Winter 2015

After attending SpringHill Day camp this past summer, more than 100 children made decisions to follow Christ. Many of their families now come to worship at the church that sponsored the camp—the Beecher, Illinois, campus of Faith Church (RCA) in Dyer, Indiana.

The camp has allowed Faith Beecher to build a bridge to the community, especially the junior high school next door.

It’s 7:00 a.m. on a brisk fall Friday morning in Fulton, Illinois.

In the darkness, the lights of First Reformed Church shine brightly through the windows. Inside, the smell of bacon frying draws a trickle of young people into the building, talking and laughing as they meet up with their friends and get ready to face the day.

Since 2011, the RCA and CRCNA have been collaborating in Kingdom Enterprise Zones. The two denominations have begun to see how we can be better together, and KEZs have sprung up all across the U.S. and Canada. It’s so encouraging and energizing for me as a young leader to be a part of the Southeast Nebraska KEZ and see this level of collaboration.

Nearly 3,000 youth and adults from across the RCA and CRC came together at this youth conference in July to worship, learn, serve, grow spiritually, and build new relationships. These social media updates tell the story best.

Women at a church in Midland, Michigan, love to bless and support young single moms. “To walk beside a young mom, encouraging her in her life’s journey, is one of the biggest blessings of my life,” says Merci Danielson. 

Danielson mentors moms through Young Lives, an outreach program of Young Life that her church, Midland Reformed, hosts during the school year. “We have club two times each month where countless women and men [from churches around Midland] serve as mentors, club helpers, childcare workers, and also provide some of the meals we enjoy each club,” she says.

When members of local faith communities reached out to offer assistance, a prison inmate discovered he was harboring stereotypes of his own.

Church cooperation is on the rise in Kalamazoo, Michigan, and leading to powerful reconciliation. For a week each summer, churches work together on Jesus Loves Kalamazoo, an effort to engage neighbors and reach out through free outdoor barbecues.

By Ann Ballard

When it comes to communication, the metaphorical gap between teenagers and their parents can sometimes seem as wide as the Grand Canyon. Teens are growing up in a world that bears only slight resemblance to the one their parents knew, making it sometimes difficult for the two generations to relate. But California pastor Jesse Winkler is part of a pastors group working to bridge this gap in his community.

“That was the best worship service I’ve ever been to,” my 10-year-old daughter told me on the way home from church on September 14. I asked her why. “There was something for me to do through the whole service,” she replied.

That day we had held an intergenerational “Back to School Blessing” brunch and worship service at our church, Altamont Reformed Church in Altamont, New York. It was a special service that my family and I will never forget.