Blogging from the Floor #2

Monday was another packed day - lots of committee work and it seems like most of the advisory committees were pushed right up until dinner - which was an incredible picnic on the president of Calvin College's back lawn. He knows how to throw a party!

Plenary sessions began this evening - it felt good to get some business under our belts. Most items warranted little discussion. 53 candidates were approved for Minister of the Word and Sacrament. They explained that the number is artificially high because a recent change in the program. We will be welcoming them Tuesday morning. We also approved the retirement of 41 pastors - just imagine all the lives that have touched for Christ through all their years of ministry.

Two items did garner some chatter though. One was the overture from Classis Zeeland encouraging an evening worship service. They requested Synod to encourage the practice of an evening worship service. It was a very good discussion, although fairly brief. No one who spoke seemed to dismiss it as being antiquated or anything like that - although some informal chatter around Synod leaned that way. The point came across that we need to gather for worship and not neglect the means of grace. The recommendations from the advisory committee highlighted what Synod 1996 said:

a. "Synod affirms the rich tradition of assembling for worship twice on the Lord's Day and encourages existing congregations to continue and new congregations to embrace this tradition for the building up of the body of Christ."
b. "Where congregations are exploring alternatives to the second service, synod encourages those congregations to ensure that such alternatives are part of a strategic ministry plan with full accountability to their classis."

The Reporter from the advisory committee emphasized the last line of point b. above - the need to hold each other accountable in our classes. It was good to hear the Synod using those words - now it's up to us to encourage that among one anothers congregations.

The only other issue that caused some conversation was a Communication from Classis Minnkota that said they were sending their delegates in protest to the seating of women at Synod this year. The advisory committee basically said that this was the wrong way to go about it and that the individual delegates should have registered their protest on their credentials instead - point noted for the future. However, it did seem a bit dismissive since a Classis can really send a Communication about anything it wants - as serious or silly as the matter is.

Tomorrow will be a full day of plenary sessions... thank you for your prayers.

Chad Steenwyk
Delegate from Classis Holland