A Friendly Church on Ivanrest Avenue in Grandville
Fellowship Christian Reformed Church meets at 4375 Ivanrest Avenue in Grandville, a southwest Michigan suburb of Grand Rapids. The congregation gathers for one worship service each Sunday morning at 9:30 AM, livestreams the gathering on its YouTube channel, and opens its building throughout the week for small groups, Bible studies, youth ministry, a community food pantry, a life-skills program, and periodic blood drives.
What people often notice first is the warmth of the place. Welcome hosts stand in the lobby, a coffee station is set out, and ushers are ready to help anyone find a seat in either the main floor of the sanctuary or the upper balcony. Children are welcome in worship, and activity packets are available for any young worshipers who want to follow along.
Love, Grow, Serve: The Heart of the Church
Fellowship describes its mission with three simple words: Love, Grow, Serve. The church exists, in its own words, "to love God unconditionally as the center of our lives, to grow in meaningful relationships with other people, and to serve the needs of our local community."
Loving God is rooted in the authority of the Bible and in daily worship. Growing meaningful relationships happens through ministry groups, small groups, and the intentional work of enfolding new people into the life of the church. Serving local community is expressed through partnerships that bring practical help to neighbors in Grandville and beyond.
Membership at Fellowship is taken seriously as a covenant commitment. The church believes that declaring formal membership is an affirmation of the covenant between members and one another under God, and a membership form is available for anyone considering that step.
Sundays at 9:30 AM: What Worship Looks Like
The Sunday gathering begins with a mix of worship songs led by a worship team band. Many of the songs are newer and would be familiar to anyone who listens to local Christian radio stations, and the service also includes prayer, an offering, and a Bible-centered message from the pastor. Fellowship highly values the grace of God given freely to the world and the call to live a life-changing response of gratitude, and the preaching aims to stay true to the Bible while remaining applicable to daily life.
The atmosphere is informal. Some people dress up; others come casual. There are families with children and retired seniors, college-educated professionals and stay-home parents. The sanctuary has a main floor and an upper balcony, and large print bulletins and song sheets are available for anyone who needs them. Fellowship Church is wheelchair accessible.
The offering is collected each Sunday, but guests are not expected to give. Online giving is available through the church's donation page, where one-time gifts or recurring donations can be set up and designated to a particular ministry.
Kids at Fellowship: From Nursery to GEMS and Cadets
Fellowship loves its kids and wants them to know about Jesus and the great love God has for them through the stories of the Bible. The children's ministry happens at three points during the week.
During worship, childcare is offered for children under age three in a secure area. Welcome hosts walk parents to the nursery and check children in. Activity packets are available for older children who would rather stay in the sanctuary with their families.
After worship, Church School classes give children age-appropriate teaching through the stories of God, the doctrine, creeds, and confessions of the church. The goal is to help students grow in their relationship with Christ and with one another and to be made aware of God's plan of salvation through Jesus Christ.
During the week, Wednesday Night Kids brings students in grades one through six together twice a month on Wednesday evenings, September through March. The students participate in a Bible-focused lesson and work on projects. Fellowship uses curriculum from the GEMS and Cadets ministries, two long-standing Christian Reformed programs whose shared goal is to bring students into a living, growing relationship with Jesus Christ. The church calendar lists exact meeting dates.
Youth Group: Middle School and High School
The middle school and high school students of Fellowship typically meet on the first and third Sunday evenings of each month. The Director of Student Ministry coordinates the gatherings and is often found attending student events at school and in the community.
Students who want to know more can contact the Director of Student Ministry, Barb Van Ryn, through the church office.
Small Groups and Bible Study
Small groups are the backbone of how Fellowship helps people connect with one another and grow as disciples. Some groups have a social focus such as a breakfast or lunch gathering; others combine fellowship with study and prayer; others are more intentionally Bible-study oriented.
Groups meet during the weekday, in the evening, or on Sunday mornings after worship, and several categories are offered: social groups, women's groups, men's groups, seniors groups, and couples groups. They are described as a great place for visitors and new members to be enfolded into the life of the church.
Bible study groups run separately and offer options for beginners through advanced learners, including topic or book studies, video series, weekday groups, evening groups, and Sunday morning groups. Many small groups already include a Bible-study component.
