The Banner

Pastor and chaplain, George Van Arragon was a man who made people feel welcomed, accepted, and encouraged. He died Dec. 27.

After a full life of ministry and a richly productive season of retirement, Lammert Slofstra, 97, died Dec. 31, 2021.

It wasn’t until later, after my encounter with the letter carrier and when I looked up the lyrics, that I realized I did get the words wrong.

See how readers responded to recent Banner issues, articles, and columns.

Our family joined a Christian Reformed church a few years ago. Recently a deacon expressed concern that we were not contributing more to the general fund. It makes me uncomfortable to think that deacons are talking about how much people are giving and whether it is sufficient. Is this what happens in the CRC?

Three years after starting a Christmas gift donation program, Fellowship Christian Reformed Church in Big Rapids, Mich., is seeing local families begin to take part in more of the church’s events and services.

Many have sought to make sense of the extreme polarities that seem to dominate our cultural and political lives.

Canadians Gus and Wynanda Polman set out on a “justice and reconciliation seeking journey” after an unexpected meeting with an executive of the U.S. National Center for Civil and Human Rights.

The hopeful story of one girl’s journey through grief as she learns to celebrate her father in the midst of sadness.

Odd-couple detectives solve coastal town crimes in this British series.

Delight in prayer as a gift from God—the means of conversing with the Trinity anywhere about anything, of never being alone, and of becoming an agent of God’s Kingdom.

Let’s look back one last time to some of our best from 2021.

By passing a talking piece around a room, everyone is invited to speak once and listen a lot.

For those who have left the church, podcasts can be a godsend.

Two big musicals and an animated children’s movie showcase Hamilton creator’s exuberance.

 Lushly illustrated in rich colors, 189 Canaries is an unforgettable story about music, migration, and the search for home.

Irish band releases third album with themes of trust, hope, and surrender.

A seminarian on his first summer assignment, in Vermillion, S.D., is about to embark on an adventure of a lifetime.

Water has a unique structure. God made it differently.

Does it matter what kind of company I work for and what kind of values it seems to have?

Savage-Prior Lake TreeHouse, a ministry of Bridgewood Christian Reformed Church in Savage, Minn., launched at a crucial time to offer teens hope where many see none.

The Mighty Muskrats, four cousins from the Windy Lake First Nation, are back for another mystery. For readers aged 9-12.

Clint Eastwood returns to the screen in this reflective story.