This year’s young adult representatives were impressed—and encouraged—by the processes of church government.
“People our age know very little about how the church is run,” said Jenna Rodermond.
“I’m blessed to be here,” said Ben VanderWindt. “I’ve seen the power of the denominational voice compared to individualism.”
“The amount of passion here gives me hope,” added Kristy Bootsma.
Izhar Alvarez agreed. “They’re actually talking about situations and not putting them under the rug.”
“A lot of care goes into this process,” said Lydia Verstrate. “How special it is to be here and be part of the church and see how widespread it is. To hear the perspectives of people across the U.S. and Canada.”
Robyn Stegink said she would use her experience at synod to become more involved in the church in the future.
Rodermond cast a vision for synod’s future: “I hope that in 10 years we won’t need young adult representatives because there will be so many young people as delegates on the floor of synod.”
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
Roxanne VanFarowe is a freelance writer who claims both Canadian and American citizenship and grew up in the Christian Reformed Church. She is a member of Blacknall Presbyterian Church in Durham, North Carolina.