John 15 reminds us that God is the vine into whom we are all grafted. While we might undergo pruning from time to time, if we remain faithful, keep his commands, and love one another, we will bear fruit and be filled with joy. In fact, John 15:11 promises that our joy will overflow. With that in mind, the ministries and educational institutions of the CRCNA wanted to share a few stories this month that demonstrate the joy flowing in and around our communities thanks to the shared ministries you support. Praise God for the way he is working in and through the Christian Reformed Church.
Bringing the Bible to Life
By Kristen de Nooyer, Thrive
The children’s ministry hallway at Second Christian Reformed Church in Grand Haven, Mich., used to be a plain space. Today, it is a journey through the rugged landscapes of first-century Israel. Through a vibrant new mural project, the church has transformed blank walls into an immersive experience designed to help children move beyond hearing Bible stories to being in awe of God’s big story and his invitation to be part of it.
The vision for the project was sparked by Annie Hoekzema, Second CRC’s director of children's ministries and a member of Thrive’s Children’s Ministry Leaders Network. After transformative study trips where she walked the Mount of Olives and hiked the mountains of Galilee, Hoekzema felt called to bring that same life-changing context to her students.
“We want to stir children’s imaginations to feel what it was like to be a character in the Bible stories we read,” she shared, noting that the ultimate goal is to help children understand the Word in new ways.
Transforming the hallway was a true community effort. Over an ambitious six-day period, a team of seven artists and five painters from the congregation worked to bring the desert and sky to life. The result is a series of landscapes that allow for layered meaning.
“After a story about David in the desert,” Hoekzema explained, “we can point out En Gedi and invite children to reflect on ways that Christ is our Living Water. As we pass by the Mount of Olives during Advent, we point out the olive stump in the mural that has a green shoot sprouting up. Weekly, we can walk by Qumran with gratitude for those who preserved the Ancient Words in jars of clay.”
Last summer, children spent each week focusing on a different mural, culminating in an event where they dressed up to teach the congregation about what they learned.
“Part of our approach in our Sunday morning children’s ministry is encouraging children to be still, to look, wonder, and ask questions,” Hoekzema reflected. “We use artwork regularly for children to help reflect and keep their epiphany eyes and spirit awakened all year.”
Mission of Faith
By Victoria Veenstra, Resonate Global Mission
The spark of joy that Diego and Camila Hiriart are witnessing is one of community—in Italy, where they are planting their fourth church.
As Resonate Global Mission church planters, the Hiriarts have long served Latino immigrant communities through church planting in multiple countries. Wherever they go, their calling is consistent: to walk alongside people, helping them find not only spiritual growth but also a church family where they belong.
Several years ago while in Italy reconnecting with Camila’s Italian roots, they encountered an immigrant community of Argentinians and Italians born abroad, who were hungry for both faith and fellowship.
What began with shared devotions soon deepened. A family they met in Italy felt called to formally join the Mission of Faith International CRC in Spring, Texas, where Diego and Camila serve. (Mission of Faith was started as a Resonate church plant in 2012 and organized as an established church in 2018.) That family now participates actively in the life of the Texas congregation while remaining deeply rooted in the growing community in Italy. Over time, this relationship has grown into an intentional, two-way connection between the church in Texas and the emerging church in Italy.
“We didn’t want people to only watch church on a screen,” Diego explained. “Our desire was for people—especially immigrants far from home—to have a real church family in Italy. A place where they can gather regularly, be known, and grow together in faith.”
During a six-month stay in 2023, the Hiriarts began formalizing an evangelical church community in Italy. Serving immigrants has remained central to that calling. “Many of the people we met had strong faith,” Camila noted, “but they felt alone. We wanted to walk with them day by day.”
Today a small but committed group of about 20 people gathers regularly for worship, prayer, and Bible study. Sometimes they meet online, but increasingly in person. A recent retreat in Pietragalla marked a milestone: their first in-person communion. “It was a powerful moment,” Diego said. “We realized this was no longer just a group meeting; it was a church.”
Act Five Trip to Manitoulin Island
By Kristen Parker, Canadian Justice Ministries
In November 2025, Act Five students took a trip to Manitoulin Island in northern Ontario, where they learned about land, story, and relationship. Act Five is an eight-month learning and mentoring journey for young people who have finished high school. They live in community, build relationships, and grow in faith as they explore their callings and future.
Cindy Stover, justice mobilizer with the CRC in Canada, and other Canadian Indigenous Ministry staff support Act Five with learning experiences and opportunities to debrief. In reflecting on the recent trip to Manitoulin Island, Stover shared that joy comes from seeing students fully come alive as they engage in embodied learning.
