Edmonton

About Us

Our Vision Statement

Our church participates in God's great mission in the world - the redemption of His whole creation:

  • Our worship services enable people of all ages, backgrounds and abilities to glorify God while being motivated and equipped for His service;
  • We intentionally reach out to our immediate community with a special emphasis on refugees and immigrants;
  • Our ministries foster fellowship and discipleship; encourage growth and accountability; and help members discover and use the fruits and gifts the Holy Spirit has entrusted to them.

This statement was approved on December 16, 2007

Our History - A Look Back

April 30, 1953. This is the day when 49 families expressed their dream and vision to become members of a church in the then-independent town of Beverly. At the end of the day, these dreams and visions had turned into the beginning of our church. The first office bearers were chosen and the name of the church was settled. Beverly Christian Reformed Church was officially organized.

With members and council in place, the next step was to find a place to worship. A location was soon found on 45 Street and 118 Avenue in Beverly's third-largest building - the Avalon theatre. As the theatre was closed on Sundays, it not only gave the charter members a large enough place where they could worship, it also had the most comfortable seats in Maranatha's history! But no one was able to get too comfortable because, after five short weeks, the owners of the Avalon said that the theatre could no longer be used.

Another search was made for a place to worship, and again the search was successful. Beverly Christian Reformed Church relocated to the Slovak Hall a block away on 46 Street and 118 Avenue. The building had poor lighting, no chairs, and left much to be desired, but it served the purpose. The story goes that someone once commented on the nice decorations people had put up in the "church". Nice they may have been.leftover from the dance held the night before! But the building itself was not why people came: they came to serve God as they were called to do. And as a testament to God rather than a building, the congregation grew quickly. While there was enough room to hold society meetings, catechism, and Bible classes in the rented basement of the United Church, there was no room for the 175-200 people in the Slovak Hall, built for 150.

On August 17, 1953, the immigrant's faith took them a step further. In order to solve the problem of too little space, they voted to build a new church. This may sound small, but when you take into account the fact that these people had very little money and they were embarking on a huge journey, their faith grows more evident. The church that they planned to build would have room for at least 500 people and was budgeted at $35,000. When the votes were cast, not one person stood up to oppose the new plan. The decision to build was unanimous. New committees were formed, a drive for financial support was organized, and the search for an appropriate location was started.

A good area was soon found. It was located on the corner of 38 street and 116 avenue, right across the street from what is now R. J. Scott elementary school. However, the location was vetoed by the owner - a Roman Catholic who refused to sell to a Protestant group - and so the search for land continued. It wasn't long before five lots were found on the corner of 47 street and 119 avenue. The land was bought and a building committee was formed with Nick Spronk, J. Bremer, John Dotinga, Dick Schuurman, and Jacob Scheffer.

On November 9, 1953, another congregational meeting was held. All the proposals that were brought forward, as well as the blueprints, were accepted. The whole congregation stood, united as one, behind the huge task before them. They had donated their weekly wages, emptied their piggy banks, and, starting the next day, started digging, framing, and building for free. The work was great, but so were the numbers of workers - some even had to be turned away. While the men worked, the women kept coffee perking for them and the work went well. The only setback that they had was when a small tornado brought the beams crashing down on Christmas Eve. During the cold Alberta winter the work stopped, but it was picked up again and completed in the spring of 1954. It even had a bell, donated by a Canadian resident, and a weathercock donated by the Schuurman so that the church would be complete, like the churches in the "old country".

September 9, 1954 marks the next big event. Beverly Christian Reformed Church was officially dedicated. Reverend Hanenburg preached on 2 Chronicles 6:20 - "Look down with favour day and night upon this temple - upon this place in which You have promised You would put Your name." Following a prayer of thanksgiving, Mr. Spronk, the chairman of the building committee, presented the key to the church to Gerard C. Buma, the President of the Church.

In the year and a half since it's organization, many changes had occurred: the locations of the services, the building of the church and the parsonage on an adjoining lot, and the near doubling of the membership. And ten years later, on April 14, 1964, the name of the church itself officially changed from Beverly to Maranatha Christian Reformed Church.