Regional Synod of Canada - Reformed Church in America

Pioneer Christian Monthly

Date - Nov/95

Contributor - Anonymous

Title - Christ Community Church - Welland "The Challenge Continues"

Topic - Reformed Church In Canada

A report printed in the May 1978 issue of the Pioneer - "Welland: A New Field, And A Great Challenge" begins as follows: Services of installation are always high points in the life of a church. However, a service of installation when there is no congregation is both exciting and frightening for the planners, and for the man charged with the task of ministering there, and certainly unusual...

The service in the report was held on April 21, 1978 in the First Reformed Church of St. Catharines, Ontario to install the Rev. Louis R. Harvey as Missionary Pastor of what was to become Christ Community Church in Welland, Ontario. Pastor Harvey and his wife, Beverly, moved from Whitby to Welland with a mandate to form a new church. With nothing more than a Steering Committee to work with and to be guided by, they started worship services on May 14. The small group began worship services in Centennial High School. The focus of their ministry during those early, difficult years was a sense of glorifying God, expressing the love of Christ, and joyfully worshipping God. The first years were exciting, often frightening, and filled with great challenge.

For the next six and one half years, services and Sunday School classes took place at the high school; a dedicated group set up the equipment and furnishings to turn the school lecture hall into a meaningful place of worship each Sunday. Other activities were held at the homes of members and at the Pastor's home. This was a time of church growth and of many blessings.

A special meeting took place in the auditorium of Centennial High School on May 9, 1984 to officially organize Christ Community Church as a member congregation of the Reformed Church in America. This was to be a year of renewed excitement and challenge. With about 30 families in membership, it was time for the congregation to leave the high school auditorium and to find a home of its own. A building which had been the former Christian Scientist Church, and which had been vacant for about two years, came available for sale. Constructed in 1941, the building was located in downtown Welland on the corner of Division Street and Burger Street, on a 99-by-160-foot lot. Adjacent to the church property was a government parking lot, which would provide plenty of space for parking on Sundays and evenings. After a look at the building, there was a joint meeting of the Consistory and the Building Committee, and it was decided that an offer should be put on the building and the $20,000 plus be raised for the down payment. The Offer to Purchase was given on November 16; it was negotiated and settled by the 19th, and the property became Christ Community Church on November 30, 1984.

On December 16, 1984, the first worship service took place: a brief dedication service and a Christmas celebration with presentations by the Sunday School and choir. The official dedication service was held on May 3, 1985.

Pastor and Mrs. Beverly Harvey left Christ Community Church in August of 1986. The challenge of establishing their church in Welland had been successfully completed, and they went on to meet new challenges. Mr. Marc deWaard served as Teaching elder in the absence of a pastoral couple for the next year. On September 11, 1987, Pastor Corstian Klein was installed as interim pastor. Pastor and Mrs. Alice Mein served Christ Community Church until December 18, 1987, when the new pastoral couple, Rev. John Kapteyn and Mrs. Margaret Kapteyn arrived. Pastor Kapteyn was installed on December 18,1987. Rev. William Wensink joined them as Associate Pastor in September of 1992.

In 1989, plans for a $500,000 expansion to the church were well under way. Members of the congregation braved the cold mid-December weather to take turns with shovels during the ground breaking ceremony, which followed the morning service. The expansion included increasing the size of the sanctuary, building a 40-by-60 foot gymnasium with a stage, three new offices, a large narthex, and five additional classrooms. The congregation had doubled in size over the previous year and a half. The sanctuary was expanded from a 120 seat capacity to accommodate 220 people. The dedication service of the new church extensions and renovations took place on Friday, October 5, 1990.

During the early 1990's, the members of Christ Community Church turned some of their energies toward meeting some of the challenges of the community at large. They started support groups to offer personal and spiritual healing. "Recovery Groups," under the guidance of the church social worker, Debi Logtenberg, was designed to help put people back in touch with their own feelings, their feelings for others, and their feelings for God. Other programs confronted the problems of addiction, abuse, family dysfunctions, co-dependency, and relationships.

Participation in the Niagara Life Centre, a service and counselling facility for pregnant teenagers, led to the purchase of a house across from the church in 1993 to facilitate the program and its services.

The members of Christ Community Church in Welland have been steadfast with a sense of glorifying God, expressing the love of Christ, and joyfully worshipping God. They are visible participants in social concerns and responsibilities through the programs at "Elisha House" and in community events like the annual Welland Rose Parade. Sometimes exciting and sometimes frightening, through the grace of God, and with His guidance, the challenge continues. . .

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