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Historical Profile: LaGrave Avenue CRC

Grand Rapids, Michigan

LaGrave CRC was organized with 36 charter members on Feb. 24, 1887 under the sponsorship of First CRC as the first English-speaking Christian Reformed Church. This was because a new generation was growing up in the CRC that spoke English and didn't benefit from Dutch church services.

LaGrave was the fifth Grand Rapids CRC congregation. Their first sanctuary was built in 1888. It was replaced by a new building in 1960, with a major addition completed in 1996.

Names

Fourth
LaGrave Avenue

Location

107 LaGrave Ave. SE, Grand Rapids, MI 49503 (built 1888, new building 1960, addition 1996)

Interactive Google map showing church location.

Pastors

John Y. De Baun, 1887-92
S. I. Vander Book, 1892-98
Dr. Henry Beets, 1899-1915
W. Stuart, 1915-25
R. B. Kuiper, 1925-29
H. Bel, 1932-40
E. J. Masselink, 1940-44
G. Goris, 1945-53
Jacob D. Eppinga, 1954-87
W. S. Gritter, 1968-71
P. D. Winkle, 1973-77
John J. Steigenga, 1978-present
Stanley Mast, 1990-present

Burton Heights, 1905
LaGrave Neighborhood, 1948-53
Wayland, 1957

Membership

The drop in membership in the mid-1890s is likely due to the formation of Broadway CRC, the second English-language CRC congregation in Grand Rapids, in 1893. The smaller drop around 1905 corresponds to the organization of Burton Heights CRC, the third English-language CRC in Grand Rapids.

Green (lower) line shows membership in families; blue (middle), professing members; red (top), total members; and magenta (thin), non-professing members.

Source: Yearbooks of the Christian Reformed Church. Dates are year prior to publication date since data is gathered at the end of one year and published in the next.

For more membership data, click here. View map showing LaGrave Avenue location.

Go to Grand Rapids geographic index or chronological index.

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