Church History

On November 24, 1937, a special session of Classis approved a petition which asked that another Reformed church be organized in Lansing, Illinois. A committee then met with the interested parties on the evening of December 29, 1937. Thirty-two families chose to start a new congregation. The name "Grace Reformed Church" was unanimously adopted.  Worship services were held in the auditorium of the Indiana Avenue Public School at Indiana Avenue and School Street (now the site of the Lansing Public Library) in Lansing, Illinois.

In February 1938, the congregation purchased the present church site. On March 19, 1938, the cornerstone of the original basement church was laid, and was ready for use by June of 1938.  In June 1938, a call was extended to the first pastor, Rev. Emo Ausema. In the fall of 1939, the congregation decided to build a parsonage of Dutch Colonial Style. Rev. Ausema served Grace Church for 6 years. The Lord blessed Grace Church during this time and it grew from 32 to 83 families.

In January 1945, Rev. Bert VanMalsen was installed as our pastor. As the church continued to grow, plans were laid for the superstructure. In the Spring of 1949, construction began and was finished by June 1950.

In January 1954, Rev. Cornelius Reynen became our pastor.  Many additions such as a Sunday School bus, stained glass windows, and the Wick pipe organ were made.

In November, 1958, Rev. John Beenes became our pastor.  The church and Sunday School continued to grow and the decision was made to build an Education Wing, which was completed in 1962.

In August 1966, Rev. Russell Sybesma became our pastor.  Again, Grace Church prospered and grew in many ways. Annex property was purchased at 2718 Indiana (now commonly referred to the White House or Ministry House) and property on 181st was purchased for a parking lot. Under Rev. Sybesma, the emphasis on missions grew at Grace. Starting with Gladys Kooy as our first missionary, we sent out numerous missionaries from our church to serve domestically and internationally. In addition, we supported and still support missionaries and benevolent causes in the U.S. and overseas.

Also during this time, the youth program began to formally develop through youth groups, and GEMS and Cadet programs.  Grace's first Youth Pastor, Rev. Ron VerWys was called in 1975.

In 1984, Rev. Tom Katsma, who was then serving as Youth Pastor, accepted the call to the Senior Pastor position. Under his leadership, Grace Church established a contemporary style of worship, began a Coffee Break Women’s Ministry, added video equipment, and created new positions like the Ministry Director. Grace Church became aware of the changes and needs in the community around us and made changes to continue to reach out to the community.

In 1992, Rev. Don Schmidt was called as Senior Pastor. His ministry was cut short due to cancer and he went to be with the Lord in April 1994. While at Grace, his vision for reaching the community of Lansing was a stepping stone for the future of Grace.

In 1995, Rev. Andy Nearpass was called as Senior Pastor. Pastor Nearpass served as pastor until 2014. During his nearly 20 years at Grace, small groups were developed, the youth program continued to grow, numerous mission teams were sent out, many facility updates were made, and there was a renewed focus on prayer and God's Word. Members fondly remember Pastor Andy being a caring shepherd amongst God’s people. After much prayer and contemplation, on September 20, 2014 the Grace Church congregation voted to transfer from the Reformed Church in America (RCA) to the Presbyterian Church in America (PCA). On October 30, 2014, the Illiana Classis of the RCA voted to approve the requested transfer.

On June 21, 2015, Pastor Leroy Childress (“PC”), who was then serving as our Pastor of Youth and Outreach, was called as Senior Pastor. Under PC’s leadership, Grace continued to grow and change. With an emphasis on the Kingdom of God and making disciples, Grace saw new outreach events like Easter Extravaganza, media upgrades, facilities upgrades, leadership development, and the implementation of core values during PC’s tenure.

On January 1, 2023, Pastor Steven Harrison began serving as Interim Pastor. On February 12, 2023, Grace Church voted to leave the Presbyterian Church in America (PCA). On June 11, 2023, Pastor Harrison was installed as the 10th Senior Pastor of Grace.

As Grace Church looks to the future, we remain anchored to our history while eagerly anticipating what God will do next.