Madison Avenue Christian Reformed Church in Paterson, N.J., celebrated its 100th anniversary this year.
A celebratory service in October included an original play and a 100th anniversary choir. Madison’s former pastor, Rev. Anthony Van Zanten, attended. The event also raised funds for Crossroads Community Ministries, Inc., the service arm of the church.
A highlight of the evening was a reunion of the Voices of God, a touring choir begun in the 1960s under Van Zanten. Choristers performed songs they sang when they were teenagers.
According to Rev. John Algera, the church’s pastor since 1979, at one time there were six Christian Reformed churches in Paterson, but today Madison Avenue is the only original one left.
In response to the changing neighborhood around the church, Crossroads Community Ministries was created to serve the community with a food pantry, a homeless shelter, a child care center, English classes, and many other ministries.
