Four Dutch Families on South Ferry Street
The story of First Christian Reformed Church begins five years before Abraham Lincoln was elected president, in 1855, when four Dutch immigrant families in Grand Haven started gathering in one another's homes to worship. They had come to America seeking religious freedom and a more prosperous life - the freedom to use their talents, to worship as they chose, to raise their children as they decided, and to step out of the rigid social class system of nineteenth century Holland. They wanted a new life.
More than 170 years later, the congregation that grew out of those living room gatherings still gathers in the same city, now in a building on South Ferry Street a short walk from the Grand River. The church's stated aspiration is the same one its founders held: to use every gift for the glory of God, to cherish the freedom to worship, and to root a life in Christ.
Sunday Mornings at 10:00
Worship is the heartbeat of the week. Doors open at 9:30, and the gathering begins at 10:00. On a typical Sunday, around 110 to 140 people fill the sanctuary - most of them from the Tri-Cities area, ranging in age from infants to members in their nineties. The style is described by the church itself as "wonderfully mixed." The worship team leads contemporary songs, and the congregation also lifts up timeless hymns that have been favorites for generations. The message runs roughly twenty-five minutes. Afterward, people linger over coffee and conversation.
The worship team - instrumentalists and vocalists - prepares the music each week under Worship Director Leah Klemme. A separate group of volunteers runs the technology side of the gathering, handling sound, lighting, media and video so the livestream on YouTube stays in step with the room.
What to Expect When You Visit
Visitors are an expected part of the welcome. The church's "I'm New" guide explains the simplest route in: pull into the parking lot, look for the large north-facing entryway, walk through the double doors, and someone will greet you with a cup of coffee and help you find a seat. Dress runs the full range - sandals and t-shirts on some, jackets and ties on others. The church asks only that guests come as they are.
For young families, the building is set up so that parents can keep little ones close. Infants and toddlers through age two are welcome in a staffed nursery. After about fifteen minutes of gathered worship, children ages three through fifth grade are invited forward for a brief children's message and then dismissed to their own age-appropriate songs and lesson. Parents of newborns and toddlers may also remain with their children in the nursery and still hear the service over the audio system.
What First Church Believes
First Church is part of the Christian Reformed Church in North America, a denomination of roughly one thousand churches and more than two hundred thousand members across the continent. Within that wider body, the congregation lists ten values that shape its life together.
The values are Christ-centered, Biblical, Relational, Prayer, Evangelistic, Stewardship, Worship, Discipleship, Culturally Relevant and Gospel Responsibility - each paired with a short statement of conviction. The church teaches that Scripture is the final authority for truth, that prayer is essential because human wisdom is limited, that the gospel message is timeless even as its presentation adapts to the culture, and that everything a believer has belongs to God and is to be used for his Kingdom.
The congregation also wants to be a church for "every generation," committed to ministry that reaches infants through seniors.
Children, Students and Growing in Faith
Ministry at First Church is structured by stage of life. Cadets is for boys in grades three through six, meeting on the first and third Mondays of the month for Bible lessons, games and projects. Children's Worship on Sunday mornings serves kids from age three through fifth grade. Student Ministries gathers young people in grades six through twelve twice a month during the school year on Sunday evenings from 5:00 to 7:00 for dinner and fellowship, led by Youth and Ministry Associate Tim Cacciatore.
For adults, small groups of eight to ten men and women meet on various days and times to study Scripture, pray for one another and simply enjoy being together. The church staff and leadership are also available to meet one-on-one with anyone who wants to talk through what it means to follow Jesus.
A Week of Belonging
The rhythm of the week stretches well beyond Sunday morning. On Monday evenings at 7:00, a group of moms, grandmas, aunts and other women gather for Mom's In Prayer, praying for children and schools. On Tuesday mornings at 6:30, the men of the church meet at Russ' Restaurant in Grand Haven for Bible study over breakfast, led by Pastor Art Van Wolde. Two Sundays a month, students take over the building for an evening of food and formation. Throughout the week, Adult Small Groups meet in homes and at other times.
Around Town and Around the World
Outreach is organized through a Missions Team chaired by Jane Thomasma and supported by Linda Curtis, Arielle Spoelstra and Karen Van Dyke. Locally, the church works alongside four partner organizations: Kids Hope USA pairs adult mentors with at-risk students at nearby schools; Love In Action of the Tri-Cities distributes donated appliances and helps families in need; Mosaic Counseling provides mental health services; and Positive Options offers pregnancy and parenting support.
Globally, First Church partners with Every Child Ministries through missionaries Mark and Stacy Luckey, with the Nehemiah Center in Nicaragua through Steve and Kim Holtrop, with Wycliffe Bible Translators serving in Oaxaca, Mexico through Corey and Amy Havlicek, and with several denomination-wide agencies - ReFrame Ministries, Resonate Global Mission, World Renew and Multiplication Network Ministries.
Reclaiming Metal, Restoring Appliances
Perhaps the most distinctive ministry of First Grand Haven is also its most unexpected. More than two decades ago, the church embraced environmental stewardship as a calling, and today it operates one of the most active community recycling and appliance programs in the area.
Volunteers - typically twelve to fourteen each week, contributing more than thirty hours of labor - sort metal, electronics, lights, and buckets of hardware, diverting roughly six thousand to eight thousand pounds of scrap metal from the waste stream every week. The garage at 1118 Colfax Avenue in Grand Haven serves as the drop-off point for self-deliveries, while a free pickup service handles larger items that cannot be brought by car. The pickup boundary stretches from Pontaluna Road in the north to Lake Michigan Drive in the south, and from M-231 and Interstate 96 in the east to Lake Michigan in the west.
The ministry takes anything metal - steel, copper, brass, aluminum and stainless steel - along with nearly any item that plugs in or runs on a battery. The long list of accepted items ranges from air conditioners and bicycles to ceiling fans, filing cabinets, garden tools, microwaves and waste baskets. The team cannot accept televisions, computer monitors, or most batteries (car batteries are an exception).
Alongside the recycling side, the church receives donations of gently used working appliances - washers, dryers, refrigerators and stoves - and delivers them to families identified through Love In Action's case management process.
Recycle Ministries Coordinator Lane Smith oversees the work, which is staffed entirely by volunteers from First Church and the wider community.
The People Who Lead
Pastor Art Van Wolde leads the congregation in faith formation and gospel witness, working alongside staff, council and members to grow in faith, build a sense of family and reach into the community. Worship Director Leah Klemme shapes the Sunday morning musical offering. Tim Cacciatore oversees youth ministry and helps walk new members into the life of the church.
The church is governed by a council of elders and deacons. Elders serving include Karen Meyers (Chair and Vice President of Council), Trudy Abraham, Dave Baker, Jess Tysman, Sara Tysman (Clerk), Rick VanLaar (President) and Sharon VanLaar. Deacons serving include Carol Deiters and Krystal Kruizenga (Co-Chairs), Jerry Hoogerheide (Treasurer), Keith Spoelstra, James Trouche, Pete Tysman and Jon Wilcox.
A Place to Belong
First Grand Haven's tagline is simple: "Belonging to Christ, Belonging Together." The building at 516 South Ferry Street is a working church - full on Sunday mornings, busy on many weekday evenings, and, on any given week, processing tons of metal through a garage on Colfax Avenue. Office hours run Monday through Thursday from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m., the phone number is 616-842-6370, and the door is open.