What did you think? Text us by clicking here! We are unable to reply on this app, so include phone # or email address. In this episode, host Tim Hopper is joined by seasoned deacon McRay Simmons to reflect on what it means to grow in maturity and perseverance in diaconal ministry. Drawing on more than two decades of experience, McRay emphasizes spiritual growth shaped by the Holy Spirit’s work through years of service. The conversation highlights common challenges deacons face—discouragement, ov...
May 01, 2026•37 min•Season 5Ep. 9
What did you think? Text us by clicking here! We are unable to reply on this app, so include phone # or email address. In this episode of The Reformed Deacon , host Tim Hopper is joined by Jared Grigg, deacon at Acacia Reformed Church in Manassas, Virginia; Ray Pellerin, deacon at Merrimack Valley OPC in North Andover, Massachusetts; and Lynne Hunter, deacon at Harvest OPC in Wyoming, Michigan, for another “real-world cases” discussion. Together, they address common but often challenging situati...
Apr 14, 2026•40 min•Season 5Ep. 8
What did you think? Text us by clicking here! We are unable to reply on this app, so include phone # or email address. In this episode, host Adrian Crum is joined by Mike and Naomi Schout, whose perspective on special needs was shaped by Mike’s brother, Stephen, who lived with an uncontrolled seizure disorder; Eddie and Hillary Mercado, whose eleven-year-old son Calvin is non-speaking autistic; and Nicki Gotch, whose son is on the autism spectrum and whose experience led her to serve as a teache...
Apr 01, 2026•46 min•Season 5Ep. 7
What did you think? Text us by clicking here! We are unable to reply on this app, so include phone # or email address. In this episode, host David Nakhla asks seasoned deacons Ray Pellerin from Merrimack Valley OPC in North Andover, Massachusetts and Len Richards from New Life OPC in Williamsport, Pennsylvania to discuss their experience and excitement about the National Diaconal Summits. Each have been to multiple Summits since their inception in 2010. Listen as these men reminisce about their ...
Mar 24, 2026•37 min•Season 5Ep. 6
What did you think? Text us by clicking here! We are unable to reply on this app, so include phone # or email address. In this episode of The Reformed Deacon , Rev. Adrian Crum (Harvest OPC, Wyoming, MI) speaks with Dr. David VanDrunen, professor at Westminster Seminary California and author of Bioethics and the Christian Life: A Guide to Making Difficult Decisions , and Tracey Huyck (Grace Fellowship OPC, Zeeland, MI), a nurse with many years of experience working with the aged and dying, about...
Mar 01, 2026•57 min•Season 5Ep. 5
What did you think? Text us by clicking here! We are unable to reply on this app, so include phone # or email address. In this episode of The Reformed Deacon , Rev. Chris Cashen discusses with Rev. Peter VanDoodewaard (Covenant OPC, Taylors, South Carolina) about where a deacon’s confidence should come from as he seeks to show the compassion of Christ in mercy ministry. Using John 6 and the feeding of the 5,000, they explore how Jesus intentionally tested His disciples—not because He lacked a pl...
Feb 01, 2026•39 min•Season 5Ep. 4
What did you think? Text us by clicking here! We are unable to reply on this app, so include phone # or email address. Scammers have grown increasingly sophisticated, and their schemes can target anyone, whether a ninety-two-year-old widow or someone with a PhD. After a scam, victims are often left confused and unsure of what to do next. How should someone respond when they realize they’ve been scammed? And what role should the church, specifically deacons, play in helping those affected? In thi...
Jan 01, 2026•48 min•Season 5Ep. 3
What did you think? Text us by clicking here! We are unable to reply on this app, so include phone # or email address. In this episode, David Nakhla welcomes Pastor Mark Winder of Wolf River OPC in Collierville, TN, for a compelling conversation about the vital role of deacons in the life of the church. It's not uncommon for church plants to go several years without deacons, often due to the challenges of identifying, training, and overseeing qualified men during the early stages of organization...
