When you think of evangelism, what do you picture? Someone standing on a street corner or going door to door to hand out tracts? Do you imagine awkward conversations? If so, it’s no wonder the idea of sharing our faith might seem scary.Julia Kooy is a campus minister in Ontario who sympathizes with
“How do you pastorally tell the truth of the Good Friday story without retraumatizing and injuring those in your midst?”The question stumped the panel. Between the six of us, we figured out that we had a septugenarian’s worth of years of experience in leading worship ministry in the church. Yet this
Twenty-four years ago my wife and I were aspiring young pastor candidates who felt a call to mission ministry but were not clear about where or what that meant. We knew that sharing our hope in Jesus Christ with nonbelievers was part of the call, but I had introverted tendencies at that age and foun
Tadala’s smile lights up a room. She is funny, opinionated, and curious. She walks slowly and confidently. She makes friends easily. “Tadala’s story is a miracle,” said Mable Sichali, a deacon in the United Church of Zambia, one of World Renew’s global partners.Tadala has a cognitive disability and
For the past few years, high school students in Susan Van Geest’s art class have found a way to share what they’ve learned in the Today devotional by using photography.Every week, you’ll find Van Geest’s students at Avail Academy in Edina, Minn., outside taking pictures.“Using photography,” Van Gees
“I loved the Christian Reformed church we were attending,” said Peter Carrión, “but I missed worshiping in Spanish.”This simple story is how La Roca Spanish ministry was started. Carrión started gathering with his family in his home and leading a service. Word started to spread, and more families ar
The only thing I could think was, “Dear Lord, what have we done?” Beside me was my visibly stressed wife holding a newborn baby in each arm. In my arms was a tired, crying toddler exhausted by a long day of travel. In front of me were several customs agents inquisitively rifling through all 15 piece
Si Dye vle.In Haitian Creole, it means “if God wills.”“I’ve learned that Haitians embody this attitude that you don’t know what’s going to happen tomorrow,” explained Johnny Gryglewicz, a missionary with Resonate Global Mission. “If you’re saying goodbye to someone with plans to see them the next da
How do you manage living in another culture? Where is the justice? What should mission look like?These are a few of the questions Noemi* wrestled with as a young adult who was passionate about living out her faith. She had always been part of churches that were more inwardly focused, and something a
Every generation has its formative historical moments: COVID-19, for example, or 9/11, the Vietnam War, the assassinations of John F. Kennedy and Martin Luther King Jr., or World War II. Events like these shape the psyche of a generation and affect worldviews.I often wonder what events and experienc
Maraleisa VandenHeuvel reads in her favorite nook of her bedroom. Surrounded by play scripts, homework, sheet music, and her work uniform, it’s a rare moment of calm in her otherwise full schedule.While her days are full, VandenHeuvel regularly remembers why she serves and participates in so many ac
World-changers from every generation live and work among us, making a difference in our communities, serving as Christ’s agents of renewal, and actively engaging with culture. One of the key milestones of the Christian Reformed Church’s Our Journey denominational ministry plan focuses on this realit
The community in Malinda, Kenya, waited anxiously as the rainy season quickly approached. Resonate Global Mission missionary Kakarioba Bosire lives there, and he explained that the community calls this weather “the rains.” Unlike a typical rainy day, these rains cause relentless trouble and hardship
In the heart of Japan’s Fukuoka Prefecture, a man named Yamoto has been confined to a hospital for nearly two years.“I can’t go to church, but I want to worship,” he said.Yamoto yearns for spiritual connection, and he’s found it by regularly tuning in to telephone messages that nourish his faith.The
Each Tuesday, the Calvin Theological Seminary community gathers for Public Reading of Scripture (PRS) thanks to a $20,000 grant from the Grace &Mercy Foundation. This grant provides food at each week’s gathering and aids Seminary faculty and students as they start PRS groups in other languages and l
Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.—Matthew 11:28-30These verses are a familiar passage to many of us
Every year, the Christian Reformed Church conducts a survey of its members to measure the health and well-being of its congregations, to see how they are changing over time, and to track what resources and materials might be needed. To ensure the burden is not too great on any particular congregatio
Diego Alberto Catinac Guarchaj is full of hope for a better future—and not just for himself. The 32-year-old is a community leader who serves as secretary of the board of directors of his community organization. He lives in the mountains of rural Guatemala and is qualified to be a school teacher, bu
I have a park bench. Maybe you have one too.My bench is at the end of a wooded loop trail at Cascade Peace Park in Grand Rapids, Mich. It sits on a bluff about 150 feet above a small babbling brook that trickles into the Grand River a quarter of a mile away. Surrounding my bench are the large maples
This fall, dozens of residents of the 49507 ZIP code in Grand Rapids, Mich., attended several focus groups sponsored by Calvin University to help researchers understand what people living in that area felt were their biggest needs. What they found was that several attendees had not finished high sch