Being Reformed in the Twenty-first Century: A Gift or a Challenge? – Celebrating a Quarter Century of the Reformed Church Center

Celebrating a Quarter Century of the Reformed Church Center

While New Brunswick Theological Seminary (NBTS) is a historically Reformed Seminary, founded by the Reformed Protestant Dutch Church in North America, it has, in the last half-century, become increasingly diverse, both culturally and ecumenically. By the late 1990s, there was a perceived need to provide a place to care for distinctly Reformed things so NBTS could honor that heritage while being more intentionally ecumenical. The Board of Trustees approved the creation of a “Center for Reformed Church Studies” on May 21, 1999, and the “inaugural” program of the Center was held on April 30 and May 1, 2001. But the first four programs of what would become the Reformed Church Center were held during the 2000-2001 academic year.

This is why we will celebrate the twenty-fifth anniversary of the Reformed Church Center on Thursday, April 24, 2024, beginning with a special hybrid lecture: we will be in-person as well as online for the first time since 2020. Our speaker will be Setri Nyomi, Interim General Secretary of the World Communion of Reformed Churches (WCRC), whose topic will be “Being Reformed in the Twenty-first Century: A Gift or a Challenge?”

Setri Nyomi is a Ghanaian pastoral theologian, ecumenical leader, and theological educator.  He was General Secretary of the WCRC—formerly the World Alliance of Reformed Churches (WARC)—from April 2000 to August 2014, the first non-European General Secretary of this church family that unites Presbyterian, Reformed, Congregational, Waldensian and some Uniting Churches globally. Ordained in the Evangelical Presbyterian Church, Ghana, in 1980, Dr. Nyomi has served as Senior pastor in several congregations in Ghana and has been part of a pastoral staff in the USA.  He has also been a Senior Lecturer in Trinity Theological Seminary, Legon, Ghana, and a Visiting Professor at Princeton Theological Seminary in 2016 and at the University of Goettingen, Germany, in 2018. He holds degrees University of Ghana, Trinity Theological Seminary in Ghana, Yale University Divinity School, and Princeton Theological Seminary. 

Schedule (all times are Eastern):

4:00 pm           Arrival at New Brunswick, snacks

4:30 pm           Lecture by Dr. Nyomi, both in person and online

6:00 pm           Chapel worship, both in person and online

6:30 pm           Gala Celebration Dinner at NBTS

Registration

There is no charge for attending the lecture online, but everyone, in-person and online, must register by clicking RCC Anniversary Registration. In-person registration, which includes the gala dinner, is $125.00 for those who register by March 15 (meal selection choices are on the registration form); from March 16 on, in-person registration will be $150.00. We also hope everyone will consider a special gift to the Friends of the Reformed Church Center, to help strengthen funding for fellowships and research at the center in the years to come.