The Banner

In their household, birthday parties are usually “over the top,” filled with family fun and birthday cake. This year, one birthday celebration was different.

For the second consecutive year, Elmhurst (Ill.) Christian Reformed Church streamed the live performance of Too Hot to Handel: the Jazz-Gospel Messiah to correctional facilities across Illinois, Wisconsin, and Louisiana.

A third undocumented Indonesian has sought sanctuary in his New Jersey church, saying he fears deportation to his native country because Christians suffer persecution there.

We're looking for new writers to contribute to our news section with stories of our congregations, ministries, and members. Coaching is available for this freelance opportunity.

Here in Canada and the United States we live in a culture that values a quality education. Within the Christian Reformed Church, this is especially true. We are not alone in this.

Lance Orton doesn’t like to be in the limelight. The 61-year-old Vietnam veteran is a humble man “just trying to be who God wants me to be.”

The Network is a website where people from across the Christian Reformed Church in North America can connect to share their ministry questions and find answers.

Reading Andy Crouch’s The Tech-Wise Family: Everyday Steps for Putting Technology in Its Proper Place could well be the best gift you ever give your family.

All Set: En la mesa de Dios/At God’s Table is a bilingual picture book from the Calvin Institute of Christian Worship that explains communion;

Topical gimmicks are great—except when they’re not.

Expectations are the enemy of contentment. On face value, this seems like a harmless platitude: Manage your expectations, and you’ll more readily avoid being disappointed.

Mika Edmondson was speaking with his doctoral advisor, Dr. Ronald Feenstra, at Calvin Seminary one day. His work was winding down, but he had a question.

I recently finished school, found a job, and have my first steady income. I want to give appropriately to my church and other organizations. How do I decide how much to give and to whom?

In Sioux Falls, S.D., pastors and ministry leaders who have come to the U.S. as immigrants attend training sessions to better minister to their communities.

It was a time of building relationships, refueling, and realizing the value of networking with other dedicated and passionate youth leaders.

As the music industry amps up anticipation for the Grammy awards on Sunday night (CBS/City), you can check out some of our music reviews from the last year to see what Banner reviewers thought.

A. A. Milne returned from the First World War traumatized by what he’d seen. He wanted to help people see the truth of war so that it would never happen again.

“I serve a congregation in an all-white town. The nearest city is an hour’s drive away,” he said. “How do I get my people to actually feel for people of other races?”

As Hurricane Harvey pounded Houston, news commentators warned the disaster would raise gas prices across the country. Ben Ruddell begged to differ. He knew that while residents of Chicago, Louisville, and Tulsa would see price spikes, he and his fellow citizens in Flagstaff, Ariz., would see little, if any, increase.

“I have come to realize that the health of an institution is more about relationships than it is about governance or structure.”

Over the past several months our society has experienced a monumental shift in the treatment of women—particularly in regard to how they are treated by men in power.

“For me, for all of us, water is a matter of life.”

Have you ever felt overwhelmed by the plethora of personality types and their corresponding measurements?