The history of Holland area churches is included in a publication recounting the past 150 years of service by congregations of Holland Classis of the Reformed Church in America. The 36-page booklet was released this year in conjunction with the City of Holland's sesquicentennial observance in 1998.
Besides histories and pictures of each of the 18 present and former churches of Holland Classis, the book features a time line showing historical events of the past 150 years throughout the world as well as the Classis.
Also included is an account of the development of women's societies in the Classis, written by Eloise Van Heest, and a brief history of the Classis by Elton Bruins, an authority of Reformed Church history who serves as director of the Van Raalte Institute for Historical Studies and chairman of the Classis Sesquicentennial Committee which planned and produced the booklet.
Others on the committee besides Bruins and Van Heest, are Gordon Beld, Pat Williams, Rev. Russell Norden, and Larry Wagenaar.
In Christ's Service: The Classis of Holland, Michigan and Its Congregations, 1847-1997 is available for $5.95 at the Joint Archives, local bookstores, and Holland RCA churches.