It was a unique gathering this January at St. John’s Church, Bradford, Ont. Members of the Presbytery of Oak Ridges and the northern portion of Classis Toronto of the Christian Reformed Church in North America gathered for fellowship, a meal and common worship—just because.
After all, we are related, sort of: birthed in Calvin’s Geneva, both of us Reformed, we express our faith in different ways, one from a Scottish tradition, the other Dutch. (Interestingly, neither denomination in Canada can claim sole membership from those two countries.)
The two denominations are related in a more formal agreement as well—in 2009 the PCC and the CRC signed an affirmation of their relationship. That document states: “Both the Presbyterian Church in Canada and the Christian Reformed Church in North America recognize that through this formal statement we are affirming and building upon existing relations with a denomination that shares the Christian faith, a Reformed theological perspective, and a Presbyterian form of church government. Both denominations have strong commitment to mission in Canada and around the world, to evangelism and justice, to a prophetic view of the mission of the church in society; we look forward to developing together new horizons of mission, which respond to Christ’s calling to the church today.”
Rev. Dr. Daniel Scott, minister at St. John’s, Bradford, was involved in the process towards that affirmation, and it was his idea for this informal gathering. During dinner there were further affirmations from both denominations. Rev. Stephen Kendall, principal clerk of the General Assembly, challenged the Presbyterians to quote something from the Heidelberg Catechism, a doctrinal standard for the CRC; and challenged Christian Reformed folks to quote something from the Westminster Confession. The winning ecumenists received mugs commemorating the denominational affirmation.
Though the classis is the political equivalent of our presbytery, its geography is more analogous to our synod: Classis Toronto stretches from its namesake city all the way to Cochrane, Ont., not unlike the Synod of Central, Northeastern Ontario and Bermuda.
The most enjoyable part of the evening was conversation around the dinner tables. We were set in groups that had an equal number of Presbyterians and Christian Reformed folk at each table. Conversation starters were offered, as well as Scotch mints and those wicked little liquorice gummies that taste like they’re full of salt. The Dutch have quite a rite of initiation with those!
Our conversations revealed that many of us share similar struggles and joys: overcoming cultural barriers and declining numbers; delighting in seeing the Holy Spirit at work in congregations. Many were surprised at how much we have in common.
Following the meal, worship was shared, and the Lord’s Supper celebrated, with leaders from both denominations participating. Each group then went its own way to have a business meeting.
This is not the first time we’ve done something like this. In 2011 at the invitation of Rev. Peter Han, minister at Vaughan Community Church in the Presbytery of Eastern Han-Ca, the Presbytery of Oak Ridges shared a fellowship meal and worship with the Korean presbytery. Vaughan Community is within the bounds of Oak Ridges. Our time together felt like a taste of God’s eternal kingdom, where worship happens in many languages.
Oak Ridges is the second-youngest presbytery in the PCC—formed in 1993, in the booming bedroom communities north of Toronto. The 1992 Overture to General Assembly proposing the new presbytery stated: “the congregations within and surrounding York Region have been thus affected [by growth and new developments] with the result that new communities and old have a new sense of identity as part of a region.” The Presbyteries of Barrie, Pickering, Lindsay-Peterborough, West Toronto and East Toronto each contributed congregations to the new presbytery.
We who are involved in the courts of the church and in our local congregations find it easy to become insular, to think that the entire Church of Jesus Christ looks like and functions just like us. Not so! And spending time with our sisters and brothers from the CRC reminded us of this reality, while at the same time helping us to remember the many aspects of faith that we share in common.
Why not try it in your neck of the woods?
