Historical Sketch of Little Farms Chapel

In 1951 Mrs. Arthur Parney wanted to show her appreciation to God for sparing her sons during the Korean War. She asked her former pastor at 36th Street Christian Reformed Church in Grand Rapids what she could do. Her finances were limited so the pastor suggested she simply open her home to the neighborhood children for a Sunday school. This she did. The first Sunday eight neighborhood children came. Soon the enrollment was between fifteen and twenty youngsters. Though her house was small, the Sunday school grew.

In 1952 Hope Christian Reformed Church was asked to help with the Sunday school in “Grandma Parney’s” kitchen. The church accepted the challenge, bought property near the Parneys, and erected a small chapel in 1953. This was the beginning of Little Farms Chapel.

Over the years several part-time evangelists were hired to work at Little Farms. The work was slow and growth was even slower. In 1966 the elders of Hope CRC decided to give Little Farms one more opportunity. A full-time evangelist was hired; his first sermon was preached to two women and three children. But he was not discouraged. He continued to call on people in the neighborhood and by 1971 the Lord had so blessed his work that there was talk of becoming an organized church in the CRC.

Later that year, area CRCs banded together to construct a brick chapel building to serve the needs of this growing congregation. But in 1972, the pastor abruptly left and months of struggle and bitterness ensued. Another pastor was called, but he stayed only two years before leaving. The result was that Little Farms suffered spiritually, numerically and financially.

Over the next years, students from Calvin Seminary served the congregation as interns. But the result was always the same—when they finished their internship at Little Farms they left to serve other congregations.
In 1980 Evangelist Vern Haas was called to serve the congregation. Vern had served several other CRC chapels and was familiar with Little Farms. He worked hard at neighborhood calling and kept accurate data on the families that he visited. A strong nucleus of six to seven families remained at Little Farms. A few families joined, but others left. It became increasingly difficult to pay Vern for full-time work as the financial support of the Christian Reformed Church declined and the future looked uncertain. Vern eventually divided his time between Little Farms and another chapel, and in 1988 he retired from active ministry.

Again without a pastor, the congregation faced a difficult decision. Was it time to close the doors? The congregation decided to try once again to find a part-time pastor. An ad was placed in the The Banner, the magazine of the Christian Reformed Church. Seventeen men applied for the position. Some were ordained, some were retired, and some were still in seminary. The Lord led the congregation to offer the job to Robert Van Manen, a Bible teacher at Hudsonville Christian School. Pastor Bob accepted the position and preached his first sermon in May 1989 to a group of about 30 adults and children. Pastor Bob was ordained as an evangelist in the CRC in January 1990. The Lord blessed Little Farms and solid growth began. A fellowship center (gymnasium, classrooms, kitchen, rest rooms) was built largely through the sale of the church’s parsonage (since the Van Manens owned their home). New programs were added, an evening service was begun, and God blessed the church with growth.

In 1998, the Steering Committee began to discuss whether to organize as a particular church with elders and deacons. At the same time, discussions were held regarding denominational affiliation due to liberal trends in the CRC. The congregation also needed a larger worship space since the 100-seat chapel building was filled to capacity every Sunday. Services were moved into the gym as a temporary solution. With regard to expansion, the congregation decided that one-half of the cost of any expansion project would have to be in the bank before construction began. It was also decided that denominational affiliation should be decided before the expansion. After much prayer and careful study, the congregation voted in September 1997 to leave the CRC and to join the Orthodox Presbyterian Church. In July 1998 the congregation was received into the OPC and Pastor Bob was ordained as a minister in the OPC.

In early 2000 expansion plans were confirmed, bids were submitted, and a contractor selected.
On April 17, 2000, half of the cost of construction was in the bank and building began. The new chapel building was dedicated in January 2001. Since then, two more additions have met the church’s educational needs.
Little Farms Chapel continues to experience God’s blessing. New families are added to the congregation, new programs are initiated, and mission work is alive. The chapel has sent out several short-term missionaries to China, Ghana, and Costa Rica. Little Farms members have also gone on work teams to Neon, Ky., and to Costa Rica. In addition, the high school youth group has participated in several work projects over the past years.
Currently, about 80 households make up Little Farms Chapel. Pastor Bob continues to serve as pastor and a full slate of educational opportunities for all ages, Bible studies, and wonderful times of fellowship is offered.

The congregation gives God the glory for His faithfulness since Grandma Parney opened her Sunday school in 1951. It is clearly His hand that has done this and with much thanksgiving in our hearts we look forward in faith.