By Greg Chandler
Zeeland Record
The former First Christian Reformed Church building in downtown Zeeland will have a new occupant in the near future.
Grace Orthodox Presbyterian Church, which has been in the community for the last seven years, has announced it will move into the worship space at 15 S. Church St., as well as The Bridge Youth Ministry Center that’s attached to the church. No specific date has been set for that move, Pastor Mike Schout said.
“Likely, it will be next spring or summer … We’ll have to talk to The Bridge and work out a good arrangement where we’re loving our neighbors well and thinking about their needs,” said Schout, a 1999 Zeeland High School graduate who has pastored churches in California and West Michigan before planting Grace OPC.
First CRC held its final worship service June 7 after 164 years of ministry to the Zeeland community. The Bridge is planning to move into the current Grace OPC space at 435 W. Main Ave., near Zeeland ACE Hardware and Dollar General.
Grace OPC has previous ties to the First CRC building from its early days as a congregation.
“We got our start as a church plant at The Bridge,” Schout said. “In 2019, First let us use The Bridge for a year. So we actually got to know The Bridge. Then COVID hit, and First invited us to use their sanctuary and changed their worship times to accommodate us.”
“We have a lot of respect and admiration for First CRC. We share a common history, in terms of our love for Scripture, our love for psalms and hymns, our love for ordinary means of grace,” Schout added.
Grace OPC was founded as a church plant of Harvest Orthodox Presbyterian Church in Wyoming. Since its founding, it has experienced significant growth - from about 70 members at its founding to about 500 today - and that growth has led to challenges with some of its ministries.
“We’re very committed to Sunday school, but we’ve had to lean on the hospitality of neighbors such as the Farmhouse (Restaurant), even across (Washington Avenue) at the Herman Miller outlet for parking,” Schout said. “One of the things I’m really excited about (with the move) is to be able to not have to cram 30 kids in a small classroom.”
In addition, the church’s youth ministry is currently off site, Schout said.
“We’ve been using Innotec - they have been wonderful hosts - but having youth ministry in our facility would be really nice,” he said.
To get to this point, Grace went through a process with its members where it discussed whether to make the move to First CRC. Congregational leaders were excited about opportunities for expanded ministry, but took their time in getting input.
“We hosted a worship service over there (in late April). We had an open house so people could walk through the facility … We followed that up maybe a week later with a forum where people could ask questions and sort of process (our options),” Schout said.
Finally, a vote of the congregation took place in late June. About 91 percent of those casting ballots voted to proceed with the move, Schout said.
There will be some structural changes needed to the First CRC building to address Grace’s ministry needs. That will involve a capital campaign for the congregation.
“In a building like … First CRC, there’s a lot of real estate, there’s a lot of steps, there’s a lot of hallways,” Schout said. “We want to make it as accessible as possible and safe and welcoming as we possibly can.”
Grace is part of the Orthodox Presbyterian denomination, which was founded in 1936 by J. Gresham Machen in response to concerns over theological liberalism in the mainline Presbyterian Church in the USA.
“We love the doctrines of grace. We love the gospel. We love corporate worship,” Schout said. “In many ways, God is doing extraordinary things through ordinary means – through His word.”
Schout is eagerly anticipating Grace’s future as it prepares to move into its new space.
“I think it’s going to stretch us, but I’m excited with what God’s going to do,” he said.
Zeeland Record
The former First Christian Reformed Church building in downtown Zeeland will have a new occupant in the near future.
Grace Orthodox Presbyterian Church, which has been in the community for the last seven years, has announced it will move into the worship space at 15 S. Church St., as well as The Bridge Youth Ministry Center that’s attached to the church. No specific date has been set for that move, Pastor Mike Schout said.
“Likely, it will be next spring or summer … We’ll have to talk to The Bridge and work out a good arrangement where we’re loving our neighbors well and thinking about their needs,” said Schout, a 1999 Zeeland High School graduate who has pastored churches in California and West Michigan before planting Grace OPC.
First CRC held its final worship service June 7 after 164 years of ministry to the Zeeland community. The Bridge is planning to move into the current Grace OPC space at 435 W. Main Ave., near Zeeland ACE Hardware and Dollar General.
Grace OPC has previous ties to the First CRC building from its early days as a congregation.
“We got our start as a church plant at The Bridge,” Schout said. “In 2019, First let us use The Bridge for a year. So we actually got to know The Bridge. Then COVID hit, and First invited us to use their sanctuary and changed their worship times to accommodate us.”
“We have a lot of respect and admiration for First CRC. We share a common history, in terms of our love for Scripture, our love for psalms and hymns, our love for ordinary means of grace,” Schout added.
Grace OPC was founded as a church plant of Harvest Orthodox Presbyterian Church in Wyoming. Since its founding, it has experienced significant growth - from about 70 members at its founding to about 500 today - and that growth has led to challenges with some of its ministries.
“We’re very committed to Sunday school, but we’ve had to lean on the hospitality of neighbors such as the Farmhouse (Restaurant), even across (Washington Avenue) at the Herman Miller outlet for parking,” Schout said. “One of the things I’m really excited about (with the move) is to be able to not have to cram 30 kids in a small classroom.”
In addition, the church’s youth ministry is currently off site, Schout said.
“We’ve been using Innotec - they have been wonderful hosts - but having youth ministry in our facility would be really nice,” he said.
To get to this point, Grace went through a process with its members where it discussed whether to make the move to First CRC. Congregational leaders were excited about opportunities for expanded ministry, but took their time in getting input.
“We hosted a worship service over there (in late April). We had an open house so people could walk through the facility … We followed that up maybe a week later with a forum where people could ask questions and sort of process (our options),” Schout said.
Finally, a vote of the congregation took place in late June. About 91 percent of those casting ballots voted to proceed with the move, Schout said.
There will be some structural changes needed to the First CRC building to address Grace’s ministry needs. That will involve a capital campaign for the congregation.
“In a building like … First CRC, there’s a lot of real estate, there’s a lot of steps, there’s a lot of hallways,” Schout said. “We want to make it as accessible as possible and safe and welcoming as we possibly can.”
Grace is part of the Orthodox Presbyterian denomination, which was founded in 1936 by J. Gresham Machen in response to concerns over theological liberalism in the mainline Presbyterian Church in the USA.
“We love the doctrines of grace. We love the gospel. We love corporate worship,” Schout said. “In many ways, God is doing extraordinary things through ordinary means – through His word.”
Schout is eagerly anticipating Grace’s future as it prepares to move into its new space.
“I think it’s going to stretch us, but I’m excited with what God’s going to do,” he said.
