From: Darrell128@aol.com Date: Fri, 20 Sep 1996 04:30:42 -0400 (EDT) NR #1996-096 Hofman Ordained as First Female Christian Woman Minister The praise band, overhead projection song sheets, children's sermon, congregation filing up to receive communion, and an adult sermon including a critique of pluralism along with a clear call to repentance and belief in Christ as the only hope of salvation would have fit in at most evangelical churches. What made the August 24 ordination and August 25 communion service at First Toronto CRC different was that the preacher was the CRC's first woman minister, the newly-ordained Rev. Ruth Hofman. Traditional Christian Reformed members might also have been surprised by Hofman's white liturgical alb - as was one child coming up for the children's sermon who amused the congregation by telling Hofman that it made her "look a little scary." Others might have had a different response seeing men returning from the Lord's Table wearing T-shirts proclaiming the name of AWARE - the CRC's unofficial homosexual support group. NR #1996-096: For Immediate Release Hofman Ordained as First Christian Reformed Woman Minister by Darrell Todd Maurina, Press Officer United Reformed News Service TORONTO, Ontario (September 11, 1996) URNS - The praise band, overhead projection song sheets, children's sermon, congregation filing up to receive communion, and an adult sermon including a critique of pluralism along with a clear call to repentance and belief in Christ as the only hope of salvation would have fit in at most evangelical churches. What made the August 24 ordination and August 25 communion service at First Toronto CRC different was that the preacher was the CRC's first woman minister, the newly-ordained Rev. Ruth Hofman. Traditional Christian Reformed members might also have been surprised by Hofman's white liturgical alb - as was one child coming up for the children's sermon who amused the congregation by telling Hofman that it made her "look a little scary." Others might have had a different response seeing men returning from the Lord's Table wearing T-shirts proclaiming the name of AWARE - the CRC's unofficial homosexual support group. Hofman's evening ordination service lasted over two hours and included messages from Joan Flikkema, former head of the Committee for Women in the CRC, Rev. Gordon Pols, reporter for the 1992 synodical advisory committee whose recommendation that women be allowed to "expound" paved the way for Hofman's call to First Toronto, and Hofman's father, Rev. John Hofman, retired pastor of Ideal Park CRC in Grand Rapids. Following the ordination, various ministers and laypeople gave testimonies of their involvement with Hofman and other letters of congratulations were read, including one by CRC General Secretary Dr. David Engelhard. Former First Toronto pastor Rev. Remkes Kooistra provided some historical background by noting that the CRC's first report on women in office was formulated in the basement of First Toronto CRC when he served as a member of the committee. Rev. Mark Vermaire of Sherman Street CRC, the congregation served by Hofman while in seminary, described the response of his church to Hofman's Saturday evening sermons given when the CRC still banned women from preaching on Sunday morning. "Some people would come up to me and say, Mark, if you weren't here we'd call her. I'm so glad for your call to First Toronto," said Vermaire - prompting laughter from the audience. Another speaker also generated laughter by suggesting that Ruth's husband, Steve Venhuizen, might want to write a book about life in the parsonage as the CRC's first pastor's husband. Other themes raised in the ordination service pointed to more difficult times ahead. Mary Antonides, pastor-elect of Eastern Avenue CRC in Grand Rapids, noted that Hofman had been a role model with whom she had discussed how to handle difficult church problems. Pols' message noted the difficulty of dealing with false doctrine. Hofman's own Sunday sermon on Jeremiah 29:1-14 noted the difficulty of false prophets confronting the Israelites. At least one of those difficult problems will include the issue of homosexuality, an issue at First Toronto CRC that long predates Hofman's arrival at the church. First Toronto CRC made headlines in 1990 when it allowed the AWARE support group to meet on church premises. Founded in Toronto in the early 1980's to oppose the CRC's criticism of its mother church, the Gereformeerde Kerken in Nederland, for its then-recent decision to allow practicing homosexuals to be church members in good standing and to be ordained to office, AWARE now has chapters in Toronto, Grand Rapids, London, Ont., and the Kitchener-Waterloo area of Ontario. Hofman's members include the spokesperson for AWARE. Despite being the first ordained woman in the CRC and pastoring one of the more progressive churches in the denomination, Hofman agrees with most Christian Reformed conservatives on the issue of homosexuality. "My position is well within the guidelines of 1973," said Hofman in a subsequent interview, referring to the CRC's official synodical position issued that year on homosexuality. "I think 1973 faithfully reflects Scripture and I want to live by Scripture." Hofman pointed to the Biblical account of creation in Genesis 2 as providing the Christian