Historical Profile: First Protestant Reformed Church

Grand Rapids, Michigan

First PRC

First Protestant Reformed was organized as East Street Christian Reformed in 1879. First PRC followed its deposed pastor out of the CRC in 1924, although a remnant remained as Eastern Ave. CRC. A later schism within First resulted in two congregations, one led by Revs. Hoeksema and Hanko, the other by Rev. De Wolf. The schism resulted in two denominations claiming the name Protestant Reformed Churches, one of which reunited with the Christian Reformed denomination in 1961. This page covers the Hoeksema side, which continues to this day.

Names

East Street Christian Reformed

Eastern Avenue Christian Reformed

First Protestant Reformed, 1925-present

Locations

After being ousted from the Eastern Avenue property, the church relocated several times and built two homes: the first on the northeast corner of Fuller and Franklin, the other on Michigan Street west of the East Beltline.

506 Eastern Avenue SE, 1879-1925
Franklin Park community building, 900 Fuller Avenue SE, 1925-26
Saint Cecilia, 24 Ransom Avenue NE, 1926
755 Fuller Avenue SE at Franklin Street., 1926-53
Grand Rapids Christian High School, 415 Franklin Street SE, 1953-55
755 Fuller Avenue SE at FranklinStreet., 1955-84
Saint Cecilia, 24 Ransom Avenue NE, 1984-85
2800 Michigan Street NE, 1985-present

Pastors

J. Post, 1881-87
S. B. Sevensma, 1887-1900
Johannes Groen, 1900-19
Herman Hoeksema, 1920-53, 1955-64
R. Veldman, 1939-44
Hubert De Wolf, 1944-53, deposed, formed Orthodox Protestant Reformed Churches
Cornelius Hanko, 1948-63
George M. Ophoff, 1953-55
Gise J. Van Baren, 1965-77
Meindert W. Joostens, 1987-95
James Slopsema, 1995-present

Membership

Green (lower) line shows membership in families; blue (middle), professing members; red (top), total members; and magenta (thin), non-professing members. Note discontinuity in 1924 when a small portion of the congregation chose to remain Christian Reformed and 1953 when Rev. De Wolf was deposed and the congregation again divided.

Source: Yearbooks of the Christian Reformed Church and Protestant Reformed Churches. Dates are year prior to publication date since data is gathered at the end of one year and published in the next. At this point, I have no data between 1924 and 1947.

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