A few weeks ago, I had the opportunity to attend Synod, the annual week-long meeting of the Christian Reformed Church in North America. Many decisions were made that week, not all of them easy. But from the unanimous adoption of the new Covenant for Office Bearers (which resulted in a standing ovation!) to the approval of an exciting new name for Christian Reformed World Relief Committee (now known as World Renew), and the introduction of the new candidates for Minister of the Word in the CRC (including our own Alan Kirkpatrick), it was so exciting to see how God is at work in the CRC today. There was an overall air of truly seeking out God’s will, as well as preserving unity, embracing diversity, and seeking justice and reconciliation. And while I’m definitely not the “typical” delegate to Synod, being “young“, female (there were about 15 female delegates out of 188 total), and noticeably pregnant, it was so awesome to feel so welcome in the kind of community that forms at these types of events.
One of the many highlights for me was being on the committee tasked with making recommendations about whether our denomination should accept the Belhar as a confession. At one point we were at a complete stale-mate. So we stopped our work, prayed, and let God work. I could feel the Holy Spirit thick in the room, as we were able to come to a consensus that we believed honoured the Biblical truths in the Belhar while preserving unity, a central theme in the Belhar. Our feelings were confirmed when one of the professors from Calvin Seminary told us that when he read our report, he felt it was “inspired.”
I expected a challenging and interesting week. But what I didn’t expect was a changed perspective, and a renewed sense of awe at how big our God is, and how He is actively working through us and our denomination. And I am so hopeful to see what He has in store for the Christian Reformed Church!
- Alisha
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