User:Singer070593/First Christian Reformed Church

First Christian Reformed Church, located in the inner city of Grand Rapids, MI, is one of the three founding churches of the Christian Reformed Church in North America. Currently pastored by Bill Devries, the church is very active in community outreach. Work in the community includes programs such as the Harambee House, a house located next to the church where Calvin College students can live for a year and work in the community and church programs. Other efforts include midweek and Bates Place.

History

The Church officially opened its doors in 1857 as a predominately Dutch immigrant church in downtown Grand Rapids. The current building was built in 1911. Thus far, First has been responsible for six daughter churches. First CRC also played an important role in the founding of Calvin College.

Mission

First CRC's mission statement is "praising, growing, caring, serving." These are the core goals and values of the church.

Praising: The entire congregation takes an active role in both worship planning and praising God in services. Many of the arts are used to glorify God in worship including drama, dance, art, and both contemporary and traditional music. In recent years, however, worship has been increasingly contemporary.

Growing: First CRC offers programs to bring spiritual growth for all ages and areas of the faith journey.

Caring: Community is extremely important at First CRC. Members support one another through prayer, friendship, generosity, and friendship.

Serving: Evangelism and Community outreach are a very important part of the mission of First CRC. First CRC has a strong relationship with nearby Messiah Baptist Church. First CRC serves the community and reaches out through many programs such as Midweek, the Harambee House, the food pantry, and Bates Place Ministry center. First CRC often takes part in activities organized by [[Grand Rapids Area for Ecumenism (GRACE)]] such as the hunger walk.