Roberta Vriesema is the new director of partnership administration for the Christian Reformed Church in North America, announced Oct. 10, after a successful interview with the Council of Delegates, the board that carries out the work of synod between meetings of synod. The Council met Oct 8-10 in Gr
Grace Christian Reformed Church in Kalamazoo, Mich., a congregation with a storied history, celebrated 100 years of ministry in September. Its first 20 years were as a breakaway church from the Christian Reformed denomination.Established in 1925 as the Protesting First Christian Reformed Church, it
East Leonard Christian Reformed Church in Grand Rapids, Mich., is marking its 100th anniversary in October with the theme “We Praise God for His Faithfulness.”The celebration is scheduled for Saturday and Sunday, Oct. 18 and 19. Open to the congregation and the larger community, Saturday includes a
A team of 12 volunteers from Messiah Christian Reformed Church in Hudsonville, Mich., recently spent a week in western North Carolina repairing homes that were significantly damaged when Hurricane Helene ravaged the region in September of last year. That trip followed work by two other Hudsonville c
The Banner has a subscription to republish articles from Religion News Service. This story by Fredrick Nzwili, was published Sept. 25, 2025 on religionnews.com. It has been lightly edited for Banner style.A priest of the Anglican Church of Sudan who stayed in El-Fasher, the besieged capital of North
At least 38 congregations have begun or completed a process of disaffiliation from the CRC since Synod 2024 required congregations to repent from opposing the church’s confessional definition of “unchastity” (that it includes same-sex sexual relationships) or disaffiliate. Not every disaffiliation i
The Banner has a subscription to republish articles from Religion News Service. This story by Tonny Onyulo, was published Sept. 23, 2025 on religionnews.com. It has been lightly edited for Banner style.Ruth Abah, 28, no longer walks to her local church, St. Paul’s, which now lies in ashes. Instead,
Citing “a perceived lack of support from classis” the members of the Chicago South Racial Reconciliation Committee declared the committee’s work suspended in a report to the fall meeting of Classis Chicago South (regional group of Christian Reformed churches). “Because classis has constituted this c
John Wildeboer, most recently pastor of Rehoboth Christian Reformed Church in Bowmanville, Ont., started Sept. 15 as the new national director of Diaconal Ministries Canada. Ron Vanden Brink, national director since 2016, expects to retire in November.Wildeboer sees several streams that prepared him
The Banner has a subscription to republish articles from Religion News Service. This story by Adelle M. Banks, was published Aug. 28, 2025 on religionnews.com. It has been edited for length and Banner style.Could slow, quiet reading; artificial intelligence; or short video episodes help young adults
What began as a high school junior residency project in Abbotsford, B.C., has grown into an international ministry that is already planting new churches among unreached people in the Philippines.In 2022, Abbotsford Christian High School student Celina Vaandrager joined the school’s junior residency
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
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
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
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
Edwin de Jong was in Beijing, China, in 1989 when he came upon a large group of students protesting against that country’s Communist government in Tiananmen Square.De Jong, who was a photojournalist for what was then Christian Reformed World Missions (now Resonate Global Mission), was traveling with
Rev. Chung Choo Cho was a devoted servant of the Lord's church. His life served as an example of dedication and integrity, inspiring countless individuals through his passion for the gospel. Though soft-spoken, his resolute character left an indelible mark on all who knew him.In his almost 45 years
From the past five years of denominational survey data we can see a little fluctuation in how respondents answered “How would you say your spiritual life and faith has changed over the last 12 months?” The percentage of those reporting “a little” or “significant” growth (green) has gone up a bit and