Dear Rose Park,
If you’ve stopped by the church recently and swung by my office, then you’ve seen all the pictures and paintings that have recently gone up. There’s a poster, soon to be hung, of the twelfth hole of the Masters Tournament. A few collages of our stained-glass windows. A painting from one of our members. A gift from my sister-in-law. Even a few Father’s Day presents from my kids. But there’s one picture frame that sits right behind my laptop that always catches my eye.
Dear Rose Park,
I went for a run a few weeks ago with the Holland Running Club. There are some runners who keep to themselves and there are some runners who are chatty. I’ll let you decide which camp I fall into. During this past run, I was going stride-for-stride with a particularly chatty runner. Somewhere along the conversation he muttered the phrase, “it’s like our biography shows up in our biology.” I haven’t stopped thinking about the phrase since.
Dear Rose Park,
I am the proud coach of the Holland Little League Giants baseball team. Our season officially started this past Saturday with our first game, but Simon and I have been playing catch since the ground first thawed. Almost every day after school, Simon asks to play catch in our lawn. Playing catch is one of my favorite things to do. It makes me think of my childhood and I always smile. As we toss the ball back and forth and fall into a rhythm, I naturally start to think about the church.
Dear Rose Park,
General Synod is both an event and a body of people. The event is a once-a-year gathering that shapes the direction of the denomination. The body of people who gather for the annual event make up one of the four assemblies of the Reformed Church in America. From June 13-18, delegates from around the U.S. and Canada will come together in Tucson, Arizona, for General Synod. They will worship together, fellowship, and deliberate and vote on many things related to the RCA’s ministry.
Dear Rose Park,
Location, location, location. We often hear this phrase when it comes to real estate, reminding us of the importance of the location of a home when considering purchasing. However, this dynamic goes far beyond real estate; place plays a particularly important role to our growth and maturation process. Whether it’s your childhood home, your hometown, your high school campus, or even your home church place plays a foundational role as to who we are and who we grow to be.
Dear Rose Park,
Yesterday afternoon I had the privilege to officiate a brief committal service for a Holland community member. It was a beautiful day among the trees to praise God, to witness to our faith, and to give thanks for the life of one of God’s children. As we gathered around the graveside, I was again struck by the gracious and loving words of our liturgy.
Dear Rose Park,
Every year Sam and I make a goal to read as many books as we can. Typically, the goal is about 15-25 books each; I know that might sound small to some avid readers, but that’s a pretty hefty goal for each of us. We enjoy reading and we’ve made it a priority to read before we go to bed. Not only does it help us go to sleep, but it also quiets our minds, eliminates the temptation to sit on our phones, and opens us up to a whole new world of conversation and thought.
Dear Rose Park,
As an ordained Minister of Word and Sacrament, I have the unique privilege to be involved in some very meaningful services. Some of those services, like baptisms and professions of faith are called “congregational services” while weddings and funerals are called “pastoral services”. Beyond these congregational and pastoral services, I also have the unique privilege to be involved in what are called “classical services.”
