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General Synod was called to order on Thursday afternoon.

General Synod president Dwayne Jackson opened General Synod 2023 at 3:00 p.m. Central Time on Thursday, June 8. The opening session included introductions, an orientation to the process of synod, and table discussions so delegates could begin getting to know each other. 

Introducing the theme of family for the week, Jackson said, “Having been born and raised in a Reformed church, the Reformed church has always been a family to me. Not necessarily biological, but my extended family as brothers and sisters in Christ. And one of the things that I’ve learned about families is family business can always get a little messy. Amen? We have those times when we come together and everyone is in agreement and we have a great time. And then we have those times when we come together, and we’re fighting over who gets that last turkey wing at Thanksgiving or we’re fighting over who’s got the biggest or most expensive Christmas present. But at the end of it all we still love each other. And that is the energy, that’s the thread, that is the hope that I am striving for as we move forward in this year’s General Synod. To just simply be a family, with all of its challenges that follow.”

#ThrowbackThursday: Synod at Central College

The RCA’s General Synod first descended on Central College’s campus in 1922. A special train carried the delegates to Pella, Iowa. It was the furthest west synod had ever taken place at the time. The Black Diamond Express began its journey in New York and New Jersey and picked up more delegates in Michigan and Illinois. A brigade of cars met the train at midnight in Pella, ready to carry each delegate to a host family’s home.

Synod has been held at Central periodically since. This is the ninth synod at Central in the last 40 years, including a joint meeting with the RCA’s sister denomination, the CRCNA, in 2014.Central is one of three RCA colleges, along with Northwestern and Hope. Learn more about the relationship between Central College and the RCA in this article from 2016, when we celebrated 100 years of partnership between the college and the denomination.

Spirit-filled opening worship calls the church to look up

Thursday evening, synod delegates joined together in Douwstra Auditorium for a spirit-filled worship gathering led by musicians from across the denomination. Members of the worship band included leadership from Jeremy Simpson, Rev. Jael Serrano Altamirano, Marcel Arocha, Josiah DeNooyer, Phil Edmonds, DaShawn Houston, AnnAlissa Lamers, Erica Simpson, Melani Situmorang, and Anthony Tyler. Also participating in the service were Rev. Eddy Alemán, Rev. David Blauw, Anthony Davis, Mike Griffieon, Rev. Judy Nelson, and Rev. Laura Osborne.

Rev. Dr. Micah McCreary preached a passionate sermon on Acts 7:54-60 centered around truth and complications. McCreary invited the church to lean into lessons from heaven as it faces the truth and complications of today. Despite our differences, he called the RCA to conservative, moderate, progressive unity.

“The truth is, our faith and our churches are shrinking and our young people are defecting,” said McCreary. “The complication is that our church is stuck in cultural wars, engaged in blame games, and losing friends, neighbors, prestige, hope, and members of our churches, because we just can’t get along. So if we are going to survive we must deal with the truth and complications of being the church.

“Truth can be powerful and complications can be challenging, but we’ve got to search for this beloved community in the midst of truth and complications.” 

McCreary drew from the text, claiming the church—and the RCA—need to be willing to face the angry mob to survive, look up, and lean into the lessons from heaven. 

“God is saying right now, ‘I’m giving you a word, RCA—it’s time to do what God said to do. Don’t worry about rejection, don’t worry about criticism, don’t worry about people calling you names. Just look up.’”

Thursday photos