Welcome to

Eastern Avenue Christian Reformed Church!

A.     Questions and Answers about Eastern

1. Who are we?

Eastern Avenue - we gather together in a building on Eastern Avenue in Grand Rapids.

Christian -              we confess that we belong to Jesus Christ and want to be his followers.

Reformed -             we belong to a group of churches from the Protestant Reformation who base all their teachings only on the Bible.

Church -                God has called us through Jesus Christ to be in his family along with others throughout the world.

2.       What do we believe?

1. The Bible is the inspired and true word of God. (2 Timothy 3:16)
2. The Bible is a history of God's earthly kingdom. (Colossians 1:12-20)

1)                   God created humans and the world very good. (Genesis 1-2)

2)                   The sin of our first parents (Adam & Eve) infected all human beings and the world.  (Genesis 3)

3)                   Through Jesus Christ's death and resurrection, God saves whoever believes in him (John 3:16) and reconciles all things to God (Col.1:19-20)

4)                   One day God will renew heaven and earth, where his resurrected people will live and fellowship with him forever.

C.      God's grace: God gives gifts that we don't deserve. (Ephesians 2:8-10)

1)       The greatest gift is salvation through Jesus Christ.

2)       Other gifts of grace to believers and to those who don't believe in Jesus are natural gifts: (Matthew 5: 45b)

a.       Physical, mental, personal, social, and artistic skills, etc.

b.       A measure of goodness, order, and justice in a society:  most people have a sense of what is right and wrong.

D.      Covenant or promise (Gen. 17; Jeremiah 31:31-34; etc.)

God has promised salvation and he has surely kept it through Jesus.  Eastern's logo, the rainbow, is a symbol of God's promises. (Gen. 9:16)

E.      Statements of our faith we have adopted are:

1)     Creeds:  The Nicene Creed, The Apostles' Creed, The Athanasian Creed

2)     Confessions: The Belgic Confession, The Heidelberg Catechism, The Canons of Dort

3)      Faith Statement: Our World Belongs to God: A Contemporary Testimony

3.  How do we try to live our faith in our personal lives?

1. A personal relationship with God through Jesus Christ by the Holy Spirit is at the heart of our faith, giving us faith, hope, love, courage, and peace.  (Rom. 8:38-39)
2. God?s Holy Spirit works in our lives to help us be true followers of Jesus, as taught in the Bible.  (Romans 8:1-17)
3. Thankful: Because we are thankful to God for the gifts of grace he's given us, we love him and our neighbors.  (Colossians 3:15-17)
4. The church is God's family, also called "the body of Christ."  Like a body, when the different parts are healthy and helping each other, that's when the whole body works the best.  (Ephesians 4:1-16)  Being part of God's family means inviting others to believe the truth of Jesus' story and join the family. (1 Peter 2:9; Matt 28:16-20)
5. Worshipping God is very important to us.  We believe that in worship God speaks to us through reading and preaching the Bible and blesses us through the sacraments (holy communion and baptism.).  Then we respond by confessing our sins, praising him, and praying for his blessing (Romans 10:14-15; Matthew 28: 16-20; and I Corinthians 11: 23-26).  We know that God is present among us, through his Word and Spirit, building up our faith.

4.  How do we try to relate our faith to the world?

1. Jesus is King: We believe that God through Jesus rules all the world. (Philippians 2:11; Matt 28:18; Eph.1:20-21)
2. Kingdom: We believe the Kingdom of God is the rule of God over all things.  He is our king.  This kingdom is not just in the future, but now.  Christians should live all of their lives for the coming of God's Kingdom. (Mark 1:14-15; Matt 6:10)
3. Vocation: We look at all of life as a divine calling.  This includes our personal lives as well as our lives in society, culture, and the environment.  (Ephesians 4:1)
4. Word and deed: When we talk about the mission of the church, we mean we do this in word and in deed.  We tell others about the good news of the gospel (Mt. 28:18-20), minister to those in need, and promote God's justice and peace. (James 2:14-17)
5. Responsibility for the world: God made us in his image to be stewards of creation.  We have responsibility to preserve and improve this world as a home for all God's creatures. (Genesis 1: 27-28; Ps. 8:5-6; Ps. 24:1)
6. Justice:  We pursue Biblical justice.  This means that we promote the good of individuals and society.  We also try to right wrongs and restore broken relationships according to God's law, bringing God's peace and justice to others.  (Micah 6:8)
7. Christian education: We send our children to Christian schools, if possible, because we believe that Jesus is Lord of all of life, including learning.  Everything taught in school is related to God through Jesus Christ (Proverbs 9:10; Col. 1:15-20).  We also support public education.

5. What are Eastern's programs?

A.      Sundays at the church:

Sunday School (for children and adults) September-April--9:00 a.m.

Adult choir (September through May) 9:00 a.m.

Morning Worship - 10:15 a.m. from September-May

                             9:30 a.m. from June-August

Children's Worship - for ages 3 through 6 during a.m. service

Nursery - for infants and toddlers during the a.m. service

Evening Worship---5:00 p.m.

Family Programs---Every other week - 5:00 p.m. from September-May

Covenant Groups (study/fellowship groups for adults)

Children's Clubs - Nursery through Grade 12

B.     Mondays

W.E.B. club for neighborhood high school boys - 4:00 p.m.

W.E.B. House

C.     Tuesdays

W.E.B. Bible Club - 4:00 p.m. - W.E.B. House

Drop in Homework Help/Computer Lab for neighborhood children, K-12---5:30 p.m.-7:30 p.m. - at church

Pathways to Possibilities trips to Calvin College for youth, grades 4-12 Scheduled monthly with leaders of youth clubs

D.     Wednesdays

W.E.B. club for neighborhood middle school boys - 4:30 p.m.---W.E.B. House

Community Girls - for neighborhood high school girls - every other week

(September-May)

Pathways to Possibilities trips to Calvin College for youth grades 4-12 Scheduled monthly with leader of youth clubs

E.      Thursdays

Women's Early Morning Prayer group - 6:30 a.m. at church

Men's Prayer Breakfast - 6:45 a.m. at church

W.E.B. Tutoring - for neighborhood children, K-12---6:00 p.m. at church

F.      Fridays

G.     Saturdays

Saturday Spanish Bible Study---6:30 a.m.

Saturday Food Program---8:00 a.m. preparation -10:00 a.m. open

20s and 30s Group---fellowship for married and singles adults

40s and up---fellowship for married and singles

Retirement Riders---day trips for senior members

Summers evenings: Men's and women's softball teams - for adults and teens - June-August

6.  Want to learn more?

See at the following resources:         

1.       Call the church:  454-4888

2.       The Bible

3.        Other resources used in writing this pamphlet:

                        What It Means to Be Reformed

                        Belonging: An Introduction to the Faith and Life of the C.R.C.

                        What the Christian Reformed Church Believes

                        What It Means to Be Reformed: An Identity Statement

                        The C.R.C. and You