Around Town: 130 baptized, Reformation Canada Network, last Christian Brother

Emmanuel Iranian Church baptized 130 people recently.

Very encouraging, reading the most recent edition of Making Connections, a newsletter of Canadian Baptists of Western Canada, which included this story:

God is so good and actively moving in our churches! Emmanuel Iranian Church recently had a significant day where they baptized a total of 130 people using Hillside Baptist Church’s facilities.

They laid down tarps and towels between the baptism tank and the washrooms, and got it all done in an afternoon!

We chatted with Pastor Arash of Emmanuel to learn more about this amazing event:

How did it come about that you had 130 people wanting to be baptized in one day?

The baptisms took place at Hillside Church.

A spiritual revival is happening among Iranians. On one hand, most Iranians are fed up with their inherited religion, as it is more than 40 years of Islamic rule in the country – and there is no sign of peace, happiness or hope for the future.

On the other hand, Iranians are the kind of people who are in need of God. We have a treasure of literature and culture that is amalgamated with the concept of spirituality.

There is a void, and a search for the true God in most Iranian’s hearts. Jesus is one of the most respected personalities in our literature, and when Iranians get to know Him according to the Bible, they receive Him!

How long did it take?

Three hours and 12 weeks! We run a 12-week baptism course in order to introduce Christianity, and when we feel the readiness in heart and mind, we offer the baptism.

For an encouraging look at the growth of the church in Iran, read this recent artlcle by Lela Gilbert, a veteran writer on religious freedom issues.

Reformed Church challenges

The executive team of the newly formed Reformation Canadian Network, from left: Jim Moerman, Ron Opmeer and Ted Broekhuizen.

Six local churches have joined a new denomination, the Reformation Canada Network (RCN). Here’s how the group introduces itself:

The founding members of the Reformation Canada Network are Canadian pastors and church leaders who were formerly affiliated with the Reformed Church in America (RCA).

The reason these leaders decided to step out of their lifelong denomination to form a new association of churches was the RCA’s refusal to hold to its own Biblical creeds and confessions.

We came to believe that the effectiveness of our local churches would be enhanced by leaving the RCA and establishing a new association of churches – Reformation Canada Network.

President Ron Opmeer (pastor of Bethel Community in Abbotsford) and Clerk Jim Moerman (pastor of Home Church in Langley) were brought up in the RCA denomination

It was very interesting to watch portions of the General Synods of the RCA and the Christian Reformed Church North America (CRCNA) over the past couple of weeks. (General Synod, according to the RCA, “is a once-a-year gathering that shapes the direction of the denomination.”)

The denominations have worked closely together over the years, both having roots in the Netherlands and strong population bases in the Midwest. Both have a number of churches in Metro Vancouver and the Valley.

However, it appears they are on different trajectories with regard to human sexuality.

The Banner (CRCNA’s publication) wrote June 15:

Synod 2023 upheld Synod 2022’s interpretation that “unchastity” in the Heidelberg Catechism includes “homosexual sex” and upheld the “confessional status” of that interpretation. Synod was responding to overtures (formal requests) from six classes and five congregations to change the definition of “unchastity,” and change the decision around its “confessional status.”

Laura Osborne from the RCA spoke at the CRCNA Synod. Image from video

Laura Osborne, Coordinator for Interreligious Relations for the RCA, was invited to speak at the CRCNA Synod June 13.

Coming straight from the RCA gathering, she said (introduced at 27:37):

We celebrated our mission partners, our newly organized churches, our church planting efforts and 50 years of women’s ordination.

But she acknowledged that the last few years have been challenging as well.

She said General Synod still recognizes marriage as being between a man and a woman, but “affirmed that the authority to ordain and oversee pastors lies within the local classis.” (According to the RCA, the local classis “oversees consistories [which govern churches] and ministers within its bounds.”)

Thus the diversity already found in the RCA would continue, with some areas endorsing, or at least allowing, a view of marriage at odds with that confirmed definitively last year, and again this year, by General Synod.

She added:

After careful discernment and deliberation, General Synod called for for a restructuring of the RCA for sustained spiritual and organization health, anticipating a smaller denomination moving forward.

They also certified an exit path for churches and pastors who want to find a different denominational home. The desire was for a mutually generous separation.

Since October, we have seen a number of churches follow that path for generous separation, with others still in process. Since those October 2021 decisions, roughly a quarter of our churches have chosen to leave the RCA, accounting for 41 percent of our membership.

That is a huge loss and that is our reality right now.

She said most of the churches have gone to five groups, including the Reformation Canada Network.

Many churches in the RCA clearly wanted more denomination-wide clarity on the issue. The Classis of British Columbia had alerted the denomination several years ago that if it did not uphold the traditional parameters of marriage within a fixed period of time, churches in BC would leave the denomination. A handful of churches in the Classis of BC are still considering their future.

The last Christian Brother

When Brother Charles Gattone retires from Vancouver College next week, it will mark the end of an era.

Here is part of an article by Terry O’Neill in The B.C. Catholic.

Vancouver College this month marks not only the conclusion of its year-long 100th-anniversary celebration, but also the end of a century-spanning era in which Christian Brothers taught at the school.

Brother Charles Gattone, 75, the last remaining Christian Brother to teach not only at the historic Catholic boys’ school but also in the country, is retiring at the end of the month after devoting 53 years to Catholic education . . .

Reflecting on his vocation, Brother Gattone said he hoped he helped his students develop a relationship with God. “In the classroom and on retreats … I always remind them that we encounter God in the people and events of our lives,” he said in an e-mail interview. “Whether it was in religion class or in a French class, I wanted them to know that they are important and cared for.”

He also said the Christian Brother’s founder, Blessed Edmund Rice, was correct in his belief that a solid Catholic education was the recipe for a successful and happy life.

Edmund Rice began providing schools for the poor in the early 19th century Ireland. Image: Christian Brothers

Vancouver College has an excellent understanding of the Christ-centred “Essential Elements of an Edmund Rice Christian Brother Education,” Brother Gattone said.

“I am confident that Edmund’s spirit will continue to guide the many talented educators of Vancouver College. I leave here with confidence in the next 100 years of Vancouver College.” . . .