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Community Corner

Mount Greenwood Community Church Celebrates 100th Year

First founded on July 30, 1913, the church reflected on its history and mission with a celebratory dinner and special worship service.

What do Nabisco Oreos, the 16th Amendment, stainless steel and the Mount Greenwood Community Church all have in common?

This year, they all turn 100 years old.

The church, originally named the First Reformed Church of Mount Greenwood, was founded on July 30, 1913.

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“It’s awesome to think that we’ve been here for so long,” current pastor Bill Crowder said. “It’s a privilege, but also a challenge because you want to do all you can to continue to spread Jesus’ message.”

The congregation celebrated with a dinner on Friday, July 26 and a special worship service with previous ministers on Sunday, July 28.

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The story of Mount Greenwood Community Church goes back to the 20th century, when a group of men led by farmer Gilbert Boersma decided that the community needed a Reformed Church, according to readings from the celebratory dinner. 

A meeting was held in the old school house at 111th and Homan in February 1913, which determined that the group would buy the land at 111th Street between Drake and St. Louis. By that May, a mission station had been established and services were held in Dutch and English.

Thirty families from the congregation petitioned the classis, or First Reformed Church’s leaders, to change the mission station into a church and the request was granted. J.H. Kregel was the first pastor.

Through the years, the church witnessed deaths of pastors, an influenza epidemic, the military service of seven parishioners in World War I, celebratory burning of the mortgage paperwork at the church’s 25th anniversary after the remaining debt had been liquidated, the building of a new church structure in 1953 and more. At its peak in the 1950s, the church’s congregation numbered 290 families. 

“God has really blessed us,” Crowder said. “There are different roles for different churches to play. His hand has been on us this entire time.”

Crowder cites the outreach nature of the church as a reason why it has reached a century of existence. 

“If a church is all about itself and stays inside its walls, it will die,” he said. “Jesus said, go into the world and preach the gospel. We are called to serve.”

Community outreach by the church includes a prayer shawl knitting group, a woodworking workshop for fathers and sons, a vacation Bible school, and hosting the Mt. Greenwood Chamber of Commerce’s spaghetti dinner fundraiser this past May

Walker Busse, a former parishioner of 30 years who switched to a different church about ten years ago, came back for the celebratory worship service. “I always liked coming here,” he said. “It’s my kind of church.” 

Another parishioner, who said he has been coming to Mt. Greenwood Community Church for his whole life, said “it feels great” to be part of the church’s centennial celebration.

“We used to have over 300 kids in Sunday school when I was little,” he said. “My favorite part [of this church] is the love that’s shown in and amongst the people that come here. You almost want to give everyone a big hug. [This celebration] is like a homecoming gathering.”

He also considered memories of his kids at Camp Manitoqua, a summer camp associated with the Reformed Church of America in Frankfort and church picnics “in the good old days” as some of his favorite parts of the church.

So, what’s the church’s goal for the next 100 years? 

Crowder pointed to the 1991 movie “City Slickers” for an answer. According to Crowder, three men in the movie experiencing mid-life crises venture into the West and meet a cowboy.

“He challenges them to find the one thing that will make the difference in the world,” Crowder said. “We have to keep sight of the one thing that God has called us to do.”

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