Covenant United Reformed Church - Kalamazoo, Michigan

<body stylesrc="../informat.html" bgcolor="#FFFFFF">  <h4><font color="#0000FF" face="Arial"><em><strong>Home <img src="../images/Blue_Right_Arrow_on_White_10_pt.gif" alt="Blue Right Arrow on White 10 pt.gif (847 bytes)" width="13" height="14"> Information</strong></em></font></h4> <h1><font color="#0000FF" face="Arial"><strong>Information</strong></font></h1> <p class="pre-indent">C<span class="small-caps-primary">ovenant </span>U<span class="small-caps-primary">nited </span>R<span class="small-caps-primary">eformed </span>C<span class="small-caps-primary">hurch</span> is a community of Christian believers in the <a href="http://www.reformed.net/church/timeline.shtml" target="_top">Dutch Reformed</a> tradition. We are a congregation of the <a href="../urchrchs.html">United Reformed Churches in North America</a> that is located in Kalamazoo, Michigan, USA.</p> <h2><font color="#0000FF" face="Arial"><strong>Our Purpose</strong></font></h2> <p class="pre-indent">We exist as part of "one catholic or universal Church, which is a holy congregation of true Christian believers, all expecting their salvation in Jesus Christ, being washed by His blood, sanctified and sealed by the Holy Spirit" (<a href="http://www.prca.org/bc_index.html" target="_top"><em>Belgic Confession of Faith</em></a>, Article XXVII).</p> <h2><strong><font color="#0000FF" face="Arial">Church History</font></strong></h2> <p class="pre-indent">The Covenant United Reformed Church was organized as an independent Reformed congregation on November 13, 1992 as the Free Christian Reformed Church. The congregation was made up largely of people who had recently decided to leave Kalamazoo area congregations of the <a href="http://www.crcna.org" target="_top">Christian Reformed Church in North America</a>. Our first worship service was held on January 3, 1993.</p> <p class="indent">Our first pastor was <a href="http://www.iclnet.org/pub/resources/text/reformed/archive96/nr96-003.txt" target="_top">Rev. Henry Vander Kam</a>, a retired Christian Reformed pastor. He was well known for his doctrinal preaching and was much loved by the congregation. Despite severe medical problems associated with advanced age, Rev. Vander Kam labored tirelessly to shepherd the flock. He preached his last sermons the morning and evening of Sunday, December 24, 1995. The next day, Rev. Vander Kam was scheduled to preach at a special Christmas Day worship service, but instead had to be taken to a hospital complaining of heart problems. Rev. Vander Kam entered his eternal rest on January 11, 1996.</p> <p class="indent">Ever since the Free Christian Reformed Church came into existence, it was a member of the <a href="http://www.reformed.net/arc/arc.html" target="_top">Alliance of Reformed Churches</a>, an association of conservative Christian Reformed and independent Reformed congregations. Many of these Alliance churches had expressed a desire to federate into a new denomination. Rev. Vander Kam had himself labored with other Alliance pastors to write a new <a href="../urcna/co.html">Church Order</a> that would function as the constitution of a new denomination. In late January of 1996, the congregation voted to approve a recommendation by the Free Christian Reformed Church's elders and deacons to join other churches in forming a new denomination. That denomination came into existence on October 1, 1996 as the <a href="../urchrchs.html">United Reformed Churches in North America</a>. At another congregational meeting in March of 1997, the congregation voted to change the name of the church to the Covenant United Reformed Church.</p> <p class="indent">In early 1996, the congregation voted to extend a call to Mr. Philip Vos, a recent graduate of <a href="http://www.m-ars.com" target="_top">Mid-America Reformed Seminary</a> who was completing advanced studies at <a href="http://www.calvin.edu/seminary/" target="_top">Calvin Theological Seminary</a>, as our new pastor. Mr. Vos' planned assumption of pastoral duties was delayed because of illness. In early 1997, Mr. Vos was ordained as a Minister of the Word and Sacraments and commenced full time duties as the ordained pastor of this church.