Comstock Park, MI. Comstock Park Congregational Church records, 1888-2021.
Scope and Contents
This collection contains records from the Comstock Park Congregational Church and includes various church organizations, financial documents, pastoral records, vital statistics, visual material, letters, histories, administrative records, reports, and meeting minutes.
Dates
- 1910-2021
Creator
- Van Der Veen, Christian, 1838-1896 (Person)
Restrictions on Access
Access to this collection is unrestricted and open to the public.
Restrictions on Use
Items in this collection are subject to U.S. Copyright Law. It is the responsibility of the researcher to determine the copyright status of collection items and to secure any permissions necessary for their reproduction and publication. Requests for permission to publish material must be discussed with the archivist or librarian.
Historical Note
On March 22, 1910, nineteen people gathered for a meeting called by Charles G. Marshall to discuss forming a church in order to fulfill the community's religious needs. As a result of the discussion, the Comstock Park Congregational Church officially formed with thirty-nine members on July 7, 1910. Reverend S. T. Morris would serve as the first minister until 1914 and helped get the church organized. The church entered the Grand Rapids Association of Congregational Churches on March 5, 1912.
The church building was originally occupied by a small Baptist congregation who transferred ownership of the building in 1915. A parsonage was donated in 1928 and both buildings were transferred to a new space donated by the North family. The building went through various upgrades and changes over the years but remained in the same location.
The church saw declines throughout the 1970s and at one point closure was recommended by the UCC Michigan Conference. The church rallied in the following years but a divisive minister in the early 2000s led to a diminished number of members. The church moved online once the Covid-19 pandemic started in 2020 and while they saw increased engagement online, it would not be enough to keep the church going. A final service was held in November 2020.
Ministers
- S. T. Morris
- 1910-1914
- Frank Folkerson
- 1914-1916
- W. A. Hutchinson
- 1916
- F. W. Sass
- 1916-1918
- S. T. Morris
- 1918-1920
- A. G. Beard
- 1921-1923
- G. E. Hughes
- 1924-1927
- E. C. Barnes
- 1928-1943
- Herbert H. McConnell
- 1943-1953
- Raymond. L. Broadway
- 1953-1957
- Albutt Gardner, Jr.
- 1957-1959
- R. Prescott - Interim Pastor
- 1959
- R. White - Interim Pastor
- 1959
- D. Brady
- 1959-1963
- R. White - Interim Pastor
- 1964-1965
- F. O. Olson
- 1965-1970
- B. Swem - Interim Pastor
- 1970
- R. Happel
- 1970-1976
- G. O'Conner - Interim Pastor
- 1977-1978
- Robert Livingston
- 1978-1986
- R. McConnell - Interim Paston
- 1986
- Lawrence Brosseit
- 1986-1997
- Toby Stadden - Interim Pastor
- 1997-1999
- Steve Bohlert
- 1999-2002
- A. D. Vandlen
- 2003-2004
- Dick M. Woodward
- 2004-2015
- Karen H. Stokes
- 2016-2019
- Lori Peach-Filban
- 2020
Extent
8.37 Cubic Feet (9 boxes)
Language of Materials
English
Abstract
On March 22, 1910, nineteen people gathered for a meeting called by Charles G. Marshall to discuss forming a church in order to fulfill the community's religious needs. As a result of the discussion, the Comstock Park Congregational Church officially formed with thirty-nine members on July 7, 1910. The church moved online once the Covid-19 pandemic started in 2020 and while they saw increased engagement online, it would not be enough to keep the church going. A final service was held in November 2020. This collection contains records from across the Churches life and includes various church organizations, financial documents, pastoral records, vital statistics, visual material, letters, histories, administrative records, reports, and meeting minutes.
Arrangement
This collection has been arranged into four series and sixteen sub-series. The records in each series has been arranged chronologically by start date except in the reports and meeting minutes.
Series 1: Pastoral records, 1888-1894, 1923-2003
Series 2: Church records, 1903-2021
Subseries 1: Vital statistics, 1903-2015
Subseries 2: Visual material, 1910-2010, undated
Subseries 3: Reports and meeting minutes, 1910-2020
Subseries 4: Administrative, 1937-2003
Subseries 5: Histories, 1951-1960, 1984, 2021
Subseries 6: Newsletters, 1959-2017
Subseries 7: Letters, 1961-2004
Series 3: Organizational records, 1910-2006
Subseries 1: Educational, 1910-1963, 1982-2006
Subseries 2: Deaconess Board, 1910-1987
Subseries 3: Ladies Aid Society, 1912-1941
Subseries 4: Miscellany groups, 1936-1947, 1975-1983
Subseries 5: Women's Fellowship, 1943-1971
Subseries 6: Misner Circle, 1946-1967
Subseries 7: Barnes Circle, 1960-1978
Subseries 8: Ladies Circle, 1962-1980
Subseries 9: Diaconate Council, 1984-1986, 2003-2009
Series 4: Financial records, 1923-2000
Technical Requirements
To access the CD's in this collection requires the use of a computer with disk drive.
Acquisition Information
Materials were donated to the Congregational Library by Joyce Mellena in March 2021; 2021-01
Bibliography
Processing Information
Processed by William McCarthy, September 2021, using DACS second edition.
Creator
- Van Der Veen, Christian, 1838-1896 (Person)
- Barnes, Estle C., 1893-1964 (Person)
- Happel, Richard (Person)
- Brosseit, Lawrence (Person)
- Bohlert, Steve (Person)
- Woodward, Dick (Person)
- Comstock Park Congregational Church (Comstock Park, MI.) (Organization)
- Title
- Comstock Park, MI. Comstock Park Congregational Church records, 1888-2021.
- Status
- Completed
- Author
- William McCarthy
- Date
- 2021-09-23
- Description rules
- 3
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
Repository Details
Part of the Congregational Library & Archives Repository