General Synod Daily Recap: Sunday, June 11, 2023

On Sunday, delegates worshiped, rested, and celebrated five decades of women in ministry in the RCA.

Celebrating five decades of women’s ordination

On Sunday evening, General Synod celebrated five decades of women’s ordination to offices of elder, deacon, and minister of Word and sacrament in the Reformed Church in America. It was a time of rejoicing over the ways God has created space for women and men in the church to live fully and freely into all of their gifts and callings. 

Stories of women were elevated and honored: women from the past who had to push against the patriarchy to follow their call, women from the present who are leading in powerful ways, and women in the next generation who play a vast variety of roles within the church. 

Ruth Langkamp, next generation program specialist for the denomination, called attention to the stories of women in the Bible as tangible reminders for “men and women everywhere that women are not footnotes in God’s story, we are main characters and our voices, our power matter. This is the rich legacy of women in ministry here at the RCA. I celebrate that wholeheartedly.”

“If you asked me how this experience of being a deacon and a clerk of consistory has been for me as a woman so far, I’d say that it feels like a blessing, but I hope that I’m not the only one being blessed,” said Melani Situmorang. She shared that at age 23, she is young to hold these offices, and called the church to listen to and be a safe space for the next generation. “Speaking from my personal experience, it is only through serving in the ministry that I was able to experience Christ personally.”

The evening was united in a message of gratitude for the RCA’s support of women over the last five decades and a charge to continue to raise up women in leadership roles in the church for many more decades to come.

In his general secretary’s report on Friday, Rev. Eddy Alemán said, “We in the RCA will always, unapologetically, bless and embrace all of our women leaders and pastors. Women of God, we need you! Thank you for responding positively to God’s call in your life.”

The offices of elder and deacon opened to women in 1972; the office of minister of Word and sacrament opened to women in 1979.

“Cling to what God wants,” Fredy Gutierrez exhorts General Synod

In Sunday morning worship, Rev. Fredy Gutierrez reflected on the story of Abraham and Isaac, connecting Abraham’s faith to the journey of the Reformed Church in America. He said, “Let us renounce our deficiencies of the past … let us take the demands of the present … let us reaffirm the excellence of the future.” Worship was led by members of the Council for Hispanic Ministries: Rev. Fredy Gutierrez, Rev. Dr. Pedro Agudelo, Elder Thais Lima, Rev. Jael Serrano Altamirano, as well as Rev. Liz Testa and Rev. Dwayne Jackson.

Growing as a family at General Synod

Synod president Rev. Dwayne Jackson has dedicated time each day for delegates to connect, share, and grow in relationship with one another. With the theme of RCA as family, delegates reflected on these questions in their discussions thus far.

• Who are you? Where are you from, what church do you serve, and in what capacity?
• What energizes you, excites you, or motivates you to continue to do the work God has called you to do?
• What could you use to do more for your community and how would you use it?
• What is a song that is special to you and why does it have meaning for you?
• As you reflect on the women in your church, who stands out? What is something she did or is doing to inspire you to be the best you can be in serving God? 
• As God continues to call women into service as ordained deacons, elders, and ministers of Word and sacrament (including as chaplains), what words of encouragement can you share with the women in your life and in your congregation as they discern their call?

Delegates will have three more opportunities to discuss additional questions in the plenary sessions to come.

General Synod offerings will support mission efforts in South Africa and South Sudan

Offerings taken during General Synod will support the RCA’s mission work in partnership with Setshabelo Family and Child Services (SFCS) in Botshabelo, South Africa, and RECONCILE International in South Sudan.  

SFCS serves the whole family by providing counseling for traumatized children, temporary safe care for abandoned children, foster care, and in-country adoption. The RCA is partnering with RECONCILE International to facilitate peace and reconciliation, social cohesion, and trauma care services for South Sudanese refugees living in Uganda.  The recipients of the offerings were designated by General Synod president Rev. Dwayne Jackson. Contribute to the General Synod offering, which will be matched by an anonymous donor if the offering reaches $7,700.

Sunday photos