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About UsOur goal at Faith URC is to exalt the Lord our God who is sovereign over all Heaven and Earth, giving him the honor and glory that is alone due His name! That is the reason for our existence, serving our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, out of sincere gratitude for the full and free salvation which He earned for us in His perfect life and His perfect death on Calvary. That is the deepest desire of our hearts.
At Faith we believe that God’s church is not just a building or a place. Rather, God’s church is made up of God’s people; God’s elect people glorifying God’s Holy Name out in the world with every part of our lives. That is God’s church! |
Our Setting
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Faith URC is somewhat centrally located between the cities of Holland, Zeeland, Allendale and West Olive. It is approximately 24 miles west of Grand Rapids and 6 miles east of Lake Michigan. The church is in a small village called Olive Center which is the center of Olive Township. This small village was established in the mid 1800s by mostly Dutch immigrants who were known by their hard work ethic, a desire to improve the conditions for their families, but also for spiritual and religious reasons.
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Our History |
The first service for Faith, then Faith Independent Reformed, was held on May 1, 1994. Our meeting place of worship for the first three years was in the Borculo Christian School gym. The core of the members at the first service were from a local CRC church. Rev. Sy Voortman led the first service. Soon after we held an organizational meeting, Rev. Wybren Oord was called and became our first pastor. He was our pastor from 1994 to 2002. In 1995 a couple from the congregation graciously donated 5 acres of land, which later would be the building site for the church. The church was built in 1997. After Rev. Oord accepted another call we were blessed to have Rev. Art Besteman as our interim pastor for approximately 1 year. Faith URC’s second pastor was then called, Rev. Ed Marcusse, who faithfully served until May, 2013. During our recent vacancy we have been blessed to receive the preached Word from Rev. James Admiraal, Rev. James Roosma, and Rev. Chris Post. In January, 2016, Rev. Matthew Nuiver began serving our congregation. On May 11, 2016 we lost all of our building except the fellowship hall to a fire. While it was a devistating loss, we stood firm in our faith and trust in God and rebuilt. On February 11, 2018 (21 months after the fire) we we able to hold our first worship service in our new sanctuary. We are truly thankful to have been blessed by God and to have had these faithful servants as our under-shepherds as they preached God’s Word to us twice each Lord’s Day.
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