Synod 2013 urged Christian Reformed members and churches to celebrate this year’s 450th anniversary of the Heidelberg Catechism, one of the CRC’s foundational confessions.
Delegates encouraged Christian Reformed churches and agencies to renew their study of the catechism and “explore creative and culturally appropriate ways of using and celebrating the role of the Heidelberg Catechism in the life of the church.”
Congregations are asked to recite the catechism’s Q&A 1 during worship on Sept. 15. Some churches already have begun celebrating the anniversary.
Cedric Parsels, a young adult representative and ministry candidate, said that as a convert to the CRC he found the catechism “a tremendous theological and pastoral resource.” Teens and young adults are “desperately in need of the pastoral theology” of the catechism, he said.
“This anniversary year (is) a wonderful opportunity to renew our commitment to teaching and, dare I say, memorizing the Heidelberg Catechism,” Parsels said.
Synod 2013 is meeting at Calvin College in Grand Rapids, Mich. from June 7-14. For continuous Banner coverage of Synod 2013, please follow The Banner on Facebook or @crcbanner on Twitter. You can find more tweeting by following hashtag #crcsynod. News stories will be posted at www.thebanner.org several times daily. For CRC Communications releases, webcast, and live blogging, please visit www.crcna.org/synod. Unless noted otherwise, all photographs are by Karen Huttenga.
