Sunday Mornings at 5350 North Sprinkle Road
On the north side of Kalamazoo, just off Sprinkle Road, Haven Reformed Church gathers each Sunday at 10 AM for a worship service that runs about ninety minutes. The service is offered both in person and online, with bulletin downloads and sermon notes available for those who want to follow along. Visitors are welcomed with an open invitation: come as you are. On any given Sunday, the room holds everything from well-worn jeans and a T-shirt to khakis and a button-up shirt.
Worship blends music and singing led by a worship team, times of prayer, and a Bible-based message. Nursery care is available for children from birth through three years, and Kids' Own Worship (KOW) dismisses children ages three through fifth grade partway through the service for an age-appropriate lesson of their own.
A Four-Part Path: Invite, Connect, Equip, Mobilize
Everything at Haven is organized around a single discipleship process with four movements: Invite, Connect, Equip, and Mobilize. The church believes Jesus calls every believer to make disciples, and the four steps are designed to keep that call practical and visible.
Invite is sharing the love of Jesus by serving others. The church teaches that service does not replace spiritual disciplines but activates them, giving people real-life reasons to pray, open Scripture, and rely on the Holy Spirit.
Connect is building relationships and growing in love for God and one another so that all may experience Christ. The church believes you can tell a true disciple by how well they love, and that disciple-making cannot happen apart from loving and caring relationships.
Equip is growing in the knowledge and ability to live out the Word of God and live in the Kingdom now. Focused time in prayer and Bible study is taught as vital to becoming, and making, disciples of Jesus Christ.
Mobilize is inviting people into a surrendered life so they may experience Christ. As disciples become more like Jesus, they begin to love what He loves, and that overflows into being His witnesses and ambassadors wherever they go.
Children and Youth at Haven
Children's Ministry is led by Sandra Sanders, the Director of Children's Ministry, and is built around the verse, "Love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength" (Mark 12:30). On Sunday mornings from 10:00 to 11:30, Kids' Own Worship serves three-year-olds through fifth graders, and the nursery cares for infants through three-year-olds. A separate monthly youth group for fourth and fifth graders invites kids to play games, build friendships, and grow in their Christian faith, with friends always welcome.
Middle school and high school students meet for Youth Group on Sundays from 4:00 to 6:00 PM in the gym. The youth ministry, led by Youth Pastor Dave Ericks, works to develop a heart for God, for one another, and for the lost, with the goal of seeing homes, schools, neighborhoods, and the city transformed by the love of Jesus Christ.
Young adults, ages 18 through 29, gather on Wednesdays from 6:00 to 7:30 PM in Haven's Young Adult Room. The group welcomes high school graduates, college students, and early-career professionals who want a Christ-centered community that grows together in faith and reaches out to share the gospel with others.
Life Groups
Life Groups are the church's primary vehicle for the Connect and Equip steps. A Life Group is a regular gathering of people dedicated to living out Haven's mission together. Groups meet for ten-week sessions, with new groups forming and registration opening three times a year in January, June, and September.
The smaller setting allows for deeper engagement, genuine accountability, and encouragement to move beyond comfort zones. Whether someone is joining a group for the first time or simply looking for something new, there is always a spot.
Faith in Action: Stephen Ministry, Grief Share, and More
Haven operates a wide range of pastoral and care ministries, many of them carried out by volunteers trained by the church. Stephen Ministry provides confidential, one-on-one care for people facing life's challenges; trained Stephen Ministers offer a safe space to be heard and supported through prayer and consistent care.
Disciple Care is a group that mobilizes to send cards or bring a loaf of bread to those experiencing health or other challenges. The team meets on the second Tuesday of each month at 4 PM.
Grief Share is a video-driven support ministry for those who are grieving, open to all, with a suggested twenty-dollar donation.
Kids Hope follows the simple model of one child, one hour, one school, one church. Mentors spend one hour a week at a local school to encourage a child and help them reach their goals.
Prayer Shawls is a ministry in which handmade knitted and crocheted shawls are given as a gift of prayer and comfort to patients and their families during hospital stays.
