In Memoriam: Rev. James Robert Kok
Jim Kok loved being a pastor and touched many lives during his 65 years of ministry. He died July 3 at age 90.
Stories from people, congregations and ministries of the CRCNA, reported by The Banner's news editor and a team of regular correspondents and Church Worldwide news from the Religion News Service. Send news tips to news@thebanner.org.
Jim Kok loved being a pastor and touched many lives during his 65 years of ministry. He died July 3 at age 90.
Pope Francis apologized for 'the ways in which, regrettably, many Christians supported the colonizing mentality.'
Groups of Canadian churches asked for a listening session with the Christian Reformed Church Canada Corporation board in January 2022. Now the board is inviting participants to two more times of “honest sharing and careful listening, (and) of building relationships.”
Meeting by video conference July 25, the directors of the Christian Reformed Church in North America Canada Corporation discussed plans for fall meetings and followed up on past board work.
Peter Elgersma, serving Christian Reformed Church ministries in Canada since 2018, left that work as of July 5. Lesli van Milligen, the Canadian office’s team leader for regional engagement, adds directing congregational ministries in Canada to her duties.
The lawsuit comes amid a slow-moving schism in the United Methodist Church largely over the ordination and marriage of its LGBTQ members.
About a 10-minute walk from the campus of University of Colorado-Colorado Springs, Cragmor CRC hopes to deepen its relationship with students. The congregation is starting with prayer.
Resolved at a scaled-back General Convention July 8-11, the move comes as U.S. Interior Secretary kicks off a national tour listening to the stories of survivors of American Indian boarding schools in the United States.
Americans are increasingly willing to only support politicians that share their views on abortion, according to a new survey.
Rock Rapids (Iowa) Christian Reformed Church celebrated its 100th anniversary June 25, 2022.
The Rev. Oleksiy Zavada, a Greek Catholic priest in Ukraine, discusses funerals, parish life, and ministering amidst war.
A pastor and minister of outreach, Kwan Yiu Timothy Chan was tenacious in his service to people and to God. He died June 8 at age 71.
Eastern Avenue Christian Reformed Church rejected Jim Lucas in 1998, declining to offer a call for his ministry to LGBTQ people. In May 2022 the congregation formally apologized and welcomed Lucas home.
Known for his authenticity and passion for justice, pastor and missionary Gerald Hogeterp died June 16 at age 80.
The cultural enrichment committee of Wyoming, Mich., was looking for a place for the city to hold its annual Juneteenth celebration. Dana Knight, a committee member, also found a new church home.
In June 2021 Pastor Joel Ringma put out a video request to his Terrace (B.C.) Christian Reformed Church community: consider registering as a living donor for a congregant who needs a kidney. One year later Ringma was the match undergoing surgery along with recipient Chad MacDonald, now recovering.
A church plant grown out of Redeemer CRC in Sarnia, Ont., is testing out what a church can look like when it’s only online.
A pastor and chaplain who had a passion for meeting people and spreading the gospel, John Van Hemert died May 26 at age 85.
John Malestein, a distinguished Calvin Theological Seminary alumnus, “lifted up Jesus Christ in everything.” He died May 31 at age 98.
The data, which will be available online for free, comprises more than 2,700 requests sent to the Vatican by Jews persecuted by the Nazi regime.
Lloyd VanderKwaak, who has served as volunteer facilitator of the Christian Reformed Church’s joint ministry agreement process, has been named interim chief administrative officer in the denomination’s Office of General Secretary.
What does Synod 2022’s declaration that the church's historic stance on same-sex relationships has confessional status mean for members, pastors, and congregations who have been moving in a different direction?
At a church council meeting June 27, Neland Avenue Christian Reformed Church’s elders, deacons, and pastors determined not to rescind the appointment of a same-sex married deacon, as the CRC’s synod had ordered them to do.
After nearly 50 years, Roe v. Wade, the U.S. Supreme Court ruling that legalized abortion nationwide, is no more.