NR #1996-059: Canadian CRC Woman Makes History: Claire Elgersma Elected First Female Officer of Reformed Ecumenical Council It took four ballots, but it's now official: for the first time in its 50-year history, the Reformed Ecumenical Council has elected a woman to be one of its five officers. In its June 5 morning session, the REC Assembly voted by a 24-8-5 margin to elect Claire Elgersma from Community Christian Reformed Church in Kitchener, Ontario, as its "first clerk" - the third-ranking office in the ecumenical organization representing 30 Calvinistic denominations with 5 million members worldwide. NR #1996-059: For Immediate Release Canadian CRC Woman Makes History: Claire Elgersma Elected First Female Officer of Reformed Ecumenical Council by Darrell Todd Maurina, Press Officer United Reformed News Service GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (June 5, 1996) URNS - It took four ballots, but it's now official: for the first time in its 50-year history, the Reformed Ecumenical Council has elected a woman to be one of its five officers. In its June 5 morning session, the REC Assembly voted by a 24-8-5 margin to elect Claire Elgersma from Community Christian Reformed Church in Kitchener, Ontario, as its "first clerk" - the third-ranking office in the ecumenical organization representing 30 Calvinistic denominations with 5 million members worldwide. As first clerk, Elgersma's official responsibilities are largely clerical - maintaining the roll of voting members of the Assembly, taking care of papers belonging to the Assembly agenda, referring papers to committees and receiving committee reports, and keeping the record of the Assembly docket. Elgersma's office, however, places her on the REC Interim Committee which is responsible for handling the business of the Reformed Ecumenical Council in the four year period between assemblies. As one of five Interim Committee members, Elgersma will have a key role in handling interim appointments to REC committees, supervising the work of the REC General Secretary, conducting REC business over the next four years, and planning the next REC Assembly in the year 2000. "I regard her as a woman of great ability," said Rev. Arie Van Eek, executive secretary of the Council of Christian Reformed Churches in Canada. "She will raise important questions about ecumenical relations between denominations." A native of New Jersey, Elgersma is currently a manager of employment services for the human resources department of the Canadian government. She currently serves on the interchurch relations committees of the Christian Reformed Church in North America and on the Canadian Council's interchurch relations committee, as well as being the liaison between the two committees. Previous CRC denominational positions have included membership on several Christian Reformed denominational committees dealing with world hunger concerns. In addition to her formal positions, Elgersma has frequently travelled with and assisted her husband Ray in his work as Canadian director of the Christian Reformed World Relief Committee. "I'm surprised along with everyone else that it occurred," said Elgersma. "I called my husband to tell him, and he asked me if this means he has to carry my bags for me on our next trip." Elgersma said she had not campaigned for the position and was surprised to find her name placed in nomination on the first ballot. "I think there were some people here who wanted to have a woman as an officer," said Elgersma. "I think the fact that I'm a woman will bring a certain perspective; women being engaged in the church's program and church government is certainly something I can bring that may not have been here before." Women in office has been a controversial issue in the 292,000-member Christian Reformed denomination, which only last year allowed each of its 46 classes - regional judicatories similar to a presbytery in other Reformed denominations - to decide whether to approve the ordination of women as ministers, elders, or evangelists. Although Elgersma is a member of Classis Huron - which decided this past March to become one of 14 classes to approve the ordination of women - she has not served as either an elder or a deacon. A number of the other REC member denominations do not allow women in office. "I certainly will try to understand and be sensitive to those concerns," said Elgersma. "I can still value those differences and respect those understandings; I would never impose a value on someone who was fundamentally opposed. You don't gain anything by forcing the issue." Also elected on June 5 were Dr. Henk de Waard of the Reformed Churches of Australia, who will serve his second four-year term as REC Moderator; Dr. Douwe Visser of the Gereformeerde Kerken in Nederland (Reformed Churches in the Netherlands or GKN) as Vice-Moderator; Rev. Charles Jansz of the Dutch Reformed Church in Sri Lanka to another term as Second Clerk; and Dr. Kadarmanto Hardjowasito of the Javanese Christian Churches in Indonesia as Third Clerk. In his opening speech to the REC Assembly, de Waard thanked the delegates for his re-election as moderator on the first ballot - an unusual but not unprecedented event. "I'm deeply touched by the confidence you have placed in me to elect me moderator; it is not a position I would have sought," said de Waard. "By nature I would prefer to be in the background, but I am happy to accept this role because I believe in the cause of the Reformed Ecumenical Council." Noting that some past REC Assemblies have been marked by controversy, de Waard urged the delegates to focus on positive as well as controversial themes. "I would hope that in your writing for your church journals you would be striving to be fair in your writing," said de Waard. "I know we tend to focus on things which are controversial, but I would hope that you would also follow the words of the Apostle Paul in seeking to think on those things which are good and wholesome and true and praiseworthy and so on." The REC Assembly spent most of the day in conferences on theology, mission, and youth work, but before recessing to the conferences it also approved the admission of five new member denominations, the Christian Reformed Church in Myanmar (formerly Burma), the Christian Reformed Church in East Africa, the Reformed Church of Christ in Nigeria, the Reformed Church of Korea, and the Reformed Presbyterian Church in Uganda. All were approved without dissent. Cross-References to Related Articles: [No related articles on file] Contact List: Dr. Henk de Waard, Moderator, Reformed Ecumenical Council 28 Broiga Crescent, Wandana Heights, Victoria 3216 AUSTRALIA * O: [61] (52) 412318 * FAX: [61] (52) 221263 Mrs. Claire Elgersma, First Clerk, Reformed Ecumenical Council 27 Homewood Ave., Kitchener, ON N2M 1X1 Dr. Kadarmanto Hardjowasito, Third Clerk, Reformed Ecumenical Council Jl Balai Pustaka Timur, Rawamangun, Jakarta 13220 INDONESIA Rev. Charles Jansz, Second Clerk, Reformed Ecumenical Council 2 Mudaliyar Ave., Kohuwela, Nugegoda, SRI LANKA * O: [94] 585861 Rev. Arie Van Eek, Executive Secretary, Council of Christian Reformed Churches in Canada 23 Niska Dr., Waterdown, ON L0R 2H3 * O: (905) 336-2920 * H: (905) 689-5226 * F: (905) 336-8344 Dr. 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 Dr. Douwe Visser, Vice-Moderator, Reformed Ecumenical Council Dorpsstraat 41, NL-1721 BB Broek Op Langedijk NETHERLANDS ------------------------------------------------ file: /pub/resources/text/reformed: nr96-059.txt .