Wonder who makes up the team putting together the news, features, media reviews, and ads that make up The Banner in print and online each month?
CHONG: Shiao Chong (who goes by “Chong”) has been The Banner’s editor in chief since 2016, after 15 years in campus ministry. Born and raised in Malaysia, Chong studied in Canada and immigrated there after graduation. He lives in Mississauga with his brilliant scientist wife, Martha, and three daughters. Due to his experience, and having a daughter with Down Syndrome, Chong has soft spots for cross-cultural issues and disability concerns in Christianity.
ALISSA: Alissa Vernon, with experience from CBC radio, Discovery Channel-Canada, and four years as a Banner news correspondent, joined the team as news editor in 2017. Her family of two highschoolers, teacher husband, and son studying at military college, live in Ontario. The Christian Reformed Church is their second spiritual home, drawn by Christian education, sovereignty theology, and the covenant community.
SARAH: Sarah Heth Sundt became the associate editor for The Banner in 2019 after a decade of working for newspapers. She edits pretty much everything published in The Banner except the ads and helps decide which articles and topics to accept. She, her husband, their two young children and one fluffy dog live in Michigan. She loves stories in all forms, crafting and sewing, and being outside.
LORILEE: Lorilee Craker is the Mixed Media editor of The Banner, the ideal job for her after 17 years as an entertainment writer for The Grand Rapids Press. Lorilee, a native of Winnipeg, Man., lives with her husband in Michigan and is the parent of three young adult children. She is the author of 16 books, including Eat Like a Heroine: Nourish and Flourish with Bookish Stars from Anne of Green Gables to Zora Neale Hurston (out Aug. 6).
DEAN: Dean Heetderks is co-director of Ministry Support Services, a group that provides all kinds of support for the ministries of the Christian Reformed Church. He’s also the art director of The Banner. Trained as an illustrator, his love for pictures only slightly exceeds his love of words. Dean and his designer wife live in West Michigan and can’t get enough of their three adult children and two grandkids.
PETE: Pete Euwema is the graphic designer for The Banner. He started his career working for The Grand Rapids Press, then began working for the CRC in 1981. He has worked on various parts of The Banner for more than 40 years and is currently in charge of the final layout and production of the magazine and website. Married for 43 years, he has four children and five grandchildren. He enjoys hunting, fishing, gardening and spends a lot of time tending to animals on his hobby farm.
KRISTEN: Kristen deRoo VanderBerg has been the director of communications and marketing for the CRCNA since 2016, after serving with World Renew’s communications department for 17 years. As director of communications, Kristen also serves as the editor of the Our Shared Ministry section of The Banner and is tasked with telling stories of what the people of the Christian Reformed Church are doing together through our shared denominational ministries. Kristen lives in Brampton, Ont., with her husband, two daughters, a dog, a cat, and a gecko.
LYNDEE: Lyndee Zeigler is one of the newest additions to The Banner team, joining as the sales representative and working with all things advertising. Lyndee lives near the Mackinac Bridge in Cheboygan, Mich., with her husband, daughter, and two Samoyed pups. In her spare time, you could find Lyndee at the farmer’s market, crafting something in the kitchen, tending to her garden, snuggled up with a good book, traveling, or hiking.
