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On Monday, delegates nominated five candidates for General Synod vice president. They will vote on Tuesday morning; the vice president will be installed during closing worship and will serve over the coming year.

Susan Converse

is an elder from Reformed Church of Locust Valley in New York. She has a degree in psychology from Hofstra University and is enrolled in the M.Div. program at New York Theological Seminary. Susan spent 10 years on GSC staff as treasurer of denominational corporations, including General Synod, General Synod Council, the Board of Benefits Services, and more. “Core values that I bring are a deep and abiding love of my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and of the Church, a strong sense of integrity, and a commitment to dedicate myself to serve the Church and do all that I can to help bring about hope and healing in this lost and broken world that God so deeply loves,” she says. Susan is married to Dana; they have three children.

Lee DeYoung

is an elder from Hager Park Reformed Church in Jenison, Michigan. He is vice president for international ministry at Words of Hope. Lee has served the denomination on the Commission on Nominations; he has served as vice president of consistory and as classis president, as well. Lee graduated from Hope College and has an M.B.A. from the University of Chicago Graduate School of Business. “The privilege of serving as Consistory VP, elder chair, and clerk have connected me with the realities of the local church ministry,” he says. “Experiences in classis leadership have broadened that awareness. Serving on the Commission on Nominations has provided familiarity with the composition and work of each Commission, Council, and agency. Three decades of experience collaborating with global mission partners on three continents has added to those perspectives.” Lee is married to Sheri; they have four children and 21 grandchildren.

Lynn Japinga

is professor of religion at Hope College in Holland, Michigan. Previously, she served Woodcliff Reformed Church in North Bergen, New Jersey, and at First Reformed in Union City, New Jersey. She has also served as visiting professor at Western Theological Seminary and as interim pastor at Hope Church in Holland. Lynn is a graduate of Hope College, and she has an M.Div. from Princeton Theological Seminary and a Ph.D. from Union Theological Seminary. Lynn has served the denomination on three commissions, as well as several task forces and committees. “I have been a minister for over thirty years, and I live out that vocation through my teaching,” she says. “I help students work through and discuss difficult questions about the Bible, the church, and their lives. My students (and occasional church groups) affirm my ability to listen carefully and ask good questions without imposing my views.” She has two adult children.

Stacy Midge

is an associate minister at First Reformed Church in Schenectady, New York. She previously served as minister of Glen Reformed Church in Fultonville, New York. Stacey is a graduate of Drake University and Western Theological Seminary. She has served on the Belhar Implementation Task Force, as moderator of the Commission for Women, and as chair of Albany Synod’s Overtures and Judicial Business Committee. She is currently president of the Classis of Schenectady. “In a time when the officers of General Synod are called upon to build bridges between a diverse array of congregations and classes, I consider the variety of my own background a real gift,” she says. “I grew up in Minnesota, attended college in Iowa and seminary in Michigan, interned briefly in Florida, and served in Indiana before spending the majority of my ordained ministry in New York. Participating in all levels of our assemblies has also given me broad-based experience with both the perspectives and polity of the RCA.” Stacey’s parents, siblings, and nine nieces and nephews live in Minnesota.

Sarah Palsma

is associate pastor of New Hope Reformed Church in Powell, Ohio. She is a graduate of Northwestern College and Western Theological Seminary, and has served the denomination on the Commission for Christian Worship and the Biennial Synod Task Force. Sarah considers her core values creativity, integrity, and attentiveness. “I love to engage and dig deep with people to help them creatively flourish into who God has equipped and called them to be,” she says. “I am a daughter of the RCA raised up through the church by various mentors who have invested in my life and ministry to be the emerging leader and pastor that I am today.” Sarah is the daughter of Nolan and Phyllis Palsma, and sister to Ryan and Cassie Palsma and Anna and Stephen Salem.