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
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