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| Proclaiming
the Glory of God and our Joy in Him!
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| Proclaiming
the Glory of God and our Joy in Him!
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| Who We Are... |
| Cornerstone
United
Reformed Church
stands firmly rooted in the biblical truths expressed and
recovered by the Reformed wing of the Protestant
Reformation in the 16th century. The United Reformed Churches began their history in this country in 1995 and we became a part of that federation of churches in the same year. As a body of like-minded churches we commonly confess that the Bible is the Word of God and the only standard of faith and life. We confess the Triune God. The Father as our Creator and Redeemer; Jesus Christ as the Son of God as our Savior and Lord; the Holy Spirit as the Third Person of the Eternal God, who unites us to God, renews our hearts and makes us children of God. This local congregation was organized in 1987 with 52 families. |
| What We Believe... |
| ...that
God created the heavens and the earth and every creature
including man, his crowning work, in the space of six
literal days, and declared the works of his hands to be
very good (Genesis 1 & 2). ...that God created man to live before His face as a creature made in His image, for the purpose of glorifying Him through constant obedience to His revealed will in every aspect of life, and thereby enjoying Him and the fullness of His blessed fellowship (Genesis 1& 2; Eph 1:3-6; Col 1:9-18). ...that man through the instigation of the Devil lost his original innocence and righteousness by falling into sin through an act of disobedience to God‘s revealed will. This sin brought about the marring of the image of God in man, the total depravity of his being, alienation from God, and resulted in both physical and spiritual death for Adam and Eve and every human being after them (Genesis 3; Rom 5:12ff). ...that God, out of his sheer love and grace promised and provided a Redeemer, Jesus Christ, in order to provide the only way of salvation and reconciliation with God. Through his once-and-for-all sacrificial work on the cross, He accomplished a complete salvation for His people ( Eph.1:7-12). ...that salvation is effective for all who turn from sin and believe in Jesus Christ alone for the forgiveness of sin (John 3:16; Acts 2:38). ...that salvation is completely a gift of God’s grace that comes through faith in Jesus Christ alone (Eph. 2:8,9). ...that the Bible is the inspired, inerrant, and infallible Word of God that teaches man all he needs to know about himself, God, the world, and the only way of salvation, and is completely sufficient for life and godliness (Psalm 19; 2 Tim. 3:16). ...that no area or dimension of life (i.e. church, home, work, school, politics, economics etc..) is religiously neutral and that all of life belongs to God and must be lived in complete submission and thankful obedience to the Lordship of Jesus Christ. |
| History... |
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TWENTY YEARS AT CORNERSTONE
With over 200 people attending, the first service of the new Christian Reformed Church was held on May 3, 1987, at the Hudsonville Christian Junior High Gym. By June the group had chosen the name "Cornerstone" for this new church, which continued to have 200 or more in attendance each Sunday. Just five months later the first congregational meeting was held. At this meeting the charter membership was signed by one hundred thirteen members and the first council was elected. Now Cornerstone was a member of the Christian Reformed Church denomination. Almost a year later Rev. Steve Arrick received and accepted the call to be our first pastor. He was installed in September of 1988. He faithfully served as our pastor for almost ten years before accepting a call to another church. It was with much anticipation that we looked forward to the construction of our new church building. The work was completed in December of 1990 and a service of dedication was held on January 29, 199 1. A few years later the parsonage was built. As time went by it became increasingly difficult to be a part of the Christian Reformed Church. It was difficult to break ties, but finally after much struggle, the decision was made in February of 1993, to leave the denomination in which most of our members had its roots.A few years later, in October of 1996, the United Reformed Churches of America became federated. It was a milestone for Cornerstone to become a charter member of this new federation. It was with gratitude to God that we were able to assist and sponsor Bethel URC, which was organized in January, 1995. In September of 1996 Rev. Steve Poelman was ordained and commissioned in our church to be a missionary, and in October of that year Dave Vander Meer became our youth director. In 1998 we were once again meeting in the gym, as construction was going on to increase the size of our church. It was a happy day when we were able to resume worship in our church sanctuary. On April 11, 1999, Rev. Tim Perkins was installed as our second pastor. He served as our pastor until April, 2003. In June of 2003 there seemed to be a need for a United Reformed Church in the Muskegon area. Our church became the sponsoring church and Rev. Gene Crow was installed as the pastor of the new Lakeshore URC. Because of a seeming lack of interest, it was with sadness that the council decided to discontinue services there after almost two years. In September of 2003 Pastor Jeff Doll accepted the call to be our counseling pastor. He continues to be a blessing in that work. After having been without a pastor for some time, the consistory asked Rev. James Admiraal to be our interim pastor. In the fall of 2005, after having been with us for some time, Rev. Admiraal was extended the call to become our senior pastor. It was with grateful hearts that we heard his acceptance of our call, and he was officially installed as our senior pastor on January 15, 2006. We are so thankful for his clear and faithful preaching each week. We have experienced many changes during this twenty year journey, but this we knowthe Lord is with us every step of the way! We go forward into the future, trusting in His guidance as we try to faithfully serve Him in this church called "Cornerstone". MDG |
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