Apparently, Mr. Peters was fond of Sunshine CRC especially when it expanded to a large campus on East Beltline

 as evidenced by him saving these newspaper clippings

above: AI GENERATED TRANSCRIPT

BOOMING
Sunshine Christian Reformed is No.1 in Michigan growth

By Chris Meehan
Special to The Press

Fifteen years ago only a handful of people worshipped each Sunday at the Sunshine Christian Reformed Church when the Rev. Lewis VandeMeer began his ministry.

The folks had their choice of standing on the high ground overlooking the town to stand in the morning worship or on the ground below for evening services.

"For many years, we were a church that grew out of a small community, a very Dutch, German agricultural community church, which has been about half-way between here and Hudsonville," VandeMeer said. The church, founded in 1867, grew to a peak in the 30's before growth congregational decline in the 50's.

Today, the nearly 2,000-member CRC church needs the capacity during its five Sunday services.

It has over 120 ministries, support groups and organizations to the facilities during the week. Each week, dozens of visitors attend services every weekend. Various small groups, study groups practice and perform here regularly, and the church's annual budget is for a $1.8 million ministry center.

VandeMeer said the growth, for example, draws on people from the facilities because of its proximity to the airport. Student, others were practicing 7 sins church plant program to help other churches grow along.

In 1989, the church was among five West Michigan churches in a national study comparing it to similar growing evangelical churches in terms of size, location, and the type of community they are serving. The church is among five West Michigan churches ranked in a national study that compares them to 10 Michigan churches which experienced growth.

According to a study comparing all of the fastest-growing churches in the state, the Rev. Lewis VandeMeer's Sunshine Christian Reformed is the fastest growing among the top 100 fastest-growing churches in the entire nation.

Other West Michigan churches on the list: First Assembly of God, 2100 44th St., Wyoming; Central Wesleyan Church at Holland; Calvary Undenominational Church in Holland and Calvary Undenominational Church in Grand Rapids.

Two churches in Lansing and Detroit, at Southwest Michigan Heights, St. Clair Shores, Southfield and Troy are also among those to grow.

The Michigan churches, as well as those across the country, are part of

AI GENERATED notes: 

Sunshine Community Church has a fascinating history that actually predates its formal organization by several decades. It began with a vision for outreach rather than a large building.

The Timeline of Origins

• 1923 (The Seeds Planted): The church began as Sunshine Gospel Hall, a small mission chapel located near the Sunshine Sanatorium (hence the name). It was originally sponsored by Mayfair Christian Reformed Church as a way to reach out to patients and the local community in northeast Grand Rapids.

• 1923–1971 (The Growth Years): For nearly 50 years, it operated as a mission station and chapel under various names, including the "Belmont Mission" and "Sunshine Back to God Chapel." It wasn't until 1971 that it was officially organized as a standalone congregation within the Christian Reformed Church denomination.

• The Vander Meer Era: Under the leadership of Pastor Lew Vander Meer, who took over in 1969 when the chapel was struggling, the church saw explosive growth. This eventually led to the construction of the massive 77-acre campus on the East Beltline in the late 1970s and 80s.

In the early 20th century, a sanatorium (or sanitarium) was primarily a hospital for people with Tuberculosis (TB)—

Back then, before antibiotics, the best treatment for TB was thought to be "the triple threat": rest, fresh air, and lots of sunshine. This is why the facility in Grand Rapids was named Sunshine Sanatorium.

The Real Story Behind the Name

• The Treatment: Doctors believed that the UV rays from the sun could help kill the bacteria, so patients spent hours outside on "sun porches."

• The "Sunshine Bonds": To build the hospital in 1921, the city of Grand Rapids actually sold "Sunshine Bonds" to the public to raise the funds. It was a community-wide effort to heal the sick.

• The Mission: The members of Mayfair CRC saw these patients—often isolated from their families for months or years—and wanted to bring them spiritual comfort. They started Sunshine Gospel Hall right next door to serve those patients and their families.

The Beltline Timeline

• 1979–1989 (The First Beltline Move): The church first moved to the East Beltline in 1979, locating at 3295 East Beltline NE. This was the moment they moved away from being a "neighborhood church" to a "destination church."

• 1989–2017 (The Mega-Church Era): In 1989, they built the massive, well-known 77-acre campus across the street at 3300 East Beltline NE. This facility featured the 2,300-seat auditorium and was the center of their ministry for 28 years.

• 2017 (The Departure): The congregation voted to sell the property in late 2016 and officially moved out in February 2017, temporarily holding services at Cornerstone University while preparing for their current home in the Creston neighborhood.