Our stories

Winter preparation and orders Each year when we flip the calendar over to October, we at Family Assistance prepare to get even more busy than usual. Every year on October 1 we are overwhelmed with orders, since that is when agencies are allowed to start requesting winter gear for their clients. Even though this year the weather was in the 80s, the caseworkers did not miss the opportunity to submit their orders right on time.   Since October 1 landed on a Wednesday (not a day

Pipe organ, piano, electric keyboard, handbells, and a drum set! This past Sunday those attending the 11:00 am service at 700 Ethel Ave worshipped and praised our Lord accompanied by various combinations of these instruments. Members of St. Luke A.M.E. Zion Church and Calvin Church were gathered together in what has now become an annual tradition—a combined worship service. St. Luke and Calvin first began forging a relationship over two decades ago. If I recall, the impetus

According to John 12, a group of Greeks were looking for Jesus. In their search, they approached Philip, and said to him, “Sir, we wish to see Jesus.” That phrase has become important for the ministry of the church and the preaching of the gospel. Many churches have a small plaque in the pulpit that says, “Sir, we wish to see Jesus,” or the older translation, “Sir, we would see Jesus,” to remind the preacher that listeners in the pew are longing to hear the good news about Je

I'd like to tell you a story about what the Holy Spirit is doing in our neighborhood. I don't know the end of this story yet, because it's still happening. But I am curious about what the Holy Spirit is doing, and how we at Calvin Church might be able to join the Spirit's work in this time and place. The story starts with the Holland Home at Fulton Manor. Several members of Calvin Church have lived here in the past, and our former pastor served as a chaplain there. Holland Ho

Our position as a LGBTQ+ welcoming church, meaning that we allow full participation in the life of the church, puts us at odds with the Christian Reformed Church Synod decisions of the past few years. As a result, we are leaving the denomination and entering a time of transition, like many other CRC churches in the Grand Rapids area. Our Minister of Worship and Pastoral Care, Rev. Rebecca Jordan Heys, was interviewed by Fox17 as part of their story about the Grand Rapids chur