Dec 01, 2025•55 min•Season 5Ep. 2
What did you think? Text us by clicking here! We are unable to reply on this app, so include phone # or email address. OPC Foreign Missions is looking for a short-term missionary to attend to diaconal needs in Uganda! The OPC Uganda Mission in Karamoja is in need of a facilities manager to fill a short-term need while current missionary Travis Emmett and his family are in the States for medical leave early next year. Please consider how you may be able to help! In this episode of The Reformed De...
Nov 01, 2025•30 min•Season 5Ep. 1
What did you think? Text us by clicking here! We are unable to reply on this app, so include phone # or email address. In this episode, host Chris Cashen (pastor at Trinity OPC, Lanham, MD) is joined by pastor John Shaw and deacon Bob Keys from Grace OPC in Columbus, Ohio for a conversation on the financial needs of the church and the importance of encouraging generosity. Drawing from the example of the widow’s mite in Luke 21, they reflect on how this passage shapes our understanding of giving,...
Oct 01, 2025•45 min•Season 4Ep. 14
What did you think? Text us by clicking here! We are unable to reply on this app, so include phone # or email address. In this episode, David Nakhla is joined by seasoned deacons John Stahl (Emmanuel OPC, Wilmington, DE), Jared Grigg (Acacia Reformed OPC, Manassas, VA), and Dan Barnes (Trinity Reformed OPC, Lanham, MD) for a conversation on the unique challenges faced by solo deacons in their ministries. The work of a deacon is vital to the life of the church. Deacons demonstrate Christ’s mercy ...
Sep 01, 2025•37 min•Season 4Ep. 13
What did you think? Text us by clicking here! We are unable to reply on this app, so include phone # or email address. In this episode, host, deacon Tim Hopper (Shiloh OPC, Raleigh, NC) is joined by Becky Haney, a member of New Hope OPC in Bridgeton, New Jersey, to share her experience following the sudden passing of her husband Dave Haney—a man well-known and loved by many in the OPC—who died unexpectedly at age 56 in 2019. Caring for widows lies close to the heart of diaconal work. Scripture i...
Aug 01, 2025•38 min•Season 4Ep. 12
What did you think? Text us by clicking here! We are unable to reply on this app, so include phone # or email address. In this episode, David Nakhla speaks with Dr. Jim Berry, an elder at Reformation OPC in Morgantown, West Virginia, and Professor and Chair of the Department of Behavioral Medicine and Psychiatry at WVU’s Rockefeller Neuroscience Institute. He’s joined by Mr. Rob Guss, an elder at Calvary OPC in Glenside, Pennsylvania, who shares his powerful testimony of God’s grace in deliverin...
Jul 01, 2025•53 min•Season 4Ep. 11
What did you think? Text us by clicking here! We are unable to reply on this app, so include phone # or email address. In this episode, host David Nakhla speaks with Elder Mark Agarkov of Kharkiv Presbyterian Church and OPC missionary Heero Hacquebord to get an update on the situation in Ukraine, now three years into the war. Mark shares about the ongoing suffering in the eastern region of Kharkiv—just 20 miles from the front lines—the support they've received from generous U.S. donors, and the ...
Jun 11, 2025•49 min•Season 4Ep. 10
What did you think? Text us by clicking here! We are unable to reply on this app, so include phone # or email address. In this episode, host Tim Hopper (Shiloh OPC, Raleigh, NC) is joined by fellow seasoned deacons Lynne Hunter (Harvest OPC, Wyoming, MI) and Bob Keys (Grace OPC, Columbus, OH) to wrestle through several thought-provoking real-world scenarios. Consider what you might do if your church had a budget surplus or a woman visits your church asking for rent money for her motel stay; what...
