History
From Free CRC to Covenant URC
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 Christian Reformed Church in North America. Our first worship service was held on January 3, 1993.
Our first pastor was Rev. Henry Vander Kam, 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.
Ever since the Free Christian Reformed Church came into existence, it was a member of the Alliance of Reformed Churches, 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 Church Order 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 United Reformed Churches in North America. At another congregational meeting in March of 1997, the congregation voted to change the name of the church to the Covenant United Reformed Church.
In early 1996, the congregation voted to extend a call to Mr. Philip Vos, a recent graduate of Mid-America Reformed Seminary who was completing advanced studies at Calvin Theological Seminary, as our new pastor. Mr. Vos's 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.
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 Escondido United Reformed Church 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.
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 The Outlook, to be our pastor. Rev. Oord accepted that call and was installed as our pastor on February 3, 2002.