For the next generation: Dutch Protestant church commemorations in North America, 1960-1980

For the next generation: Dutch Protestant church commemorations in North America, 1960-1980 In this article I describe congregational commemorations of Dutch immigrants and descendants living in the United States and Canada in the 1960s and 1970s. I propose that these commemorations served to pass on the faith and migration stories to the next generation. The concern of the writers of the commemorative books reflects this desire and less an effort to faithfully retell the story of the congregation. By looking at congregations on both sides of the border with clear differences in setting and developments, it provides a way to understand the commonalities of the denominations as ethno-religious communities as well as see the diversity across the border. ‘We desire that the faith of future generations be strengthened through the recollection of their forebears’, Rev. Simon Viss, Houston, b.c. 19641 As the official periodical of the Christian Reformed Church, The Banner played an important role in setting the tone and direction within the denomination in North America. Covers usually included photos or artwork of denominational activities so when a photo of burning wooden shoes appeared on the cover of The Banner of 3 November 1980, it must have shocked most of the magazine’s subscribers. Membership in the Christian Reformed Church included many immigrants from the Netherlands as well as many more who * This research was made possible by a Visiting Research Fellowship from the Van Raalte Institute, Hope College, Holland, Michigan. I would like to thank Nora Faires for reading an earlier draft of this article as well as Hubert Krygsman for many discussions about the Dutch in Canada. 1. ‘25th Anniversary’, Houston Christian Reformed Church, Houston, British Columbia (1964). Available at Heritage Hall, Calvin College, Grand Rapids, Michigan (Hereafter Heritage Hall). T em e tseg_2010-2_def.indd 126 22-6-2010 23:10:17 For the next generation » 127 traced their ancestors to the Netherlands. With the caption ‘It’s Time to Burn the Wooden Shoes’, the entire issue challenged its members to rethink their denomination’s ethnic identity. Editor Rev. Andrew Kuyvenhoven, himself an immigrant from the Netherlands, encouraged his readers to think of the denomination no longer as an ‘ethnic’ church because of the growing number of non-Dutch within the congregations of the denomination such as Korean Ill. 1 Front page of the Banner, the weekly publication of the Christian Reformed Church, 3 November 1980, urging the community to sever its ties with its Dutch heritage. Source: private collection of the author. Used with permission. Cover photograph by Curtis Door. tseg_2010-2_def.indd 127 22-6-2010 23:10:17