Church Life: Regional Ministry - July/August 2008
Building Diversity through Diverse Leaders
If the Reformed Church wants to become more racially diverse, then it needs diversity in leadership. In the past decade the Regional Synod of the Great Lakes (RSGL) has been blessed with a variety of ethnic leaders who have begun to impact its churches and classes with the gifts of cultural and racial diversity. Increasingly non-Caucasian leaders are growing and shaping RSGL churches to reflect the diversity of the body of Christ.
Longtime RCA members may not always recognize the worship style, the building, or the language that is spoken. They may find congregations that don’t know a lot about the history, the structure, or the creeds of the RCA. But they would recognize the tremendous love for Jesus that transforms individuals and communities. Churches need to adapt to their community so that they follow the missionary advice of the apostle Paul: “I will be all things to all people so that some may be saved.” We all can experience the joy of worshiping in different styles and contexts as a foretaste of heaven.
Who are some of the folks making this happen? Many never thought they would end up in something called the Reformed Church. Others have been part of it for many years. It is exciting to see that, for most of these leaders, the RCA has become home—a place where they belong and are willing to work to make it grow and become better. Some are RCA seminary graduates, and the RSGL is grateful for the proactive role the RCA’s two seminaries—Western and New Brunswick—are taking in recruitment and nurture of these students. Some came because the church spoke to them, ministered to them, or loved them into the church. All are a blessing to be celebrated.
Pastor Jeffery Hough was raised in the Muskegon, Michigan, neighborhood where he now leads Angel Community Church. Hough planted this church, which now has 75–100 in worship, seven years ago and has brought many new believers into God’s kingdom through this predominantly African American congregation.
Nate Bull is a street minister who is now responding to God’s call to plant a church. The Holy Spirit, fellow RCA ministers, and folks who were touched by Vanguard Street Ministries called Nate to plant a church on the southwest side of Kalamazoo, Michigan.
Jose Macilas became connected to the Reformed Church through All God’s People, part of Christ Memorial Church in Holland, Michigan. He attends Western Seminary and works alongside Hugo Vasquez at Iglesia Alas de Aguila, a church plant on Holland’s north side.
The Rev. Denise Kingdom-Grier is minister of community outreach at Calvary Reformed Church in Holland, Michigan. Under the leadership of Denise, her husband, C.J., and the Rev. Blaine Newhouse, Calvary has made significant efforts to diversify and reach out to the diverse population that has grown around it.
—the Rev. David Kool
Great Lakes coordinator for urban ministries
Regional Reports
Albany: A spring “Eating Our Way to a New Culture” retreat at Camp Fowler focused on saving work, energy, and resources by developing a process for prudent selections for personal food consumption. Twenty-one participants from seven churches discovered that most ingredients at a typical meal travel at least 1,500 miles to get to the table. The group considered the “100-mile diet.” “The intent is to lose miles off the distance between farm and plate by eating food from within a 100-mile radius, connecting us with farmers, the seasons, and our common desire to save God’s earth,” said Albany minister for witness and education Nancy McNiven. (albany.rca.org)
Canada: Regional Synod of Canada executive the Rev. John Kapteyn attended the May 15 National Prayer Breakfast in Ottawa, Ontario. Keynote speaker Judy Graves shared how she ministers to the homeless in Vancouver, where she coordinates the city’s tenant assistance program. “Through Matthew 25, Christ got into her face by reminding her that to care for the homeless is to care for him,” said Kapteyn. “She said [Christ] still gets in her face each day through the faces of the homeless.” Vancouver’s economic growth has resulted in higher home prices and land values. In turn, low-income housing is torn down and replaced with expensive condominiums, increasing the number of homeless. (www.reformed-church.com)
Far West: The book of Leviticus may seem an unlikely choice for an in-depth Bible study. But it was a natural for Desert Haven Church in Mesa, Arizona. Pastor Scott Kooiman noted during a church class on the Gospel of Luke that all of Jesus’ responses in his desert temptation came from the book of Deuteronomy. “In our discussion, we realized it’s been many years since we had read Deuteronomy, or had never read it,” said Kooiman. In early May, the class began a study of the last three books in the Torah section of the Old Testament, starting with Leviticus. (www.rcawest.org)
Heartland: Over the last nine months, groups totaling more than ninety persons have gathered in churches throughout the synod to learn about spiritual formation through the lens of leadership. These RCA men and women, ranging in ages from the 20s to 70s, responded to an invitation to join Leaders for the Harvest. As a result they have come to a deeper understanding of who God is and how God wants to work through them. One participant in an Emerging Leader group says, “After a lifetime of Christian service, for the first time I’ve truly wrestled with servant leadership, core values, spiritual disciplines, my personal destiny, and ‘finishing well.’” (www.heartlandsynod.org)
Mid-America: After forty-one years of ministry the Church of the Good News in Chicago, Illinois, held its last worship service on May 18. The community it serves—a public housing development—is dwindling in the face of a redevelopment plan, with only about 200 of its 2,000 residents remaining. “We’re going to mourn and grieve, but we’re also going to celebrate who we’ve been,” says Good News elder Sharon Schramel. “One of the most important messages that we’ve passed along to all who have crossed our doorway is to truly follow the path that Jesus set before us—to fight injustice and oppression, and to speak for those who have no voice.” (www.midamericasynod.org).
Mid-Atlantics: First Reformed Church in New Brunswick, New Jersey, is involved in a new meal ministry to area families called “House of Manna.” Each Tuesday and Thursday evening, a half-dozen volunteers gather at the church to set up, serve food, and clean up afterwards. The effort is a combined project of First Church, a local soup kitchen, and an area hospital program that shares health information with attending families. “Our mission is to provide healthy, well-rounded meals to families in a safe environment where they’re able to gather at one table,” said pastor Susan Kramer-Mills. (www.rsmat.org)
New York: Three members of the regional synod who are stepping down from longtime roles were honored recently at its annual meeting at the Warwick Center in Warwick, New York. Marien LoPreto was cited for her service for thirty years as synod treasurer; the Rev. Roger Leonard is retiring after eight years as synod area minister for Mid-Hudson and Orange classes; and Ruby Tsai is stepping down following thirteen years as chair of the synod’s Spiritual Life and Education Committee. “We thank God for Marien, Roger, and Ruby and wish them the best in their retirements,” wrote synod administrative assistant Jane Kuntz. (www.nysynod.org)
|
Featured this month:
Regional Synod of the Great Lakes
Previous editions of
Regional Ministry
June 2008
May 2008
April 2008
March 2008
February 2008
A RESOURCE FOR YOUR CHURCH'S MEMBERS
(Click on the image above for more information.)
|