Taken midway through the trip, the photo shows students gathered where Lake Kagawong meets Lake Huron, as they hiked down from Bridal Veil Falls. There they met with an Indigenous Christian leader who shared a story about integrating his Christian faith with his Indigenous identity.
“This isn’t just sitting in a classroom listening to a lecture,” Stover said. “The students are out walking on the land together.” She pointed out how students listened to the pastor as he shared about his life and created space for deeper understanding of Indigenous ways of being in relationship with the land and with Creator God.
The visit to Manitoulin Island is part of Act Five’s course titled Place, Home, and Land. The course invites students to reflect on what it means to belong somewhere, to understand home as a place of safety and hospitality, while also recognizing their responsibility toward the land and how they are shaped by it. During their week on the island, students spent time immersed in Indigenous community life, learning directly from local leaders and exploring what it means to care for creation while also living out their Christian faith.
Stover takes on the role of a “conversation partner,” helping students process what they are learning about Indigenous peoples and thinking about reconciled relationships. While she does not position herself as an expert, she helps bridge understanding, creating space for questions and guiding students as they encounter new perspectives.
More Than a Scoreboard
By John Zimmerman, Calvin University
Long after the final whistle blows and uniforms are packed away, the moments that continue to endure in sport often have little to do with the scoreboard. For Coach Aaron Sagraves, head coach of Calvin University’s men’s volleyball team, they begin with faith.
Belief in Jesus Christ serves as the guiding principle behind everything he does as a coach—shaping how he builds relationships, runs practices, approaches games, and talks with players.
Shaped by decades of athletics and coaching experience, Sagraves’ philosophy has remained consistent throughout his career. Success isn’t defined only by wins or championships, but by the kind of people players become during their time in the program.
“Coaching has always been about people,” he said. “Sport gives us an opportunity to walk alongside young people during an important time in their lives.”
Practices are competitive and expectations are high, but development extends beyond tactics and performance. Conversations regularly turn toward purpose, accountability, and growth on and off the court.
“We’re preparing students for life after college,” he said. “Academics are essential. Sport is important, but it can’t come at the expense of why they’re here.”
He wants to win, but there is more to it than wins and losses. Modern college athletics present unique challenges. Rosters often include transfers and international players arriving from different cultures. Bringing those individuals together into a unified team requires intentional leadership.
For Sagraves, faith plays a key role in creating that connection. “When players understand they’re valued as people first, it changes everything,” he said. “You build trust and relationships.”
Those relationships often matter most in moments away from competition, when players face challenges beyond athletics.
“When players come off the court, they need support,” Sagraves said. “They need someone who cares about them beyond performance.”
Years from now, when players look back on their experience, Sagraves hopes their memories go deeper than wins or statistics. “I want them to remember relationships. I want them to remember how they grew—not just as athletes, but as people,” said Sagraves. “At the end of the day, sport brings people together, but faith gives direction to everything we do.”
Alice Renews Her Joy
By Samson Sifa, World Renew
For 31-year-old Alice, joy once felt distant. Living in rural Kenya, she, her husband, and their three children had endured five difficult years of drought. Her crops were failing, and she had almost given up on raising chickens after losing many to disease during dry spells. But when Alice was invited to join a Farmer Field School through World Renew, a spark of excitement returned.
At FFS, Alice eagerly absorbed everything she could. She learned conservation agriculture techniques—such as using mulch to protect the soil’s moisture—and new skills in raising chickens and goats. She also joined a Village Savings and Loan Association, where members saved money together and offered each other low‑interest loans. For Alice, this community support brought a sense of relief and hope.
During one training session on poultry disease management, Alice shared how she had lost five chickens to fowl pox and had only six left. The project team guided her through the right treatment, and her remaining birds survived. This moment revived her passion for keeping chickens.
With her confidence restored, Alice borrowed KSH 3,000 (USD $23) from her VSLA and bought 10 improved chicks (specially bred to be hardier and more productive). She also purchased 30 eggs for her hens to brood. Today, she proudly cares for 41 chickens and has five more on the way. She even built a new, well‑ventilated poultry house and now feeds her flock a balanced diet. “I never thought chickens required such great attention,” she said with a laugh.
The joy didn’t stop there. Inspired by animal‑rearing lessons at FFS, Alice and her husband bought their first goat and plan to add more soon. She also started a kitchen garden using a multistorey method that saves water and space. By mulching half an acre before planting season, she saved KSH 1,500 (about USD $12) in tilling costs.
Looking at all she has accomplished, Alice’s smile says it all. “I will put in my best effort to use everything I learned,” she said, now grateful, hopeful, and full of renewed joy.