Prayer Ministry
Prayer is described at Fellowship as foundational to Christ's ministry and as a foundational practice of discipleship. The church maintains a prayer line that communicates prayer items by email so that people can lift one another's needs to God. Anyone can sign up to receive the prayer line emails, and prayer requests are encouraged.
Serving Grandville and the World
Fellowship takes seriously the call to seek the peace and prosperity of the city in which it lives. The church's community work falls into several overlapping efforts.
The OPPORTUNITY Food Pantry Call Center
The OPPORTUNITY Call Center is located at Fellowship Church and is operated by volunteers trained by the staff of Love Your Neighbor. The center provides resources, referrals, and emergency food support to people in the Grandville community who are in urgent need. Food pantry hours are Monday 9:00 AM to noon. People who need assistance can call (616) 662-3300. Non-perishable food items and toiletries can be donated to Fellowship Church to keep the pantry supplied.
Life Skills Program
The Life Skills Program at Fellowship, run in partnership with Love Your Neighbor, offers practical answers and helpful tools for families making the transition from struggling to thriving. Classes cover budgeting, nutrition, parenting, and other core skills. Through donated food, clothing, and household items, families gain breathing room to pay bills, build savings, and stabilize their lives. The program meets on Tuesday evenings at the church, and dinner and childcare are provided as part of the evening.
Versiti Blood Drive
Fellowship partners with Versiti to host several blood drives a year. The church has been holding blood drives for twelve years and has collected more than nine hundred pints of blood in that time. Anyone eighteen or older is eligible to give; the calendar lists exact dates.
Partners in Ministry Around the World
Fellowship works closely with a network of ministry organizations:
- Love Your Neighbor - the local partner that trains the food pantry volunteers and runs the Life Skills Program.
- World Renew - the relief and development arm of the Christian Reformed Church.
- Resonate Global Mission - the global mission agency of the Christian Reformed Church.
- David and Sara Lont and family, serving with Desert Streams.
- Paul, Charlotte, and Karis Mpindi, serving with Mission French Africa.
- Jesse and Jari Rodriguez, serving with Satisfied Wages for Nicaragua.
What Fellowship Believes
Fellowship is part of the Christian Reformed Church in North America, a denomination shaped by the historic creeds and confessions of the Reformed tradition.
The church holds that the Bible is the authoritative word of God. It confesses that God reveals himself in the Bible as a Trinity of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, and it professes along with the historic church that the Apostles' Creed summarizes this teaching about who God is and what God does.
Fellowship affirms that God's story of redemption runs through Scripture and that the church's place and purpose are found within that story. It holds that this message of the Bible is accurately taught in the Heidelberg Catechism, the Belgic Confession, and the Canons of Dort.
The church also believes that God calls people to repentance, to receive his grace, and to live as changed followers of Jesus in this world, and that writings such as Our World Belongs To God and the Belhar Confession help paint a visionary picture of what that life of following Jesus looks like.
The Staff and Ministry Team
Fellowship's ministry team includes:
- Barb Sanders, Pastor of Visitation. Barb has been part of the Fellowship ministry staff since 1995. Her days are varied, filled with visiting people, leading a small group study, and working with ministry teams. She provides pastoral care for church members and leadership for adult educational ministries, small groups, the prayer ministry, and pastoral care ministry. She has been married to Dan for more than thirty-five years, and they have six children, four sons- and daughters-in-law, and five grandchildren.
- Barb Van Ryn, Director of Student Ministry. Barb loves the students of Fellowship and is often found attending student events at school or in the community. She coordinates the monthly meetings of the middle school and high school youth groups.
- Anna Marie Adema, Director of Worship Ministry. Anna Marie leads the worship team and worship band that anchor the contemporary music at the heart of the Sunday service.
Planning a Visit
Guests are always welcome at Fellowship anytime. The building is at 4375 Ivanrest Avenue in Grandville. Office hours are Tuesday 3:00 to 6:00 PM and Thursday 9:00 AM to noon, or by appointment. The phone is (616) 532-2350 and the email is info@fellowshipcrc.com.
Anyone who would like help arranging a first visit can fill in the "Let us know if you would like to set up a visit" form on the church's welcome page, and someone from the staff will be in touch.