The annual fall youth conference in Classis Eastern Canada of the Christian Reformed Church brought together 131 guests this year – the largest number of teens since the retreat was started more than 20 years ago. Classis youth ministry team member Ron Hosmar sees the record attendance as evidence t
Dale Vander Veen, who served faithfully in ministry as a campus pastor, preacher, pianist, organist and writer, died Oct. 25. He was 80.After graduating from Calvin College (now University) and Seminary and ordination in 1969, Dale and his wife, Edith, joined the staff of Campus Crusade for Christ (
Eric Sarwar, a Christian Reformed church planter in Artesia, Calif., is a global partner with Princeton (N.J.) Theological Seminary’s Overseas Mission Study Center’s 2023-24 Residential Study Program. A pastor, songwriter and author of Pakistani descent with a doctorate in Intercultural Studies from
With recent Centers for Disease Control and Prevention studies estimating that 17 percent of children ages 3-17 in the United States have at least one developmental disability, the importance of churches focusing more of their attention and resources on disability ministry is evident. In response to
After twenty years of parish ministry in three Canadian provinces, Arie Van Eek became the first executive secretary of the Council of Christian Reformed Churches in Canada (CCRCC), a position he held for the next twenty years. Arie’s ministry has been described as broad, courageous, persistent and
In the heart of Alberta Avenue, described as a mature, inner-city neighborhood in Edmonton, Alta., the worshiping communities of Avenue Christian Reformed Church, St. Faith’s and St. Mary’s Anglican churches and an Indigenous spiritual community called Standing Stones, come together in a shared mini
After the Christian Reformed Church synods of 2022 and 2023 declared and re-affirmed the church's prohibition on same-sex sexual relationships to be confessional and encouraged classes to "guide into compliance the officebearers of their constituent churches who publicly reject the biblical guidelin
On October 21, volunteers from the Third Christian Reformed Church in Kalamazoo, Mich., planted 23 native saplings in the Kleinstuck Preserve, a 48-acre nature preserve owned and managed by Western Michigan University, just 1.5 miles (2.4 km) from the church. Working with Stewards of Kleinstuck, whi
Unity Christian Academy in South Holland, Ill., has that name for a reason. The group of ecumenical partners behind its creation united around a desire for a Christian high school education and started with an educational creed, said school board member David Larsen, a member of Hope Christian Refor
The Banner has a subscription to republish articles from Religion News Service. This story by Tonny Onyulo was published on religionnews.com Nov. 7, 2023. Esther Kabuya sat on a mattress in her tiny living room on the outskirts of Goma, Congo, a provincial capital in the far east of Africa’s third m
The River Community Church, which meets in a large, brick community center in south Edmonton, Alta., has been engaging its church members – from young to old and in between – with an InterActive church service on the first Sunday of each month since September. This latest focus is the result of two
We got a news tip about a British Columbia church celebrating its pastor’s 20th anniversary with that congregation. How rare is serving in one role for 20 years? 63 active Christian Reformed ministers and 13 commissioned pastors have been serving in their current role for that long or longer. That’s
John Groen is described as a caring pastor, towering evangelist, a man of deep convictions, and one who knew the Holy Spirit's power, work and fruit. “Romans 6:1-14 were perhaps his ‘signature’ verses,” said one pastor and friend. “His entire ministry, and much of his preaching, was centered around
Two or three times each year, Christian Reformed churches send representatives to their classis, a regional assembly of churches. Many of the actions taken by classes are governed by the CRC’s Church Order, the rules that govern denominational life. Here are some of the actions by classes in the pas
Churches for Middle East Peace, an ecumenical policy advocacy coalition formed in 1984 with more than 30 member organizations in the U.S., including the Christian Reformed Church in North America, has been releasing regular statements since the October 7 Hamas attacks and the subsequent military res
Motivated by what’s been called a mass exodus of young people from the Christian faith, Fuller Theological Seminary has brought together more than 100 organizations to collaborate on making “faith matter more to 10 million young people over the next ten years.” Called TENx10, the initiative launched
The Banner has a subscription to republish articles from Religion News Service. This story by Bob Smietana was published on religionnews.com Oct. 18, 2023. It has been edited for length and Banner style.Author and researcher Seth Kaplan has some advice for Americans on how to address the country’s m
Described as modest, humble, gentle, and super organized, Fred Heslinga had a great sense of humor and a wonderful ability to laugh at himself. Although he had endured cancer for nine years, with periods of remission, Fred’s death Sept. 26 was the result of a brain bleed after hitting his head in a
Ted Verseput was a minister in the Christian Reformed Church for more than 40 years. For 30 of those years he also served as a chaplain for the U.S. Army National Guard. Ted died Sept.19, at age 96.Born and raised in Battle Creek, Mich., Ted graduated from Calvin College (now University) and Seminar
As the Council of Delegates of the Christian Reformed Church in North America met last week in Grand Rapids, Mich., general secretary Zachary King welcomed delegates to what he called “a new epoch of ecclesiastical governance of the Christian Reformed Church.”King was referring to changes to the way