“But if the watchman see the sword come, and blow not the trumpet, and the people be not warned; if the sword come, and take any person from among them, he is taken away in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at the watchman’s hand.” [Ezekiel 33:6]
“For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.” [Ephesians 6:12]
Presbyterians Week Headlines
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PRAYER Dr. Sean Lucas
Lament for how we have not loved our neighbors.
[John
17.17] Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth. [18] As you sent me into
the World, so I have sent them into the world. [19] And for their sake I
consecrate myself, That they also may be sanctified in truth.
Lamenting Our Sins: A Litany
Leader: O Lord, have mercy.
People: O Christ, have mercy.
Leader: O Lord, have mercy and hear your people.
People: Hear us, good Lord.
Leader: We grieve the disunity of your church. We grieve that many women in our congregations feel unvalued and unwanted, unheard and uncared for. We grieve that we have acted as though being male was more valuable than being female, theta we have communicated that only men were wanted in service and care, that only male voices could be and should be heard, that only men were valued. We grieve not loving our mothers and sisters in Christ well.
People: Hear us, good Lord.
Leader: We grieve that the poor, the blue collar, the working class, and the middle class find our churches uninviting and unwelcoming. We grieve that we have played favorites, seeking to reach the wealthy and powerful with the Gospel while avoiding those who could not advance our influence. We grieve that our status symbols—cars, clothes, vacations, schools—have kept people away from the very place where we declare that he who was rich became poor for our sakes so that we might be rich in him.
People: Hear us, good Lord.
Leader: We grieve that black and brown people have found our churches to be overwhelming and unsympathetic places, more loyal to “whiteness” than to the red blood of Jesus shed on the Cross. We grieve that our loyalties to politicians who play on racial fears have been stronger than our loyalties to our black and brown brothers and sisters in Christ. We grieve that we have wittingly and unwittingly erected once again the very wall of hostility that Christ’s cross had torn down. We grieve that those who have spoken the Gospel truth on our racial unity-in-diversity have been shouted down as “cultural Marxists” or “social justice warriors” rather than celebrated as Servants of the Gospel.
People: Hear us, good Lord.
Axes that were used to threaten others from entering a church, along with chains used to bar the doors, were recrafted by Pillar Church of Holland, Mich., into a baptismal font that was placed center stage on Thursday evening, 7 June 2018, in the Calvin College chapel.
It was a great symbol for the worship service held to open both the Reformed Church in America general synod and the Christian Reformed Church in North America synod.
The ax handles and chains are artifacts from an era in which the Reformed Church in America and Christian Reformed Church in North America split from one another in a dramatic and hurtful way.
Meeting in joint sessions and separately over the next several days on the campus of Calvin College in Grand Rapids, Mich., the two denominations gave evidence of the evolving connection between the CRCNA and the RCA. After more than two years in planning by representatives from each denomination, the worship services, events, and other meetings reflected a rich heritage and a sense of harmony that have been growing between the two churches since the early 2000s and especially since they met concurrently in Pella, Iowa, in 2014 and signed a joint resolution.
Another joint session took place on Friday night, a few hours after the CRC formally opened for business and elected its officers -- some of whom had experience in the roles before, and others of whom were new in helping to guide synod through its upcoming days.
During the Friday joint session, Rev. Denise Posie, the CRC’s director of leadership development for women and ethnic ministry, led delegates through some of the history of this new era of cooperation, highlighting the “Pella Accord,” the joint resolution signed in 2014.
The resolution states, among other things, that “the principle that guides us, and the intention that motivates us, is to ‘act together in all matters except those in which deep differences of conviction compel [us] to act separately’” (Acts of Synod 2014, p. 504).
Delegates heard about the increasing work being done together by ministries of both denominations: Disability Concerns ministry, Reformed Benefits Association, Reformed Leadership Initiative, Clinical Pastoral Education at Pine Rest Christian Mental Health Services, Faith Alive Christian Resources, World Renew, and social justice work.
Saturday morning, delegates from both denominations also met for three hours in joint sessions, marking the first time that delegates from the RCA and CRCNA were asked to be in advisory committees together. Their conversations were recorded and reported, not for action by either synod, but to give direction for the future.
Delegates divided into groups of members from each denomination to discuss proposed approaches on how the churches might move forward together in ministry in years to come.
They looked at four topics: interfaith engagement, congregational renewal, collaboration between the RCA and CRCNA, and the brainstorming of a “new creation” for the future of the two denominations.
In the afternoon on Saturday, the RCA General Synod approved Eddy Alemán by voice vote as the new general secretary of the RCA. The vote followed a presentation by Alemán and a time of questions from the floor.
The role of general secretary includes casting vision for the denomination and overseeing implementation of its mission. The general secretary also works closely with the executive director of the CRCNA.
“I am thrilled by this decision,” said Dr. Steven Timmermans, the CRC’s executive director. “Eddy is an excellent example of servant leadership who has a real heart for the church. I look forward to working alongside him in this new role.”
On Sunday, day four of the synods, delegates had the chance to worship at local churches and to spend some time in joint advisory discussions and relaxing.
Then on Sunday evening, delegates united for worship in the DeVos Center for Arts and Worship at the nearby Grand Rapids Christian High School. Participants from the RCA and the CRC helped to prepare and participate in the service that was at times exuberant, at times prayerful, and at all times driven by the conviction that the two denominations share a common mission.
