Delegates visit Westminster Presbyterian

By Achowah Umenei, UGC Correspondent

After two days of intense business, delegates of the World Communion of Reformed Churches (WCRC) spread across several churches in West Michigan Sunday to worship in local congregations.

About 60 attended Westminster Presbyterian Church in downtown Grand Rapids, where senior pastor Chandler Stokes and associate Anne Weirich were hosts.

Guest preacher Clifton Kirkpatrick, former President of the World Alliance of Reformed Churches, spoke on the theme "Better Together." He emphasized when Christians unite, walls of division begin to break down and new possibilities emerge. Christians worldwide identify with each other, whether suffering for their faith, as in Pakistan, China and Guatemala, or celebrating as in Ghana. "The sermon was good, and I was happy with the presence of children and prayers offered for young people of Camp Henry (an area Presbyterian camp)," said Yolanda Pantou, a young woman from the Indonesian Christian Church. "The difference is that unlike here, where we sang only a few hymns, we sing more in our church."

Mzukisi Faleni, a South African delegate from the Presbyterian Church of Africa, said he appreciated the relevance of the sermon to the unity of the church but had a different opinion about the worship style.

"You can't compare it with the service in South Africa. The culture is different," Faleni said. "In our services, you will see people go emotional; the best part of the service is singing."

Besides the WCRC delegates who gave an international rainbow colour to the service, 45 young Camp Henry staff members were commissioned for their summer camp activities.

As delegates were about to leave after a fellowship meal with the congregation, Burnadette Haney, a Westminster member since 1948, remarked, "It was great to have a bunch of people from many countries worship in our congregation today."