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By Roger Van Harn, Pastor Emeritus
Author of Grace Overflowed: A Brief History of Grace Church, 1962 - 1987
1. GRACE CHURCH PRE-HISTORY.
- Genesis 12:1-3 (God the Father)
- Matthew 28:16-20 (God the Son)
- Acts 2:1-4 (God the Holy Spirit)
2. WHEN AND WHERE GRACE CHURCH WAS CONCEIVED.
- Mother: First CRC, July 1, 1947 congregational meeting.
- Question: Do we still have a mission? (China missionary came home; war was over).
- Yes! Right here at home. Doubled mission budget to $.50 per week!
- City missionary Andrew Vander Veer knew the city.
- Needed partner. Neland CRC. March 5, 1948. "Sheldon Ave. Gospel Chapel."
- Chapel built June 30, 1949 for $13, 770, on site of abandoned gas station.
- Bakery truck driver, Albert Veen hired as evangelist, September 1, 1949
 3. THE BIRTH OF BUCKLEY CHAPEL.
- Buckley Street Chapel was dedicated Sept. 13-16, 1949. 2000 invitations brought 14 children, 1 adult to SS on Sept. 18. (14 adults, one child p.m.). By Easter, 167.
- Practiced different ways. Worship and S.S., Spanish services 5 months 1952.
- Ten professions of faith: May 20, 1954 and Pentecost, June 6, 1954: 8 baptisms. Membership grew. Memberships held by First and Neland churches.
- Priscilla Circle formed in 1952 for study, fellowship, & service. Motto: Romans 15:7.
- Ten-member Chapel Board formed 1960: Neland (3), First (3), and Chapel (4).
4. GRACE CHURCH CAME OF AGE ON MARCH 25, 1962.
- Celebrative organization service. First elders: William Burress, Henry Washington; first deacons: Luther Ward, Andrew Cross.
- Name: Grace Church, from Romans 15:1,2.
- First ordained pastor: Rev. Martin Toonstra, Sept. 30, 1962. Candidate Duane VanderBrug was also a nominee.
- Values: respect relationships, accept responsibilities, become a "regular" CR Church, thereby laying the foundation for tensions during the next 10 years.
- Staff: Brandon (custodian), Eiten (choirs), Evans (evangelist and youth, 1964-1966).
 5. THE TESTS OF DISCIPLESHIP, 1966-1971.
- New pastor was a prophet with dreams: Rev. Peter Huiner, January 23, 1966.
- Changes in the world and church brought turbulence, chaos, and conflict. Symbols: houses burned one block away in 1967; minutes of council in 1969 disappeared.
- Dreams were born: 1) Church as "Center for community renewal," 2) "Proposed Plan for Expanding Grace Church's Ministry," 3) "An Appeal from Grace Church" 4) "United Christian Ministry."
- Luther Ward hired as "Director of Community Ministries," summer 1968. Rev. Paul Brink as Minister of Education. Duane VanderBrug on Home Mission Board.
- Huiner presented five options for Grace Church's future in 1969.
- Changes: Huiner resigned in 1969, Jack Reiffer appointed in 1970, Paul Brink installed as pastor of the church in 1970. Property changes: three houses on Buckley added, one on Sheldon. Changes took place regularly in all areas of ministry.
6. A TIME TO HEAL, 1972-1977.
- Tenth anniversary was a time of renewed commitment to the mission of Grace.
- The need for improved facilities became more urgent.
- Synod 1973 report on women in church office started a 25 year struggle in Grace.
- Rev. Brink left for Terra Haute in 1974 at a time when the church was facing basic questions about its identity, mission, and future.
7. A TIME TO GROW, 1977-1987.
- Grace found a new pastor in the hostile territory of the Ohio State University, 1976.
- The need for improved facilities ripened into the decision to build at a cost of $111,670. March 26, 1978, Easter Sunday, was the first Sunday in the new building.
- Many changes came as Grace multiplied partnerships for ministry in the city.
- Synod '78 approved women as deacons, but the Church Order was not changed. Grace ordained deaconesses as deacons in January, 1979 (Washington, Rottman, VanderBrug, Van Elderen). Struggle continued until Synod, 1984 approved.
- Too many deaths in Grace Church for the first time in its history.
- Ellen Rottman hired as staff assistant in 1980, through 1998.
- Global awareness shaped Grace's outlook with members being sent overseas: Bob and Marilyn Geels to Nigeria (1976), Bob and Linda Bosch to Jordan (1978) and to Sierra Leone (1980), Bill and Connie Versluys to the Philippines (1981), Paul and Trudi Ippel to Liberia (1982), Marlin and Meribeth Van Elderen to Geneva (1982), Bob and Laurie Laarman to Honduras (1984), Mike and Ann Bruinooge to Liberia (1984), Jim and Beverly Ludema to Central America (1985), Karl and Liz Westerhof to the Philippines (1986). The whole world had become Grace Church's front yard.
- The Board of Home Missions created a Minority Recruitment Policy that started a series of four African-American "interns" at Grace. Don Sherow came in 1982, John Nash in 1984, Victor Anderson in 1987 and Leonard McElveen in 1994.
- Grace was the host church for the Synod of 1984 with 500 people at our worship.
8. A TIME TO SET THE STAGE FOR THE FUTURE, 1988-1998.
- Again, Grace Church ordained women as elders in 1990 without Synod's consent. Synod approved women as ministers and elders in 1995, our pastor's 9th synod.
- Steve Karr headed the facilities analysis committee in 1990 that resulted in the new building that disrupted our church life in 1997. The Washington Chapel was given to a neighbor church and moved to Sycamore and Sheldon in 1996. The new building was dedicated in November, 1997.
- Grace Church's staff had served a total of 90 years before retirements took place in 1998 and 1999: Ellen Rottman retired in June, 1998, Roger Van Ham in September 1998, Mac Brandon in December 1998, and Lillian Grissen, who had anchored the church's ministry since 1995 as full-time Ministry Coordinator, retired in December 1999.
- 9. A TIME OF DISCIPLESHIP UNDER CHANGING LEADERSHIP, 1999 - present.
- Rev. Larry Slings, interim pastor (1999), Rev. Ruth Hofman and Rev. Steve Venhuizen, co-pastors (1999-2002), Rev. Norman Meyer. interim pastor (2002-03).
- Rev. Jack Kooreman arrives to serve Grace Church as pastor (2004-present). Rev. George Davis continued his ministry of music, Mike Bruinooge was ordained as an associate pastor, Jana VanderLaan was appointed as a seminary intern.
- As the membership changes, Grace continues to testify to our only comfort in life and in death: "I am not my own, but belong with body and soul in life and in death to my faithful Savior, Jesus Christ." (Heidelberg Catechism, Lord's Day #1).
This is only a sketch, but if we connect the dots, we get the picture. To God be the giory.
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