Mourn with those who mourn

Recently, Hillside Church had the opportunity to mourn with those who mourn (Romans 12:15). God opened for us the opportunity to mourn with the family of Mike, young father, only 55.

It was one of those rare occasions for Hillside Church to display our love for the friends in our community. Mike wasn’t part of Hillside Church, but it was a privilege for us to host his funeral service. It was one of those days that reminded us that we live in a blessed community, with people from all sorts of religious backgrounds: Muslims, Eastern Orthodox Christians, Catholics, Baptists, Christian Reformed, etc.

Born in the United States, Mike shared a Palestinian background, but his family and extended circle of friends brought one of the most diverse and multicultural crowds to Hillside. We had the privilege to host at Hillside people coming from many ethnic backgrounds: Palestinians, Jordanians, Syrians, Italians, African Americans, Dutch Americans, Romanians, etc.

As a Romanian I felt a huge privilege to mourn with those who mourn.

As a pastor in the Christian Reformed Church I am convinced that God orchestrated this divine intersection with Mike’s family and friends. Out of respect for those who embrace the Eastern Orthodox faith I decided to make use of the Nicean Creed, which is embraced by the church in the East, instead of the Apostolic Creed, which is used by many churches.