Rev. Don Poest, who will be president of the Reformed Church in America for the next year, brought greetings to Synod 2010.
He told delegates that the RCA, at its synod the week before, had formally adopted the Belhar Confession and placed it in its constitution.
“During the last years of debate,” he said, “I heard it’s a good document, but not necessary as a confession.” He told delegates that his life had been profoundly impacted by the Heidelberg Catechism. “[However], had I been taught the Belhar Confession as a child, about reconciliation and justice, would I have had the same attitudes I grew up with?” he asked. “We are not living in a vacuum. The truths we confess impact us in more ways than we realize.”
