In a joint worship service held with Hills URC on May 8, 2016, the Sioux Falls United Reformed church plant formally organized as Christ Reformed Church (URCNA). Rev. Spencer Aalsburg led the service, installing two elders and two deacons as Christ Reformed’s first council. Attendees participated in a fellowship meal after the service and enjoyed a slide show and display of memorabilia. Since its inception, the church plant in Sioux Falls, SD, has been under the supervision of the URC in Hills, MN.
Once the church was organized, the council of Christ Reformed Church extended a call to Rev. Aalsburg. He has served the group since 2007, when he was ordained as Hills’ Associate Pastor to plant the Sioux Falls church. Rev. Aalsburg was installed as Minister of the Word and Sacraments at Christ Reformed Church during a special service held on Friday, May 13.
Rev. Dan Donovan, minister of Cornerstone URC in Sanborn, IA, offered a meditation on 1 Timothy 4:6-16. Rev. Doug Barnes, who serves Covenant Reformed Church in Pella, IA, and is a former pastor of Hills URC, presented a charge to the minister from Ephesians 4:1-16. Rev. Jody Lucero, pastor of Providence Reformed Church in Des Moines, IA, gave the charge to the congregation, based on Ephesians 6:10-20.
The installation service took place at Heritage Reformed Church, 3800 E. 15th St., on the east side of Sioux Falls. Christ Reformed rents the Protestant Reformed Church’s facility and meets there for Sunday worship at 11:15 AM and 6:15 PM.
According to Rev. Aalsburg, 60 to 70 people usually attend services. Membership is comprised of 11 families and a few singles for about 55 souls. “This includes 29 baptized members, and we’re expecting five more babies this year!” he says. “Thankfully, five more families and a couple singles have expressed interest in joining and are at various stages in the process.”
The church has seen significant growth in numbers and spiritual maturity since it began meeting in 2005. Although some of that growth has been internal, the group also makes an effort to welcome visitors and reach out to the community.
“We seek to create a variety of venues to begin and deepen relationships with the newcomers that the Lord brings,” Rev. Aalsburg explains. “Over all, by God’s grace, we’ve been told we’re a warm church and easy to visit—for which we’re very thankful.”
Events during the week include book studies that often draw people who are not members. Many non-members also are attracted to monthly events like picnics with sand volleyball or movie and pizza nights.
Rev. Aalsburg says, “These events are not only a great time of deepening fellowship among members, but also a disarming place to invite friends for an evening of community.”
The church hosts several annual events: a worship conference, a Reformation Day festival, a men’s day out trap shoot, and a Christmas sing. A Reformed Mission Services team has conducted a vacation Bible study during the last two summers. “These have been a great opportunity to build inner community and also receive guests,” he relates. “Most of the guests are not neighborhood visitors, but those friends who had been personally invited.”
Each year, the church hosts a booth at the county fair, distributing literature and engaging the public. They’ve recently begun serving free meals prepared by a local program.
“We have found it helpful to set aside times to process these events—how they went, and how we can be faithful to the Lord in word and deed,” Rev. Aalsburg says. “In the past, we’ve also had book studies on personal evangelism, which were well-received; however, this is an area we cannot study too much.”
Although Sioux Falls is located near the Dutch Reformed enclave of Northwest Iowa, Christ Reformed Church represents a wide ethnic composition. “The congregation comes from a diversity of backgrounds,” he says. “And over the years, we marvel at our God bringing together a people with different histories and experiences to worship Him and share life together.”
The above article by Glenda Mathes appeared on pages 11 & 12 of the July 6, 2016, issue of Christian Renewal.
