Department: Author: Megan HerremaWhat would it look like to invite emerging adults to speak into the life and direction of the church? What if there were an event geared toward equipping young adults to strengthen their church communities—and what if those young adults planned the event? These ques
Department: Author: Cassie WestrateHow do you share your faith in a world where people are no longer familiar with Christianity—or any god at all?“Christianity is no longer seen as the center of our culture and society. We’re one voice of many at the table,” said Kevin DeRaaf, Resonate Global Missi
Department: Author: Brian ClarkSeekers in China often run into a frustrating problem. Although they first see the Christian faith as intriguing, they often can’t find answers to the difficult questions they have.“The academic world in China has many prejudices against faith, which can leave those w
Department: Author: Sean Baker Albert Chu and his brother grew up as the only two Chinese kids in their Edmonton, Alta., neighborhood. It wasn’t easy. “It was an uphill battle in terms of racism and stereotypes,” Chu said. But he had a sense that things could be different.The son of a church plan
Department: Author: Cassie WestrateA car drove Chhy off the road while he was driving his motorcycle in Cambodia. The driver rode off, leaving Chhy alone alongside the road with a serious head injury.“Someone passing by stopped, picked up his phone, and called the most recent phone number—another O
Department: Author: Nathan Rauh-BieriAlmost from the outset of the COVID-19 pandemic, it was clear that everyone in the Christian Reformed Church might all be in the same storm, but we are not all in the same boat. This metaphor applies to individuals, families, and entire communities (and often di
Department: Author: Colin P. Watson Sr.The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines “church” as “a building for public and especially Christian worship.” We know, however, that this definition falls far short of reality. Obviously, church is much more than a building. Our local church is a collection of
Department: Author: Brian ClarkIrene Navis ate several meals from a different table this summer. A giant map of 1967 Vietnam spread across her dining room table didn’t leave much room for food. Navis has been spending countless hours retracing the year that her husband, John, who died in September
Department: Author: Colin P. Watson Sr.미리암 웹스터 사전은 “교회”를 일반인을 위한 건물 특히 기독교 예배를 위한 건물로 정의하고 있습니다. 그러나 우리는 그 정의가 현실을 반영하기에 미흡하다는 것을 알고 있습니다. 우리의 지역교회는 하나님으로부터 소명을 받은 사람들이 함께 신자들의 하나된 공동체로서 예배하고 섬기며 하나님의 뜻을 행하는 곳입니다.목회자에 관해서도 마찬가지입니다. 우리는 하나님께서 우리 중 몇몇을 부르셔서 설교자이자 교사로 섬기게 하셨다는 것을 믿습니다. 우리 모두가 우리의 위대한
Department: Author: Margaret Mwenda“Calvin Theological Seminary prepared me well. It gave me a solid biblical, theological, and historical foundation that continues to ground me as I live, learn, and minister in diverse and constantly changing settings,” said Erika Dekker, a chaplain at Blodgett Ho
Department: Author: Colin P. Watson Sr.Si bien el envejecimiento a menudo conlleva una pérdida paulatina de nuestras habilidades físicas anteriores, creo que también incluye el desarrollo de nuevos recuerdos, capacidades y sabiduría que perduran.Muchos de nosotros tenemos sentimientos encontrados s
Department: Author: Colin P. Watson Sr.나이든다는 것은 보통 이전의 신체적인 능력이 떨어지는 것을 의미하지만 저는 새롭고 지속적인 기억, 능력, 그리고 지혜를 계발시키는 것도 포함한다고 믿습니다.우리 중 대부분은 나이든다는 것에 대해 보통 복잡한 감정을 가지고 살아갑니다. 흔히 말하는 인생의 마지막 3분의 1에 해당하는 시기에 들어서면 우리가 잃어가는 삶을 애석하게 생각하곤 합니다. 예를 들면 젊을 때는 우리가 가진 신체 능력을 당연시 하고 스스로를 강하다고 여깁니다. 하지만 늙어가면서 점차 스스로
Department: Author: Becky JonesWhen COVID-19 forced LaGrave Ave. Christian Reformed Church in Grand Rapids, Mich., to shut its doors to in-person worship back in March, church leaders made sure that all members would be able to participate in online services.“We realized that some of our older memb
Department: Author: Katy JohnsonJesus called himself the Bread of Life. As his body, the church is called to offer life with its presence. Never is this exhortation more critical than in moments of meeting the physical hunger of God’s children.How this bread is being shared by the church during COV
Department: Author: Margaret MwendaEach May the Calvin Theological Seminary community gathers to celebrate those graduating from various certificate and degree programs. May 2020 was different. The COVID-19 pandemic precluded such a gathering.Instead, the school did what it could to recognize and c
Department: Author: Colin P. Watson Sr.Many of us have mixed feelings about aging. As we approach what has been called the “third third of life,” we sometimes reflect wistfully on those parts of life that we are losing. As young people, for example, most of us take our physical abilities for grante
Department: Author: Brian Clark“You can’t accept their help.” “You can’t sing that song.” “That is illegal.”In North America, Christians don’t hear those phrases when we want to share what Jesus has done in our lives with others. Yet in many parts of India, it is illegal to try to convert someone t
Department: Author: Colin P. Watson Sr.Nunca imaginamos que dentro de pocas semanas, el surgimiento de COVID-19 nos obligaría a revisar esta cuestión.A principios del 2020, el Concilio de Delegados estaba considerando la sugerencia de reunirse al menos una vez al año por videoconferencia. Esto redu
Department: Author: Colin P. Watson Sr.불과 몇 주 뒤, 급격히 확산되는 코로나19 때문에 이 문제를 다시 고민하게 될 줄은 정말 몰랐습니다.2020년 초에 교단이사회는 일년에 한번은 비디오 컨퍼런스로 만나는게 어떨지 고민하고 있었습니다. 원격으로 만날 경우 일 년에 세 번씩 회의를 위해 여행을 하는 비용과 시간을 줄일 수 있기 때문입니다.소그룹 회의를 거쳐 교단이사회는 결국 그 제안을 시행하지 않기로 결정을 내렸습니다. 왜냐하면 서로 직접 만나서 상호작용을 할 수 없을 경우 회의의 상당히 중요한 측
Department: Author: On the evening of May 20, Midland (Mich.) Reformed Church opened its doors to some of the 10,000 people who were forced to evacuate their homes and the surrounding communities due to flooding caused by the breaking of two dams. Of those affected by this disaster, close to 20 fam