Hosted by Randy Smit and Rhonda Edgington In Almighty Love, we live and move and have our being. This poem discloses that reawakening one can sometimes have of our nearness to glory, the very Loving Presence that holds us together and all things. It can happen in a glance at the end of our rope […]

By Jim Brownson I’ve been asked to write a summary of the 2020 Vision Team report, which is online on the RCA’s website. Writing a summary is a complex task: there are many different views within the denomination, including a variety represented on the Vision Team, and they disagree. Moreover, this year’s General Synod was […]

Click here to catch up on the latest Hope Church news with the Autumn issue of “Salt and Light”! In this issue: Youth Group: Memories and Meaning Listening to Live Music in 2020 Resources for Anti-Racism Work and Racial Equity Recalibrating Grace: Micah, My Brain Stem, and Me Worship Spaces: Together While Apart

The Congregation is challenged to match a $1200 donation to Good Samaritan to help stop evictions. Please see the letter about this challenge from Hope Church members HERE, and send your donations as instructed before the September 6 deadline. Thank you to the Sabbath Economics group for their leadership, and thank you for your support for […]

Hosted by Rhonda Edgington and Randy Smit I recently read that everyone is writing these days about the pandemic, and anything else may act like it’s not about the pandemic, but it really is. That seems pertinent to this newsletter’s Poetry Corner, and our thoughts preparing this column. On one hand, it’s the elephant in […]

By Jason VanderLugt I work as a pediatrician at Holland Hospital. One of my responsibilities is assessing and treating newborns when there is a problem. The parents will often ask me “Is he going to be okay?”  Thankfully, most of the time I’m able to tell them yes, he will be fine. But here’s the […]

David Blauw It seems to me that the human political process, whether national, regional or local, is mostly about maximizing the chances of meeting our particular “wants.” It often involves protecting oneself. It involves getting my share; protecting my own; assuring my way of life. Strength begets strength, with the strong more often getting their […]

By Carol Bechtel – originally published on her blog at https://carolmbechtel.com/2020/05/02/roman-roads-how-long-o-lord/ Read: Psalm 13  How long, O LORD? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me? How long must I bear pain in my soul, and have sorrow in my heart all day long? (Psalm 13:1-2a, NRSV). “How long?” Some […]

Peter Boogaart, Creation Care Coordinator  Judi likes to say, “There’s a song for every situation.” It’s a stream-of-consciousness kind of thing. The kids used to roll their eyes or, worse yet, slink away in embarrassment if this happened in a public place. “Oh Mom!” Time to shop for groceries— “Yes we have no bananas….”  The […]

Ginger Clark, Parish Nurse, R.N. A few months ago, pre COVID-19, I committed to writing this article about the support groups at Hope Church. Support groups provide a chance to be together, sharing the same purpose and concerns, encouraging each other and understanding each other along the way. There are many benefits: you are not […]