke Summer Institute, held June 6 to 11 and hosted by Duke Divinity School's Center for Reconciliation, drew 120 participants from 24 states and 15 countries for six days of listening, dialoguing, and learning from each other's experiences with racial reconciliation. This year's participants included six leaders from the RCA.

The RCA delegation included Keith Ross, moderator of the Commission on Race and Ethnicity; Ed Schneider, planting pastor of The Rock in Oak Ridge, Tennessee; Ian Dixon, youth leader at Well of Hope, an RCA church plant in Orlando, Florida; Imos Wu, executive committee member of the Council for Pacific and Asian American Ministries and pastor of Bogart Memorial Reformed Church in Bogota, New Jersey; Sharon Hayes, RCA personnel director; and Claudette Reid, RCA coordinator for women's ministries.

Read more.

At the Table: Pastors Find Support in Breakfast Group

Wed, 21 Sep 2011 05:50:08 PDT

(From RCA Today)

Soon after Justin Meyers began pastoring Church on the Hill in the New York City borough of Queens roughly four years ago, he realized that he was hungry for camaraderie.

In his previous post in upstate Schenectady, he had convened periodically with other local ministers to break bread and talk shop. The informal meals left a good taste in his mouth, he recalled, and the coffee-enhanced conversations helped him grow professionally.

About two years ago, Meyers met for breakfast at a Queens diner with two other local pastors, Jack Donahue of Colonial Church of Bayside and Tom Goodhart from Ridgewood's Trinity Reformed Church.

They ordered seconds.

Read more.

Planting in Florida

Tue, 20 Sep 2011 07:03:44 PDT

(From RCA Today)

Every single open gym, Aaron Lewis is at the Y playing basketball. Even the open gym at 5:00 a.m.

It's part of his strategy for planting a new church in Tampa, Florida.

"I begin to meet other guys, we strike up conversation, and we just get to know each other," he says. "Some of the times are kind of crazy, but that's what our entire team is attempting to do--take the things that we love to spend our time doing and meet people there."

Read more.

Second Wave of Flooding Hits Upstate New York, New Jersey

Thu, 08 Sep 2011 12:26:00 PDT

(From RCA Communications)

The remains of Tropical Storm Lee have dumped even more water on already saturated areas still recovering from Hurricane Irene's flooding.

As of Thursday morning, many recovery efforts have been suspended as communities hard hit by Irene along with others in the Schenectady area have had to evacuate to higher ground.

The Mohawk River, which runs through the towns of Rotterdam, Scotia, Schenectady, and Niskayuna, is expected to crest over the next day with up to moderate flooding, according to the National Weather Service.

Flooding could also affect New Jersey, where the Passaic River could rise to or above levels seen during Irene, according to the National Weather Service.

Reformed Church World Service continues to monitor the situation, coordinating efforts with leaders from the Synods of Albany and the Mid-Atlantics.

How You Can Help

Pray for the people who were impacted by these floods and have experienced significant loss.
Provide financial support for the congregations in distress. An account has been set up at Reformed Church World Service exclusively for this purpose. Click the "Make a Donation" button or mail a check, designated "U.S. Hurricane" to the Reformed Church in America, Attn: Finance Department, 4500 60th St. SE, Grand Rapids, MI 49512, or, in Canada, to 201 Paradise Rd. N., Hamilton, ON L8S 3T3.
Share about the flooding during Sunday worship. Include a paragraph in your church bulletin (PDF), use a litany during the service (PDF), or remember those impacted by the flooding during prayer time.
If you'd like to volunteer within the next few weeks, please contact Nancy McNiven at the Synod of Albany: nmcniven@albanysynod.org or (518) 374-4573. The RCA's Mission Volunteer Program is coordinating a long-range volunteer response; individuals and work groups will be needed from late fall through next summer. To sign up, contact Nancy Ellens: nellens@rca.org or (616) 698-7071, ext. 243.

