Synod 2017 Honors Christian Reformed Chaplains

Synod 2017, the general assembly of the Christian Reformed Church (CRC), took time during its morning plenary session to receive greetings via video feed from a conference of CRC chaplains, meeting in Grand Rapids, Mich.

This year marks 75 years of officially recognized chaplaincy in the CRC. For at least 25 years before that, CRC pastors served in chaplaincy-type roles in hospitals like Pine Rest in Michigan and Bethesda in Colorado.

During the brief presentation, Rev. Ron Klimp, outgoing director of chaplaincy, walked delegates through a summary of that history.  Much of what he said can also be found in an online timeline.

Klimp characterized the work of chaplaincy as ministry that often takes place behind the scenes, inviting and extending God’s comfort to “lives in crisis.” Today, he said, more than 150 Christian Reformed chaplains are serving not only in hospitals but in the military, industry, and other settings.

“Chaplaincy is crucial and sometimes under-the-radar work. I’m glad #crcsynod got to hear more about its history,” tweeted delegate Amy VanderVliet shortly after the presentation.

As he concluded his talk, Klimp took a couple of minutes to introduce Rev. Sarah Roelofs, the new director of Chaplaincy. Roelofs will also present to synod in person next week.

For continuous coverage of Synod 2017 including the live webcast, news, video recordings, photos, reports, liveblog, social media links, and more visit www.crcna.org/synod.