George Vander Weit
I was born and raised on the south side of Chicago and have been a member of the CRC since my baptism as an infant. In third grade I expressed a desire to be a minister. I delivered newspapers as young boy, and from 8th grade through seminary worked at a store that sold quality fruits and vegetables (and at other stores during the school year in Grand Rapids) so I could pay my high school, college and seminary tuition.
I was a member of the second class of Trinity Christian College in Chicago and completed my college education at Calvin College in Grand Rapids, MI. When I was in seminary, I worked with a Navajo pastor for ten weeks on my summer field assignment and did a fifteen-month internship in inner city New York (Harlem). I graduated from Calvin Seminary in 1968.
My wife Bonnie and I served four Christian Reformed congregations in our almost-forty years of ministry. Two of them were in racially changing/changed communities. We retired in June 2008 and moved to Rochester, MI, to be close to one of our children. We are members of the Han Bit Korean Christian Reformed Church, where I serve as an elder. Twice a month I preach in our English service for junior high, high school and college age youth. I also serve as the alternate synodical deputy of our classis, Classis Lake Erie. (Synodical rules require the presence of three synodical deputies from three neighboring classes when candidates are examined, pastors are released, etc.)
We have four children and six grandchildren and anticipate the birth of two more grandchildren in May and October.
Posted in: People of Color in Leadership Positions
Fernando, is there anything specific that makes you say "Could it be this 'people of color' issue is aggravating leadership & political dynamics in our spiritual church body?"
Posted in: People of Color in Leadership Positions
Fernando, you did more than wonder. You led us in a specific direction when you said, '"Could it be this 'people of color' issue is aggravating leadership & political dynamics in our spiritual church body?" That's why I asked if you had anything specific that made you say this. It sounds as if you're playing the race card.
Posted in: Does the CRC Have a Pope?
It sounds so wonderful to say "Scripture alone should be our guide." Would any Christian deny that? Difficulty arises because various people say, "This is what Scripture says." The result is that there are multiple assertions about what Scripture says. In the face of that reality, it's pretty meaningless to say, "Scripture alone should be our guide." What Scripture are we then talking about--interpretation A, B, C, D or my own interpretation?
Some folks object to creeds and say, "No creed but Christ!" When you ask them what they believe about Christ, they say: He is the divine Son of God who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, buried, resurrected, sits at God's right hand and is coming again." In other words they construct what we know as the Apostles' Creed.
The church adopts creeds and confessions, not to supplant Scripture, but to say, "We believe this is what Scripture says."The Belgic Confession says that Scripture is the supreme authority in a Christian's life. To say "I subscribe to that" in no way takes away from the authority of Scripture.
Posted in: How Does Synod Work?
The committee that designed the one-week synod recommended that the 12 people who received the highest nominating votes of the delegates be placed on the ballot. In an overture to synod Classis Lake Erie observed that this would almost certainly guarantee that all the officers would be ministers since ministers are more well known denomination wide than are elders. The overture asked that three elders be placed on each ballot no matter how their vote totals compared to those of ministers. Thus, three elders who receive the highest number of nomination votes are placed on each ballot. If three elders are not nominated by the delegates, ministers are added so each ballot has 12 names. This has made a big difference in the leadership of synod because since this provision has been in place elders have served regularly as one of synod's officers.
Posted in: Like a Mighty Turtle...
Rob:
You allude to Church Order Article 29: "The decisions of the assemblies shall be considered settled and binding, unless it is proved that they conflict with the Word of God or the Church Order."
Article 31 is also relevant: "A request for revision of a decision shall be submitted to the assembly which made the decision. Such a request shall be honored only if sufficient and new grounds for reconsideration are presented."
In a sense the overture looks like something new because it's asking for a revision of Article 47, and that approach hasn't been used before. In essence, however, this is an old request, one that has no new grounds and one that's been defeated twenty times by synods in our recent past.
Generally, the executive director is hesitant to rule overtures not legally before synod because it appears high-handed. But you are correct, the officers of synod may recommend to the body that particular overtures are not legally before the body. I think that's fairly rare, too. Usually, the advisory committee to which such an overture is assigned will make that recommendation to the floor.