Celebrating Community, Continuity at Graafschap CRC

07/11/2025

The July 4 public celebration at Graafschap Christian Reformed Church in Holland, Mich., is an annual opportunity to share history and community spirit. This year the event came a few weeks after the dedication and open house of the church’s new youth center and the refurbishment of the Graafschap H

Church Worldwide: New Mass Approved Centered on Care for the Environment

07/11/2025

The Banner has a subscription to republish articles from Religion News Service. This story by Claire Giangravé, was published July 3, 2025 on religionnews.com. It has been edited for length and Banner style. The Banner added the last paragraph to provide context for the Christian Reformed Church.As

The Forceful Hospitality of Kèqì

07/11/2025

To celebrate my recent graduation from college, two friends from high school and I decided to spend most of the month of June traveling to China. This was only possible because one of those friends had been an exchange student at my high school and is originally from China. Through this trip, my Chi

The Power of Sharing: Stories of Hope, Love, Support, and Healing from i understand

07/11/2025

Author and editor Vonnie Woodrick is the founder of i understand, an organization created in 2014 to provide solace and a platform to share stories for people struggling with mental health, addictions, and suicidal ideation, as well as those who support them.In 2003, Woodrick’s husband died by suici

Harmen Hoek: Adventurous Filmmaker (YouTube)

07/10/2025

The Japanese word shinrin-yoku means “forest bathing.” This unique word refers to the practice of immersing yourself in nature to lower stress and enhance well-being. Although it originated in Japan, it is now practiced all over the world. The instructions for forest bathing are simple. First, get i

A Church for Elijah

07/09/2025

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The Monarch Effect: Surviving Poison, Predators, and People

07/08/2025

Dana L. Church, author of The Beekeepers: How Humans Changed the World of Bumble Bees, offers children ages 8 to 12 another fantastic, detailed exploration of an aspect of God’s creation, specifically, monarch butterflies. Though Church doesn’t acknowledge that God is the creator of all, Christian r

Farewell

07/07/2025

Dear readers, this is, sadly, my last editorial. I have resigned in protest of Synod’s decision to change The Banner’s mandate.Although in protest, I am not bitter or angry. I am disappointed, of course, but I have gone through a discerning process. Through prayer, separate conversations first with

Reclaiming Sabbath in a Burnout Culture

07/07/2025

“Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy” (Ex. 20:8).Of all the Ten Commandments, this might be the one that contemporary Christians most consistently ignore. We’ve found creative ways to honor God, avoid murder, and respect our parents. But Sabbath? That command seems almost quaint in our perpe

The Disappearing Neighborhood: A Call to Rebuild Community

07/04/2025

As I Was Saying is a forum for a variety of perspectives to foster faith-related conversations among our readers with the goal of mutual learning, even in disagreement. Apart from articles written by editorial staff, these perspectives do not necessarily reflect the views of The Banner.We live in a

Long Haulers

07/04/2025

Long Haulers (available weekly on YouTube) is science fiction from a fresh perspective. Rather than a galaxy populated exclusively by Chosen One farm boys with princess sisters, explorers on state-of-the-art starships, daring smugglers, and military units, creator (and star) Michael McGruther dares

Pilgrim Prayers: Devotional Poems That Awaken Your Heart to the Goodness, Greatness, and Glory of God

07/04/2025

Several years ago, when author Tim Challies downloaded an app that promised to help him improve his memory, he found that it effectively assisted him to memorize devotional poetry. He repeated the poems to himself till they were deeply woven into his mind and heart.Challies had no way of foreseeing

What Church Do You Attend? Maybe More Than One, U.S. Survey Finds

07/04/2025

The Banner has a subscription to republish articles from Religion News Service. This story by Adelle M. Banks, was published June 16, 2025 on religionnews.com. It has been lightly edited for Banner style.Five years after the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, almost half of churchgoers are regular part

'Go to the Nearest CRC and They Will Help You'

07/04/2025

“Go to the nearest CRC, and they will help you.” That's the advice a Congolese pastor looking for a place to worship with his Arizona congregation got from a fellow transplanted pastor in Michigan. Three months later, Embassy Church had its first service in the fellowship hall of Phoenix (Ariz.) Chr

God's Big Picture Bible Storybook: 140 Connecting Bible Stories of God's Faithful Promises

07/01/2025

Renowned Bible scholar N. T. Wright is best known for his books for adults, including Jesus and the Powers, Into the Heart of Romans, and Surprised by Hope: Rethinking Heaven, the Resurrection, and the Mission of the Church.In God's Big Picture Bible Storybook, Wright narrates for children ages 6 to

So You’ve Been Asked to Teach

06/30/2025

It’s education hour at Sonshine Community Church. In one room, preschoolers gather in a circle, singing with gusto; in another, teens work to create posters about being a good neighbor; in yet another, an elderly woman tells stories and shows artifacts from her days as a missionary in Asia.What’s go

A Pastor’s Identity

06/30/2025

Candidates for ministry know they will soon wade through a variety of expectations from their churches and communities. People might expect them to be a Bible expert, counselor, mediator of quarrels, visionary leader, community organizer, and church growth expert in addition to a range of other role

Grief in Disguise

06/27/2025

As I Was Saying is a forum for a variety of perspectives to foster faith-related conversations among our readers with the goal of mutual learning, even in disagreement. Apart from articles written by editorial staff, these perspectives do not necessarily reflect the views of The Banner.I sat with my

In Memoriam: Rev. Nola Opperwall Galluch

06/27/2025

Nola Galluch has been described as having a big personality. “She had this big bravery to do what others wouldn’t even think of trying, a strong perseverance despite many odds and barriers against her along the way, and a big, nonjudgmental love for people,” said one of her brothers.Nola, 76, died M

In Memoriam: Rev. Gerald (Jerry) E. DeVries

06/27/2025

Jerry DeVries, who died May 30, was a gentle and humble pastor who served Christian Reformed congregations in the U.S. from coast to coast for over four decades.Jerry grew up on a farm in Princeton, Minn. He contracted polio at age 7. When he left the hospital after six months of therapy, Jerry was