New BTGMI Director Installed
Chloe Selles sang a beautiful song of blessing in the Mandarin language as part of the installation service for her dad, Rev. Kurt Selles, the new director for Back to God Ministries International. She was joined by Isabella Hill and Danielle Meyer, young members of Neland Avenue CRC in Grand Rapids, MI, where the service recently took place.
The song, May the Love of the Lord* (惟愿神的爱), appropriately fit the ceremony, not only for the words of blessing, but also because the Selles family spent 19 years as missionaries in China before Rev. Selles accepted the position as director of Back to God Ministries International (BTGMI).
Kurt Selles began his work with BTGMI in early August, 2012. The ceremony on Nov. 18 marked the official blessing from the church on his work.
Several pastors, missionaries, elders, and colleagues participated in a prayer of blessing as Selles knelt for the laying on of hands.
“Blessing,” in fact, was the theme of the service.
Rev. Steven Koster, one of several BTGMI staff who participated in the service, offered congratulations to Rev. Selles through several Hebrew blessings. “The root word ‘BRK’ in Hebrew—depending on the vowels you add—can mean to be blessed, to bless the Lord, and to be a blessing,” said Rev. Koster, director of ReFrame Media, the English outreach for BTGMI. “We pray you will experience all these blessings in your work with us,” he added.
Rev. Joel Boot, executive director for the Christian Reformed Church in North America, reminded Rev. Selles, “God, through Paul in 2 Timothy 2, is urging you to ‘entrust’ – literally ‘to set before’ others – the essence of the gospel. God expects you to sit at this table with the other diners and both serve and eat the Bread of Life. Serve well and enjoy the banquet.”
Rev. David Bast, director of Words of Hope, the media ministry associated with the Reformed Church in America (RCA), also brought greetings. He commented that he has enjoyed getting to know Kurt as a friend and partner in ministry.
“We have the honor and challenge of telling the greatest story so that lives of people will be transformed,” he said.
Selles responded, “I am humbled to stand before you.” He thanked his family and the Neland Avenue church family who supported him through many years of ministry outreach. He also expressed gratitude to the CRC, RCA and BTGMI colleagues who serve with him, “demonstrating a commitment to ministry.”
His message was based on Psalm 67, and also focused on the “blessing” theme. Heemphasized, “We are blessed to be a blessing to the nations so that God’s ways may be known on earth, his salvation among all nations.
“That was God’s purpose all along. And that is a fitting message for the work of Back to God Ministries International. May God bless us, so that through our media ministry of evangelism and discipleship we may be a blessing to a world that needs to receive the blessing given to us through Jesus Christ.”
The song “May the Love of the Lord” will be included in Lift Up Your Hearts, the new, joint hymnal of the CRC and RCA. The hymnal will be published in June 2013 by Faith Alive Christian Resources, the publishing agency of the CRC.