</p> <p class="indent">The people of Covenant URC loved and appreciated Rev. Vos for teaching and challenging us from God's Word through his preaching and example. In late 2000, Rev. Vos received a call from the <a href="http://www.escondidourc.org/" target="_top">Escondido United Reformed Church</a> of Escondido, California to serve as its pastor. Rev. Vos subsequently accepted that call and left Covenant URC to serve as Escondido's pastor. He preached his last sermon at Covenant on Sunday, January 14, 2001.</p> <p class="indent">Rev Arthur Besteman, a retired United Reformed minister, served as our interim pastor during most of 2001. In November 2001, Covenant URC extended a call to Rev. Wybren H. Oord, pastor of the Faith United Reformed Church of Olive Center, Michigan and editor of the monthly Reformed magazine <i>The Outlook</i>, to be our pastor. Rev. Oord accepted that call and was installed as our pastor on February 3, 2002.</p> <h2><strong><font color="#0000FF" face="Arial">Contact Information</font></strong></h2> <p class="pre-indent">The Covenant United Reformed Church meets for worship in the city of <a href="http://207.51.155.3/" target="_top">Kalamazoo, Michigan</a>, USA. Kalamazoo is located at the junction of Interstate 94 and US Route 131 near the Michigan cities of <a href="http://www.battlecreek.com/" target="_top">Battle Creek</a> and <a href="http://www.portagemi.com/" target="_top">Portage</a>.  Members of our congregation live not only in Kalamazoo, but also in the cities of Battle Creek, Portage, <a href="http://multimag.com/city/mi/schoolcraft/index.html" target="_top">Schoolcraft</a> and <a href="http://undergrounddigital.com/webguide/" target="_top">Three Rivers</a>; and in <a href="http://multimag.com/county/mi/kalamazoo/" target="_top">Kalamazoo County</a>, <a href="http://multimag.com/county/mi/calhoun/" target="_top">Calhoun County</a> and <a href="http://multimag.com/county/mi/saintjoseph/" target="_top">Saint Joseph County</a>, Michigan. <dl> <dt><strong>Church Address</strong> </dt> <dd>3724 Lovers Lane, Kalamazoo, Michigan 49001-4808 USA</dd> <dt><strong>Directions by automobile</strong></dt> <dd>Take Interstate 94. If coming from the east, take the Portage Road/Kilgore Road exit (Exit 78) and continue west on Kilgore Road to Lovers Lane, then turn right. If coming from the west, take the Westnedge Avenue exit (Exit 76), head north on Westnedge, turn right onto Kilgore Road, then turn left onto Lovers Lane. The church building is located about 3/4 mile (slightly more than 1 kilometer) north of Kilgore Road on the west (left) side of the road, at the corner of Royce Avenue.</dd> <dd><a href="http://maps.yahoo.com/py/maps.py?Pyt=Tmap&YY=22039&addr=3724%20Lovers%20Lane&city=Kalamazoo&state=MI&slt=42.2544&sln=-85.5701&zip=49001&mag=9&cs=9&newmag=8" target="_top">Yahoo! Map of church building location</a></dd> <dt><strong>Telephone</strong> </dt> <dd>(269) 345-3355</dd> <dt><strong>Worship times</strong></dt> <dd>9:30 A.M. and 6:00 P.M. every Sunday.</dd> <dt><strong>Sunday School</strong></dt> <dd>11:00 A.M. (September through April).</dd> <dt> </dt> <dt><strong>Our pastor is Rev. Wybren H. Oord. </strong></dt> <dd>Telephone (pastor's study): (269) 324-9606</dd> <dd>Telephone (home): (269) 324-5132</dd> <dt> </dt> <dt><strong>General information</strong></dt> <dd>You may contact us using our <a href="../respanse.html">Feedback form</a>.</dd> </dl> <p align="left"><a href="../informat.html">Information</a>  <a href="../whatsnew.html">What's New</a>  <a href="../ourblfs.html">Our Beliefs</a>  <a href="../sermons.html">Sermons</a>  <a href="../literatr.html">Literature</a>  <a href="../urchrchs.html">U.R. Churches</a>  <a href="../classism.html">Classis Michigan</a>  <a href="../links.html">Links</a>  <a href="../search.html">Search</a>  <a href="../respanse.html">Feedback</a>  <a href="../Default.htm" target="_top">Home</a></p> <h5>You may contact us using our <a href="../respanse.html">Feedback form</a> for questions or comments about this Web site.<br> Copyright © 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003 Covenant United Reformed Church<br> Last modified: July 24, 2007</h5>  </body>