“Can we as Christians in the East and West, the South and the North, engage as partners in God’s reconciling mission in spite of all the differences and distances between us?”
That question, articulated by Christian Reformed World Missions missionary Ruth Padilla DeBorst, was the driving force that brought 254 people from all over the world to Grand Rapids, Mich., before Synod 2007.
The participants in this Assembly of Worldwide Partners included staff, volunteers, board members, and partner organizations from all the CRC’s mission agencies.
This diverse group sought a way to unite in a global ministry that would enable the Christian Reformed Church to build meaningful partnerships with churches and organizations around the world and have a lasting impact on the spiritual and physical lives of people in need.
“We need to covenant for justice together and be partners both in presenting the good news of our Lord Jesus Christ and in creating a more just world,” explained Rev. Setri Nyomi, general secretary of the World Alliance of Reformed Churches.
Other international speakers also encouraged CRC agencies to come alongside international churches as equal partners in ministry.
Rev. Barnabas Mam, director of Ambassadors for Christ Cambodia, has partnered with Navy Chann of the Christian Reformed World Relief Committee. By working together, he said, Christians would be able to reach further and have more success at complete spiritual and physical transformation than if they all work alone.
