Church Life: Church News - May 2008
Urban Ministry Trips Inspire RCA Youth from Iowa, South Dakota
Andrea Taylor and the youth group from Second Reformed Church in Pella, Iowa, took a December “plunge” into the center city of Omaha, Nebraska, for an up-close look at urban ministry.
The group from Second Reformed Church in Pella, Iowa, stand next to a "Pella" window
placed in a new women's shelter under constuction in South Omaha.
“It was really good for high-schoolers who had no inner-city experience,” said Taylor, the church’s senior high ministries and service coordinator, of their trip late last year. The team visited various inner-city ministries, getting hands-on service opportunities organized by Omaha Urban Plunge, an offshoot of Christ for the City International (www.cfci.org).
“There was a homeless shelter, thrift store, food pantry, detention center—and there was a church where, when you show up, you get a bag of groceries,” recalled Taylor, whose group spent three days on various sites in the state’s largest urban area.
Samantha Wager of Second Reformed Church in Pella, Iowa, hands out coats
at a homeless shelter during an "Urban Plunge" trip.
It is an immersion-style program, according to Urban Plunge coordinator Michael Ross.
“We invite church groups to leave the comfort of the suburbs or safety of a small town to enter the inner city to come alongside a ministry to meet needs,” he said. “It’s not a ‘tour of poverty,’ but it’s designed to help participants grasp how they can use their talents and passions in a ministry and make a difference.”
Several students handed out warm clothing at a church called Open Door. The visitors’ Pella congregation had sent along coats, blankets, and hats for just such an opportunity. They also worked at a homeless shelter, joined in after-school kids programs, and visited a street ministry as well as a large African-American church.
Zach Benson, a Central College student, hands out hats and blankets outside
an Omaha, Nebraska, homeless shelter.
“I really recommend something like this for the experience,” said Taylor.
In March, a group of youths and adults from Bethany Reformed Church in Canton, South Dakota, made similar Omaha ministry connections.
“This [experience] was not that far from home, but worlds away from what we’re used to,” wrote Bethany member Jason Wiersma, who has recently begun seminary. “I think it will help our church’s passion to reach out.”
The vulnerable feeling at a homeless shelter touched Karren Peterson, who made the trip with her 11-year-old daughter, Sally. “But I loved seeing so many people doing God’s work,” she said.
Lorna Haverhals, leader of the Bethany group, said they did a prayer walk through the worst drug and prostitution area of the city.
“We also went to a church of predominantly homeless people where we were all overdressed, then straight to a very influential Baptist church where we were all clearly underdressed.”
Last year a group of twelve youths and seven adults from Trinity Reformed Church in Orange City, Iowa, made the trek to Omaha for its plunge. Members visited and worked in some of the same places as the other groups, including worship at Empty Tomb Church as part of a service for the homeless community.
Samantha Honken (in hat) passes out toys to needy children at the Open Door Mission
in Omaha, Nebraska.
Meanwhile, during the March spring break week, a group of students from the University of Iowa came to Omaha, led by freshman Samantha Honken. Honken is a part-time staffer for Geneva Campus Ministry, a joint effort of the RCA and the Christian Reformed Church.
“I’m now more conscious of poverty so close to home and am seriously considering a call to missions,” said Honken, a member of First Reformed Church in Sibley, Iowa.
“I think what impacted me the most about the trip was the extremes we saw,” Honken continued. “To go from seeing a church full of homeless or nearly homeless people, to seeing a church full of middle/upper class families was startling. Especially since the wealthy church was not far from where we had been doing most of our mission work, in a very poor area, but this upper class church didn't have any of the needy people of the community in their congregation. To me that was a reminder of how we have to be conscious and loving toward all our brothers and sisters in Christ, not just the people most like ourselves. The Church, like Jesus during his ministry, should have the poor, underprivileged, and broken coming in droves, not hiding because they are scared of being judged.”
The Rev. Dr. Edward Laarman, a University of Iowa campus minister who was also on the trip, said the entire group left Omaha with vivid memories. “Attending the Empty Tomb Church, I felt I was surrounded by the kinds of people who were attracted to Jesus during his earthly ministry,” he said. “I was impressed how we must be concerned about promoting justice and providing assistance to the poor and oppressed in our midst if we are followers of Jesus Christ.”
