Date: Mon, 18 Jan 1999 07:50:26 -0500 From: Darrell Todd Maurina Reply-To: Darrell128@aol.com Organization: Christian Renewal/United Reformed News Service Subject: NR 99003: Weather Forces Demolition of Landmark Grand Rapids CRC NR #1999-003: Weather Forces Demolition of Landmark Grand Rapids Church; Church Once Pastored by Louis Berkhof Faces Wrecking Ball While many churches in the Great Lakes area had service cancellations due to the severe snowstorms which struck the area in mid-January, the weather dealt a much worse blow to one of the oldest Christian Reformed congregations in Grand Rapids. Like most area churches, Oakdale Park CRC didn't hold services on January 3. On January 10, church members noticed plaster on the sanctuary floor. Suspecting weather damage, they checked the attic - and discovered that two-thirds of the roof trusses had cracked under the weight of snow. Within days, the city government ordered the church closed, blocked off neighboring streets, evacuated nearby houses, and gave the congregation 72 hours to either repair the building or make plans to tear it down. Engineers evaluating the situation deemed the structure beyond repair. Damage is so severe that even the landmark church's large pipe organ will have to be destroyed with the building. Organized in 1890 and rebuilt in 1905 and 1962, Oakdale Park CRC was known for years as a bulwark of Christian Reformed conservative preaching. Four of its former pastors - Louis Berkhof, Foppe Ten Hoor, William Hendriksen, and P.Y. DeJong - went on to become Calvin Seminary professors; other well-known conservative pastors included Y.P. DeJong and John Piersma. Two of those men are known far beyond the CRC for their scholarly work: Berkhof for his systematic theology and Hendriksen for his series of Bible commentaries. NR #1999-003: For Immediate Release: Weather Forces Demolition of Landmark Grand Rapids Church * Church Once Pastored by Louis Berkhof Faces Wrecking Ball GRAND RAPIDS, MICH. (January 18, 1998) URNS - While many churches in the Great Lakes area had service cancellations due to the severe snowstorms which struck the area in mid-January, the weather dealt a much worse blow to one of the oldest Christian Reformed congregations in Grand Rapids. Like most area churches, Oakdale Park CRC didn't hold services on January 3. On January 10, church members noticed plaster on the sanctuary floor. Suspecting weather damage, they checked the attic - and discovered that two-thirds of the roof trusses had cracked under the weight of snow. Within days, the city government ordered the church closed, blocked off neighboring streets, evacuated nearby houses, and gave the congregation 72 hours to either repair the building or make plans to tear it down. Engineers evaluating the situation deemed the structure beyond repair. Damage is so severe that even the landmark church's large pipe organ will have to be destroyed with the building. "When it comes down, everything inside will be gone. To try to pull the pipes out of there is really asking to die, it's really that unstable," said Oakdale pastor Rev. William Vanden Bosch. "The plan is we are going to try to save as much as possible." "The steeple is in the most danger, if it goes, the whole thing goes," said Vanden Bosch. "The sanctuary is tied to the steeple and we have a plan for taking down the sanctuary that involves cutting it loose from the steeple. If that works, you've saved the steeple. If it doesn't, you've got a 110 foot steeple, and it's causing a danger to the community and will fall on homes." Two homes were evacuated immediately due to the risk of collapse. When the building is torn town, a total of six houses - including the parsonage - will be evacuated. Two of those houses are currently unoccupied and are used by the church for educational purposes; a third houses students at Calvin Seminary. Despite the damage, Vanden Bosch said the church would be rebuilding at the same location. "We're committed to this neighborhood, we're committed to this ministry, we have already unanimously voted to stay on this site, and have committed to grow this ministry and stay for the Lord," said Vanden Bosch. "There is a sense in which this is like a deathlike experience, but we believe in the resurrection, we believe in grace." Oakdale Park CRC is currently worshipping in the nearby Oakdale Christian School. Vanden Bosch said he didn't yet have complete information on the costs of demolition and rebuilding or how much of the cost would be covered by insurance, but said rebuilding could take up to a year. Organized in 1890 and rebuilt in 1905 and 1962, Oakdale Park CRC was known for years as a bulwark of Christian Reformed conservative preaching. Four of its former pastors - Louis Berkhof, Foppe Ten Hoor, William Hendriksen, and P.Y. DeJong - went on to become Calvin Seminary professors; other well-known conservative pastors included Y.P. DeJong and John Piersma. Two of those men are known far beyond the CRC for their scholarly work: Berkhof for his systematic theology and Hendriksen for his series of Bible commentaries. "Because of John Piersma and John Guichelaar serving there it was known as a very, very conservative church," said Vanden Bosch's predecessor Rev. Harlan Vanden Einde, who left Oakdale Park CRC in 1979 and now serves Borculo CRC near the lakeshore city of Holland. "It was a great honor to receive a call to a church such as that, but I learned over the years that you need to be yourself. To walk in the footsteps of men like that was both frightening and humbling." Vanden Einde shared Vanden Bosch's regret at losing the building. "It was a very beautiful church to sing in, it had high ceilings with no curtains on the wall, and a beautiful organ," said Vanden Einde. "A building built in 1962 is not that old, you don't expect this kind of thing." The decision to stay in the church's current location wasn't easy, and has cost the church dearly over the years. Once totaling nearly 1600 members, the building is located in the center of what was once an ethnic Dutch neighborhood. However, neighborhood changes led to a precipitous decline in the church's membership from over 1300 members in the 1950's until the membership plateaued around 600 members by the 1980's. Current membership totals 510. "By the time I got there, the neighborhood was changing, families were moving out to the suburbs," said Vanden Einde. "I knew the church had to change and turn its face toward the city if it was going to survive at that location, and I didn't feel my strengths were along that line." Cross-References to Related Articles: [No related articles on file] Contact List: Rev. William Vanden Bosch, Pastor, Oakdale Park Christian Reformed Church 1000 Hancock SE, Grand Rapids, MI 49507 O: (616) 241-5798 * H: (616) 245-5514 * FAX: (616) 452-5870 Rev. Harlan Vanden Einde, Pastor, Borculo Christian Reformed Church 6464 - 96th Ave., Zeeland, MI 49464 H/O: (616) 772-2968 * E-Mail: hvandeneinde@juno.com ---------------------------------------------------------- file: /pub/resources/text/reformed/archive99: nr99-003.txt .