Disability Concerns Advocates Meet

Thu, 08 Sep 2011 07:59:00 PDT

(from CRC Communications)

Over 60 disability concerns delegate/advocates from the Christian Reformed Church in North America (CRCNA) and the Reformed Church in America (RCA) gathered in August for the first educational and training conference put on by the two denominations.

Although the CRC has had conferences like this for many years, this was the first time that the denominations held a conference such as this together, said Rev. Mark Stephenson, director of the CRC's Disability Concerns office.

The two denominations agreed two years ago to collaborate on a range of disability-related concerns, issues, and programs.

In the agreement, they stated: "While respecting the unique needs and resources of each denomination, the disability ministries of both denominations can be more effective by sharing knowledge, support, and resources; by building a broader network of relationships; and by allowing disability ministry to be yet another step in the increasingly fruitful shared ministries between our two denominations."

Read more.

Summer Bounty: Churches Distribute Local Produce

Tue, 06 Sep 2011 13:16:24 PDT

(From RCA Today)

This year Altamont and Delmar Reformed Churches are distribution sites for the Fox Creek Farm CSA program. A CSA, or community supported agriculture, connects consumers with a local farmer for local, seasonal foods. Each CSA offers a certain number of farm shares to the public, and each week shareholders pick up a box, basket, or bag of ripe produce. Most farm shares supply primarily vegetables, but some farms also offer eggs, meat, cheese, fruit, or flowers.

As distribution sites, Altamont Reformed and Delmar Reformed extend hospitality to the community, promote eating healthy food raised by a local farmer, and help reduce the carbon footprint on God's good earth.

Read more.

Rocky Mountain High 2011

Tue, 30 Aug 2011 12:18:21 PDT

(From RCA Today)

Our mission: To provide a large group encounter with the transformational truth and love of Jesus for students and leaders.

July 23-27, the YMCA camp at Estes Park, Colorado, became home to more than 2,700 high school students and adult leaders from across the Synod of the Heartland. So, meeting the first part of the Rocky mission statement is not a problem. This is a very large group!

The beauty and majesty of the Rocky Mountains provides the perfect location to encounter God by witnessing his awesome creation! Plus with a theme of "Amplify," the event focused on finding ways to get rid of the noise around us and to amplify Christ in every aspect of our lives.

Read more.

RCWS: Flooded Churches Need Help

Tue, 30 Aug 2011 10:56:04 PDT

(From RCA Communications)

Following Hurricane Ireness landfall over the weekend, flooding has devastated homes and churches along the East Coast.

In Prattsville, New York, four to five feet of water swept through Reformed Dutch Church, carrying away the piano and organ and leaving behind seven to eight inches of mud. The back of the church's fellowship hall is gone, with just a sinkhole remaining. The parsonage was severely damaged, as well.

Residents of Schoharie, New York, have not been able to return home following an emergency evacuation on Sunday. The floodwaters reached Schoharie Reformed Church's sanctuary and completely filled a basement fellowship hall. The homes of many church members, including the pastors, were flooded.

South Branch Reformed Church in Hillsborough, New Jersey, had five to six feet of water and mud in the lower level of the church. Other RCA churches also suffered flood damage, including nearby Hillsborough Reformed Church; Griggstown Reformed Church in Princeton, New Jersey; First and Second Reformed Churches in Little Falls, New Jersey; Fairfield Reformed Church in Fairfield, New Jersey; Jay Gould Memorial Reformed Church in Roxbury, New York; and North Branch Reformed Church in Bridgewater, New Jersey.

Read more.

Flooding Hits East Coast Churches

Mon, 29 Aug 2011 10:26:25 PDT

(From RCA Communications)

Heavy rainfall from Hurricane Irene has caused flooding along the East Coast, impacting many RCA members and congregations.

In Hillsborough, New Jersey, pastor Stephen Eckert reports that South Branch Reformed Church has five to six feet of water and mud throughout the lower level of the church. The church is without power, and the pipe that connects to the well is broken, so cleanup is stalled at this time.

