A Church on the Hill Since 1874
Tucked into the rolling shoreline of White Lake, Ferry Memorial Reformed Church has looked down from its hilltop for more than a century and a half. The congregation has been part of the Montague community since 1874, with roots that reach even further into the first Reformed and Presbyterian settlers who came to the region. The brick church with its steeple is hard to miss from the lake below, and members still describe their home as "the friendly church on the hill with the steeple looking out over the lake." Today Ferry draws about 120 people each Sunday, a size the pastors describe as just right - large enough to cover all the bases of ministry and small enough to know everyone by name.
Ferry sits at 8637 Old Channel Trail in Montague, Michigan, with a mailing address on Church Street. The office is open Tuesday and Thursday from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., and the building is barrier-free and open to individuals with accessibility needs. While the church holds firmly to historic Christian teaching, it welcomes people from a wide variety of spiritual backgrounds, ages, and stages of belief. Members and staff put it simply: come as you are, with your questions and your doubts included.
Sundays at Ferry: Worship at 10
Every Sunday morning the congregation gathers for worship at 10:00 a.m. in the sanctuary. The service runs about an hour and is offered in person and livestreamed on YouTube so that friends near and far can join in. The church building is actually two connected structures: an older brick church from the Civil War era that now houses the nursery and youth room, and a newer building next door where worship and Sunday School take place. A glass breezeway links the two.
Music at Ferry moves with the rotation of musicians from Sunday to Sunday. One week the congregation may be singing a traditional hymn, the next a modern praise song. The pastors and worship team describe the style as a blended mix of the two. Dress is likewise relaxed - jeans and flip-flops sit comfortably alongside blazers and dress pants, and visitors can do the same.
Children are an expected and welcomed part of the morning. Kids ages birth through three are cared for in the nursery, which is open all morning. Children ages four through eleven begin the service with their families and are invited forward for a brief children's message, after which they head out to Sunday School for a snack, an age-appropriate Bible lesson, a craft or game, and worship songs. The children's program uses Orange Curriculum, which is designed to help faith grow both at church and at home. After worship, families are invited to stay for fellowship, snacks, and juice.
A Family Place: Kids, Youth, and Sunday School
Ferry makes a point of being a church for the whole family. Sunday School runs for kids ages five through eleven during worship. On weekday evenings two long-running programs round out children's ministry. GEMS (Girls Everywhere Meeting the Savior) gathers girls in grades one through six on the second and fourth Wednesdays of the month from September through April, 6:00 to 7:30 p.m. The girls grow in faith, build friendships, and explore their identity as God's beloved daughters. Cadets, the parallel ministry for grades one through six boys, follows the same schedule and encourages boys to follow Jesus while learning new skills and growing in character. Cadets at Ferry is scheduled to begin in October 2026.
Vacation Bible School returns each summer for kids ages four through eleven, with engaging lessons, skits, worship songs, games, crafts, and snacks. The church posts a recap video each year and looks ahead to the next summer's registration.
Middle and high school students have their own gathering on Sunday evenings during the school year. The youth group meets from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. and begins with a shared meal, followed by games and Bible-based teaching with practical application for daily life. The group meets once a month through the summer. Throughout the year, students serve together in the community and enjoy special outings like trips to Lewis Farms and DEFY trampoline park. A yearly winter retreat and an out-of-state mission trip are also part of the rhythm. The heart of the youth ministry is simple: every teen in the community should have the chance to experience the love of Jesus.
Adults Growing Together Through the Week
Small groups and Bible studies keep the adult ministry busy from September through May. Three gatherings meet weekly, and newcomers can join at any time by contacting the church office.
On Tuesday mornings at 8:00 a.m. a Breakfast Bible Study brings together men's and women's small groups. Some weeks the Bible is the focus, other weeks the group reads a book together or works through a video lesson series. Tuesday mornings continue at 10:00 a.m. in Fellowship Hall with a study currently working through the Gospel of John. On Wednesday mornings at 10:00 a.m., also in Fellowship Hall, a Women's Bible Study is walking through the seven early Christian churches of Asia Minor in chapters 1 through 3 of Revelation.
