On Sunday, April 28 many churches in Classis Minnkota (a regional group of Christian Reformed churches) came together to commemorate the 400th anniversary of the Synod of Dort, an historic meeting of the Dutch Reformed Church that produced the Canons of Dort. About 325 people attended the afternoon service hosted by First CRC in Edgerton, Minn. Pastor Scott Muilenberg said that the service’s planning committee desired “to both introduce and reacquaint the Lord’s people to this wonderful confessional document.”
Several pastors participated in leading the service, including Roger Sparks of Luverne (Minn.) CRC, Brian Kornelis of Bethel CRC in Edgerton, Minn., and David Weemhof of Faith Community CRC in Colton, S.D. The service included responsive readings from the Canons of Dort as well as the Lord’s Supper. Pastor C. James den Dulk of Trinity CRC in Sparta, Mich., preached a sermon based on Isaiah 12 titled “Behold, God Is My Salvation.” Den Dulk noted that this passage was used at the end of the Synod of Dort and described how the members of the synod drew from the wells of God’s grace to create the canons; contemporary Christians can draw from the same wells of God’s grace in our own lives. Refreshments were served after the service.
Josh Christoffels, pastor of Chandler (Minn.) CRC, one of the congregations to participate in the service, noted that the service included an offering to help cover expenses for the service and for the classis’ home missions work.
Editor's note: the original online version of this story misnamed the pastor of Chandler CRC. We regret the error.
About the Author
Kyle Hoogendoorn is a freelance news correspondent for The Banner. He lives in Rock Valley, Iowa.