As Schoharie Reformed Church in Schoharie, New York, was finishing its morning service yesterday, an emergency evacuation was announced. Michelle Meyer DuBridge, sister of pastor Sherri Meyer-Veen, posted on the RCA's Facebook page that all of the homes in Schoharie are severely flooded, including the Meyer-Veens' home. The church is also flooded. Because of the emergency evacuation, people were only able to take a few things with them.

Prattsville, New York, was also battered by flood waters. Four to five feet of water came through Reformed Dutch Church, leaving behind seven to eight inches of mud. The back of the church's fellowship hall is gone, with just a sinkhole remaining.

Read more.

Seeking God's Will

Fri, 26 Aug 2011 07:47:52 PDT

(From RCA Today)

Workshop Helps Set Direction

"For me personally within the church, this was something that I'd never been a part of before--to be among a group of people to see where the church is going, where we're headed, what we're doing, and how we're handling the members within to make God's kingdom come to light," says Barb Buser.

Buser is an elder at Brunswick Reformed Church in Ohio, where she was part of a congregational discovery workshop with other elders, deacons, and full-time church staff.

Brunswick Reformed used a process outlined by the RCA's denominational discernment team. Together, the leaders discussed three questions: Where is God working within you? Where is God working through you? Where is God working ahead of you?

Read more.

Neevel Named RCA Director of Development

Thu, 18 Aug 2011 08:18:56 PDT

(From RCA Communications)

Ken Neevel has been named the RCA's new director of development. He will be responsible for designing, coordinating, and managing a comprehensive fundraising strategy for securing financial gifts and grants in support of the mission and vision of the RCA. Neevel will begin his new position on September 6.

Neevel currently serves as vice president of advancement and communications for Western Theological Seminary in Holland, Michigan. Previously, he served as associate director of admissions at Hope College.

"I come from a family that has a long and rich tradition within the RCA," Neevel says. "I've been a member of the RCA my entire life, and six generations of my family have been pastors and missionaries within the RCA. I love this denomination and I absolutely feel called to serve the church in this position."

Neevel is an elder at Trinity Reformed Church in Holland. He has served on several denominational committees including the Church Herald Editorial Council and the General Synod Local Host Committee.

Seasons of Discipleship: Sunday School Teacher Training Webinar

Wed, 17 Aug 2011 07:48:00 PDT

This teacher training workshop will prepare you to start off the new Sunday school year with creative ideas, inspiration, encouragement and techniques that will help your classroom flourish! Join Kirsty Depree, the coordinator for discipleship in the Reformed Church in America, and Jolanda Howe, the training coordinator for Faith Alive, on Wednesday, September 7 at 1:00 pm or Thursday, September 8 at 7:00 pm.

Wednesday, Sept. 7, 2011

1:00 pm Eastern | 12:00 pm Central | 11:00 am Mountain | 10:00 am Pacific
Click here to register

Thursday, Sept. 8, 2011

7:00 pm Eastern | 6:00 pm Central | 5:00 pm Mountain | 4:00 pm Pacific
Click here to register

RCWS: Africa Hunger Crisis is Growing

Mon, 15 Aug 2011 08:10:12 PDT

(From RCA Communications)

Severe drought has caused a crisis in Somalia, Ethiopia, Kenya, and Sudan. Lack of rain in the Horn of Africa over the last several years has caused low crop yields and rising costs for other food items. This has greatly affected the RCA's partners in this area of the world, and RCA Global Mission and Reformed Church World Service (RCWS) are responding.

RCWS sent initial aid of $13,500 in July to provide emergency food provisions for the Pokot people and Maasai Outreach Mission in Kenya. RCWS has continued to receive updates from partners in Kenya, Sudan, and Ethiopia. In Alale, Kenya, the emergency provisions are being distributed to the Pokot people who are most in need, including some who are starving.

Additional funds of $10,000 are being sent to Church World Service and Food for the Hungry International, mission partners that will distribute food aid more widely, including in Somalia and other critical areas.