A Congregation on Bridge Street
St. John's United Church of Christ sits at 1934 Bridge Street NW in Grand Rapids, Michigan, at the corner of Lake Michigan Drive and Covell Avenue just off I-196 on the city's northwest side. The congregation describes itself as a progressive Christian community with deep roots and open arms, working to build a just world for all through extravagant hospitality, authentic community, reverent worship, and passionate activism. Its welcome is wide: anyone is invited to participate in the full life and ministry of the church regardless of race, age, sex, marital status, financial status, gender identity, sexual orientation, ethnicity, nationality, or ability.
Two formal designations shape the congregation's identity. St. John's is an Open and Affirming congregation of the United Church of Christ, declaring that people of all sexual orientations and gender identities are full members of its life and ministry. It is also a Veteran/Military Friendly congregation. The church belongs to the Grand West Association of the Michigan Conference of the United Church of Christ.
From Mount Vernon Avenue to Bridge Street
The congregation dates back to 1880, when it was organized as St. John's Evangelical Church and met on Mount Vernon Avenue NW in Grand Rapids. In 1956 the church moved to its present location on Bridge Street NW, and a year later, in 1957, the congregation took the name St. John's United Church of Christ, reflecting the merger that formed the UCC denomination.
Sunday Worship at Ten
Worship is the center of life at St. John's. A single Sunday morning service is held at 10:00 AM, and all are welcome. The service is traditional in format, with liturgical readings and hymns and the use of the church's pipe organ. Through scripture, songs and hymns, prayer, meditation, sermons, instrumental and choral music, liturgical theater, and dance, the service offers many different ways to connect with and experience God. The message comes from what the church describes as the still speaking God.
Services are streamed live on Facebook, YouTube, and through the church's own mobile app, so members and visitors can fully participate from home. Recordings of past services, individual sermons, and children's messages are kept in YouTube playlists and posted to the sermon archive, and a weekly podcast of sermons is available on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.
Each week the church also produces a set of downloadable resources for personal and family devotion: an Order of Worship, a Children's Bulletin keyed to the lectionary readings, a Weekly Journal with church news and updates, and a Weekly Devotional. A regular Adult Bible Study and a Youth Bible Study (using FaithLens) round out the week for adults and teenagers.
Communion for All
St. John's celebrates communion on the second and fourth Sundays of each month. Communion is served to all who wish to receive; the invitation to the Lord's Table is an invitation open to anyone, and the congregation's language reflects that the table belongs to Christ, not to the church.
Children in the Worshiping Family
Children are an important part of the worshiping community at St. John's, and families with children of any age are welcome in the sanctuary. After a children's message at the front of the church early in the service, children ages 3 to 13 are escorted to age-based Worship Centers for the second half of the service, where they learn about God, the Bible, and the Christian faith through developmentally appropriate curriculum. Children must be signed in and out of the Worship Centers by their accompanying adult.
A staffed nursery is available for infants and toddlers through age three during worship, and ushers can direct visitors to the nursery when they arrive. All volunteers who work with children at St. John's pass regular background checks and complete training on abuse prevention and safe conduct procedures.
Music that Supports Worship
Music is woven through the worship life of the congregation. The Music Ministry is led by the Music Director and Organist, who accompanies services on the pipe organ and directs choral and instrumental music. Volunteers in the Music Ministry learn together, sing together, play instruments together, have fun together, and care for one another. The purpose of the ministry is to enrich the worship of God for the glory of God, and prior musical training or experience are not necessary; there is a place for anyone who wants to join.
Mission, Vision, and Values
St. John's states its mission plainly: to live God's presence, love neighbors, and practice the values of Jesus Christ. Its vision is the fulfillment of the Realm of God already in our midst, working toward a just and peaceful community. The values that shape the congregation are spelled out under nine headings:
- Jesus: the path of Jesus is found wherever people love God, neighbor, and self.
- God's Word: God's word begins with the Bible and continues to be heard through prayer, study and reflection, the discernment of the Christian community, and attending to God's activity in the world.
- Family: relationship with God brings the community into relationships with others by blood and by choice.
- Benevolence: care for people who experience oppression and poverty, physically, mentally, or spiritually, both within the faith community and among neighbors, through charity and advocacy.
- Inclusion: accepting all people as created in the image of God, celebrating their worth and integrity, and engaging them authentically.
- Worship: offering ourselves to God through the rituals of the church and in the patterns of everyday living.
- Participation: affirming the gifts God's spirit gives for meaningful ministry in the church and the world.
