For the North End Community Ministry / food pantry visit http://necmgr.org or call (616) 454-1097.



We meet for worship at 214 Spencer Street NE. Directions.
Service begins Sundays at 10:00AM.

Shepherd’s Pen (Page 7)

but we’ve always done it this way!

There is an old joke that probably applies to many Christian traditions but I heard it of Baptists: Q. How many Baptists does it take to change a light bulb? A. Change?! The truth is change has always been part of the Christian faith, for our faith is enculturated. It has long adopted the cultural…

it ain’t about flippin’ tables

By now you’ve heard about the Opening Ceremony of the 2024 Olympics in Paris. The outcry has been over the decision to have a group of LGBT+ folk seated at a table, with the person seated at the center having a halo. Further, the Greek god Dionysus (called Bacchus by the Romans), the god of…

it’s not how—it’s who

There are strong opinions about preaching. I know guys who insist on a particular method of preaching—this usually means preaching extemporaneously, off the cuff and without a manuscript. I recently saw a post on social media insisting that one who is preaching must not use a manuscript, for if he uses a manuscript he might…

beet farm wisdom for Spirit-led serving

Last Thursday my City Group had a good discussion about gifts and opportunities to serve. One member who has the spiritual gift of serving—who would die if I shared the person’s name or even indicated whether the person were male or female!—is highly gifted to do all sorts of things behind the scenes. The conversation…

but what is spiritual maturity?

I have never met a Christian who was both politically partisan and spiritually mature. me I posted this on social media a while ago. I had a conversation with a friend about those who profess Christ and are hostile toward those who disagree with their politics. It was a good conversation. In it I made…