Kidnapped From Ukraine #1: Under Attack
12/16/2025

Renowned Ukrainian Canadian author Marsha Forchuk Skrypuch has added another historical fiction novel to her already impressive collection. Her other titles, including Winterkill, Stolen Girl, and Don’t Tell the Enemy, show Forchuk Skrypuch’s courageous conviction to narrate in a fictional format th

Knowing What We Know, Why Don’t We All Quit Social Media?
12/15/2025

Why, despite all we know of the negative effects of social media, do so many of us continue to use it and allow our children and grandkids to use it?I remember hearing the news years ago—around 2009, I think—that social media had eclipsed pornography in the number of online users. This was great new

Reply All: December 2025
12/15/2025

To send letters to the editor, please see our guidelines at thebanner.org/letters.A Master WeaverWe were so moved to see this recent article honoring the extraordinary life and legacy of Julia Jumbo (1928–2007)—a master weaver from Toadlena, N.M., and recipient of one of Southwestern Association for

Magnifying the Lord
12/15/2025

And Mary said,“My soul magnifies the Lord,And my spirit rejoices in God my Savior.”Luke 1:46-47When my husband and I lived in Mexico City, we would often go to the artisan park on Saturday mornings. Our favorite artist was a man who worked on his art while he sat in the park. He had a huge magnifyin

Prioritizing Planting
12/15/2025

The Christian Reformed Church in North America is pursuing “a vision, plan, strategy, and financial proposal for church planting for the CRCNA for the next decade,” as requested by Synod 2025 (Agenda and Acts of Synod 2025, p. 709). Here’s a snapshot of where we are now.Church plants by region compa

Sullivan’s Crossing
12/12/2025

If you want to find a new “warm bath” type of show, and you’ve watched every episode available of Virgin River and Heartland, come stay awhile at Sullivan’s Crossing, a fictional campground in Nova Scotia.Adapted from the New York Times-bestselling novels by Robyn Carr (who wrote Virgin River), Sull

Kaylee Prays for the Children of the World: God Hears Every Prayer
12/12/2025

When young Kaylee and her dog Keedo wake up, they greet God with a morning prayer: “Good morning, God! Thank you for this brand-new day!”Downstairs, Kaylee opens the front door, and Keedo retrieves the morning newspaper. In the kitchen, Kaylee and Halbi—her Korean grandfather—eat their breakfast and

With God in Every Breath: A Guide to Drawing Closer to Jesus through Your Senses
12/12/2025

When Whitney Simpson had a life-changing stroke two decades ago at the age of 31, she considered the things that grounded her amid the swirling changes. The gift of facing death gave her a renewed appreciation for life, the world around her, and her relationship with God. Crisis connected her with s

In Memoriam: Rev. James Jungkyu Park
12/12/2025

Born in Korea on Dec. 11, 1932, Rev. James Jungkyu Park embarked on a remarkable life journey, spreading love, hope, and inspiration of Jesus Christ worldwide. He died Oct. 29, 2025, just short of 93 years.Rev. Park’s studies included law at Central University in Seoul, Korea, and theological studie

In Memoriam: Rev. Wilbert M. (Bill) Van Dyk
12/12/2025

Bill Van Dyk, who served the Christian Reformed Church as a pastor and administrator for over 40 years, has been described as a cherished pastor, an excellent preacher, and an academic highly respected by his peers at Calvin Theological Seminary. Bill, 95, died Nov. 15.He felt God’s call to pastoral

Alliance of Reformed Churches Accepts ‘Communion’ Status with CRCNA
12/12/2025

At its meeting Oct. 21-23, the board of directors for the Alliance of Reformed Churches, a network of formerly Reformed Church in America congregations, voted to recognize church in communion status with the Christian Reformed Church in North America. That designation is the closest form of ecumenic

Joint CRC-Alliance Congregation Shares New Building
12/12/2025

Harrison (S.D.) Community Church lives into its name. The congregation has built community between what had been one Christian Reformed congregation and Harrison Reformed Church, originally a Reformed Church in America congregation, over the past 60 years—first sharing special services like Ascensio

Editor's Picks
12/10/2025

Don’t miss these suggested articles:Still: Magnifying the LordNews: Joint CRC-Alliance Congregation Shares New BuildingStreaming Review: Sullivan's CrossingRead entire current print issue »

Investing in The Few This Advent Season
12/10/2025

As summer turns to fall and fall to winter, some of us have spring on our minds. In particular, what kinds of flowers would we like to see next April or May? There are two approaches to that question. The first is to scatter wildflower seeds. Another is to intentionally plant seeds or bulbs such as

Christmas Greetings from the New Interim Editor of The Banner
12/09/2025

In this brief video, Lora Copley, the new interim editor for The Banner, shares a Christmas greeting and reflects on the impact The Banner has had over the last 160 years of serving the Christian Reformed Church.Thank you for reading, for praying, and for sharing both your stories and ours within yo

The Soldier's Friend: Walt Whitman's Extraordinary Service in the American Civil War
12/09/2025

In December 1862, Walt Whitman left his home in Brooklyn, N.Y., and went in search of his injured brother, a Union soldier fighting in the South in the Civil War. Nothing could have prepared Whitman for the devastation of human life and property he witnessed by the time he found his brother in a hos

Mary’s Birth Story
12/08/2025

Ever since my harrowing, whirlwind birth experience four and a half years ago, involving an emergency C-section that had me asleep on the table, my husband in another room, as a doctor I didn’t know pulled my firstborn son from my womb, I have felt a strange kinship with Mary.In the following hours

Seven Swans a-Swimming: Gifts of the Holy Spirit
12/08/2025

In John 7:37-39, it says:On the last and greatest day of the festival, Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, “Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them.” By this he meant the Spirit, whom those who

Former Director of ‘Back to God Hour’ Dies
12/05/2025

When he retired in 1996, the Christian Reformed Church’s media ministry, then called The Back to God Hour, noted that the name Joel Nederhood “has been synonymous with The Back to God Hour.” At that time he’d served as a radio minister, host of the daily Faith 20 television program, and director of

Pope Leo Visits Turkey to Revive the Spirit of Nicaea Amid Modern Divisions
12/05/2025

The Banner has a subscription to republish articles from Religion News Service. This story combines two articles by Claire Giangravé, published Nov. 26 and Nov. 28, 2025 on religionnews.com. The combined article was edited for length and Banner style.U.S.-born Pope Leo XIV on his first international