Rev. Timothy Brown

Following Rev. Mulder’s leaving, a nine-member committee was formed to search for a new pastor. On a vote of five to four, Rev. Tim Brown was called and installed on October 27, 1983. The vote reflected differing opinions about who should be the senior pastor, resulting in a rather difficult first couple of years for the new pastor. However, it taught Rev. Brown that ministry was about being faithful and was not a popularity contest.

Part of Rev. Brown’s ministry was to periodically preach at Hope College. As a result, there was an infusion of hundreds of students attending Christ Memorial which became an enormous gift to the congregation. The church continued as a gracious place by meeting people at their point of need. It also affirmed the leadership of women in pastoral roles by hiring Rev. Neva Evenhouse as Pastor of Congregational Care. During this time, the church was affectionately referred to as “the largest Christian Reformed Church in Holland,” which built a new nexus between the Reformed Church and the Christian Reformed Church.

In 1988 John Bright came to Christ Memorial as the first full-time Director of Music. Under John’s leadership the choir grew from 32 to 150 members, beginning a new era of inspirational music and worship.

Christmas Eve services became popular as a time for families to worship together and grew in numbers of people attending and services offered.