The Banner

Bible teacher Mac Wiener at Timothy Christian School in Elmhurst, Ill., helped his campus receive Level 1 National Arboretum status by cataloging their garden of trees.

I’m learning to discern the difference between healthy accountability in using my gifts and vainglorious martyrdom.

Oscar-winning short documentary details how women in India are fighting stigma attached to menstruation. 

A debut novel by the daughter of Palestinian immigrants ponders a woman’s worth. 

The Banner; RCA-CRC Disability Concerns; and Reformed Worship, the journal of the Christian Reformed Church’s Worship Ministries, have all been recognized in the 2018 “Best of the Church Press” awards from the Associated Church Press.

The Christian Reformed Church has a process of last resort for sorting out appeals of decisions made by various levels of leadership. The group responsible is the Judicial Code Committee and its members want a review of their practices.

She sat across from me, a look of disbelief on her face. As she spoke, her eyes grew larger, her voice stronger. “These things would never, ever happen in my country,” she said. “But if they did, there would be a big problem for that person and for that person’s family.”

If biblical justice is a movement that restores broken relationships, then our pursuit of justice is as much about everyday acts of courage and conviction as it is about those dramatic—and intimidating—moments of history. 

It can be very helpful for everyone in a newly blended family if both the marriage partners and their respective children understand that the roles of spouse and parent should not be assumed to automatically go together. 

A worship album based on King Jehoshaphat’s leading the people of Judah in victory by praising the Lord.

The adventures of a deaf and mute girl and her blind rescue dog is based on a true story.

In Fruitport, Mich., when a school system sought adult mentors to encourage struggling students, the local Christian Reformed congregation joined three other churches to make a difference.

Teacher Nicky DeBoer lives in Byron Center, Mich.; the band is located in Sunnyside, Wash. The high school’s principal, looking for qualified teachers dedicated to Christ-centered learning, didn’t see that as a barrier.

Marinus Harberts, who had ministered for 35 years with the Navajo people in New Mexico, died on March 19.

Although I cannot yet see the fruition, beneath the surface seeds are already germinating, preparing to poke their heads out of the soil when the time is right, bursting forth into new plants. Within weeks, buds and leaves will appear on the same trees that now look so dim. Rain will fall, the puddles becoming homes for small frogs. By the middle of June, flowers will abound.

Begun as a three-year pilot project in 12 classes (U.S. Upper Midwest, California, and Southern Ontario), the goal of Connections is to bring denominational resources to Christian Reformed churches in ways that are responsive and easily accessed. 

Much of the conversation between Gibson and Jennings centered around the topic of theological education and how many scholars today are wrestling with one big question for themselves. As for Jennings, he pursues “the question of God and race.”

Uno de los cinco futuros deseados que se expresan en nuestro plan de ministerio denominacional, Nuestra Travesía 2020, se enfoca en la colaboración: “Nuestras iglesias y ministerios trabajarán de la mano unos con otros, y con socios en nuestras propias comunidades y en todo el mundo, para cumplir fielmente El mandamiento de Jesús de hacer discípulos de todas las naciones."

Two best friends anticipate graduation and divergent paths in this YA novel for teens and adults alike. 

Twenty-five years after the Rwandan genocide, a Netflix series explores its painful legacy. 

Our church has a lot of programs for children and teens but nothing for those of us who are retirement age. I feel as if I don’t count. Shouldn’t the church have things for us too?

Thank you so much for making Joanne De Jonge’s kids’ pages available for printing (“Just for Kids: A Baker’s Dozen,” free PDF download available at thebanner.org). I have been meaning to request permission to copy some of the children’s pages from The Banner to share with the girls in our GEMS Club. The ones you made available are some of my favorites.