The World Communion of Reformed Churches announced its new general secretary Sept. 9, reporting that Rev. Philip Vinod Peacock, who had been serving as the communion’s executive secretary for justice and witness, was unanimously elected by the WCRC’s executive committee Sept. 6. Peacock will begin i
The Board of Trustees of Trinity Christian College in Palos Heights, Ill., announced a leadership change in August, reporting that the school’s president Aaron Kuecker was stepping down to serve as the CEO at Hope Chicago, a nonprofit scholarship venture. The board announced Sept. 4 that executive v
Many recently organized CRC churches—especially those planted in the past decade—struggle to secure a permanent location. Often meeting in schools or borrowing space from other congregations, these churches lack weekday visibility and face limitations in offering midweek programming. Rising land and
In 1876, a seed was planted—small, hopeful, and rooted in a bold vision: to equip students to be beacons of Christ’s promise to renew all things. From that beginning, Calvin University and Calvin Theological Seminary have grown into thriving institutions that have shaped generations of leaders for s
Green Street in Black and White, by Dave Larsen, sketches an all-too-familiar history about more than one Christian Reformed community in Chicago and beyond during the 1960s. Larsen’s remarkable debut novel compactly narrates the backstory of Englewood, a community and CRC enclave on Chicago’s South
MercyMe’s 12th studio album, “Wonder and Awe,” offers high-energy fun with the band’s unmistakable messages of hope and trust. “One of the struggles within today’s church is the lack of awe,” said lead singer Bart Millard. “Having access to virtually everything within the palm of our hands, where’s
Cool breezes, chilly blasts, gentle gusts, strong squalls, whispering winds, wild zephyrs, and fierce gales are all ways that wind can be described. But where does wind come from? In the book of Job, God asks Job where the east wind is stored and scattered. We feel breezes all the time, and we know
High PotentialReviewed by Lorilee CrakerABC’s High Potential, a critical and ratings hit, follows the sassy, funny Morgan Gillory (Kaitlin Olson), a single mom who struggles to pay the bills despite her off-the-charts IQ. When, during her night job cleaning the police station, she accidentally solve
What does the Christian Reformed Church teach about demonic possession? Does the CRC in general believe in exorcism?One of the councils of Synod 2009, in response to study reports on Third Wave Pentecostalism, said: “Acknowledge the reality of the believer’s warfare against his or her sinful nature,
A recent online advertisement from a supposedly Christian marriage and family therapist in my area offered a four-week course on how to use artificial intelligence to enter into conversation with one’s “genuine self.” The goal of this program is to be set free from the shackles of shame and guilt in
The Banner has a subscription to republish articles from Religion News Service. This story by Bob Smietana, was published Aug. 29, 2025 on religionnews.com. It has been edited for Banner style.Marcos Hernandez says he has spent most of his life running.Mostly trying to get away from God.“I’ve been r
Arek O’Connell, outreach and young adult pastor at Hillside Community Church in Grand Rapids, Mich., sees the monthly Worship Circle gatherings in Classis Grand Rapids South as a move of the Spirit that has slowly matured into the central piece of ministry of the classis for emerging generations.“Op
The Multiplication Network, started in 2000 by Christian Reformed missionary John Wagenveld, recently moved to a bigger Zeeland, Mich., office to accommodate expansion.The Multiplication Network has helped plant churches in 72 countries, including Spain, Nigeria, Tanzania, and Cambodia. Its vision i
Author Isaac Samuel Villegas is an ordained minister in the Mennonite Church USA and a community activist for immigrant justice in his hometown of Raleigh, N.C., and elsewhere. He was born in California to a Costa Rican mother and a Colombian father.Villegas experienced what it meant to live in a ra
The Fantastic Four: First Steps is hardly the first time Marvel’s foremost family has been on the big screen. However, this movie marks their Marvel Cinematic Universe debut. And yet it’s set in a Jetsons-like parallel dimension with no Tony Stark, Spider-Man, or other Avengers they can call for hel
Jennifer A. Nielsen, acclaimed author of numerous middle school novels set in Europe during World War II—A Night Divided, Lines of Courage, Words on Fire, and more—explores a different setting in the same time period in this fictional story.On Aug. 21, 1939, British nationals 14-year-old Atlas Wade
For many people, vision can be the primary way of interacting with the world and others. But sight vision is different from revelatory vision. God sometimes opens our experiential vision to see things in a profoundly new way. As a leader serving at-risk youth, the author of Worth Seeing considers it
Sanctity of LifeIn “Canadian Justice: Happy to Talk More,” you noted concerns and ignorance about our resources, with specific mention of sanctity of life and the KAIROS Blanket Exercise. I’d like to remind Banner readers that our Canadian justice ministries and Thrive do provide and promote resourc
Hope Christian Reformed Church of Stony Plain, Alta., ceased to exist at the end of 2024. It served as a Reformed congregation in Parkland County of Alberta for about 120 years. It began as a German Reformed Church and ended its life as a Christian Reformed Church. During all those years the congreg
The Christian Reformed Church’s Council of Delegates received a final report from its task force to reduce governance costs, fund synod, and use time wisely at an early fall virtual meeting. Scheduled to meet the deadline of having recommendations before churches with enough time to consider and off