Who We Are

Grace Protestant Reformed Church was organized in 1996 as a daughter congregation of Hope PRC in Walker, Michigan. Our congregation has about 90 families with 160 children and a total membership of about 380 souls. The council is composed of 6 ruling elders and 6 deacons.

We belong to the Federation of Protestant Reformed Churches in America which is a denomination of 33 churches and more than 8,000 members. We were founded as a separate denomination of Reformed churches in 1924 and trace our roots to the Protestant Reformation of the 16th century in Europe. We follow the 3 historic reformed creeds, also known as the Three Forms of Unity: Heidelberg Catechism, the Belgic Confession, and the Canons of Dordt. We believe these three creeds accurately and faithfully summarize the teachings of Scripture.

Our pastor is the Reverend Ronald Van Overloop. He graduated from the Protestant Reformed Theological Seminary and was ordained into the ministry in 1972. He and his wife Sue and family came to us in November 2008.

For more information on the Protestant Reformed Churches of America, please visit the PRCA website.

What We Believe

The Bible is the Word of God inspired by the Holy Spirit and without error (II Timothy 3:16). Everything it teaches is to be believed, everything it commands is to be obeyed, and everything it promises is to be trusted (Romans 3:4).

God is a Triune God, three persons in one being: the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit (Matthew 28:19). He is the sovereign Lord of heaven and earth. He created the world and all it contains in six, 24 hour days (Exodus 20:11). The ultimate purpose of God's creation is the revelation of His glory. He rules over all in heaven and on earth, over the Devil and all the angels (I Chronicles 29:11). God providentially sustains His creation and governs it according to His good pleasure.

God is sovereign over all things in heaven and in earth. He created the world and all it contains in six, 24 hour days (Exodus 20:11) and continues to uphold and govern it according to His plan. No creature or event is outside His eternal plan. The ultimate purpose of His creation is the revelation and glory of Himself.

God is sovereign in salvation (Hebrews 12:2). Because God is perfectly holy and righteous, He punishes every sin. We, who are born spiritually dead and unable to do any good, are saved only by God's grace (Ephesians 2:1-8). He has chosen a people from before the creation of the world to be saved by the work of His Son, Jesus Christ on the cross (Ephesians 1:4,5). He regenerates our sinful hearts through the work of the Holy Spirit (John 3:3-8) and gives us faith to believe that we are saved by Jesus Christ and not by our own good works (Ephesians 2:9). He also gives us grace to serve Him in our daily life.

God is a God of love and demonstrates it through the death of Christ on the cross (Romans 5:8). Jesus endured the eternal punishment His people deserved by dying on the cross. Jesus arose from the dead and now reigns in heaven (Romans 4:25).

Jesus is coming again to judge the living and those who have died (II Timothy 4:5). Those who believed on Him will live forever with Him in heaven and those who have not believed on Him will suffer God's just and eternal wrath in hell (Revelation 20:11-15).

To learn more about what we believe, you can request literature by contacting us.

How We Worship

God commands everyone to worship Him (Psalm 96:9) because He is worthy of all praise (Psalm 95:6). Therefore, we gather together with fellow saints to render to Him the praise of our hearts and to be instructed in His Word. We worship out of love and thankfulness for all He does for us.

We worship as He has commanded in scriptures (Psalm 29:2). We believe Sunday is a day different than all the others that must be set apart for the service of God. We gather together twice in formal, public worship. These services are characterized by reverence and solemnity which reflects our consciousness of being in the presence of God.

Central in every worship service is the preaching of God's Word. Preaching is the chief means by which God gives grace to His people and calls them to repentance and faith in Jesus Christ (I Corinthians 1:18-21). Other biblical elements in our worship service are praying and singing. In accord with the Scriptures, we also keep the sacraments by baptizing our children and celebrating the Lord's Supper.

Our children worship God with us because Scripture calls us to instruct our children in the fear of the Lord (Ephesians 6:4). Also, Jesus blesses the children of the parents who bring them to Him (Mark 10:13-16). The Holy Spirit uses the preaching of the Word to save us and our children and therefore our children must be present at the worship services.