Joya Vandermeulen
When I was sixteen, I knew who I was. I had been baptized as an infant into the Christian Reformed Church, a sign of God saying “you are mine,” to which I responded with “I am yours” in my profession of faith 16 years later. I had run around the…
Steph Busuttil
My name is Steph. I was raised in the CRC. I am queer, non-binary and I believe in God. These are just parts of what make me wholly and authentically who I am. This is my story. I was a couple months old when my parents adorned me in a…
Terra Hampton
My faith journey has been complicated. As a child I was required to attend a Methodist church, and I did not enjoy going. I fought it even more after I experienced sexual abuse starting in the sixth grade. I became angry with God about why He would let this happen…
Robin Hampton
I attended Sunshine CRC in Grand Rapids from the age of four until I was nineteen. My parents were heavily involved in different ministries, so naturally my sister and I were as well. As a middle schooler and young adult, I spent almost all of my free time at church:…
Sandi Morrison
I was not familiar with the Christian Reformed Church until middle school when I moved to Gallup, New Mexico. Before that, our family had been with a non-denominational mission organization in Ethiopia and other countries in Africa, and I had attended non-denominational churches. When we landed in Gallup, I started…
Brian Zonder
Brian Zonder is a pseudonym Born and bred in the Christian Reformed Church, Brian ticks all the boxes: baptised as an infant, participated in weekly worship, educated in Christian day schools, joined cadets as a boy, attended youth group as a teen, professed his faith as a young adult, and…
Abigail Potsdam
Abigail Potsdam is a pseudonym. I was born and bred in the Christian Reformed Church. My family was deeply connected to the CRC, in the USA and in Canada. The way I see it now, looking back, is that our family has always been kind of like a family of…
Matthew Deroo
*A pseudonym. Matthew wants his story shared publicly but attaching his name would negatively affect family members in the CRC. My story begins like so many others: a childhood being raised in a Christian family and attending the nearby Christian Reformed Church every week. My world seemed to revolve around…
Reuben VanDam
*Reuben is a pseudonym. My name is Reuben. I am in my late 20s. I live and work in a small city a few hours away from the farm where I grew up. I attended university and graduated with a good job in a professional field. I am an uncle,…
Laura Eldon
*Laura is a pseudonym. Laura is proud of who she is, but she does not want to be disrespectful to those people in her story who could be seen in a negative light. I grew up attending a Christian Reformed Church in British Columbia, and I went to Christian schools…