CRC Pastors Awarded Clergy Renewal Grants

Rick Westra, pastor of Trinity Christian Reformed Church in Artesia, Calif., will soon be tracing the footsteps and learning about the life of famous 19th-century British preacher Charles H. Spurgeon.

Byoung Song, pastor of the Korean Christian Church in Denver, Colo., will be taking his family to South Korea, where he will study the state of preaching. He will also take time to learn the ins and outs of carpentry so that he can install a wooden floor in his house.

Samuel Bang, pastor of Bethany Community Church in Burbank, Calif., will visit his homeland of South Korea and will also study how the Reformation swept across Europe 500 years ago to begin ground-breaking changes in the church.

And Gerry Koning, pastor of Trinity CRC in Grandville, Mich., will be learning to tie flies for fishing and then, along with his wife, casting for fish in some of the most scenic rivers and streams in North America.

The CRC pastors are among 146 pastors across the U.S who are recipients of 2016 Lilly Endowment Clergy Renewal Grants, administered by the Christian Theological Seminary in Indianapolis, Ind.

In all, 52 CRC pastors have received one of these grants since they became available in 2000, said Lis Van Harten, director of the CRC's Sustaining Pastoral Excellence program, which has promoted these grants to pastors.

All of the grants come through individual congregations, which request a 12-week sabbatical for their pastor. In their applications, churches discuss how they will cover the absence of their pastor as well as what they hope to learn about themselves while their pastor is gone and when he or she returns.

“My reaction to getting the grant was almost disbelief,” said Westra. “It’s one of those things that sounds almost too good to be true.”

Besides learning more about Spurgeon, he will spend time playing golf—something he loves.

“Part of the grant will cover green fees on Scottish golf courses—how awesome is that?” he said.

His congregation is receiving a grant of $48,000 to cover costs of his sabbatical and church renewal activities while he’s away. “It’s a very big, gracious gift,” he said.

Among the things he plans to do on returning is to preach a sermon series on Spurgeon’s theme of “living the promises” that God provides.

“One exciting theme in Spurgeon’s ministry was his declaration that the promises of God are like gold, and during hard times, he could live on a single promise for weeks at a time,” Westra said in his grant application.

Bang said the grant will give him a chance to connect with his spiritual roots in Korea as well as allow him, during a time of rest, renewal and reflection, to study and retrace the steps of the Reformation.

“I hope that by studying the Reformation in Europe, I would gain fresh perspective and insight on how to do ministry in the midst of rapidly change culture,” he said.

In his application, Song said he would appreciate the chance to get away and seek renewal after serving many years in the ministry without much time away.

“I and my church would love to accept the grant opportunity as God’s grace giving a warm chance to refresh and remap [my life and ministry],” he wrote.

In his application, Koning wrote about rivers and what they mean to him.

“Rivers give life . . . Rivers are still the source of our environment, our communities, and our lives, both physically and spiritually. However, when rivers run dry or become polluted, life suffers. When leaders of the church begin to dry out, they need to be drawn back to the River of Life and find new life for ministry and family.”