Jun 01, 2025•38 min•Season 4Ep. 9
What did you think? Text us by clicking here! We are unable to reply on this app, so include phone # or email address. In this episode of The Reformed Deacon , host Rev. Adrian Crum speaks with Rev. John Fikkert, a mental health counselor and Director of the OPC Committee on Ministerial Care, and his wife, Dr. Lindsay Fikkert, a psychologist at Pella Counseling . Together, they offer deep and compassionate insight into how deacons—and entire congregations—can come alongside those facing mental h...
May 01, 2025•1 hr 30 min•Season 4Ep. 8
What did you think? Text us by clicking here! We are unable to reply on this app, so include phone # or email address. In this episode, host Peter Haines, elder at Concho Valley OPC in Concho Valley, AZ, leads a discussion with Brian Tilton, deacon at Trinity OPC in Hatboro, PA, and co-owner of Millham Companies, a personal and business insurance firm in Pennsylvania. Together, they explore the topic of flood insurance—its importance, how it works, and its role in our responsibility as stewards ...
Apr 01, 2025•22 min•Season 4Ep. 7
What did you think? Text us by clicking here! We are unable to reply on this app, so include phone # or email address. In this episode, host John Stahl (deacon at Immanuel OPC, Wilmington, DE) leads a discussion with Shiloh OPC, Raleigh, NC Deacon Tim Hopper and Harvest OPC in Wyoming, MI Associate Pastor of Youth and Evangelism Adrian Crum to consider practical ways to help your congregation understand that a deacon's role extends beyond taking the offering and performing building maintenance. ...
Mar 01, 2025•37 min•Season 4Ep. 6
What did you think? Text us by clicking here! We are unable to reply on this app, so include phone # or email address. In this episode, Revs. Chris Cashen and Bill Shishko consider how churches might identify men called to the office of deacon, drawing from 1 Timothy 3:8-13. Many congregations and church plants either lack deacons entirely or may not have enough to meet their needs. How can a church discern and recognize those whom God may be calling to this vital role? Join seasoned pastors Bil...
Feb 01, 2025•44 min•Season 4Ep. 5
What did you think? Text us by clicking here! We are unable to reply on this app, so include phone # or email address. In this episode, host David Nakhla talks with three men: one whose family suffered damage to their home through regional flooding, one whose family suffered devastating property loss as a result of a fire, and one who has aided in a variety of disasters over the years. They share with us from the recipient's perspective in order to aid deacons and church families understand and ...
Jan 01, 2025•57 min•Season 4Ep. 4
What did you think? Text us by clicking here! We are unable to reply on this app, so include phone # or email address. In this episode, host David Nakhla talks with two deacons, David Pendergrass, Covenant Reformed OPC in West Plains, MO, and Greg Harrison, Second Parish OPC, Scarborough, ME, who have, through the Lord's leading, found their professional calling largely based in the ministry of mercy. These two unique examples of thinking outside the box may not represent the Lord's calling for ...
Dec 01, 2024•1 hr 13 min•Season 4Ep. 3
What did you think? Text us by clicking here! We are unable to reply on this app, so include phone # or email address. In this episode, host, David Nakhla is joined by deacon John Stahl (Immanuel OPC, Wilmington, DE), deacon John Voss (Covenant OPC, Orland Park, IL) and pastor Adrian Crum (Harvest OPC, Wyoming, MI) to discuss our fist set of listener questions, from Caleb in Phoenix, Arizona, all related to I Timothy 5:3-16 . This is an insightful, yet complex passage regarding widows and how th...
Nov 15, 2024•35 min•Season 4Ep. 2
What did you think? Text us by clicking here! We are unable to reply on this app, so include phone # or email address. It's the start of season 4! In this episode, pastor Chris Cashen, Trinity Reformed OPC, Lanham, MD and deacon Tim Hopper, Shiloh OPC, Raleigh, NC, propose and discuss some different ways for deacons to care for their pastors. From forming friendships, to periodic check-ins, to helping them wade through the complicated maze of choosing an home, car, insurance plan and completing ...
