It’s not often that a church has a member that has reached the age of 100.
Immanuel Christian Reformed Church in Hudsonville, Mich., is blessed three times over, as three of its members—Ella Hoezee, Henrietta Meinema and Lula Ringerwole—have all reached the century mark.
The church recently held a special worship service honoring the three centenarians that included their favorite verses and songs. Only Meinema, the oldest of the three at age 101, was able to attend, but family members of the other two women attended and read favorite Scripture verses during the service.
“How often does this happen? The situation inspired some creative thinking,” said Robert Nesky, one of Immanuel’s elders. “As a church, we wanted to celebrate some special milestones.”
Two of the three women are charter members of Immanuel, which was founded in the late 1950s, while the third joined less than a year after the church opened.
The service also included a video of Hoezee reciting Psalm 121 from memory. Bob Huisman, the church’s pastor, got the idea to videotape Hoezee when he went to visit her and asked her what her favorite Scripture passage was.
“When she recited it, I thought more people than me should hear this,” Huisman said. “That was special and touching for everyone to see.”
Church members signed a large card for each of the women and enjoyed cake and coffee in between services.
12-19-2014 BannerNewsStory birthdays from Christian Reformed Church on Vimeo.
About the Author
Greg Chandler is a freelance news correspondent for The Banner. He lives in Grand Rapids, Michigan.
