Chats For The Fall/Winter Season
Church Family Chats
As we enter a new church season, we are excited to join together once again with Covenant and Inglewood Christian Reformed Churches to provide a series of Church Family Chats that will make up a significant portion of our adult education offerings for the season. Here is a list of what we have planned, so be sure to chalk these up on your calendar! The events will be offered in-person at the church listed (masks encouraged but not required), or can be attended virtually from the link on the home page of our website: www.westendcrc.ca. You can also catch these events later on YouTube, by clicking on the link for that or going directly to YouTube and entering “West End Christian Reformed Church” in the search bar.
FALL/WINTER CHATS
Synod 2023 and Where Do We Go from Here?
September 26, 7:00 p.m.
Presenters: Pastor Henry Kranenburg, Pastor Peter Rockhold, Michelle Rooker, Mike Werkman
Location: West End CRC
We invite our delegates to Synod 2023 to report on the important events at synod and the key decisions made. Based on their observations and understanding of what happened, we ask them to reflect on where this leaves our churches, especially those who sent overtures, and where we go next. In preparation for this session, please download this pdf document for your reference.
Host: Bob DeMoor
Cohabiting Before Marriage: How Should We Respond?
November 7, 7:00 p.m.
Presenters: Pastors Bill Nieuwenhuis, Rick Mast, and Ron deVries
Location: West End CRC
With the huge cultural shift to couples moving in together before marriage, how should parents and churches respond? Are we caught between principle and practice—seeking to uphold the sanctity of marriage while retaining an open and nurturing relationship with our loved ones? We’ve invited a number of pastors who relate to them a lot to help us work through this dilemma.
Host: Bob DeMoor
Movies: Mere Entertainment? Art? Engine of Culture?
October 10, 7:00 p.m.
Presenter: Dr. Philip Mingay
Location: Covenant CRC
Whether we catch “Barbieheimer” at the local cinema or stream the latest Netflix offering, what’s our movie-watching all about? A waste of time? Just good fun? A significant investment of time in capturing the spirits of our age? We’ve invited our speaker to help us be more discerning in which movies we watch, how, and why.
Host: Frank Zee
The Big Bang, Fossils, and Faith: How Do We Square Biblical and Creation Revelation on the Origins of the Universe, the World, and Us?
November 21, 7:00 p.m.
Presenter: Dr. Brian Martin
Location: Covenant CRC
Given the hype and the endless rants on both sides of the issue, is there a sensible, Reformed way of understanding the Bible and scientific evidence that gives us a good handle on God’s creation and magnifies, instead of minimizes, our worship of God.
Host: Frank Zee
Ten Top Ways of Keeping Our Teens Meaningfully Connected to Church
October 24, 7:00 p.m.
Presenter: Pastor Lisa Vander Leek
Location: Inglewood CRC
It’s no secret that, despite our best efforts, many of our youth drift away from our church and, sadly, often away from church altogether. What are the best ways we as parents, grandparents, church community, and leaders can equip our youth to grow up as well-integrated members of Christ’s Body?
Host: Jim Joosse
How Y’r Average Believer Can Reliably Understand the Bible
December 5, 7:00 p.m.
Presenter: Pastor Cecil Van Niejenhuis
Location: Inglewood CRC
Given the complexity of biblical interpretation presented by such divisive topics as creation vs. evolution, same-sex marriage, and women in ecclesiastical office, we everyday believers might despair of ever knowing if we are reading our Bibles correctly. If even the experts are divided on such big issues, how dare we think that we can profitably interpret the Scriptures for ourselves? We’ve invited an experienced pastor to help us read our Bibles in a way that grows our faith, not stifles it.
Host: Jim Joosse
What Does Christian Schooling Contribute to Society and to God’s Kingdom?
September 20, 7:00 p.m.
Presenter: Keith Piquette, Dir. of Development and Admissions for the Edm. Soc. for Christian Ed.
Location: West End CRC
Christian day schools may have fallen under the radar for many of our churches, so Keith will update us on the health of Christian schooling in Edmonton, how our relationship with the government is going, what contributions the Christian School system is making, and how well the uniqueness of a Christ-centered curriculum has been maintained.
From Genes to Organisms
October 4, 7:00 p.m.
Presenter: Dr. Hank Bestman, Professor of Biology and Biochemistry Emeritus at the King’s University
Location: Covenant CRC
If you though Darwin had it all cased, guess again! With the explosion of recent discoveries in the field of biology, Dr. Hank will summarize some of the amazing new developments in our understanding of biological complexity. The marvels of God’-created life are stunning!
The Reformation: celebrate it or grieve it?
October 18, 7:00 p.m.
Presenter: Rev. Andrew Aukema, pastor of Inglewood CRC.
Location: Inglewood CRC
As Reformation Day approaches we take a critical look at some of the causes of the Protestant Reformation, examine its key outcomes, and mull over some of the gains and losses from the Reformation that Christ’s Body has experienced over the past 500 years.
Brush Strokes: Artists Answer
November 1, 7:00 p.m.
Presenters: Frank Van Veen and Clarence Visser
Location: West End CRC
Ever wonder what artists are trying to convey, why they do what they do, and how they strive to accomplish what they set out to do? We’ve invited two Christian artists to show us what’s going on in their art and how they go about their work.
Economics in the Age of Climate Crisis
November 15, 7:00 p.m.
Presenter: Dr. Elwil Beukes, Professor of Economics Emeritus at The King’s University
Location: West End CRC
How can our leaders help us make the necessary changes to our lifestyle before it’s too late and our planet reaches the point of no return? How do we prevent further damage to our environment and ecosystems? How can governments do what must be done without destroying our economy? How does “the market” tie into all of this? Dr. Beukes will provide us with some much-needed perspective on these vital concerns.
What is the Christian Labour Association and What Does It Do?
November 29: 7:00 p.m.
Presenter: Wayne Prins, Executive Director
Location: Inglewood CRC
What is the Christian Labour Association and how is it different from other unions? How is it unique? Whom does it represent? We’ve invited Wayne Prins to share with us a brief history of the union and its present position on the labour scene. He will describe what it believes and does, and why a union based on Christian values really matters.
How Do We Access Real News and Distinguish it from Fake News?
December 13, 7:00 p.m.
Presenters: Janet Paquette, Paul DeGroot, and Dr. Michael DeMoor
Location: Covenant CRC
If you’re confused about the news—what’s real, what’s not—you’re in good company. How do we access and distinguish truth from lies? We’ve invited a seasoned news reporter, a web expert, and a philosopher to help us sort out those crucial questions. We’ll take a caution from the old truism about data: “Garbage in, garbage out.”