Seminary Hosts RCA Openings Session
An event at which ministry candidates meet church representatives will likely lead to more such meetings in the future, organizers say.
Called "RCA Openings," the job contact session was held in January at New Brunswick Theological Seminary (NBTS) in New Brunswick, New Jersey. It offered persons seeking ministry positions the chance to meet with churches and other ministries seeking job candidates.
"This was our first attempt to do this connective work," said Pamela Bakker, NBTS coordinator of communications. "Although we do not offer job placement, per se, this is a wonderful way to help students, alumni, and local churches meet each other."
The concept sprang from a committee of New Brunswick Classis, and the Rev. Christopher Vande Bunte was responsible for some initial planning.
"Actually the seminary and the [regional] synods had partnered up in this way in the past--but that was three or four seminary presidents ago," said Vande Bunte, associate pastor of Colts Neck Reformed in Colts Neck, New Jersey.
Churches in metropolitan New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania that had openings sent representatives to the session to meet and perhaps interview prospective candidates for those openings. The candidate pool would come from seminary students, interim pastors whose contracts were expiring, and ministers without charge, including those from other Christian traditions.
"Because of turnover at the seminary, our communication and planning was set back a few crucial months," Vande Bunte said of the time needed to contact classis presidents, clerks, and others to find which churches should be invited. Time to contact seminary students and other possible candidates was also short.
"The turnout was small for the first attempt," said Bakker. "But we did have a number of churches ask us to mention their openings even though they couldn't attend."
Six members of the pastoral search team from Reformed Church of Freehold, New Jersey, came to the RCA openings event. "We interviewed three candidates--two seminary students and a minister," said consistory vice president Irma Krohn.
Although the interviews went well, Krohn said they had been hoping for a larger pool of onsite candidates.
Vande Bunte hopes the event will be repeated at some point. "There's a lot of interest in this concept, but I believe it will have to be scheduled and publicized far in advance to have search committees and candidates attend," Vande Bunte said. "For example, even students at Western [Theological Seminary in Holland, Michigan] could conceivably meet with ten to fifteen churches in one trip out east. This event serves the purpose of making valuable connections that go way beyond the RCA profile [resume] system, as well as giving interview experience to both sides."
Church's Gift Spurs Mission Program in South India
The Banyan Tree Tailoring program, which creates jobs and income for women in South India who are unemployed or living at sub-poverty levels, has received a boost with the gift of twenty-one new sewing machines. The gift came from the “Fun 40s and 50s” growth group of Christ Memorial Reformed Church in Holland, Michigan.
RCA missionary Linn Gann directs the tailoring skill program, working with members of the Church of South India, many of whom are Dalits (formerly called “untouchables”), an underclass with a history of poverty and inadequate opportunity. Indian women are learning to make clothing to produce income to care for their families. Mission Partners International, a nonprofit group based in Holland, is the RCA partner in the effort.
Churches
Heartland Community Church in Lafayette, Indiana, has been on a journey. “We sold our building, we’ve moved, and made lots of changes—one of them being our name,” said member Mary Strawsma of the former First Reformed Church. Strawsma said it’s been a journey of “disciples who make disciples” under copastors Drew and Andrea Poppleton. “We’ve stepped out for a mission trip (to Louisiana), served a Ronald McDonald home with food and supplies, and reached out to our local neighborhood, working on our mission to help one another as disciples,” said Strawsma, part of the church H2O (Heartland Hospitality to Others) team.
Nooksack Valley Reformed Church in Nooksack, Washington, collected coins in an antique butter churn during a February fundraising campaign to place portable radios in Africa. Pastor Chuck Kleinhesselink challenged Sunday school children and the rest of the congregation to participate in the effort called “Churn Your Radio on for Words of Hope,” the RCA-affiliated international broadcast ministry. A focal point was the antique churn that church member Harriet Lautenbach’s father had purchased more than a half century ago when the family emigrated from the Netherlands. “It was something visual that was open at the top that kids could identify with,” she said. A separate gift came in the form of a bucket full of pennies. “They brought it to the bank and it was $56.23, which meant there were more than 5,600 pennies in there.” In all, more than 14,000 coins in were deposited—along with some paper money—to total $820.
