Synods (annual church leadership gatherings) are at their best in worship. Two synods in worship are better than one. On June 10, the synods of the Christian Reformed Church (CRC) and the Reformed Church in America (RCA) gathered for worship in the DeVos Center for Arts and Worship, a facility of the Grand Rapids (Mich.) Christian Schools. Mixing participants from the RCA and the CRC, the service was at times exuberant, at times prayerful, and driven by the conviction that the two denominations share a common mission.
As is the tradition, the service was hosted by a local congregation. For this service, the host was appropriately Pillar Church of Holland, Mich., a union CRC/RCA congregation, with roots deep in the history of both denominations.
Scott Greenway, the president of the CRC synod, opened the service, welcoming the worshipers and introducing Tom DeJonge, superintendent of Grand Rapids Christian Schools. When DeJonge did not immediately appear, Greenway asked, “Is there anyone willing to impersonate him?” With that, the assembly began to ease from a gathering of people who did not know each other into a congregation of sisters and brothers in Christ.
Michelle Lloyd-Paige challenged the worshipers to move as well as sing. When the band introduced the song “Father, Let Your Kingdom Come” by Porter’s Gate, she had the entire gathering moving rhythmically two steps to the left, arms raised and moving, and then two steps to the right. She warned the crowd that if someone failed to move it would mess up the entire row. Prompted by Lloyd-Paige’s infectious smile as well as her words, the entire crowd was soon moving as one.
The message was brought by Ajoy Kumar Lama of India. Lama converted to Christianity as an adult. He leads several evangelistic and discipleship ministries in India in cooperation with the CRC Back to God Ministries International and the RCA Words of Hope.
He preached on 1 Corinthians 9:22-23: “I have become all things to all people, that I might by all means save some. I do it all for the sake of the gospel. . . .” Walking through several texts including Ephesians 4, John 17, Philippians 1, and 2 Timothy 1:11-12, Lama emphasized the need for Christian unity. He stressed that “unity [among Christians] is essential.”
Unity is achieved, he added, in learning to sacrifice individual wishes and preferences for the sake of others and for the gospel. With grace and humor, Lama moved the message into a direct challenge to the two denominations to unite in mission, putting aside their preferences and becoming, as Paul says in the text, “all things to all people, that [they] might by all means save some.”
With that challenge, the service moved into the celebration of holy communion, ending with a second spirited singing of “Father, Let Your Kingdom Come,” with the repeated line, “May the works of my hands bring you joy.”
Synod 2018 is meeting at Calvin College in Grand Rapids, Mich., from June 7-14. For continuous coverage while synod is in session, download the Banner app on your mobile device or follow The Banner Magazine on Facebook or @crcbanner on Twitter. You can find more tweeting by following hashtag #crcsynod. News stories will be posted at thebanner.org several times daily. For CRC Communications releases and the webcast, please visit crcna.org.
About the Author
Clayton Libolt was the long time pastor of River Terrace Church in East Lansing, Mich. Since his retirement, he has served in a variety of interim positions. He is presently serving as the interim senior pastor of Sonlight Community CRC in Lynden, Wash.
