A Few Pictures From the Road

One of the blessings of being President of Calvin Theological Seminary is the privilege of connecting with a number of people and places. The last five weeks have been particularly rich with those experiences. 

Here is a list of a few of my most recent “road stops”:

• Edmonton, Alberta – West End Christian Reformed Church
• Denver, Colorado – Third CRC and a Missional Café Gathering
• Pella, Iowa – Faith CRC and combined Reformation Day Service
• Hudsonville, Michigan – First CRC – Mission Emphasis Sunday
• Visalia and Hanford, California as well as attending the Inauguration for the new President at Fuller Seminary
• Hamilton, Ontario – 1st CRC of Hamilton

While I have many stories and pictures from the road, I would like to highlight one stop. It was at Third CRC in Denver that I saw a number of baby pictures hanging on the walls of the foyer. In addition, these pictures had a place where people signed their name. Those names surrounded the picture of the baby. This was part of the “covenant” making between a congregation, God and the child. 

Another aid to helping a child “remember their baptism,” was the fact that the baptismal bowl was crafted for that service and the parents could take that bowl with them as part of the “remembrance” marker of that moment and commitment. (I have included a few pictures for you to see.)

As we enter into the U.S. Thanksgiving season, I have been blessed to see how God is at work in various congregations and institutions. I have also seen how one congregation wants to have a child grow up and remember that they are not “their own,” but belong to a church family and to a God that loves them. Now that is something to give thanks for!