A member of Immanuel Christian Reformed Church in Fort Collins, Colo., started nonprofit “Secret Garden” after seeing how picking and delivering bouquets to the neighborhood assisted-living home lifted people’s spirits.
News
Stories from people, congregations and ministries of the CRCNA, reported by The Banner's news editor and a team of regular correspondents and Church Worldwide news from the Religion News Service. Send news tips to news@thebanner.org.
The Christian Parenting and Caregiving Initiative, funded by Lilly Endowment Inc., has awarded 77 grants of up to $1.25 million each “to help interested parents and other caregivers share their Christian faith and values with their children.” The CRCNA is one of the grantees.
Lake City (Mich.) CRC transformed its building into a life-size version of the popular children’s board game Candy Land as part of its summer ministry for kids.
When given 28 suggestions and the prompt “To me, the term ‘Christian Reformed’ means
With the help of students from the University of Nebraska College of Architecture, F Street Neighborhood Church in Lincoln, Neb., is rebuilding a historic chapel into community art space.
“As you age, your world starts to shrink. You feel isolated.” Wellspring Adult Day Services, operating out of Reeman Christian Reformed Church in Fremont, Mich., seeks to offset that.
In Memoriam: Rev. E. Robert Tigchelaar
1942-2023A hard-working and faithful minister of the gospel, Bob Tigchelaar loved each congregation and community to which he was called. He died June 25 at age 81.
“You’re always going to be involved with people who are different from you.” Calvin Theological Seminary students do cross-cultural internships while completing Master of Divinity degrees.
In Memoriam: Rev. John Rop
1950-2023As one who faced challenges with resoluteness, humor, and a reliance on Jesus, John Rop was described as a “heart” preacher who understood brokenness. He died July 2 at age 72.
The goal of the University of Southern California colleagues working in the school’s Information Sciences Institute is to target ‘very low-resource languages that are not even in the top 500.’
Reader satisfaction with The Banner has gone up over the past three years, according to data from reader surveys in 2020 and 2023.
Yeshiva University in New York has launched a master’s degree program intended specifically for Christian students who want to learn more about Judaism. It’s part of a growing number of interfaith academic collaborations at U.S. Christian and Jewish schools.
A pastor and professor with a gentle demeanor and respect for others as God’s image bearers, Phil Holtrop was a trusted confidant and mentor to many. He died June 12, aged 89.
Two men with a heart for Haiti are working to build up leaders and plant Haitian churches in southern Florida.
David Zandstra, 83, living in Marietta, Ga., is charged with “criminal homicide, murder of the first, second, and third degree, as well as kidnapping of a minor” in connection with the 1975 murder of 8-year old Gretchen Harrington in Marple, Penn.
In February 2021, Classis Chicago South commissioned a team to promote racial reconciliation. They hosted a unity service May 21 at Chicago Christian High School.
In Memoriam: Rev. Harvey Arnold Brink
1945-2023A pastor “passionate about welcoming everyone and their stories into the family of God,” Harvey Brink died May 26. He was 78.
Got Bibles? An ad placed in The Banner caught the attention of a Grand Rapids, Mich., reader. With no Michigan drop-off for the Neoga, Ill.-based Project Bible Runners, she decided to offer one.
In Memoriam: Rev. H. Michael Lapian
1962-2023An active pastor of the Indonesian Christian Reformed Fellowship in Dover, N.H., Michael Lapian died June 25. He was 61.
Playing pickleball with church members and neighbors “brings down barriers” says Philadelphia pastor and pickleball enthusiast Gabriel Wang-Herrera.
Unity Christian High School in Hudsonville, Mich., won the Michigan High School Athletic Association Division 3 girls soccer state championship June 16.
At its general assembly in June, the Christian Reformed Church reiterated directions that the Grand Rapids, Mich., congregation come “into alignment with the biblical guidelines affirmed by Synod 2022 regarding same-sex, sexual relationships.” Now the church has to decide how to proceed.
Diane Wendt has led the Coffee and Comfort grief group at Orland Park Christian Reformed Church since 1980. As long as God can use her, she says, she’ll keep doing the work of walking with people through their grief.
Many U.S. religious minorities said the ruling was a much-needed corrective to the challenges they face in balancing their work with their sincerely held religious practices.