Synod 2022 (the general synod of the Christian Reformed Church) opened its discussion of the human sexuality report with a prayer of “grief and lament” for the broken ways in which the church has dealt with sexuality.
“There has been a little bit of crying in committee eight these past few days,” said Tim Kuperus, chair of the committee that dealt with the human sexuality report.
The committee members wrote out a prayer of grief and lament and took turns reading it from various microphones scattered among the delegates of synod.
Some of the prayers included:
“We grieve the special pain experienced by members of the LGBTQ+ community through our lack of grace.”
“We lament when we have used truth as a weapon and grace as an excuse.”
“We grieve that churches have caused people of all ages who bear the image of God to believe that they are excluded from that identity.”
“We lament our confusion, fear, and misunderstanding over changes in culture with regard to sexuality.”
“Help! Help us!” the prayer concluded. “Each of us practices hypocrisies we do not ourselves recognize. Help us as we listen and speak. Amen.”
Synod 2022 is meeting at Calvin University in Grand Rapids, Mich., from June 10-16. Find daily coverage from The Banner news team at thebanner.org/synod, download the Banner app on your mobile device, or follow The Banner Magazine on Facebook. On Twitter follow #crcsynod or twitter.com/crcna. Synod is the annual general assembly of the Christian Reformed Church (it did not gather in 2020 or 2021). Connect to the meeting’s livestream, read advisory committee reports, and find other resources at crcna.org/synod.
About the Authors
Clayton Libolt was the long time pastor of River Terrace Church in East Lansing, Mich. Since his retirement, he has served in a variety of interim positions. He is presently serving as the interim senior pastor of Sonlight Community CRC in Lynden, Wash.
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.