Knapp Reformed Church in Grand Rapids, Michigan, served a Valentine’s luncheon to teachers at a nearby elementary school as part of the church’s student mentoring school partnership through the Kids Hope USA organization. “It’s an encouragement and thank-you to teachers for their help in identifying kids who could benefit from a match with volunteer mentors,” said Knapp mentoring coordinator Tammi Shymanski. Volunteers brought three pots of chicken noodle soup to the school for teachers and staff, with heart-shaped cookies featuring the Kids Hope logo. The church has at least seven mentors—including pastor Allen Pickett—who meet with individual students for an hour each week. One of the mentors has two children who attend the school. “[The school administration] gave us a count of sixty-five to seventy who might attend the lunch, and we had approximately sixty-five teachers and staff there,” said Shymanski.
The Reformed Church in Highland Park, New Jersey, and its Irayna Court housing project received significant media coverage before and after its February open house. The six-apartment complex, built atop the church's administrative wing, will house young adult women who have aged out of foster care. A local nonprofit group handles social service needs of the residents who will transition into permanent housing. Articles in the New Brunswick Home Tribune newspaper previewed the facility, spearheaded by pastor Seth Kaper-Dale, and also reported on the open house with several photos of the new building. Irayna is the Greek word for peace. "I am proud of [the church] for having this vision and creating this affordable housing," Kaper-Dale said. At the dedication service, church choir members performed a song based on Micah 6:8. A video of the dedication is available online (www.rsmat.org).
Faith Reformed Church in Traverse City, Michigan, has acquired a former auto parts factory and adjacent land, giving it a third location for its multisite ministry. “This will become our ‘hub’ campus with a worship center, space for youth and children’s ministry, and the administrative center,” said pastor Peter Semeyn of the $1.8 million purchase. The site includes the 90,000-square-foot factory and seven acres of land. Semeyn said the church will be partnering with local social service agencies, providing space for them to meet various community needs at the new location. The local township approved the rezoning of the property from industrial to commercial/general business, making way for the acquisition. “This purchase…is aimed at fulfilling our mission and vision,” Semeyn said. “We will love people where they are, using all our means to introduce pre-Christians to God’s transforming love.”
Crossroads Church in Estherville, Iowa, and pastor Jason Olson were particularly excited when an exchange student from Mongolia came to visit a church Bible study for high-schoolers. The student from a Buddhist family took her turn in the group, reading from Philippians 2 about Jesus becoming a servant so he might die and then be exalted. “She told us it was the first time she had ever read from the Bible,” Olson said. Since she has been to the study, Olson reported, she has experienced some interesting personal “battles” that she is attributing to her involvement with the Bible. “We never know the possible worldwide impact our churches are going to have,” he said. Crossroads is an RCA church plant that held its first worship service in a renovated state transportation garage on Christmas Eve, 2004. Olson said that despite some spiritual attacks that new churches tend to receive, Crossroads has many great things happening. A “Kidzone” program draws eighty children and youth weekly. Last fall, Olson taught Christianity and Bible classes to high-school age girls in a residential treatment facility, many of whom worship at Crossroads. In March and April, he preached a six-week series based on author Max Lucado’s book, 3:16: The Numbers of Hope, and more than two dozen church members were reading and studying the book during the sermon series.
Ministry
The Rev. Victor Folkert is the new pastor of the Reformed Church of Holland in Hickman, Nebraska. In March he left his previous pastorate at New Life Community Church in Wendell, Idaho.
The Rev. Jon Sherrill was installed January 27 as lead pastor of Fifth Reformed Church in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Sherrill previously served as associate pastor at Meredith Drive Reformed Church in Des Moines, Iowa.
Staff
Barbara Boers, RCA controller since September, has been appointed treasurer and chief financial officer (CFO) for the denomination.
Boers had been acting treasurer following the February departure of Susan Converse, who also headed the finance team.
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| Barbara Boers |
General secretary the Rev. Wesley Granberg-Michaelson said the prime candidate for the job was close at hand. “After reviewing the needs of the position along with the skills Barbara has shared with us since joining our staff, she has demonstrated the knowledge, skills, and commitment required to lead our finance team and serve as CFO and treasurer,” he said.
The appointment was effective immediately following the March announcement.
Prior to working for the RCA, Boers had served as a vice president of finance and regional controller for HCJB-Global, an international Christian broadcasting ministry.
