Rev. Shannon Jammal-Hollemans serves as Racial Justice Team Leader for two ministries of the Christian Reformed Church: the Office of Social Justice and the Office of Race Relations. She earned her Bachelor of Arts degree at Grand Valley State University (Allendale, Michigan) and her Master of Divinity at Calvin Theological Seminary (Grand Rapids, Michigan). She is ordained to her position by Oakdale Park Christian Reformed Church in Grand Rapids, Michigan.
Faith formation and discipleship, ethnic and racial diversity and reconciliation, justice, interfaith and ecumenical relationships, belonging and inclusion in the Church
Paul Schrader's film, First Reformed, is being released on DVD and streaming on August 21, 2018. Here are some questions to guide small group conversations about the film.
I have hope that God is still working in my child’s life, even when she doesn’t recognize it. I have hope that God will continue to walk alongside her parents in those times when her absence at university is felt deeply.
I hope that God will see me living the gospel—making courageous decisions, sacrificing my comfort for others, giving when it hurts, and trusting God as the great provider to meet my needs and the needs of others.
Sometimes it looks as though we, as North American Christians, are spending so much time writing, talking, and debating about justice issues that we do not have time to actually follow Jesus in seeking justice.
With the rise of anti-Muslim bigotry and hate crimes in the U.S., coverage of events like this — where Jews, Christians, and Muslims gather to talk about how they can work together to seek peace — is critically important.
Not only can we learn from the history of the land and its peoples, but the present conflict also presents an opportunity to learn about God’s justice and peace from people who are seeking it with diligence and grace.
The CRC Office of Race Relations is now offering discussion guides for small groups on books and films that address the topics of race and faith. First up is Trevor Noah's memoir, Born a Crime.
As Christians, we need to stop talking about people—whether youth in the church or Muslims or atheists—like they are a problem to be solved. We don’t own Jesus so it is not our job to offer Jesus to others.
Here are seven ideas of activities with the potential to form faith that you can do with your kids for little or no dough.
When ISIS kidnapped and murdered 21 men in early 2015, all but one of them were Coptic Christians from Egypt. Read about the ways that Christians in North America can support Christians in Syria and Iraq.
When my children were young, we used Making Time for God: A Devotional for Children and Families to Share by Susan Garrett and Amy Plantinga Pauw. I’d recommend it!
This article highlights how this move hurts the Christian community in Jerusalem. Particularly, these lines:
"Taken at face value, this new policy suggests that if in the past Israel viewed...
This article explains why this is a threat to Palestinian Christian communities in Jerusalem.
Hi, again. I think we are looking at my comments from pretty difference perspectives. I am writing this as a pastor, identifying a cultural issue in the Church that needs to be addressed. I am...
Thanks for your comment, Eric. I think you are misreading the post. I do not ask people to choose between talking about justice and doing justice. I state that Christians are spending too much...
Certainly. Here are a few ideas for learning more...
Blood Brothers (book: available for purchase on amazon)
Canadian Friends of Sabeel (website: friendsofsabeel.ca)
Churches...
Thanks for this thoughtful piece on church culture, and how well we welcome folks. I hope you will come visit us at Oakdale Park CRC (if you haven't already)! Grace and peace as you settle in...
Moyes' novel perpetuates a dangerous narrative that it is up to all of us to call out and challenge. Thanks for doing that with this post!
I will Get working on that. Thanks for the recommendation!
Thanks for your question. We don't have any other guides available yet, but we are working on developing them. Let us know if you have suggestions to pass along!