On Monday morning, during their last time of joint worship, delegates from the RCA general synod and the CRCNA synod gave verbal and written reports about their joint advisory committee discussions that took place earlier.
The proposals discussed by the groups presented new ways for the two denominations to cooperate. They varied from probable, already-in-the-works ideas, to a less likely, what-if, idea for the future.
Proposals already being worked on or likely to be worked on soon are ways of further consolidating denominational services, especially in the area of congregational renewal, and a joint effort to promote and shape interfaith engagement.
Less likely at present is a proposal to join and radically reconfigure the denominations.
On Wednesday, the CRC synod agreed to form a joint committee with the RCA to help both denominations reach out to other religions.
The decision came out of recommendations from the CRC’s Ecumenical and Interfaith Relations Committee(EIRC). In the published agenda for synod, the EIRC had signaled that they were working out an arrangement with the RCA to cooperate in interreligious matters -- relationships with non-Christian faiths. By the time synod met, the EIRC had received a request from the RCA to merge the efforts of their two committees for this work.
Another important move that highlights the CRC’s desire to build bridges, not only with the RCA but with other churches, took place early in the week when CRC delegates decided to make reconciliation a key area of focus as the denomination crafts its upcoming ministry plan.
Lori Fieber of Classis B.C. North-West, said, “I’m excited about all this language towards reconciliation.” She talked about her home church striving to become a gospel-centered community that incorporates restorative practice and noted that an environment that is conducive to restoration must include willingness.
“Let’s continue to make overtures and offers of reconciliation towards those we are in conflict with, but be patient,” she said.
These events were by all means historic in the lives of two churches united in Reformed faith yet driven apart by issues and personalities that are in the past. Praying and singing and talking together were highlights of the joint gatherings. Over a few days in early June, the churches took a few more steps together toward the future.
Meanwhile, the CRC’s Synod 2018 addressed other business:
June 18, 2018
Concerned about the policy in which the United States is separating children from their parents at the U.S. border with Mexico, the Christian Reformed Church in North America is joining with the voices of other people of faith to call for an end to this policy, which causes families to suffer and runs counter to gospel values.
World Renew has also issued a statement on the policy, citing how it conflicts with the core humanitarian standards and child-safety commitments they hold.
(Update: On June 20, 2018 President Trump signed an executive order to allow parents who have crossed the border into the United States illegally to remain with their children while they are detained. We are grateful for this positive step. We urge CRC members to continue speaking with their elected representatives for broader immigration reform.)
The complete CRCNA statement reads:
CRCNA Statement on Forced Separation Policy
As leaders from the Christian Reformed Church in North America, we are deeply concerned about the new “zero tolerance” policy being enforced by the United States Department of Justice and the justifications that have been used to support it. We are troubled that this policy seems to remove the government’s responsibility to ensure that asylum seekers may legally make their claim. We are also alarmed by the active separation of vulnerable children from their parents that has resulted from this policy’s implementation.
As Christians, we believe that the family is a core component to God’s structuring of society. Throughout the Bible, God’s work is told, experienced, and carried out by people in families. There are instructions for how couples should parent their children, how siblings should love each other, and how children should honor their parents. Within the very gospel story, God chose to bring his Son into the world by placing him within a family.
Acknowledging that the family is such a core building block for faith formation and kingdom work, we believe that governments should separate families only in the rarest of instances.
We acknowledge that governments have the right to uphold laws and secure their borders. However, we also believe that governments must use discretion in how they enforce those laws, and that the well-being of children as well as the upholding of human rights conventions should be key factors in making such decisions. Forcibly removing immigrant children from their parents and families can cause long-term trauma and psychological harm to both the children and their parents.
As people of faith with a call to protect the vulnerable, welcome the stranger, and love our neighbors, we urge our leaders to act with compassion for people fleeing life-threatening persecution and to keep families together.
We call on the U.S. administration to immediately end these unjust practices, and to reaffirm the U.S. commitment to the values of family unity, humane treatment, and refuge for persons being persecuted. We also call on Congress to immediately act to reform our immigration system so that there are more, not fewer, opportunities for legal status and permanent protection for vulnerable immigrants.
Finally, we encourage members of the CRCNA in the U.S. to keep this situation in their prayers, to educate themselves about issues facing immigrants, and to urge their lawmakers to enact laws that honor the blessings that immigrants bring to our country.
In Christ,
Steven Timmermans, Executive Director, Christian Reformed Church in North America
Colin P. Watson, Director of Ministries and Administration, Christian Reformed Church in North America
Carol Bremer-Bennett, Director, World Renew - United States, Christian Reformed Church in North America
Reginald Smith, Offices of Race Relations and Social Justice, Christian Reformed Church in North America
By Stephen Walker
BBC News Northern Ireland Political Correspondent
The peer, who was a Presbyterian elder, said it is because he disagrees with a series of the Church's recent decisions.
He is particularly concerned with the Church's decision to loosen ties with the Church of Scotland due to its views on same-sex relationships.
He is also unhappy about its decision to leave the World Council of Churches.
In a statement, Reverend Trevor Gribben, clerk of the General Assembly and general secretary of the Irish Presbyterian Church, said that any resignation from the Church is to be regretted.
Now same-sex couples cannot take communion and their children cannot be baptised.
