Churches returning to Buildings - best practices

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Who to call?

Rev. Steven Miller is our Classis Minister

(908) 705-0145 (cell)

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Update Classis Directory

Go HERE to update required info for Classis

(delegates, addresses, etc.)

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Background Screening

The Classis requires a background screening of our ministers, students, and officers prior to the commencement of their service or employment.

Go here to find out more or to initiate your screening.

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Specialized Ministers (Annual update)

Specialized Ministers, please fill out the form below and return to the Pastoral Care Committee annually by March 1st describing your current ministry position.  Download Fillable Form

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Classis Congregation Prayer Schedules
To help us hold each other in prayer throughout the year, we have a schedule for every congregation to pray for every other congregation as the year progresses. Find out more...

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Delegates to Synods

Info and rosters for delegates to the General Synod and the Regional Synod of the Mid-Atlantics.

We believe….that God has revealed himself as the one who wishes to bring about justice and true peace among people...that the church must therefore stand by people in any form of suffering and need, which implies, among other things, that the church must witness against and strive against any form of injustice, so that justice may roll down like waters, and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream...that the church as the possession of God must stand where the Lord stands, namely against injustice and with the wronged that in following Christ the church must witness against all the powerful and privileged who selfishly seek their own interests and thus control and harm others.    (from The Belhar Confession)

To bear witness to the gospel of Christ is why we exist as a church. We have been reminded over these last months that the church is not a building but rather the people of God set apart by the Holy Spirit through our Lord Jesus Christ. As our country is embroiled in a fight for its very soul, we are reminded that our mission will not be found in the buildings to which we are returning.  Our Reformed tradition has had to reckon with its own complicity in supporting racial injustice in South Africa, so I believe we are doubly obligated to work for racial justice in our own country and time.  Below are some online resources and we encourage you to share these with your congregations.

In Christ,

Rev. Bill Borror

President of Classis

From the Reformed Church in America...

https://www.rca.org/responding-to-racism-and-listening-to-the-african-american-and-black-community/  

Anti-racism Resources for White People...

http://bit.ly/ANTIRACISMRESOURCES

More Anti-racism Resources...

https://nationalcouncilofchurches.us/resources/

From the Christian Reformed Church...

https://www.crcna.org/race/resources

You are invited to help our classis and churches improve the ability of our organizations to listen to people from different generations, races, nations, and cultures by joining monthly discussions, via phone, or Zoom link.
Contact Us to request the link to join in.

Committee members (Fred Mueller, Alex Arthurs, Marisol Ferrer-Malloy, and Liz Estes) moderate the calls, communicate guidelines and support respectful discussion.

Invite friends and neighbors who wish to engage in respectful dialog. 

Prepare in advance by reading, watching or listening to the resource we will discuss online.

CANCELED: SUNDAY, JANUARY 10 at 7 PM

Upcoming:

The speaker for our next meeting plans to join our discussion LIVE.

Rev. Dr. Nathan Jérémie-Brink, PhD is L. Russell Feakes Assistant Professor of the History of Global Christianity at New Brunswick Theological Seminary, Co-Convener, Slavery + Freedom Studies Working Group, Center for Cultural Analysis at Rutgers University, and an ordained minister in the New Brunswick Presbytery of the PC-USA.

Please watch in advance:
Installation of Nathan Jeremie-Brink, Ph.D. as Church History Chair (September 20, 2019)
This program begins to uncover the role of Christianity, the Dutch Reformed Church and the RCA in the history of American slavery, in a way that is personal, relatable and not purely academic.

1. Listen here, beginning at 31:46 mins: https://www.nbts.edu/events/service-of-installation-njb/

2. Nate invites us to pause his discussion to spend more time looking at embedded images/maps/quotes:
https://tourbuilder.withgoogle.com/tour/ahJzfmd3ZWItdG91cmJ1aWxkZXJyEQsSBFRvdXIYgICg96LQjwgM

3. Considering our language about slavery, all words we “know to talk about enslaved people of African descent in these Americas prove insufficient, both for the brutality against them, and for their remarkable overcoming” (Dr. Laura Adderley), so referring to this document, "Writing About Slavery? Teaching About Slavery?” (Talking about Slavery?) will be helpful preparation for discussing this important topic.
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1A4TEdDgYslX-hlKezLodMIM71My3KTN0zxRv0IQTOQs/mobilebasic

Then, join us for a group discussion on
Sunday, Feb. 7 at 7:00pm via Zoom
Contact Us to request the link.
Topic: Dutch Reformed Church History in Slavery

Previous topics and links

How to Serve on General Synod Commissions, Agencies, and Boards

All confessing members of the RCA are eligible to serve on the General Synod's commissions, boards and agencies. 

See brief descriptions here.

Members who wish to be considered for service may complete a profile form and submit it to the Commission on Nominations. www.rca.org/profile