This past week, I had the opportunity to attend our denomination’s General Synod—a week-long gathering of RCA delegates from across the country—held this year in Tucson, Arizona. I was there as part of a seminary program and was excited for the nerdy stuff—learning about church governance and Robert’s Rules of Order (yes, I really do find that fascinating). But I was delighted to also encounter beautiful parallels between how God is working and leading in Platt Park Church and the overall denomination right now.
Throughout the week, through multiple speakers and worship services, General Synod returned to John 17 and Jesus’ prayer that his followers would be one, just as he and the Father are one – the same passage we’ve been focusing on all year in our teaching at Platt Park. Every time we read those verses at General Synod, I pictured our church’s sermon intro video with Lindsay’s beautiful design of interconnected nesting dolls: the Father, Jesus, me, and the Holy Spirit. I also thought a lot about how unity isn’t easy. It’s hard to be “one” when we come from such different backgrounds, perspectives, and beliefs.
As Stephen shared in his sermon, last Sunday was Pentecost Sunday—the day the Church celebrates the Holy Spirit being given to the first followers of Jesus, fulfilling his promise to send a “Helper.” At General Synod, we celebrated Pentecost during Sunday worship with a reading from Acts 2. That passage records how the Holy Spirit filled the disciples, empowering them to speak in languages they hadn’t known before. People from all over the Roman world, who had gathered in Jerusalem for the festival, heard the disciples’ message in their own languages.
The elders and pastors who made up the delegates for this year’s General Synod were from all over the country; from churches and ministries doing radically different work; in different bodies and experiences; from so many different people groups and languages. During worship, delegates read scripture in the language closest to their heart—Korean, Spanish, Hindi, Navajo, Tamil, Bahasa Indonesia, Nyanja, and more. Listening to these languages and looking around the room, especially during the Pentecost service as we read Acts 2, I was moved by the vibrant, colorful picture of what it means to be one with each other and one with God.
I am so grateful to be part of a church community that desires unity in Christ and with one another. And I’m delighted to share that our denomination shares that same desire. We are part of a larger family of churches that look different from Platt Park, worship in different ways, and speak many different languages. This diversity—in all its forms—can be messy, but it’s also a beautiful picture of what it means to be many members of one body (1 Corinthians 12).
Each church is called to serve in a specific context—reaching different communities, cultures, and corners of the world. Each one reflects the heart of Jesus in its own way, shaped by its people, its language, and its local mission. When you step back and look at the whole, you begin to see the body of Christ, stretching across geography and generations, ministering to people who would never all be reached by just one church alone.
It’s because of our differences—not in spite of them—that we are able to share God’s love so broadly and deeply. The diversity of all the churches and all the members allows the Church to be Jesus to a world full of people who need to know they are deeply loved—people who hear and receive that message in many different ways. We, as a denomination and as Platt Park Church, are united by the life and love of Jesus. That unity gives meaning to our diversity and purpose to our calling.
“I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one—I in them and you in me—so that they may be brought to complete unity.” — John 17:22-23
I am so honored and grateful to walk in unity with each of you. With love and joy,
Holly