Nov 01, 2024•46 min•Season 4Ep. 1
What did you think? Text us by clicking here! We are unable to reply on this app, so include phone # or email address. In this episode, hosts Chris Cashen, a CDM member and pastor of Trinity Reformed Church in Lanham, MD, and Tim Hopper, a CDM member and deacon at Shiloh OPC in Raleigh, NC, welcome guests John Fikkert, Director of the OPC Committee on Ministerial Care, and David Nakhla, Administrator of the OPC Committee on Diaconal Ministries. Together, they explore the origins and missions of ...
Oct 01, 2024•52 min•Season 3Ep. 21
What did you think? Text us by clicking here! We are unable to reply on this app, so include phone # or email address. In this episode, the four deacons from Part 1 (John Stahl, Immanuel OPC, Wilmington, DE; Bob Keys, Grace OPC, Columbus, OH; Jared Grigg, Acacia OPC, Manassas, VA; Lynne Hunter, Harvest OPC, Wyoming, MI) continue discussing two more scenarios: a year-long intern is having car trouble and empty nesters who are struggling to pay their bills. This episode is particularly helpful wit...
Sep 26, 2024•23 min•Season 3Ep. 20
What did you think? Text us by clicking here! We are unable to reply on this app, so include phone # or email address. In this episode, host John Stahl, deacon at Emmanuel OPC in Wilmington, DE, and member of the CDM, leads a discussion with three fellow deacons: Lynne Hunter from Harvest OPC in Wyoming, Michigan; Bob Keys from Grace OPC in Columbus, Ohio; and Jared Grigg from Acacia OPC in Manassas, Virginia. The group explores dilemmas with significant long-term implications. They first addres...
Sep 16, 2024•35 min•Season 3Ep. 19
What did you think? Text us by clicking here! We are unable to reply on this app, so include phone # or email address. In this episode host, Pastor Chris Cashen talks with Elder Jeremy Huntington and Deacon Scott Cormier from Covenant OPC, New Bern, NC to discuss Matthew 15:21-28—where we find Jesus modeling true compassion and how that example can help shape the heart of a deacon. Chris, Jeremy and Scott look at this passage about a Canaanite woman who comes to Jesus crying for help for her dau...
Sep 01, 2024•47 min•Season 3Ep. 18
What did you think? Text us by clicking here! We are unable to reply on this app, so include phone # or email address. In this episode, Rev. Adrian Crum, associate pastor at Harvest OPC in Wyoming, MI sits down with two of his deacons, Lynne Hunter and Cameron Brown to talk about the why and how of Harvest's newly constructed Elderly Committee or HARPs Group (Harvest Association of Retired Presbyterians.) Lynne says, "Part of it was that we had, or have, a number of elderly folk that have no fam...
Aug 01, 2024•42 min•Season 3Ep. 17
What did you think? Text us by clicking here! We are unable to reply on this app, so include phone # or email address. In this episode, Peter Haines, an elder at Concho Valley OPC in Concho, Arizona talks to two elders—Kris Lehner, an elder at Immanuel OPC in Medford, NJ and David Drake, an elder at Trinity OPC in Hatboro, PA. Each offer guidance to deacons, based on their expertise in the field of personal insurance in order to strengthen the understanding of "people-based insurance". Kris and ...
Jul 01, 2024•34 min•Season 3Ep. 16
What did you think? Text us by clicking here! We are unable to reply on this app, so include phone # or email address. In this episode, Part 2 of "Policies and Procedures", we'll dive into the case of Sam, a candidate with great potential but some rough edges, and discuss the importance of knowing candidates for officers in the church by walking side by side with them. The second scenario, the four deacons tackle the sensitive topic of allowing non-members, particularly same-sex couples, to use ...
Jun 25, 2024•21 min•Season 3Ep. 15
