When two Wyoming, MI churches with a combined history of more than 180 years merged 15 years ago, church officials had a third entity they wanted to bring into the fold: the neighborhood. Today, members of Roosevelt Park Community Christian Reformed Church say that three-way merger has succeeded.

“Fifteen years ago, we didn’t quite know what we were doing,” said the Rev. Reginald Smith, senior pastor. “We just knew we wanted to serve our neighborhood and write a new chapter.” Roosevelt Park Community CRC formed with about 300 members in 1994 after Roosevelt Park CRC and nearby Bethel CRC dissolved because of dwindling membership.

The church is in the former Roosevelt Park CRC building at 811 Chicago Drive SW, in what today is a largely Hispanic neighborhood. “(Even) five years ago, people would say, ‘Oh, that’s the white church,’” said the Rev. Pablo Canche, associate pastor. “Now I don’t hear that. More and more, the Hispanic population feels comfortable coming here. Even those who don’t understand English come here because they like that fellowship.”