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Walking by Faith: Planting Churches with Haitians

Si Dye vle.In Haitian Creole, it means “if God wills.”“I’ve learned that Haitians embody this attitude that you don’t know what’s going to happen tomorrow,” explained Johnny Gryglewicz, a missionary with Resonate Global Mission. “If you’re saying goodbye to someone with plans to see them the next da

Rethinking Mission

How do you manage living in another culture? Where is the justice? What should mission look like?These are a few of the questions Noemi* wrestled with as a young adult who was passionate about living out her faith. She had always been part of churches that were more inwardly focused, and something a

Shaped for God’s Purposes

Every generation has its formative historical moments: COVID-19, for example, or 9/11, the Vietnam War, the assassinations of John F. Kennedy and Martin Luther King Jr., or World War II. Events like these shape the psyche of a generation and affect worldviews.I often wonder what events and experienc

Finding God’s Voice

Maraleisa VandenHeuvel reads in her favorite nook of her bedroom. Surrounded by play scripts, homework, sheet music, and her work uniform, it’s a rare moment of calm in her otherwise full schedule.While her days are full, VandenHeuvel regularly remembers why she serves and participates in so many ac

The Future Looks Bright

World-changers from every generation live and work among us, making a difference in our communities, serving as Christ’s agents of renewal, and actively engaging with culture. One of the key milestones of the Christian Reformed Church’s Our Journey denominational ministry plan focuses on this realit

Paving the Way to a Physically Accessible Church

The community in Malinda, Kenya, waited anxiously as the rainy season quickly approached. Resonate Global Mission missionary Kakarioba Bosire lives there, and he explained that the community calls this weather “the rains.” Unlike a typical rainy day, these rains cause relentless trouble and hardship

Christian App Bridges the Gap for Japanese Worship

In the heart of Japan’s Fukuoka Prefecture, a man named Yamoto has been confined to a hospital for nearly two years.“I can’t go to church, but I want to worship,” he said.Yamoto yearns for spiritual connection, and he’s found it by regularly tuning in to telephone messages that nourish his faith.The

Pastors Practice Spiritual Resting

Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.—Matthew 11:28-30These verses are a familiar passage to many of us

Survey Says … Spiritual Practices at Work in the CRC

Every year, the Christian Reformed Church conducts a survey of its members to measure the health and well-being of its congregations, to see how they are changing over time, and to track what resources and materials might be needed. To ensure the burden is not too great on any particular congregatio

Service Means a Better Future

Diego Alberto Catinac Guarchaj is full of hope for a better future—and not just for himself. The 32-year-old is a community leader who serves as secretary of the board of directors of his community organization. He lives in the mountains of rural Guatemala and is qualified to be a school teacher, bu

A Prayer for Park Benches

I have a park bench. Maybe you have one too.My bench is at the end of a wooded loop trail at Cascade Peace Park in Grand Rapids, Mich. It sits on a bluff about 150 feet above a small babbling brook that trickles into the Grand River a quarter of a mile away. Surrounding my bench are the large maples

Promoting the Welfare of the City Through the 49507 Initiative

This fall, dozens of residents of the 49507 ZIP code in Grand Rapids, Mich., attended several focus groups sponsored by Calvin University to help researchers understand what people living in that area felt were their biggest needs. What they found was that several attendees had not finished high sch

A Life of Grateful Service

In my teens, I was confused about the place of good works in the life of Christians. I could articulate the truths of Ephesians 2:8-9—that I was saved by grace through faith and not by good deeds. After all, I sang “Amazing Grace” every other Sunday! I knew this truth in my heart, but when confronte

Providing Support on the Path to Stability

Every workday, John Luth cycles the route to his ministry job in Edmonton, Alta. Each downward pedal is a steady pulse propelling him into the day ahead. He enjoys the time to think, reflect, and prepare his heart to extend unconditional welcome to whoever may cross his path.Luth’s work as a chaplai

Chinese Ministry Team Responds to Mental Health Crisis

After a tragic incident sent shockwaves through the Chinese-speaking community in North Carolina, ReFrame Ministries’ Chinese ministry team stepped in for support.On August 28, a Chinese doctoral student shot and killed his mentor, a professor of applied physical sciences at the University of North

Who We Are and What We Do

The Christian Reformed Church in North America includes just over 1,000 congregations across the United States and Canada—1,015 worshiping communities, to be exact. This includes a small church of about 60 members that has been part of Truro, N.S., since 1954; a church of 110 Spanish-speaking people

The Fullness of Time

I like getting what I want fast. Maybe you do too. As a culture, we are addicted to speed. We grow up fast, we work fast, we learn fast, we drive fast, we cook fast, we eat fast, we communicate fast. Unless you spend some significant time outside of Western culture, it is easy to see fast as normal.