The Reformed Deacon

Have you wondered if it's loving to employ a care facility for your loved one? Or how to know when and how to help manage an elderly loved one's finances? In this episode hosts David Nakhla and Chris Cashen find out more about what our responsibilities are as deacons—and Christians—in caring for the elderly.  Rev. Brian De Jong, pastor of Grace Presbyterian Church in Sheboygan, Wisconsin along with his brother, elder at B...

In this episode, host David Nakhla talks with John Shaw, OPC Home Missions and Church Extension General Secretary; Tyler Detrick, pastor of Light of the Nations OPC in Dayton, OH and former church planter; and Kurt Oliver, elder at Westminster OPC in Westminster, CA, about the need for deacons when starting a new church in the OPC. 

Why when we church plant in the OPC are we sure to provide a provisional session, but not a...

In this episode, four seasoned deacons look at four different cases; three having to do with saints within the congregation and one really unique one regarding a visitor to  Vacation Bible School. 

Deacon and CDM member, Tim Hopper facilitates this discussion with Bob Keys, a deacon from Grace OPC in Columbus, Ohio, Lynne Hunter, a deacon at Harvest OPC in Wyoming, Michigan and Daniel Lascaze, a deacon from Amoskeag OPC in...

In this episode, Shiloh OPC deacon and OPC CDM member, Tim Hopper and Rev. C. N. Willborn, pastor of Covenant Presbyterian Church (PCA) in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, talk books—books specifically helpful for deacons to have in their personal libraries. From Bible reading plans to reader's guides to books on prayer to counseling, Nick and Tim cover a wide range of their recommended favorites in their discussion.  There are even a fe...

In this episode, host David Nakhla talks with Trinity OPC, Hatboro, Pa. deacon Dave Askey about his church's involvement in the recent denomination-wide ministry project, Crates for Ukraine. Dave shares details about how his church worked together in creative ways to bring the CFU project to completion and how the Lord blessed their ministry in very large ways.  

We hope this episode will encourage you as you look tow...

In this episode, Rev. Chris Cashen, pastor of Trinity Reformed OPC in Lanham, Maryland and member of the OPC Committee on Diaconal Ministries is joined by Rev. Charles R. Biggs, Regional Home Missionary for the Orthodox Presbyterian Church’s Presbytery of the Mid-Atlantic (PMA) and former pastor of Ketoctin Covenant Presbyterian Church in Purcellville, Virginia.

Chris and Charles unpack a unique passage of Scripture, one ...

In this episode, David Nakhla visits Chris Verdick, the administrator of the OPC Uganda Mission's Akisyon A Yesu Presbyterian Clinic in Karamoja, Uganda. Chris and his family have been serving in rural Uganda for over a decade. Listen as Chris describes how the mission serves this impoverished region by attending to their health needs  while pursuing the ultimate goal of leading lost souls to Christ. The OPC Committee on Diaco...

You may remember our January 1 episode, where three deacons discuss practical methods for dealing with walk-in situations. This episode is a continuation of that conversation; same three deacons sit down with host David Nakhla: John Voss, Chris Sudlow and Doug Vos. David presents two new walk-in scenarios to the panel to tap into their years of diaconal experience on how to help.

The panel grapples with one scenario of a ...

In this episode OPC CDM Administrator David Nakhla is joined by OPC Communications Coordinator Jamie Dean to look back on a recent trip to Ukraine, where they, as two members of a four-person team, were able to follow the Crates for Ukraine as they arrived in L'viv for distribution.

David and Jamie quickly take you chronologically through the trip, highlighting the beauty of the country, even at war, and the forward-t...

In this episode, Rev. Dr. A. Craig Troxel addresses the entire NDS IV 2022 group in his plenary session, "The Deacon and His Congregation." Rev. Troxel looks at the Confession of Faith chapter 26, "Of the Communion of Saints".  Grab a coffee as Dr. Troxel dives deep into the vertical relationship between you and God and the horizontal relationship you have with fellow believers.

This is the final episode featurin...

This episode is an interview our producer, Trish Duggan, had with OPC mission-work, Neon Reformed's elder Seth Long. His description of the current landscape of Neon is powerful, "The whole thing looks like a scene from The Hunger Games. It's dark; it's still muddy, there's still dirt on the streets, there are storefronts boarded up and down the streets.”  Last July’s record-breaking flood was a unique flas...

In this episode, David Nakhla takes the show on the road to Namibia, in southern Africa to interview the International Conference of Reformed Churches (ICRC) Diaconal Committee. This seven-member group from six continents meets quarterly by zoom and in person every two years to discuss matters of concern for the reformed church and how to continue to grow and bless one another. With the world events happening around us, there'...

In this episode, we present the audio from the outstanding video produced by Mission to the World (PCA), of OPC Missionary to Ukraine, Heero Hacquebord. In case you missed it or were unable to take the time to watch the video, this episode may be a great way for you to hear about the work that our missionary is doing in Ukraine during the war. 

Imagine an OPC Missionary with 100s and 1000s of people coming into contact wit...

In this episode, we feature a popular OPC National Diaconal Summit IV plenary talk. Pastor Nathan Trice, Resurrection OPC, Matthews, NC,  finishes out the Summit with a devotional chock-full of encouragement for deacons as they prepared to leave. He reminds the men, "So my friends, remember this when your service goes unrecognized and gratitude is not gushing in your direction. As deacons there's often a very good, godly,...

This episode is an exciting one! Our first "Real World Cases" episode will kick off 2023 for The Reformed Deacon. This one focuses on walk-ins and provides numerous practical methods for stewarding unexpected encounters. 

Three seasoned deacons: John Voss from Covenant OPC in Orland Park, IL; Chris Sudlow from Bethel OPC in Wheaton, IL and Doug Vos from Oakland Hills Community OPC in Farmington Hills, MI serve as...

In this episode, we continue with the OPC National Diaconal Summit IV 2022 recordings as Rev. Al Tricarico brings us “The Deacon and His Community”. This one is chock full of insights and practical takeaways for deacons, as well as all Christians. Rather than summarize, here are a few quotes from Rev. Tricarico in the episode that will leave you wanting more:

• “See the encounter [with a stranger] as an opportunity to serve, not a...

This month we return to the Summit recordings, where you'll hear Rev. Ron Pearce as he leads the Summit’s Friday worship service. He asks the question, who was right in Luke 10: Mary, who sat at Jesus’ feet or Martha, who was busy with preparations for her guests? Was one focus better than the other? What does it have to do with the parable of the Good Samaritan and your service to the church? You can find The Reformed Deacon ...

In this episode of The Reformed Deacon, you’ll listen in on an information session held for OPC Disaster Response registrants held on Monday, September 19, 2022 regarding the disaster response effort in Neon, Kentucky. As many of you know, catastrophic flooding at the end of July destroyed most of the town of Neon, including Neon Reformed OPC’s building. The local church, presbytery of the Southeast and OPC Disaster Response have b...

In this special series, we are releasing the audio versions of the plenaries and workshops from the OPC National Diaconal Summit IV, held June 2-4, in Wheaton, Illinois. There is so much good content in here, we decided to go ahead and release them in groups, so you can listen at your own pace. This is the second grouping of releases.

This session from the second group is Rev. Deryck Barson's  workshop, "Ministr...