Bible Study Fellowship (BSF) is offered at Haven as well, giving men and women the chance to join BSF's free, in-depth Bible study with trained group leaders.
Free Food Distribution Twice a Month
Twice a month, on the second and fourth Saturday from 9:00 to 10:00 AM, Haven opens its parking lot for a free food distribution. No documentation or proof of need is required. Anyone in the community is welcome to pick up food, and volunteers who want to help serve are encouraged to reach out.
Missions Near and Far
Each month, Haven spotlights a Mission of the Month, supporting a different partner that reflects Christ's love locally and around the world. Recent and current partners include Rise Against Hunger (an international hunger-relief organization), Safe Families for Children of Southwest Michigan, the Workplace Chaplaincy Foundation, Jessie and Elijah Brook planting a church in Scotland through Mission to the World, Kids Alive in Guatemala, Kalamazoo Loaves and Fishes, Kalamazoo Gospel Ministries, Christian Neighbors, Unknown Nations (which brings the gospel to remote and unreached people groups), a couple serving through Church of the Harbor in Baltimore, Youth for Christ of Southwest Michigan, and SHALOM (a Christ-centered residential community for adults with special needs).
Since 2014, Haven has also partnered with Katuba, Uganda through Children's HopeChest. The long-term relationship centers on child sponsorship and fundraising for vital community projects in the area.
Haven's Little Treasures Preschool
For more than three decades, Haven's Little Treasures Christian Preschool has offered a play-based program that nurtures children academically, socially, and spiritually. The preschool is directed by Lead Teacher Joy Zylstra, a Calvin College graduate in elementary education, alongside teacher Jody McCarney and teacher's aide Nicole Reames.
The school offers a three-year-old class meeting Tuesdays and Fridays from 9:00 to 11:30 AM and a four-year-old class meeting Mondays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays with several schedule options ranging from half days to full days. Tuition runs annually from August through May, with scholarships available. Children must have independent bathroom skills to enroll. Each fourth Sunday, the preschool collects cans and bottles for its scholarship fund.
The daily rhythm balances Bible stories, socialization, readiness activities (letters, sounds, language, numbers, shapes), physical development in the classroom and gym, creativity and imagination, and music.
What the Church Believes
Haven describes itself as part of the Alliance of Reformed Churches (ARC21), a family of congregations committed to historic Reformed Christianity. The church subscribes to the historic Reformed creeds and confessions, and its beliefs are spelled out in a publicly available Statement of Faith and Covenant Partnership.
Seven values shape the life of the church: Biblical Truth (the Bible as God's completely true and trustworthy Word), Authenticity (living honestly about struggles, growth, and faith), Humility (putting others before ourselves), Discipleship (continually growing to become more like Jesus and helping others do the same), Prayer (dependence on God for guidance, strength, and connection), Servanthood (serving others as Jesus did, with humility, love, and sacrifice), and Grace (being saved by grace and living it out through gratitude, patience, and forgiveness).
The church's vision is to see more and more people worship one God, proclaim one hope, and live for one purpose: His glory.
Leadership
Haven is led by Craig Gilbert, Lead Pastor, alongside an Executive Pastor, Shawn Johnson; Pastor of Life Groups, Kevin Platte; and Pastor of Invite, Darius White. Dave Ericks serves as Youth Pastor, with Becca Wagner as Youth Intern. Sandy Sanders directs Children's Ministry, Lin Batts serves as Director of Care & Connect, and Chad Thompson leads the worship team.
Practical Information for Visitors
The church office is open Monday through Thursday from 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM and can be reached at (269) 344-5871. A weekly eNews keeps subscribers informed of upcoming events, sermon series, and ministry opportunities. Giving is available online, by text, and through the Walking by Faith Stewardship Plan, a recurring giving program that supports the ministries of the church. A prayer request form is also available for those who would like the church to pray with them.
Haven Reformed Church continues to operate out of its longtime home on North Sprinkle Road, gathering each Sunday as a community that wants to worship one God, proclaim one hope, and live for one purpose.