Adult ministry at Ferry is built around the conviction that faith grows in connection. Small groups, shared meals, service opportunities, and study together make the congregation more than a place to attend on Sunday morning.
Reaching Out: Kids' Closet and Food & More
Two long-running outreach ministries have given Ferry a presence well beyond its own walls. Kids' Closet supplies elementary school children throughout the county with free clothing, winter gear, and shoes. Each fall the program holds an annual coat giveaway with the goal of providing a coat for every student in the community who could use one. Most of the resources come from the congregation, but donations from the wider community are always welcome. Kids' Closet operates out of the ground floor of Heritage Hall, which connects to the main church building through a breezeway, and is open Thursdays from 10:00 a.m. to noon during the school year, following a "school in session" schedule.
Food & More has been part of the White Lake area for more than twenty years. The program brings food to neighbors in need in cooperation with other local ministries. Its largest effort is the annual Thanksgiving Food Baskets. Each year the program purchases nearly seven tons of food and assembles around two hundred baskets, partnering with local churches and schools to identify families who could use a little extra help for the holidays. Food & More also purchases more than one hundred turkeys for St. James Catholic's Christmas Giving Tree and supports two local food pantries, New Hope Community Church in Shelby and Lebanon Lutheran in Whitehall, forwarding monthly contributions to their accounts at Feeding America of West Michigan.
The program runs entirely on volunteers, so every dollar raised goes directly to those in need. Grants from the Community Foundation for Muskegon County, the White Lake Community Fund, the Women's Division Chamber of Commerce, and other local partners have helped the program grow. Year-round, Food & More also responds to emergency needs in the community.
What Ferry Believes
Ferry Memorial Reformed Church is associated with the Reformed Church in America, the oldest denomination in the United States, with roots going back to seventeenth-century New York. The word "Reformed" comes from the Protestant Reformation that swept across Europe in the 1500s. The denomination holds to the Four Forms of Unity: three Reformation-era confessions - the Belgic Confession, the Heidelberg Confession, and the Canons of Dort - alongside the Belhar Confession, a more recent statement that directly condemns racism and division. Ferry Church does not require every member to agree with every word in these historic expressions, but they often serve as the starting point for teaching and discussion.
The congregation is also a "confessional" church in the older sense, holding to the creeds of the early church such as the Apostles' Creed rather than writing its own list of doctrines. The Apostles' Creed is recited in worship as a summary of core Christian belief in the Father, the Son, the Holy Spirit, the holy universal Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and life everlasting. The church's teaching emphasizes good preaching rooted in the original languages of the Bible, strong programs of Christian formation for youth and adults, and a commitment to improving communities through service.
Pastors and Leadership
Ferry is led by Senior Pastor Mike Borgert, who joined the church in June 2025. Pastor Mike brings more than twenty-five years of ministry experience, having previously served congregations in Grand Rapids, Michigan; Muskegon, Michigan; Barrie, Ontario; and Chatham, Ontario. He holds a B.A. from Calvin University, a Master of Divinity and a Master of Theology from Calvin Theological Seminary, and is completing a Doctor of Ministry at Western Theological Seminary. His writing has covered worship, prayer, Christian political and social engagement, church history, and church polity. Outside the parish, he has served as a high school and university instructor, a community police chaplain, a mentor to at-risk youth, and a coach in several sports. He and his wife Jeanne have four young adult children spread between British Columbia, Michigan, and Ontario.
Pastor Beth Wohlford serves as Pastor of Youth and Families, overseeing children's ministry and youth group. A graduate of Trinity Christian College and Calvin Theological Seminary, she has lived in West Michigan since 2020 and loves exploring the beaches and hiking areas of the region with her husband Jared. Pastor Beth is currently on maternity leave and is scheduled to return to her youth group duties in November. In the meantime, volunteer Jared Wohlford is handling communication for the youth group, and volunteer Lyndsey Near is the point of contact for the children's ministry.
The church is governed by a Consistory and supported by a range of committees, including the Christian Education and Discipleship Committee. Online giving is available through the church's giving page, and worship bulletins and a monthly newsletter are posted each week for members and visitors.