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Not many churches can claim a list of worship service locations like Southeast Protestant Reformed Church (SE PRC). On March 7, 1944, thirty-three families met and organized as Fourth Protestant Reformed Church (Fourth PRC). The meeting was held in a vacated butcher shop in Boston Square (a grouping of retail stores) located in south Grand Rapids. The organization of this congregation was occasioned by the rapid growth of First PRC, then over 500 families. Shortly thereafter, the congregation purchased a two-story gas station just south of Boston Square on Kalamazoo Ave. After renovation, this location was home for this small...

Faith Protestant Reformed Church was organized on February 22, 1973. For several years before this date there had been talk of the rising need for a new church in the Grandville- Jenison area. Hope PRC was crowded, Hudsonville PRC was crowded and using its basement for worship services, and more and more families were moving to the area. Three men, Dale Mensch, William Huber, and Irvan Velthouse, approached the consistories of Hope and Hudsonville requesting permission to canvas the members of their congregations to evaluate the amount of interest in organizing a new church. When Classis East met on January...

Did you know that the little country town of Byron Center, Michigan had a Protestant Reformed Church from 1926-1945? This small congregation began with about 20 families and met in the Byron Township Hall. Rev. George M. Ophoff was the minister from 1929 until the church disbanded in 1945, while he was also teaching in the PR Seminary with Rev. Herman Hoeksema. About 38 years later, in 1983, under the supervision of Hudsonville PRC and the guidance of Rev. G. Van Baren, a small group of 22 families and 2 individuals were given approval by Classis East to organize again...

Set back a bit off 40th Avenue in Grandville, Michigan, along a lovely tree-lined drive is Grandville PR Church. The Grandville PR Church building does not pierce the sky with a steeple, nor does it boast those rich medieval stained-glass windows. But, I have always thought its spare, spacious architectural design to be aesthetically pleasing and conducive to worship. The original building committee also insisted on good acoustics. The gradual sloping floor helps make the pulpit visible to all the congregation. The sanctuary features a high-peaked ceiling braced with heavy wooden beams. Its clear-paned windows near the top one-third of...

On July 4, 1929, at a Field Day of the Protestant Reformed Churches, Rev. Herman Hoeksema announced, “Last evening a baby was born, weighing nine pounds and showing signs of vigorous growth, for during the night the babe grew two more pounds.” He was referring to the organization of the First Protestant Reformed Church of Holland, Michigan. On July 3, members of the Classical Committee had met with interested people for the purpose of organizing a new Protestant Reformed Church. It was thought that as many as 75 families might be interested in forming this new congregation. However, only nine...

The formation of Calvary Protestant Reformed Church started in January of 2005, when the Council of Hull PRC appointed a committee to look into the needs and desire for a daughter congregation. The Steering Committee met for the first time in November 2006. The group that later became Calvary PRC began holding separate services in March of 2007 at the Boyden-Hull Community School Theater. In June we received approval to organize from the Hull PRC Council and formal approval was given by Classis West on September 7, 2007. The organizational worship service of Calvary PRC was held on Thursday, October...

The history of Crete Protestant Reformed Church begins in the mid to late 1800s, when many Dutch fled the economic, political, and spiritual oppressions that gripped Holland. Those who fled because of religious persecution were chiefly of the Afscheiding (Secession of 1834). Many of them chose the low and high prairies south of Chicago, where they continued in their farming heritage, growing onions and melons. Shortly after Rev. Herman Hoeksema was deposed from the Christian Reformed Church in 1924, he was asked by several concerned families in Roseland, Illinois to give a lecture. The dissatisfaction with the Christian Reformed Church...

Three great men! Rev. H. Danhof, pastor of the First Christian Reformed Church of Kalamazoo stood side by side with Rev. H. Hoeksema and Rev. G. Ophoff to do battle against the error of common grace. Rev. Hoeksema had a large following in the Grand Rapids area. Likewise, Rev. Danhof had a large following in Kalamazoo. When Rev. Danhof and his consistory were deposed from the Christian Reformed Church, he took with him the vast majority of his large congregation. But the hopes of a vibrant, thriving, Protestant Reformed congregation in Kalamazoo were soon shattered. Rev. Danhof could not see...

A call went out across the country to Rev. Herman Hoeksema in Grand Rapids from a group of forty families in Redlands, California. The year was 1932, and these families had left the Christian Reformed Church due, at least in part, to the consistory’s decision to end worship services in the Dutch language. Thankfully, Rev. Hoeksema’s consistory gave its okay and the great teacher came to California to instruct the saints there and to help organize First Protestant Reformed Church. (While in California Rev. Hoeksema also helped establish a church in Bellflower, south of Los Angeles.) Things happened quickly the...

In January of 1994, a meeting was held in the basement of Hope PRC to discuss the possibility and feasibility of forming a new congregation. On June 5, 1994, we began separate services at the Grand Valley Orthodox Christian Reformed Church on the corner of 8th Avenue and Lake Michigan Dr. We had to work around Grand Valley’s services, which were 9:30 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. We met at 1:00 in the afternoon and 7:30 in the evening. Our pulpit was always supplied by either visiting ministers or seminary students. Rev. P. Breen consented to preach three Sunday evenings each...