- Each Other: doing one's best to love, serve, care for, encourage, forgive, live in harmony with, and speak truthfully to one another.
The Mobile Food Pantry at Sudanese Grace
The Mobile Food Pantry is one of the most tangible expressions of benevolence in the life of St. John's. Each month the church partners with Sudanese Grace Episcopal Church at 1550 Oswego NW to host a Feeding America Mobile Food Pantry. Volunteers gather at 5:00 PM to set up and distribute food, with distribution beginning around 6:00 PM. The congregation tracks what is distributed month to month, and recent distributions have moved thousands of pounds of food to hundreds of individuals, including many children, seniors, and veterans. A small amount of surplus food is regularly delivered to UCOM (United Church Outreach Ministry) and to the Grandview Apartments share table.
Anyone can volunteer to help with the Mobile Food Pantry, not just members of St. John's, and the church lists this as its most visible ongoing volunteer opportunity. Financial contributions to support the pantry can be made through the church app or by mailing a contribution to the church office.
Books, Conversations, and Coffee Hour
Coffee hour in Fellowship Hall follows most Sunday services and is one of the main ways the congregation builds community between Sundays. The Monday Friends Book Discussion Group meets on Monday evenings, currently by Zoom, with a half hour of catching up and prayer before the book discussion. Recent reads have included Thich Nhat Hanh's Living Buddha, Living Christ and Marcus Borg's Reading the Bible for the First Time, and group members suggest future books together.
St. John's also hosts seasonal gatherings on and around the church grounds, including an annual Father's Day Outdoor Worship Service and Picnic and a Sunday Blessing of the Animals service, where pets, stuffed animals, and photographs are all welcome to receive a blessing.
Staff and Lay Leadership
The pastoral leader of St. John's is Rev. Jason Dillingham, called as the congregation's settled pastor in 2026 after a candidating weekend and congregational vote. He preaches on most Sundays and serves as the church's primary spiritual leader. The Music Director and Organist leads the music ministry, and the Administrative Assistant keeps the office running. The Council, the congregation's lay governing body, includes the Moderator, Co-Moderator, Treasurer, Secretary, and several Members at Large. A network of Team Leads coordinates specific ministry areas:
- Caregiving Team
- Education Team
- Fellowship Team
- Finance Team
- Membership Team
- Property Team
- Stewardship Team
- Worship Team
- VMFC Team
Members are encouraged to log their volunteer hours, both at the church and in the wider community, and to share their stories of ministry touches.
The Building and How to Find It
St. John's building is at 1934 Bridge Street NW, Grand Rapids, MI 49504. From I-196, take Exit 75 to Lake Michigan Drive and head west to Covell Avenue. Turn right (north) on Covell Avenue and then right (east) on Bridge Street to the church. Two parking lots are off of Bridge Street. The Rapid bus stops nearby at the Bridge at Grandview Apartments, and the GVSU Campus Connector stops at Lake Michigan Drive and Covell.
For Sunday services, visitors enter through Entrance B and follow the walkway arrows to the sanctuary through the portico. An accessible entrance is available via Entrance B, and Elevator A serves the lower level. Greeters and ushers help direct newcomers to the sanctuary, sign children in for the Worship Centers, and answer any questions. A printable church map is available for download.
The church reserves its parking lots for people attending worship services, meetings, and church events, but unused space is available for individuals to park at their own risk, with non-church use directed to the east side of the east parking lot. Overnight parking is not allowed without prior approval.
The building is also made available for community organizations and public-serving events, with approval by the Council, and weddings of members of the community are welcomed in the church.
Staying Connected Between Sundays
St. John's maintains an active calendar of announcements and a sermon archive. Several channels keep the congregation and friends connected between Sundays:
- A mobile app for iOS and Android that brings announcements, sermons, the calendar, prayer requests, giving, and live streaming into one place.
- Email updates, with a subscribe form available to anyone who wants the weekly digest.
- Facebook, with live streaming and recorded videos.
- Instagram, with photos from worship and church life.
- YouTube, with a playlist of past services and a separate playlist of children's messages.
- An RSS feed for posts.
- A members area with the directory, meeting minutes, policies, and church documents.
- A printed weekly Journal for those who prefer to read offline.
Donations are accepted online through Tithe.ly, by texting GIVE to 517-201-2771, through the church app, or by mailing a check to the church office. St. John's United Church of Christ continues to live out its mission to love God, love neighbors, and practice the values of Jesus Christ from its home on Bridge Street NW in Grand Rapids.