Looking for "Traditional" Church in Holland/Zeeland Area

Dear A. W.,

The last church we attended before we began attending the Remnant Fellowship Church, was Westshore Christian Church on 120th. It is known as the church with the big blue roof and the people there are quite nice. It does have a small band, but the electronic keyboard also can sound like an organ.

The pastor there is great and really seems to care about the people. He did not want to move here to MI from Indiana, but God seemed to have a different plan for him. His name was Rick and his wife is a school teacher. He used to drive all the way from somewhere in Indiana to Holland for one service on Sunday morning.

I would certainly check it out. It is considered a non-denominational church.

Hope this helps.

L. C.

Have you checked out the Holland 7th day Adventist church? It's on 32nd Ave. and it's pretty traditional when it comes to the service. My kids and I enjoy it. The children's programs are all very good. And you don't have to be a member to come and enjoy. Sabbath school starts at around 9:30-9:45 am on Saturday morning and the church service starts at 10:45. Feel free to come check it out. It's a very kid friendly church which is why I chose it in the first place. :)

I grew up Free Methodist. Although this denomination has started modernizing over the last couple years (used to be no dancing allowed - no longer the case) it still is not as far as the big churches like Mars Hill or Kentwood Community Church (as great as they may be!). It's also still fairly small compared to those. I have not been to the one in Zeeland in many years, but by the looks of the website, everything is the same. Traditional pastor, uncomfortable pews, music with an organ. You just walk in, no need to register kids beforehand. The Free Methodist denomination in this area does have an excellent children's program (camp), especially in the summer. Although I may be biased to that since one of my best friends from childhood is in charge of the young teens!

3041 96th Ave. Zeeland, MI 49464 ###-###-####

http://zeeland.freemethodistchurch.org/

Good luck! I know this is hard. My husband (a United Methodist) and I went through a similar period of searching when we got married and after many different services, we ended up back at a Free Methodist church, just not the one we started at!

My husband I went through this a while back. And although I have no recommendations on churches in the Holland/Zeeland area (I'm in Grand Rapids) I do know some of the other answers. We searched for about 2 years - off and on. Sometimes it took a few services to realize it wasn't a right fit, others we knew the first time out. We did finally find one. Like you, we wanted the uncomfortable pews, choir, hymn books and a person at the organ or piano. When we started the search our daughter was just a baby (maybe 6 - 9 months old) and for the most part we did put her right in the nursery. Each nursery ran a little different but at no time were we ever asked if we had friends that were members - they knew we weren't because we asked about signing her in or pager systems if there were problems. Also, find out if your son would go in nursery or if he goes into the service and then to a "children's church". The church we finally settled on actually does a childrens church program starting with 3 year olds. So, much to our surprise the first Sunday there, our oldest daughter went to church with us for the first time, and our 18 month went to nursery.

One thing I might have done different is to use the Internet to do a little research on the churches you plan on trying. See if you can find out what type of service they have, do they share the same belief on the sacraments that you do, that sort of thing. We ran into one church where their belief on baptism did not mesh with ours. We actually left right in the middle of it because we could not believe our ears. The internet may save you a lot of wasted time sitting in services that end up not being a fit. We kept in mind why we were going through the search and that helped us see it to the end (even though we did take weeks off every now and then).

Hi,

I never respond to these questions but saw this one in my daily e-mail and thought I'd suggest a couple since I am in the Holland/Zeeland area :)

Have you tried Zion Lutheran on 32nd st in Holland? We went there a few years and my dad still attends church there. Very much a church where if you miss, no one is "hounding" you about why you were gone. The 9 AM service is fairly traditional, occasionally breaks into some contemporary stuff but there is always the organ and wooden pews :) I'll admit the nursery is a bit lacking (or at least it was while we were there!)

Otherwise, I might suggest Grace Episcopal, while they have a very traditional service, they are on the liberal end. My family went there right after we moved to Holland in 1989 as we attended the Episcopal church in the town we lived in before but ended up feeling that particular church as a little too liberal for us.

I've heard good things about St. Frances and Our Lady of the Lake Catholic churches.

The church we currently attend (Calvary CRC on Beeline)is one of those contemporary, auditorium style churches. I'm more of a fan of the traditional church style but both my husband and I connected to the sermons the pastor gave, so that is how we ended up there. I've grown used to the contemporary style but I miss the other :)

Good luck,
E.

After visiting other churches in the area. We found Parkside Bible Church located at James st. and 144th in Holland. It is a
Bible learning church when we first visited it was like we were right at home. There are approximately 300 people from infant to adult ages. You don't need to be a member to use the nursery facilities. They have a music praise team that plays a mixture of new and the old hymns. People are friendly and inviting but are not pushy and don't track if you are there or if you miss a week. Summer service time is 10am - 11:15 or they have a night service at 6. We have been going there for 4yrs.
www.ParksideBibleChurch.com

I too was not raised in a family that went to Church every Sunday. In fact my first "real" experience with Church was at a Wedding for my best friend. The ceremony included Full Mass!! How's that for exposure!! When I started dating my now Husband, he was a regular Church goer. I was totally intimidated!!! He grew up in the Church that we now attend and I have been very much accepted into this church. It is one that does the more current songs though. I really think that you and your family are going to have to do some sort of seeking as to what kind of Church it is that you want to belong to. There are way too many in Holland and Zeeland to simply say: " I want to become a Member of THAT one" If I understand right, you might want to seek out a Christian Reformed Church. There are a ton of those around here. They typically cater to the more Traditional ways. Depending on where you are actually living, you might find one right on your own block!! You are more then welcome to call me or email me back about some of the Churches in Zeeland that you are wondering about! I don't know so much that I have all of the answers, but I can certainly try and help you find something that you are comfortable raising you children in!! By the Way, the Church that I am a member of, and the ONLY Church I have ever been a member of, is Vriesland Reformed in Zeeland on Byron Rd. Good Luck!!

This is a very personal area that needs time and research to solve! If you are willing to invest the time, you won't be sorry. When we moved to Holland 25 yrs ago, we tried the Methodist church, but found it lacking. Then tried the Presbyterian Church (USA) and felt right at home immediately. My family attended the Presbyterian church off and on when I was a child, so I felt comfortable with the routine. During the summer there is one service at 9:30, then two services at 8:45 (a bit contemproary)and 11 (traditional with choir and organ) begin around Labor Day with Children in Worship and Adult Christian Education at 9:30 between services. We welcome visitors, and one gal has been visiting for over ten years! There is a vistors' welcome center as you enter off the parking lot into the church, and those manning the station will be able to help with any questions. Our services are usually a mix of styles in music, but the director favors traditional. He is, however, directing "Godspell" Fri. eve. at 8 and Sat. at 2 in celebration of our 50th anniversary. Might be a good time to visit just to look us over.

Chuch should ultimately be about learning more about Christ and learning to handle the Bible carefully. So many churches lose focus on what matters.

We aren't perfect but we try hard to keep the focus off us and more on Christ who we should live our lives in service to.

What you described about what you want in a church is exactlty what we are like.

Spurgheon Heritage Church
2805 132nd Ave
Holland, MI 49424

Hi A..

I go to Hope Church in Holland. It is on 10th street, behind Reliable Sports Store. I love it because it is so traditionsl yet I feel it is up with the times too. The people there are very nice and come from many different spiritual backgrounds. Hope is a part of the Reformed Church of America. The church is beautiful. There are the wooden pews, and the organ. During the summer, the service starts at 10:00 am. You may bring your kids to the nursery. It is worth a shot!