
Updates
"Blessed to be a Blessing"
When our planning committee for the 75th anniversary celebration picked the theme “Blessed to be a Blessing”, little did we know all God would pack into that concept for Bethel Church in the days ahead.
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God had been faithful for 75 years and on January 19 we celebrated how two plus acres on the corner of Main and Carlton was put to Kingdom work by a small part of His church called Bethel. When that corner parcel was purchased, little thought was given that we were buying the largest plot still available on a block that was over 80% industrial. But that reality was brought to the forefront when a fateful e-mail arrived in mid-January saying Mead Johnson (the baby formula factory down the street, now part of Reckitt Corporation) was interested in purchasing our property and the rest of the block.
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Soon a meeting with representatives from Mead Johnson revealed their plans for a major modernization of their factory and how our corner could provide a greenspace to help buffer the neighborhood from the growing industrial footprint. Was this a nightmare or a dream come true? Could the kingdom of God be furthered more by selling and blessing others with a portion of the receipts or by staying and serving the neighborhood?
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The story of how Bethel answered that question is written in the minutes of over twenty council meetings, ten congregational meetings of discussion & prayer and countless e-mails and text messages. When our church was looking for relief from financial pressures and questioning our long-term viability, God provided an unexpected path to new life.
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On May 28 the congregation voted to support the council’s proposal to sell the property. The vision for our future includes blessing others and the hopeful possibility of joining Christian service with Third CRC of Zeeland. The journey has been challenging yet we sense the power of the Holy Spirit moving us forward up the next hill – our discussions and engagement with Third Church.
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We will continue to support all ministry partners and missionaries for the upcoming year (through June 2026) and will be in contact with each individually to clarify expectations beyond that time. Bethel has possession of our property through January 2026 and has permission to distribute all buildings and their content. If support requires use of our facilities, that will likely end around September first. Teams are being formed to handle the many tasks that come with our decision.
We covet the prayers and cooperation of all members, partners and friends of Bethel. Our hope is that God is glorified as we seek to bless others, join with another part of His church and humbly serve our Lord.
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Blessings,
Bethel Church