Ernest Phillip Benally has walked the way of Christ for many years as a member of the Christian Reformed Church.
The walk has not always been easy. But Benally, a Navajo and retired social worker, has never allowed frustration to push him from the church he loves.
“I became connected with the Christian Reformed Church when I was enrolled at the Crownpoint Bureau of Indian Affairs Boarding School,” he writes in a new book, My Walk of Faith.
The son of traditional Navajo parents, Benally turned to Christianity at an early age, particularly because he loved the Bible stories, prayers, and gospel songs he learned while receiving religious instruction at the school.
He writes about his disappointment over not being ordained into the ministry but also discusses earning a Masters degree that allowed him to work as a social worker among his people.
He served Christian Reformed Home Missions as regional leader for Classis Red Mesa from 1996 to 1999.
Copies of the book are available by contacting Al Mulder at amulder@crcna.org.
About the Author
Chris Meehan is a freelance writer and commissioned pastor at Coit Community Church in Grand Rapids, Mich.
