Bethel CRC Celebrates 75 Years
Bethel Christian Reformed Church was organized in April 1947, the daughter of First CRC Edgerton and granddaughter of Ebenezer CRC in Leota. On June 4-5, Bethel will be celebrating its 75th year anniversary, with three former pastors in town to take part in the festivities. A burger feed for Saturday night in the park is planned for church members, with a short program to follow. Former and current pastors will participate in Sunday morning’s worship service.
Bethel CRC was founded in 1947. World War II had ended two years earlier, putting an end to nearly four years of restrictions and uncertainties. Servicemen were back home with their families. Businesses were flourishing and churches and schools were becoming overcrowded.
The overcrowding was acutely felt at 1st CRC. When the church filled up, it was necessary for some worshipers to sit in the annex or consistory room, as it was called, on the north end of church, listening to the service on the radio.
While some felt that the solution to the problem was to add onto the building, or to tear down and rebuild bigger, others thought the time was right to start a second CRC in Edgerton, since 1st CRC now numbered 210 families. At a congregational meeting in February 1947, 46 heads of families and 2 individuals expressed their willingness to form a second CRC. The request for organization of the second CRC with a membership of 228 souls was brought by First CRC to Classis Minnesota, which met on March 4-5 in Leota. The request was granted.
The new church was organized on the evening of April 1, 1947, at a church service at 1st CRC. Rev. P. Jonker of Leota CRC gave the sermon and elections were held for elders and deacons. Rev Ehlers addressed the newly elected office bearers and the newly organized church and closed with these words: “May you as well as we, zealously labor for the upbuilding of God’s Kingdom and may we never be guilty of sinful competition.” Rev. Ehlers then pronounced the benediction upon the newly organized congregation, and everyone sang the doxology.
The first church services were held at the Runals Memorial Hall. Consistory meetings were held in the office of Central Lumber Yard, since one of the consistory members was an employee there. At the first consistory meeting, the consistory chose a name for the new church: Bethel, meaning “House of God,” based on Genesis 35:15 “And Jacob called the name of the place where God had talked with him Bethel.”
Four of those charter members are still living and are members of Bethel. They are Nellie Brink, Ted and Jeanette Hanenburg, and Florence Vanden Bosch.
In addition, there are 14 baptized children of charter members who are still members of Bethel: Elvira (Bouma) Corbin, Cheri (Brink) Groen, Marlene (De Boer) Kreun, Leon Hanenburg, Howard Masselink, Rena (Mulder) Tinklenberg, Tressa (Mulder) Ryswyk, Arthur Spronk, Edward Vanden Bosch, Rose (Brink) Vanden Bosch, Myron and Vernon Vander Pol, Regina (Vander Woude) Schmidt, and Allen Walhof.
At the first congregational meeting held on April 28, 1947, Bethel approved a budget of $4,172. This included a minister’s salary of $2,000 and a janitor’s salary of $300 for one year. Budget pledges at this meeting amounted to $4,815, more than the proposed budget, and Building Fund pledges amounted to $11,600. First CRC gave a generous gift of $10,000 for the building fund. Bethel formed a building committee.
In the summer of 1947, Bethel purchased its property on Main Street, consisting of a house and two barns on two lots, for $4,500. The house was offered for sale, but since there was no buyer, Bethel purchased a lot two blocks north on the corner of the highway and Main Street and moved the house to be used as a parsonage. John and Kim Gunnink currently own that house. Work began on the new church in September, but because of a scarcity of materials and labor, extended for over a year. By November of the next year, Bethel started holding worship services in the new church and the new building was dedicated on Thursday, March 24, 1949. Total cost for the new church building amounted to $54,128.32. A new parsonage was built in 1953 on the lot directly south of the sanctuary.
After six unsuccessful calls, Bethel received good news that Ref. Wm. Vander Hoven of Noordeloos, Holland, Michigan, had accepted the call to be their first minister. He was installed on September 17, 1948, and served until 1952.
