What We Believe

Ridgewood CRC was founded in 1965, as the population of the Jenison area was booming with young families moving away from the city.

Because of this rapid population growth, churches that had already been established needed additional facilities.

From this need, Ridgewood was born.

We have been at the corner of Baldwin St and Ridgewood Ave since our building was erected in 1968. 

Our beliefs are grounded in our membership in the Christian Reformed Church of North America. Click here for more information about the denomination we belong to called the Christian Reformed Church.

 

Christian

We believe that Jesus Christ is Savior and Lord. We strive to follow Jesus in all that we do.

Reformed

We emphasize the Bible as the Word of God, the only dependable guide for life and faith.  Since the Bible is God’s Word, we expect Him to speak to us in it, and we approach His Word with reverence, anticipation and humility.  We believe in the sovereignty of God over every part of life.  And we believe that salvation comes by grace alone—a gift from God.  Because of that grace, the Christian life is one of gratitude that shows itself in service and love. 

Church

As the people of God, we need each other—for love, support, encouragement and correction. Our faith is nurtured in our togetherness. To be the Body of Christ and to serve God’s world effectively, we need each other!

 
 

Pastor Michael Ten Haken

Greetings and welcome! My family and I have been a part of Ridgewood CRC since August 2023. I grew up in Worthington, Minnesota, and graduated from Dordt University in Sioux Center, Iowa. Prior to being called into pastoral ministry, I worked at Dordt as an Admissions Counselor, Associate Director of Admissions, and as their Marketing and Public Relations Coordinator. I also spent three years in banking. I graduated from Calvin Theological Seminary in 2013 and served the Pease Christian Reformed Church in Pease, Minnesota for 10 years, before accepting the call to Ridgewood. My wife, Jessica, works at Jenison Christian School and we have three children. It is my privilege to serve Ridgewood CRC and the Jenison community by proclaiming the love of Jesus.

michael.tenhaken@ridgewoodcrc.com

Jeremy Kamper

Family-based Ministries Director

It has been a blessing for me to be a part of the Ridgewood community for over 25 years. I have grown up in the CRC, first attending Creston CRC of Grand Rapids before joining Ridgewood after I married. My wife, Tiffany, and I have two daughters, Elena, who is attending Grand Valley State University while studying Human Resources, and Maggie, who is a senior at Unity Christian High School. I spent 17 years as a teacher of high school and middle school students before taking on my current position at Ridgewood in 2019. I want my students, and all people, to find belonging in a relationship with Jesus Christ, and that is the basis for how we structure family ministries at Ridgewood.

j@ridgewoodcrc.com

Jill Kamp

Financial Secretary

jill.kamp@ridgewoodcrc.com

Jennifer Kuipers

Office Administrator

I grew up in Jenison, attending Jenison Christian and Unity Christian High School before moving on to Calvin College (now University). It was at Calvin that I met my husband David. Following graduation and a year of substitute teaching, I joined the staff of South Christian High School as a Social Studies teacher. I taught for four and a half years before becoming a stay at home mom for our six kids. In 2011, I joined Ridgewood’s staff as the Office Administrator, job sharing with a friend before becoming the full time person. Because I am a life-long member of Ridgewood, I consider it my joy and pleasure to serve longtime members and welcome new members into our small part of the entire family of God.

Paul and Marilyn VanderWilp

Custodians

prvanderwilp@gmail.com