• We will vote to select new elders and deacons who will serve on Council from 2023-2026. Information on the nominees is here and is also provided in print on the Welcome Center in the Narthex.

LaGrave needs two new administrative elders and four visiting elders; and two administrative deacons and four pastoral deacons. Candidates who receive the highest number of congregational votes will have their names placed in a group. Selection of officers will be drawn from this group by lot following the 6 pm service on April 16. If you cannot attend the meeting but would still like to vote, let us know! Absentee ballots are available in the church office starting Wednesday, April 5.

• We will vote on receiving and holding the pastoral credentials of Ivan Santoso. Rev. Santoso is an Assistant Professor of Systematic Theology and the registrar at Reformed Theological Seminary in Jakarta, Indonesia. He worshipped at LaGrave while he was a seminary student and considers this community influential in his journey of faith and teaching.

Rev. Santoso’s ability to do ministry in Indonesia is enhanced by having a CRC in North America hold his ministerial credentials. Last year he approached LaGrave for support in his calling and ordination process. Ultimately he was called by Sunrise CRC in Austin, TX, and was ordained with cooperation from LaGrave this past January. Sunrise CRC has recently decided to disaffiliate from the Christian Reformed Church; and Rev. Santoso needs to keep his pastoral credentials within the Christian Reformed Church. We will vote on calling Rev. Santoso so that we can receive his credentials and begin oversight of his doctrine and life (not his day-to-day teaching responsibilities in Indonesia). LaGrave’s elders oversee other ministers whose credentials we hold who serve in other contexts such as teaching and chaplaincy. If the congregation votes to call him, Rev. Santoso would then meet with the elders periodically via Zoom for oversight and prayer support just as our other active chaplains and ordained professors do.

• We will interview Chad Boorsma with the intent to call him as a Commissioned Pastor at LaGrave.

For almost two years, Chad Boorsma has been serving as our Pastoral Care Associate, visiting homebound members, conducting funerals, and working with Pastoral Care Assistants and the Comfort and Care Team. He began working at LaGrave on a part-time basis when Kristy Manion began working in the area of care ministry after Ruth Boven retired and Lee Smits stepped away from doing home visits. Last fall, after Mike Hoogeboom took a call to Ann Arbor CRC, Chad’s hours were expanded to full time to allow him to accept additional committee responsibilities on a temporary basis and facilitate the flow of work with fewer staff members. Chad has demonstrated care, capability, and willingness in his service at LaGrave over the past two years. He especially desires to help meet the spiritual needs of homebound members by ensuring they receive communion on a regular basis. Officiating communion requires ordained status and is most meaningful when it is done by the person providing regular pastoral care. Council interviewed Chad on Monday, April 10 and unanimously recommended him to the congregation for a call as a Commissioned Pastor. This would be to a newly-configured full-time position as Minister of Formation and Visitation. In this role Chad will work with the Spiritual Formation Committee and the discipleship ministries at LaGrave and continue his work with homebound members and ministry to those who are grieving. Chad will also be interviewed at the Congregational Meeting on April 16, at which time the congregation will also vote to call him.