In first grade, everything Mrs. Zuidema wrote on the chalkboard looked fuzzy. I’d break my pencil point so I could walk up to the sharpener, slo-o-owly passing the board to read it. Once, I squirreled my brother’s binoculars into my desk, thinking I’d sneak a peek at the board when no one was lookin
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.My church was
The Banner has a subscription to republish articles from Religion News Service. This story by Fredrick Nzwili, was published April 15, 2026 on religionnews.com. It has been lightly edited for Banner style.As the war in Sudan entered its fourth year in mid-April, the bombed Episcopal Church of Our Sa
After 107 years, the original sanctuary of New Holland (S.D.) Christian Reformed Church, has seen its last service. On April 26 congregants celebrated the final service in the building before it will be torn down to make room for a new, larger construction to begin in June. A fellowship hall, connec
In this charming, rhyming picture book, author Hosanna Wong invites children to understand what God says about them and the names he calls them: “No matter where you choose to go, / the people you meet, or the things you do, / it’s important that you always know / the wonderful things God says about
To Olivia is a difficult grief story of a couple who has lost a beloved child. An additional layer to the story is just who this married pair happens to be: the famous author Roald Dahl and actress Patricia Neal, whose fragilities and failures make the story painful and true.The movie’s artful filmi
Written in free verse and based on her Hmong family’s escape from Laos in May 1975 when the country fell to a communist regime, author V. T. Bidania relates the narrative from the perspective of her oldest sister, Gao Sheng, who was 11 years old at the time. Bidania herself was a few months old as t
Calvin Christian Reformed Church in Rock Valley, Iowa, celebrated its 75th anniversary April 26. The congregation began as the Second CRC in Rock Valley and was named Calvin CRC in May 1951.The building the congregation currently uses is the church's second building, constructed between 1974 and 197
Emo (Ont.) Christian Reformed Church has been hosting a pancake breakfast during its town’s Spring Fever Days for 40 years. Cherished as a way to raise funds for missions, or community projects, the yearly outreach was first run by the church’s program for girls, then called “Calvinettes.” Helen Cat
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.“How can I sa
In his detailed, scholarly exploration of Jesus’ ascension into heaven, author and theologian Ross Hastings points out the need for such a study, given, what he claims, is “the relative infrequence of reference to ascension in the academy and the pulpit.” However, the dearth of attention focused on
My wife of 49 years died about a year ago. I am often sad. But I am not going to come apart.Why?Because the story of my marriage is a subplot of the main plot of God’s story.My subplot’s chapter is closed. I am no longer married to Melanie. Yet I am still in a marriage. The grand story we’re in is a
During the past five years the CRC has invested tremendous energy in drawing clear boundary lines concerning human sexuality. We might call this “phase one” of working through the 175-page 2021 Human Sexuality Report. The report calls for much more than clarifying boundaries. Now it’s time for phase
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.Our denominat
Based on author Rachel Joy Welcher’s experiences, this gentle, compassionate picture book assures children (and adults) that God never leaves them so they don’t need to be anxious. As a child, Welcher was afraid of the dark and, when she woke up in the night, her fears overwhelmed her. When her pare
Note: The Banner has a subscription to republish articles from Religion News Service. This interview by Kathryn Post was published on March 27, 2026, on religionnews.com. It has been edited for length and Banner style.(RNS) — Seven years after first airing, the mega-hit biographical Jesus drama The
Shooting Up isn’t, as I first assumed, a memoir of a drug addict. This is author Jonathan Tepper’s wild, loving, and harrowing story of growing up as a missionary kid among heroin addicts. Billed as a mix of Angela’s Ashes and The Cross and the Switchblade, this memoir lives up to both titles. It’s
Douglas Warners was a man who loved people and truly cared deeply for others. “When you spoke to him,” said his daughter, “you knew that you had his full attention, that he was listening and would be praying for you.” A man of integrity, Pastor Doug, as he was called by the many church members he se
In a recent Banner story about ongoing pastor training and support in Sierra Leone, a Resonate Global Mission leader was quoted: “Effective ministry … requires reliable transportation.” That’s also the understanding of a Worthington, Minn., aviation company whose purpose is “supplying people and res
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.“So what’s th