NR #1996-058: Dordt College President Opens Worship Service at 50th Anniversary Assembly of Reformed Ecumenical Council When legendary Christian Reformed theologian Louis Berkhof preached the opening worship service at the first meeting of the Reformed Ecumenical Synod in 1946, John Hulst was sitting in the pew as a 16-year-old member of Fuller Avenue CRC in Grand Rapids while his uncle attended the synod as an elder delegate. Hulst never back in 1946 that he would stand in Berkhof's place fifty years later, but that's what happened at the 1996 Assembly of what is now known as the Reformed Ecumenical Council, an international gathering of 25 Reformed denominations from North America, Europe, Africa, Asia, and Australia. Some of the larger issues expected to face the 1996 REC Assembly include the development of new strategies for the REC, a possible debate on Nigeria, the recommendation of the REC interim committee that the Assembly take no action in 1996 on the "suspension" clause proposed by the 1992 Assembly to deal with the issue of the Gereformeerde Kerken in Nederland and its toleration of practicing homosexual members and clergy, and responses to the reports on the uniqueness of Christ and on the environment. NR #1996-058: For Immediate Release Dordt College President Opens Worship Service at 50th Anniversary Assembly of Reformed Ecumenical Council by Darrell Todd Maurina, Press Officer United Reformed News Service GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (June 3, 1996) URNS - When legendary Christian Reformed theologian Louis Berkhof preached the opening worship service at the first meeting of the Reformed Ecumenical Synod in 1946, John Hulst was sitting in the pew as a 16-year-old member of Fuller Avenue CRC in Grand Rapids while his uncle attended the synod as an elder delegate. Hulst could never have expected back in 1946 that he would stand in Berkhof's place fifty years later, but that's what happened at the 1996 Assembly of what is now known as the Reformed Ecumenical Council, an international gathering of 25 Reformed denominations from North America, Europe, Africa, Asia, and Australia. Taking Philippians 1:6,10 as his text, Hulst preached on the theme of "Until the Day of Jesus Christ." While focussing on the work of Christ in preserving and protecting his church, Hulst minced no words in describing tensions in the REC. "Recent years have been difficult for the Reformed Ecumenical Council," said Hulst. "Internal struggle, loss of membership, some even predicting the end of the organization. Nevertheless, we rejoice, and we should, because God is bringing his promises to accomplishment in the Reformed Ecumenical Council." Hulst urged the delegates "to bow together before the Word of God" in seeking to resolve the issues before the council, calling the delegates to "distinguish right from wrong, important from that which is not as important." Although never mentioned by name, the tensions mentioned by Hulst in previous REC meetings centered largely around the role of the Reformed Ecumenical Council in dealing with the toleration of practicing homosexual members and clergy by the Gereformeerde Kerken in Nederland (GKN) and the question of the apartheid policies of racial separation practiced by the Reformed Churches in South Africa (GKSA). While political changes in South Africa have largely removed the apartheid issue from the REC agenda, the GKN has continued to be a vexing problem. Following the 1988 REC Assembly where the GKN membership was not terminated, a large number of denominations withdrew. After the 1992 REC Assembly, the Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church withdrew, leaving the Christian Reformed Church in North America (CRC) as the last remaining United States denomination in the REC. The 1996 REC Assembly, hosted by the CRC, will span a two-week time frame with a closing worship service on Sunday, June 16. According to the printed agenda, the REC Assembly was timed to overlap with the first week of the Christian Reformed synod, scheduled to begin on Monday, June 10, with the intention of allowing synodical delegates "the opportunity to share and interact with some of the meetings of the Reformed Ecumenical Council." The REC meetings will be held on the facilities of Calvin Theological Seminary; the CRC synod will meet at the Fine Arts Center on the adjacent Calvin College campus. According to REC General Secretary Dr. Richard van Houten, 24 of the REC's 25 member churches have sent official delegates to the 1996 Assembly. In addition, five denominations are applying for membership and five denominations or ecclesiastical organizations have sent observers. The denominations applying for membership are the 5000-member Christian Reformed Church in Myanmar (formerly Burma), the 3000-member Christian Reformed Church in East Africa, the 500,000-member Reformed Church of Christ in Nigeria, the 37,000-member Reformed Church of Korea, and the 1000-member Reformed Presbyterian Church in Uganda. In addition to the Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church, the Reformed Churches in South Africa (GKSA), the GKSA Soutpansberg Synod and Midlands Synod, and the Dutch Reformed Church in Africa have withdrawn from active participation in the REC. In addition to the admission of new denominations, some of the larger issues expected to face the 1996 REC Assembly include the development of new strategies for the REC, a possible debate on Nigeria, the recommendation of the REC interim committee that the Assembly take no action in 1996 on the "suspension" clause proposed by the 1992 Assembly to deal with the GKN, and responses to the reports on the uniqueness of Christ and on the environment. Cross-References to Related Articles: [No related articles on file] Contact List: Dr. John Hulst, President, Dordt College 498 - 4th Ave. NE, Sioux Center, IA 51250 * O: (712) 722-3771 * F: (712) 722-1198 Richard Van Houten, General Secretary, Reformed Ecumenical Council 2017 Eastern Avenue SE, Suite 201, Grand Rapids, MI 49507-3234 * O: (616) 241-4424 * E-Mail: RVHREC@aol.com ------------------------------------------------ file: /pub/resources/text/reformed: nr96-058.txt .