God at Work in the CRCNA

From April 2024 through April 2025, 10 events took place across North America that brought Christian Reformed church leaders and members together to talk about ministry. Almost 600 people attended these Gather events to delve into Scripture, share stories from their own churches, and recognize where God is at work in Christian Reformed congregations. A full report of the findings from Gather will be shared later in 2025.

While participants at each event shared their own stories with each other, a series of videos was also created to highlight the types of ministry happening in CRC churches. All of the videos are available at crcna.org/Gather. Here are some examples of congregational ministries:

• In 2015, the Reformed Church in America and the Christian Reformed Church in North America collaborated to plant Hesed Community Church in a disinvested neighborhood in Detroit, Mich.
• Following God’s lead, pastor Marcelo Viana started Amber Church in Winnipeg, Man., and invited recent Brazilian immigrants into his home for worship. As the church grew, he and his wife soon recognized they would need a larger facility. God led them to Covenant CRC in Winnipeg, and through a partnership of faith they were able to rent a chapel from a Christian school.
• Christian Reformed churches in British Columbia have long modeled the warm welcome of Jesus for the newest members of their communities. Through collaboration and the co-funding of a chaplain and refugee support mobilizer, they are effectively responding to the deepest needs of refugees and other newcomers.
• Williams Lake is a remote community about 525 kilometers (326 miles) north of Vancouver, B.C. In this town of fewer than 11,000 people, Cariboo Community Church has become a beacon of welcome, light, and support to nearby residents.
• The Loving Church in Tucson, Ariz., is a Korean- and English-speaking church with about 40 members. The church offers food, clothing, showers, haircuts, and Christ-centered fellowship to dozens of unhoused people each week.
• Twenty-five years ago, Fairlawn CRC in Whitinsville, Mass., started a daytime Bible study for women to gather, share their lives, and deepen their faith in Christ. Today, that Bible study continues to thrive and has proven to be a blessing to the church and the community.
• CRCNA church planters in Florida gathered recently for a backyard barbeque in Port St. Lucie to share food along with ideas and encouragement. From Orlando to Miami, CRC church planters are reaching out to Creole- and Spanish-speaking communities and finding a warm reception in multicultural communities throughout the state.
• For decades, Lawndale CRC has been a steadfast beacon of love and light on Chicago’s West Side. Recently, Eric Crawford joined Jim Wolff to co-shepherd the community now known as Lawndale Lighthouse CRC.
• Four CRC churches in Ontario’s Classis Quinte wanted programming for their high school youth but felt that they couldn’t provide it as individual congregations. They joined together to start Clarington Youth.
• In 2015, the Sebastia family left Venezuela for the United States, leaving behind a comfortable and successful life in the music industry. They clung to their faith and leaned on the gifts God has given them to plant a CRC outreach called Carismah Church. Music still is a key part of Carismah's ministry.
• Begun in 1967 as a handful of students sharing worship, occasional meals, and Bible study, Geneva Campus Church in Madison, Wis., has grown into an intergenerational congregation serving the campus, the city, and the world.
• Founded by Dutch-speaking immigrants to Canada 65 years ago, Hebron CRC in Whitby, Ont., is drawing on its immigrant experience as it ministers to Mandarin-speaking newcomers to Canada. With two worship services (one in Mandarin and one in English), combined children’s ministry, and mutual fellowship, the congregation is learning what it means to be part of God’s diverse and unified family.

Since 2014, a group of pastors in Tucson, Ariz., have been meeting for breakfast once a week to talk about their shared commitment to church planting and community outreach. God is using them to build his kingdom across Tucson.