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First Jenison CRC began from a small group of poverty
stricken Dutch immigrants gathering in a school in the wilderness of Jenison
to hear a sermon read by one of its members. From 1872 to 1873 they met in
the home of Sietse Bos
until officially organized on July
18, 1975
The DeWachter, a magazine
published by the Christian Reformed Church, reported on August 19, 1875, “July 18th, a new Christian
Reformed Church was organized in Jenisonville by
Rev. K. VandenBosch.” In all, there were eleven
families, consisting of nine confessing members, sixteen baptized adults and
thirty-one baptized children. At that time, it was named Jenison Christian
Reformed  Church.
The first decade was a period
of struggle. The meeting place changed several times from homes to
schoolhouses to the upper room of the Jenison General Store. Finally, in 1876
the first building was completed (40 feet by 32 feet, with a seating capacity
of 150), and by 1885 the congregation had grown to fifty-four families.
In August of 1886, Rev. T. M. VandenBosch
accepted the call to become the first pastor of Jenison Christian Reformed Church.
He served for twenty-two months. June of 1893, Rev. B. Einink was installed
and served for eighteen months before accepting a call elsewhere. During this
time, the church building was extended to accommodate the growth of the
church family to eighty families.
Rev. J. Noordewier accepted the call to serve the First
Jenison in September of 1896. During his eleven year ministry, the Sunday
School and a Ladies’ Aid Society were organized. On August 3, 1908, Rev. D. DeBoer
accepted our call to be our next pastor. During his ministry new pews, pulpit
furniture and organ were purchased. The church grew to ninety-six families.
He was followed by Rev. G. Westenberg who was installed in 1914. During Rev. Westenberg’s pastorate, English services were started, a
basement was built under the church, Sunday School began year-round, a
telephone was placed in the parsonage, and electric lights were installed.
Rev. J. O. Bouwsma accepted the call to First Jenison in
October of 1921. During his pastorate, the congregation grew from ninety-six
families to 119 families. February
12, 1928, marks the installation of Rev. A. Dusseljee.
During the ministry of Rev. Dusselje, printed bulletins replaced
announcements, the congregation had grown to 175 families and on January of
1938, a rebuilt and enlarged church  edifice
was dedicated to the service of the Lord. Jenison
Christian School
began on September 15, 1930
in our church basement until they moved to a disbanded church building.
Rev. M. VanderWerp was installed
on April 11, 1940. He is
especially remembered for his ministry of consolation and comfort to the
families that had sons in the military service during World War II. During
his pastorate, the congregation grew to 200 families.
During the pastorate of Rev. B. Essenburg, who was
installed in April of 1945, both the church and the community experienced
significant change as the community continued to grow. As a result, on two
occasions sizable groups left to organize daughter churches -- the Trinity
CRC and the Twelfth Ave. CRC of Jenison. Also during his pastorate, the
facility was enlarged which included a new organ and the present church
property (approximately 10 acres) was purchased. This era is known as the
peak time for the church. There were two English services and one Dutch
service every Sunday. There were 330 people in Sunday School, 314 in
Catechism, six societies and two choral societies. During this time the
church’s name was changed from Jenison Christian Reformed Church to First
Jenison Christian Reformed Church.
July 15, 1962,
was the date of the installation of Rev. A. Jongsma. During his five year
pastorate, the Calvinist Cadet Corp was organized and Calvary Mission chapel
of Otsego began.
Rev. P. VanderWeide was
installed in September 1969 to serve First Jenison. During his pastorate, the
Calvary Christian Reformed Church was organized, and the ministry of Unity
Chapel in Paw Paw began. Also, the present church
building was completed on July  18,
1975, exactly 100 years after the organization of First Jenison.
The congregation of 185 families celebrated their centennial anniversary at
that time. First Jenison quickly became known for its
monthly hymn sings. People from all over West Michigan
would come to spend an hour singing praises to our God.
Rev. J. Witvliet accepted the call to serve First Jenison
and was installed on February 22,
1981. During Rev. Witvliet’s twelve
years at First Jenison the building debt was retired in less than nine years,
the Narthex was remodeled, including the addition of an elevator, our
daughter church in Paw Paw became a sister church,
and Congregational Evangelism Training (CET) and Children’s Worship programs
began. We also added our “Church Telephone Prayer Line” (457-7000) in 1992,
enabling our ministry team to keep the congregation continually updated on
those concerns and events that require our attention and prayers.
On June 19, 1994,
Dr. Marvin Vander Vliet was installed as pastor of First Jenison. During his
eight year pastorate, evangelism to our community through Evangelism
Explosion and GROW (Go Reach Our World) as well as within our congregation
through a Shepard’s Ministry were emphasized. There was increase in
activities for our youth. The Cadets and Gem’s programs grew along with an
establishment of a Voyaguer’s biking club. The
Young People’s society changed there name to Quest (“Using the Qualities
God has given us in Christ to Unite and Equip us for Service
in His Church and world and for Telling others about His love.”).
During his pastorate we also saw the building of an All-purpose building
which is used for Cadets, Quest, and a variety of other groups and
activities.
In the Fall of 2005, our prayers were answered with the
blessing of Rev. Terry Scholten accepting our call
to be our next pastor.
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