Date: Thu, 10 Apr 1997 12:54:07 -0400 (EDT) From: Darrell128@aol.com Subject: NR 97039: Tri-Cities CRC of Kennewick Splits; New Congregation Formed in Washing NR #1997-039: Tri-Cities Christian Reformed Church of Kennewick Splits; New Congregation Formed in Washington State Russ Jardine left the Mormons seventeen years ago after being converted through the evangelistic work of Tri-Cities Christian Reformed Church of Kennewick, Washington. Now Jardine has left Tri-Cities CRC to become steering committee chairman of the newly-formed Grace Community Church in Kennewick. "I just don't see anything that will save the denomination at this point except God himself," said Jardine, noting that both the denomination and the local church had changed since he joined. Begun on March 2, the new church has approximately a hundred attending worship services, has called a pastor, plans to elect elders by May 1, and hopes to determine denominational affiliation by the end of the year. NR #1997-039: For Immediate Release Tri-Cities Christian Reformed Church of Kennewick Splits; New Congregation Formed in Washington State by Darrell Todd Maurina, Press Officer United Reformed News Service (April 8, 1997) URNS -- Russ Jardine left the Mormons seventeen years ago after being converted through the evangelistic work of Tri-Cities Christian Reformed Church of Kennewick, Washington. Now Jardine has left Tri-Cities CRC to become steering committee chairman of the newly-formed Grace Community Church in Kennewick. "My family is Mormon, I was raised in the early years of my life in the Mormon Church, and by mid-teens became a very worldly person and very far from God," said Jardine, who said he was grateful to the Christian Reformed Church for his conversion but had become much less grateful to both the church and the denomination in more recent years. "I just don't see anything that will save the denomination at this point except God himself," said Jardine, noting that both the denomination and the local church had changed since he joined. As president of the Tri-Cities CRC council, Jardine used his company's private plane to fly eight church leaders to the 1995 Interclassical Conference in South Holland, Illinois, and hoped to get some direction for the future of the church. Hopes were stymied, however, by what Jardine called a "very liberal" pastor who has served the church for six years -- a period during which the church lost a number of families to a new Orthodox Presbyterian congregation in the area. On March 2, the church lost even more families -- approximately a hundred people in the 366-member church are currently attending services led by the steering committee chaired by Jardine. Tri-Cities CRC pastor Rev. Jerald Lion did not return several calls to confirm the church decline statistics and respond to Jardine's reasons for seceding. What's next for the new church? "We've got the United Reformed Churches information, and some information from the PCA, but that's not really our major concern," said Jardine. "Our major concern is getting organized and doing ministry here." Since March 17, the new church has been pastored by Craig Davis, a seminarian who had been doing youth work at the Tri-Cities congregation. "We've set a target date of May 1 to disband the steering committee and appoint elders and deacons, and then determine denominational affiliation by the end of the year," said Jardine. Cross-References to Related Articles: #1997-020: Christian Reformed Membership Loss Speeds Up: 30,551 Members Lost in Five Year Slide Contact List: Russ Jardine, Steering Committee Chairman, Grace Community Church 3939 W. Clearwater, Kennewick, WA 99336 O: (509) 783-8148 * FAX: (509)) 783-3009 Rev. Jerald Lion, Pastor, Tri-Cities Christian Reformed Church 837 N. Neel, Kennewick, WA 99336-2443 O: (509) 783-3018 * H: (509) 783-6261 * FAX: (509) 783-3018 ---------------------------------------------------------- file: /pub/resources/text/reformed/archive97: nr97-039.txt .