COVID-19

On that wintery day last year, my happy face not only showed a complete naivety of the soon-approaching pandemic, but also bore no knowledge of the tsunami of grief that would crash into my world.

For the second year in a row the ongoing difficulties and circumstances of the COVID-19 pandemic have caused the Christian Reformed Church’s Council of Delegates to cancel the denomination’s annual synod.

After a Feb. 5 ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court lifted a ban on indoor worship gatherings, some groups are resuming indoor, in-person worship and some continue other options in a state where COVID-19 continues to spread.

According to what God revealed to us in Scripture, the world’s problems are fundamentally spiritual, not political.

Rebecca Konyndyk DeYoung spoke at the 2021 January Series: “Sin is not a game,” she said, “and deep down we know it.”

Nearly half of white evangelicals in the U.S. (49%) said their faith grew stronger due to the coronavirus outbreak—more than any other group, according to a new Pew Research survey.

The World Communion of Reformed Churches (WCRC), an ecumenical group to which the Christian Reformed Church of North America belongs, is calling its Communion members into what it calls a discernment process over the COVID-19 pandemic.

Libertas Christian School made headlines this past November for maintaining a staunch opposition to statewide mask mandates in Michigan.

The Banner shares a glimpse of the experience of three women, in New York and in British Columbia, serving in essential health services through the pandemic.

Campus ministers serving universities through the COVID-19 pandemic have an opportunity to share hope in meaningful ways with a world asking a lot of questions.

The Canadian Council of Churches, the Canadian Interfaith Conversation, and the Canadian Multifaith Federation co-hosted a discussion Dec. 3, welcoming Justin Trudeau to talk about the value of faith communities in a time of pandemic.

Some Christian colleges and universities are reporting record enrollment this past term, despite delivering education in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic.

In Ontario and in British Columbia, Friendship Ministry groups—those designed to bring friendship to adults of varying abilities—have made special connections despite pandemic gathering restrictions.

Prompted by COVID-19 to worship outdoors or online, churches are seeing God move in new spaces. A pastor in New York City and in Grimsby, Ont., shared experiences with The Banner.

The Gathering Place, a community outreach founded by three Thunder Bay, Ont., Christian Reformed congregations 35 years ago, continues to serve the community, with some adaptations to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

On Thanksgiving, the Elgersma family from Community Church of Richmond Hill, Ont., helped to make a longstanding community dinner tradition ‘to-go’ for 2020. The outreach will now continue as a monthly meal-making event.

Global Coffee Break, a small group Bible study ministry, turned 50 in 2020 but the coronavirus pandemic put the celebration of that milestone on hold.

As educators face unexpected challenges in the COVID-19 pandemic, members of River Rock Community Church in Rockford, Mich., are ‘adopting’ teachers at two nearby elementary schools to offer monthly encouragement.

Hope Community Church in Riverside, Calif., has been hosting parking lot worship services, with the help of an FM transmitter, in order to stay connected in person while maintaining a healthy distance.

Like a scratched record album, her life is stuck on “repeat” and can only move forward when the needle is bumped, and we remind her of the events of the past.

Bethel CRC and Wolf Creek Community Church, two Christian Reformed congregations in Lacombe, Alta., hosted a one-day immersive Bible story experience to replace their usual Vacation Bible School during the COVID-19 pandemic.

When the Grand Rapids Public Schools opened with only online learning for the first nine weeks of this academic year, First Christian Reformed Church in Grand Rapids, Mich., decided to support students in their community with an in-person daily homework club.

Things were a little different this year.