Christian Reformed Church

For decades, Resonate Global Mission missionaries Abe and Elaine Lee have seen God transform lives through the “God’s Image” seminars they have led throughout Mexico and South America. Now they’re requesting prayers as they partner with church planter Pablo Lee to bring the seminars to a church plant in Hudsonville, Michigan. Iglesia Todas Las Naciones (All Nations Church) in Hudsonville is hosting a “God’s Image” seminar July 17-18 for members of the congregation and the surrounding Latino population. Through biblical teaching, guided reflection, small-group discussion, and prayer, participants explore God’s design for identity, relationships, and healing. “This seminar is a very good tool for Latin American Christians,” said Pablo, who experienced the impact of the ministry firsthand when he attended...

When the eight-month Hearts Exchanged learning journey comes to an end, a common, weighty question often arises for participants: What’s next? Reconciliation is a lifelong posture. Recognizing this, the Hearts Exchanged team is offering continued support to churches through Communities of Practice (CoPs) in partnership with Thriving Practices through Thrive and their grant from Lilly Endowment, Inc. These groups are designed to extend the learning journey by an additional one to two years, providing coaching, peer connection, and grant funding to help local congregations turn head-knowledge into long-term, transformative action, equipping them to build meaningful relationships with Indigenous neighbors. Liz Tolkamp, a regional connector for Thrive, will be a participant in a British Columbia-based CoP starting this summer. Looking at...

After a four-day, three-state 50th-anniversary tour, members of the gospel group The Singing Hims filed off the tour bus late in the day at Faith Community Christian Reformed Church in Wyoming, Mich. They were tired but pleased to have performed time-honored praise music to audiences in Indiana, Illinois, and Wisconsin as a way to celebrate five decades of singing their hearts out for God. While several chorus members have been part of the group for many years, two trace their participation to its beginning. One of them is Jack Ponstine, the group’s founder and director. He, in fact, organized the tour as a way to mark the span in which The Singing Hims have been performing in predominantly CRC congregations...

This article originally appeared on Calvin News , the news page of Calvin University. Scoring the golden goal in the final might seem like the pinnacle moment for an athlete competing at this year’s World Cup. But Matthew Torrell is using the airwaves on the world’s biggest stage to convince millions of viewers otherwise. Torrell, a senior studying sport management and business at Calvin University, and his friend and business partner Owen Moore produced a 60-second commercial with the goal of sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ with many nations. The project wasn’t planned out … at least for long. But the way it came together over the past three months seems providential. “I didn’t know how to produce a...

When Resonate Global Mission missionary Joshua* first noticed Jacob’s* Facebook post 10 years ago, he saw a 14-year-old boy in Detroit standing alone. Jacob was posting about his belief in God, and the comments from his peers were brutal. They mocked him, calling his faith “hilarious.” Growing up in a household that struggled with addiction and instability, Jacob was a lone spark trying to remain lit in a dark environment. Joshua felt a nudge from the Holy Spirit. He messaged Jacob with a word of encouragement: “I admire your faith. If no one else wants to talk about it with you, I will.” For the past 10 years, Joshua has walked alongside Jacob through Bible studies, both online and in...

Synod 2026 was an impactful experience—not only for the denomination and its churches but also for the delegates who dedicated their time and energy to further the mission of the Christian Reformed Church in North America. Joseph Kim, an elder who chairs the council of Vision Church in Las Vegas, Nev., shares his insights and reflections on his experience as a delegate at Synod 2026: I have lived within the Reformed faith all my life, but this was my very first time directly interacting with the Dutch Reformed tradition. Attending Synod 2026 on the Calvin University campus as an elder delegate representing Classis Hanmi, I experienced what was for me the most powerful among countless church gatherings I have attended...

Resonate Global Mission has led several Witness Trips with groups from Canada and the United States to experience God at work in various places around the world. This past spring, ministry leaders flipped the script and welcomed a Salvadoran ministry team to the United States. A group from Semillas de Nueva Creación (“Seeds of New Creation”), a Resonate partner in El Salvador, received a warm welcome from churches and ministries in Sioux Falls, S.D. Resonate leaders have designed Witness Trips to give believers an opportunity to experience God at work in a country, culture, or context different from their own. While service projects can be a key part of Witness Trips, these trips emphasize learning from ministry leaders as they...

Ashley Nwaokolo’s life was shaped by her experience studying abroad through Trinity Christian College’s Semester in Spain program. Years later, when she learned the college in Palos Heights, Ill., would permanently close at the end of the 2025-2026 academic year, she and her husband felt compelled to use their skills to preserve the memories and meaning the campus has provided for generations of students, graduates, staff, supporters, and others. “My dad’s college shut down in the 1990s, leaving him with no physical campus to ever go back to,” she said. “I couldn’t bear the thought of that same erasure happening here.” Ashley and her husband, Shalom Nwaokolo, are the founders of Egents, a virtual-experience company launched in 2020. Six years...

Two powerful earthquakes have struck central-northern Venezuela, leaving widespread devastation and significant humanitarian needs across the region. On June 24, 2026, earthquakes measuring magnitude 7.2 and 7.5 impacted densely populated areas including La Guaira, Caracas, Miranda, Carabobo, and Yaracuy. La Guaira has been identified as the most severely affected area, with extensive destruction reported. At least 920 people have died and more than 3,360 people have been injured, with casualty figures expected to rise as search-and-rescue operations continue. Over 214 aftershocks have been recorded, further increasing fear and instability for affected families. Critical infrastructure has been significantly disrupted, including electricity and water systems, telecommunications, public transportation such as the Caracas Metro, and operations at Maiquetía International Airport. The Government of...

For the past several months, readers of The Network have been engaging with a thoughtful series by Bev Sterk examining women in leadership through the lens of Scripture. The series has sparked discussion, encouraged reflection, and invited readers to take a fresh look at familiar biblical passages. For Sterk, the project began as a desire to understand Scripture more fully and to consider how the church's interpretation of key texts affects the lives of people around the world. "My main reason [for this focus] at this point is that a growing number of women in the Middle East, especially Iran, have become Christians in the past five years," Sterk explained. "How the West views women in the church influences the...