6 New York Facts that are mostly NOT about Manhattan

1. The capital of the state is Albany.

2. New York City (made up of the five boroughs of Manhattan, Queens, the Bronx, Brooklyn, and Staten Island) is the most populous city in the United States. Approximately 19,795,791 people live there -- over 40% of the state's total population.

3. New York City is the main gateway for legal immigration to the United States. In the 1800s, it was a major ocean port, and more than 12 million immigrants passed through Ellis Island between 1892 and 1954. More than 100,000,000 Americans are descended from these immigrants.

4. New York was the only colony that didn't vote for independence (because its delegates weren't authorized to vote).

5. Much of the state borders water, including Lake Erie, Lake Ontario, St Lawrence River, and the Atlantic Ocean. New York is the only state touching the Atlantic Ocean and the Great Lakes.

6. Most of the state is made up of meadows, forests, rivers, farms, mountains, and lakes. Adirondack State Park is the largest state park in the United States, and it's larger than Yellowstone, Yosemite, Grand Canyon, Glacier and Olympic National parks combined (it's roughly the size of Vermont).

Four Fun Facts about the Christian Reformed Church in North America

1. The Christian Reformed Church in North America has its roots in the Dutch Reformed churches of the Netherlands and was founded by Dutch immigrants who left the Reformed Church in America in 1857. It's interesting that among the issues leading to the split from the Reformed Church in America was the use of hymns rather than Psalms (in other words, the "grand old hymns of the faith" haven't always been considered the proper songs for worship).

2. Not surprisingly, with "Reformed" in its name, the denomination is theologically Calvinist. It places high value on theological study and the application of theology to current issues. The denomination subscribes to the Apostles' Creed, the Nicene Creed, and the Athanasian Creed, as well as the Belgic Confession, the Heidelberg Catechism and the Canons of Dort.

3. The denomination expanded following the Second World War with immigrants from the Netherlands. In general, the Christian Reformed Church advocates increases in immigration and legalizing illegal immigrants, noting that "because we eat and drink communion with immigrants who have no legal status -- we have a reason to care." The church has grown more ethnically diverse, with some predominantly Native American, Korean, Chinese, Vietnamese, African-American and Hispanic congregations.

  

4. Reformed tradition emphasizes and supports education, including education for those with special needs, elementary and secondary schools, various colleges, and post-graduate educational institutions.

--  Mindy