People
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| Barb Dewald |
Barb Dewald, associate dean of spiritual formation at Northwestern College in Orange City, Iowa, and member of Trinity Reformed Church, was honored at a recent conference with an excellence in campus ministry award. The Council for Christian Colleges and Universities (CCCU) particularly affirmed her work with a mission ministry called the Fellowship of Short-Term Ministry Leaders. “She and others in the organization strive to train, equip, and empower students as short-term missionaries around the world,” said CCCU campus minister commission chair Rod Reed.
Clarice Kooima recently retired from her position as secretary after forty years of service at First Reformed Church in Hull, Iowa. Her job began in February 1968, under pastor David Ter Beest, and she has worked with only two other pastors during the last four decades—Gerald Vander Velde and Verlyn Boone.“It’s really been a satisfying job,” said Kooima. “I enjoy helping people and I’ve enjoyed the many people I’ve worked with, from pastors and interns to education directors and custodians.”
Obituaries
The Rev. Joy Carroll, former pastor of discipleship at North Branch Reformed Church in Bridgewater, New Jersey, died February 23. She was 57. At the time of her death she was a volunteer coordinator for CASA (Court Apppointed Special Advocates) for Children, a national organization that helps abused and neglected children currently in foster care. She was responsible for a three-county area in north central New Jersey, recruiting, training, and supporting volunteers who work one-on-one with foster children. “I do believe this is a calling and a ministry,” she told the Church Herald in January. She is survived by her husband of thirty-three years, Patrick Carroll; and children, Timothy Carroll and Tracey Carroll.
The Rev. Clarence Greving, retired RCA pastor, died February 29. He was 92. The Prairie View, Kansas, native was a school teacher and served in the Army at the end of World War II before he completed seminary. He and his wife, Gladys, served churches in Newkirk and Alton, Iowa; Overisel, Michigan; and Hollandale, Minnesota. He later served part time at churches in Sioux Center and Orange City, Iowa. He is survived by his wife of fifty-nine years, Gladys; children Emalee and Lloyd TeBrink; Warren and Jan Greving; and Julie and Philip Moss; fourteen grandchildren; and two great-grandchildren.
Albertha Biegel, former RCA missionary, died March 3. She was 90. The Grand Haven, Michigan, native served as a missionary in India 1946–60, and again 1963–82. She is survived by five nephews and nieces.
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| Steve and Linda Brooks |
The Rev. Steven Brooks, longtime RCA pastor and former General Synod president, died March 11 after a yearlong struggle with ALS (Lou Gehrig’s Disease). He was 56. Brooks had retired last fall following twenty-one years as pastor of Springs Community Church in Colorado Springs. The Holland, Michigan, native had previously served as minister of youth and families at Westwood Community Church in Omaha, Nebraska. During his ministry he served as a member of the RCA Houses of Prayer Everywhere (HOPE) team and as General Synod president 2001–02. “He was a wonderful, deeply spiritual man; fun, vibrant, family-oriented, a church planter, and a man who sought truth and mission and lived in grace,” recalled the Rev. Bruce Bugbee, executive of the Regional Synod of the Far West. At his November 2007 retirement, Brooks and his wife, Linda, were honored with the dedication of “Grace River,” a sloping series of short waterfalls next to Springs Community Church, representing the congregation’s motto: “Stand in Grace River.” He is survived by his wife, Linda; children Ross and Lindsey Brooks, Bree Brooks, and Ben and Katie Brooks.
Barbara Jewett, wife of RCA pastor the Rev. William Jewett, died February 3. She was 72. She and her husband served RCA churches in Kingston and West New Hempstead, New York, and for twenty-six years in Brielle, New Jersey. Barbara was a school teacher for many years, gave music lessons, and sang with both the Garden State Philharmonic Chorus and the local Sweet Adelines. She is survived by her husband of fifty-two years, William; children William H. Jewett, Lorraine Ann, and Deborah Sue Soderland; and three grandchildren.
The Rev. Joseph Bliss, retired RCA pastor, died March 15. He was 70. The Columbus, Ohio, native was a 1983 Western Theological Seminary graduate, and he served churches in Alexandria Bay, New York, and Closter, New Jersey. He also served in specialized ministry and was part of a Presbyterian church start in Allendale, Michigan. He is survived by his wife, Delores.
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