Home / RCA Index / Mich. Index / Grand Rapids / Bethany

The church profiles on Reformed.net are historical overviews; they are not

Membership

s. We link to a congregation's website when we know of it. We hope to expand these profiles with photos, additional historical information, and if you can help by providing updated information, church history booklets, research papers, website links, or other information, I'd be extremely grateful. Please email .

Historical Profile: Bethany Reformed Church

Grand Rapids, Michigan

1893-1994

Bethany Reformed was organized in 1893 as an English-language daughter church of Third when the council of Third Church refused to add English services. Bethany was the second English-speaking RCA congregation in Grand Rapids.

Bethany merged with Fairview in 1994 to create Orchard Hill.

Locations

1. 739 Baldwin SE, 1894-1924
2. 834 Lake Drive SE, 1924-94

Pastors

1. John Lamar, 1893-98
2. James Ossewaarde, 1898-1902
3. Nicholas Boer, 1903-07
4. James Wayer, 1907-19
5. Abraham Kierk, 1920-27
6. Henry D. Ter Keurst, 1927-30
7. John S. Ter Louw, 1932-35
8. Clarence P. Dame, 1936-43
9. Henry Bast, 1944-56
10. Gordon L. Van Oostenburg, 1956-62
11. Wendell P. Karsen, assistant, 1963-65
12. Henry Bast, 1963-72
13. Ralph H. Pronk, evangelism, 1965-68
14. Howard D. Schipper, associate, 1969-72, senior, 1972-78
15. Rodney Kamrath, student, 1974-79
16. J. R. Steegstra, assistant, 1977-84
17. Jerome B. De Jong, 1979-85
18. Frederic C. Dolfin, interim, 1985-86
19. Curry M. Pikkaart, 1986-94 (to Orchard Hill)
20. Thomas L. Bos, associate, 1988-94 (to Orchard Hill)

Sponsored

1. Immanuel, 1907, cosponsored with Third
2. Calvary, 1915, cosponsored with Third

Membership

Heavy lines: green (lower) shows membership in families; blue (middle), professing members; red (top), total members. Thin lines: magenta (middle), non-professing members; orange (lower), inactive members; black (top), average worship attendance.

Source: Acts of Synod of the Reformed Church in America. 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 a map showing Baldwin and Lake Drive locations.

Go to RCA geographic index or RCA chronological index.

Any comments? Please email .

Reformed.Net is a personal research site. The historical church profiles on this site are not church home pages nor have I been affiliated with most of the churches profiled on this website (I am a member at Orchard Hill Reformed). These church profiles are only intended to provide a cursory overview of a congregation's history. Information on this site copyright 1996-2008 by Dan Knight unless otherwise noted.

Support Reformed.Net by shopping through these links

Amazon.com

iTunes Store

The Apple Store

ClubMac

Dell

Email