framework for discussing sexuality and marriage. "God created male and female to be of mutual support of one another and that in the bonds of marriage it is between male and female that God will bless and prosper the human race," said Hofman. Responding to concerns raised by her classical examination in which she was not permitted to explain her views on the distortion of sexuality caused by the fall, Hofman said that "all sexuality is distorted in that we don't reflect perfectly our creation in our sexuality, even as heterosexuals, but I see heterosexuality as being normative of creation." "As I answered in the classical exam, homosexuality I see as being a condition that resulted because of the fall," said Hofman. "Do we all struggle and strive within our sexuality? Absolutely, so we must live by God's guidelines in Scripture, and that is faithfulness in marriage and chastity without." Hofman emphasized that the 1973 report not only declared homosexual practice to be sin but also urged compassionate pastoral care of homosexuals. "Marriage is between male and female, and God calls us to faithfulness within marriage and chastity outside of marriage," said Hofman. "The pastoral concern is how we live within those guidelines both as heterosexuals and as persons with homosexual orientation." Dr. Melvin Hugen, professor of pastoral care at Calvin Seminary and one of several Calvin professors who has strongly opposed calls for weakening the 1973 synodical report that he helped to write, agreed that Hofman faced a challenge pastoring a congregation whose attenders included a number of homosexuals. "She is thoroughly Reformed, true to the confessions, and wholeheartedly supports the policies of the Christian Reformed Church and tends to be a little on the conservative side theologically," said Hugen. "She is a very dedicated pastor and rather tends to be somewhat quiet, not to take initiatives in broader settings. She'll be a faithful pastor, thorough in her work, biblical studies, and exegesis, and will tend to concentrate on the ministry in her own congregation unless the church should call her to more public roles." Hofman said she viewed her ordination as a lifelong commitment and a declaration that there could be no turning back. "It does mean that you align yourself with the church in all its strengths and weaknesses," said Hofman. "As my father said [in the ordination service], there were many times in ministry that he wanted to leave, but being ordained kept him there." Hofman's ordination is expected to be followed in short order by that of Mary Antonides, who has served Eastern Avenue CRC in Grand Rapids since 1995. The third female candidate for ordination, Mary-Lee Bouma of Trinity CRC in Mt. Pleasant, cannot be ordained unless Classis Northern Michigan reverses a March decision not to declare the word "male" in the denominational church order to be inoperative. Classis Lake Erie's post-synod newsletter, however, indicated that Trinity Mt. Pleasant was considering taking advantage of a 1996 synodical decision advocated by conservatives to allow them to leave classes allowing women in office and that Trinity Mt. Pleasant might transfer to Lake Erie if Northern Michigan was unwilling to allow women in office. Cross-References to Related Articles: #1993-036: Ruth Hofman to Pastor First Toroto CRC as "Expounder" #1996-076: CRC Synod Rejects 25 Overtures and Communications Calling for End to Classical Option on Ordination of Women #1996-080: Record of Previous Synodical Votes on Women in Office #1996-085: Classis Toronto Examines Ruth Hofman for Ordination as First Female Christian Reformed Minister of the Word Contact List: Elder Mary Antonides, Senior Pastor, Eastern Avenue Christian Reformed Church 2514 Normandy Dr. SE, Apt. 210-C, Grand Rapids, MI 49506 O: (616) 454-4888 * H: (616) 248-8357 Miss Mary-Lee Bouma, Expounder, Trinity Christian Reformed Church 211 W. Broomfield, Mt. Pleasant, MI 48858 O: (517) 772-0664 Dr. David Engelhard, General Secretary, Christian Reformed Church in North America 2850 Kalamazoo Ave. SE, Grand Rapids, MI 49560 O: (616) 246-0744 * H: (616) 243-2418 * FAX: (616) 246-0834 * E-Mail: engelhad@crcnet.mhs.compuserve.com Joan Flikkema 1060 Cherrywood Lane, NE, Grand Rapids, MI 49503 H: (616) 456-1813 Dr. Hendrik Hart, Professor of Philosophy, Institute for Christian Studies 229 College St., Toronto, ON M5T 1R4 O: (416) 979-2331 Rev. John M. Hofman 4670 Millhaven SE, Grand Rapids, MI 49548 H: (616) 532-5534 Rev. Ruth Hofman, Pastor, First Christian Reformed Church 63-67 Taunton Rd., Toronto, ON M4S 2P2 O: (416) 481-4912 Dr. Melvin D. Hugen, Professor of Pastoral Care, Calvin Theological Seminary 3233 Burton St. SE, Grand Rapids, MI 49546-4387 O: (616) 957-6025 * H: (616) 942-0001 * FAX: (616) 957-8621 Rev. Remkes Kooistra 25 Westmount Rd. N. #1505, Waterloo, ON N2L 5G7 CANADA O: (519) 885-1460 * H: (519) 885-6105 * FAX: (519) 885-6364 Rev. Gordon Pols, Pastor, Clarkston Christian Reformed Church 1571 Stonehaven Dr., Mississauga, ON L5J 1E9 CANADA O: (905) 823-7274 * H: (905) 822-7782 Rev. Mark Vermaire, Pastor, Sherman Street Christian Reformed Church 1511 Seminole Rd. SE, Grand Rapids, MI 49506 O: (616) 452-7034 * H: (616) 243-3532 ------------------------------------------------ file: /pub/resources/text/reformed: nr96-096.txt .