Sharing Friendship at Crystal Mountain

I wondered if the outdoor service that my friend “Bear” Berends had asked me to conduct would be something of a funeral.

After all, he told me that the Council of Reformed Charities (CORC) was meeting at a ski resort in northern Michigan to hold a kind of swan song for their organization.

The charities that belong to this group, which was founded many years ago, are as alive and active as ever, providing services to persons with mental, developmental, and physical challenges, as well as other difficulties, in locations across the United States.

But the council itself seemed to have to run its course. As times have changed, so have the ways in which the leaders of these charities, many of whom are at retirement age, communicate and do their work.

In the days before email and the Internet, before Facebook and Skype, it was important that they gather face to face to share stories about and explain the intricacies and purposes of their charities. But today all these colleagues are just a conference call or a Twitter feed away.

Essentially, the council decided it was time to take a hard look at their future and to either disband the group or let it morph into something new for the younger leaders coming on board in the various charities, most of which are connected in some way with the Christian Reformed Church or the Reformed Church in America.

As a result, I wasn’t sure what to expect when it came time for me to conduct the worship service, which was titled “We Are All One Body,” in the open-air amphitheater at the Crystal Mountain resort.

My friend Bear and I go back many years, and, when he learned I’d been ordained as a commissioned pastor in the CRC, he asked me to officiate for this special occasion.

“CORC means a lot to us, but we’re thinking it’s come time for us to be moving on and let the younger folks figure out what they want to do—keep it going or wave it good-bye,” said Bear, who is now the semiretired executive director of the Christian Learning Center Network.

The network, based in the Grand Rapids, Mich., area, partners with churches, schools, and families to create inclusive communities for persons with all levels of disabilities.

“If you can do the service, my band will play some bluegrass worship songs,” said Bear, referring to his group, the Blue Water Ramblers. “How’s that sound?”

I was up for it. After getting a go-ahead from my pastor and church council, I told him I’d be honored to do the service.

Before I headed up north, I checked the Internet for information on CORC, learning that the majority of these charities were formed over the years as ministries with roots in various churches or individual classes.

Some of the charities include Pine Rest Christian Mental Health Services and the Inner City Christian Federation, both in Grand Rapids; Elim Christian Services in the Chicago area; Salem Christian Homes in Chino, Calif.; and the Christian Health Care Center in Wyckoff, N.J.

I also came across a blog post by Calvin College philosophy professor James K.A. Smith, who was a keynote speaker at CORC’s annual meeting a few years ago.

“CORC brings together organizations that are convinced, for example, that God is just as concerned about mental health as spiritual health; that Christ’s resurrection gives new life to marriages as well as souls; and that the Lord of the heavenly city also desires renewal of our inner cities,” he wrote.

Bear’s band played fiddle tunes as CORC leaders hopped out of golf carts in which they had been driven up the mountain and made their way to the amphitheater, tucked away in a heavily wooded art park, for the service.

Earlier it had been raining, but for now it was dry, though a bit cloudy. I vaguely wondered if the dreary weather might mirror the mood of the men and women taking their seats in front of me.

But I need not have worried. Bittersweet as their time together over the next few days might be, everyone seemed in good spirits. They greeted one another warmly, reflecting the close friendships that have grown among them over the years.

They have met in different places all over the U.S., enjoyed ball games and concerts, gone canoeing and golfing, attended many educational sessions and presentations, and spent countless hours talking over the challenges of their jobs as CEOs and executive directors.

As we started, I read from Romans 12:5, where the apostle Paul teaches that “in Christ, we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others.”

Then the Blue Water Ramblers launched into some lively tunes: “Sunny Side of Life” followed by “I Am a Pilgrim.”

From there, I spoke some words confessing our sins and then read from Psalm 51, which speaks of forgiveness, something that all of us need: “Be merciful, O God, because of your constant love ….”

Intermixed was more bluegrass music: “Down in the River to Pray” and “Closer Walk with Thee.” The band also played “Amazing Grace” and “I Saw the Light.”

Then I read from Luke 22, which talks about Jesus instituting the Lord’s Supper. After that, I offered a homily, thinking I’d touch gingerly on the topic of sharing this sacrament for perhaps their final time as a group constituted in its current form.

But I could tell right away, as my eyes swept over the faces, that no one was looking particularly grim. No one looked sad. So I told a funny story about my dog Jack that was probably off the point, but it got a few laughs.

Clearly, this was a group of 40 or so friends meeting on a chilly evening in northern Michigan to praise God and to enjoy one another’s company.

The decision about what the future held for CORC was on the agenda for later in the week. For now, they were right in the moment, getting ready to celebrate communion with one another.

And that is what they did. They came down, gathered in a semicircle and shared bread and grape juice, signifying the body and the blood that in many ways have bound them together over the years.

It had been my intention, after communion, to suggest that participants spend a few moments with their eyes closed, bringing to mind memories of CORC meetings past.

In fact, I mentioned this as an option. But they weren’t up for pondering. They wanted more music.

As Bear’s band stepped into the midst of the semicircle,  everyone had big smiles on their faces and, clapping their hands together to keep time, sang along with “Will the Circle Be Unbroken” and “I’ll Fly Away.”

Once the music finished, everyone returned to their seats, and I had a chance to offer a benediction, written by former Calvin Theological Seminary president Neal Plantinga, that fit the occasion even more appropriately than I had imagined:

“God go before you to lead you, God go behind you to protect you, God go beneath you to support you, God go beside you to befriend you. May the blessing of God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit be upon you. Do not be afraid. Go in peace to love and serve the Lord. Amen.”