The Christian Reformed Church Of Pease Church Profile 117 West Main Street Pease, Minnesota 56363 320-369-4228 peasecrc@frontiernet.net www.peasecrc.org
VISION & MISSION Through Christ With love, our mission is to proclaim and celebrate God s love in Jesus Christ, to live and minister as God s children in our world, sharing our faith with each other and our community, and caring deeply about all God s crea on.
OUR CONGREGATION Our Sunday morning worship service is a blend of contemporary and tradi onal musical styles. The worship services are put together as a joint effort of the worship leader and the pastor; and are led by the worship leader, praise team and pastor. We try to involve all ages in our worship services through children s messages, youth helping with the offering and special services, and incorpora ng people s faith stories into the order of worship. We are also very inten onal about keeping our worship grounded in scripture and reformed theology. Our congrega on is a welcoming, close-knit community of believers. We currently average 275 worshipers on a Sunday morning. Youth Sunday school averages 50 kids, and our adult educa on offerings average about the same. We are a busy congrega on with lots of opportuni es for involvement within the congrega on and within the community.
REC & REC JR Four years ago PCRC hired it s first full- me youth leader. Since then, we have seen growth in the program as well as in our kids. In that first year, the youth were included on picking what the name of our group would be. They were studying II Corinthians 5:17-20: Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new crea on has come. The old has gone, the new is here! All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconcilia- on that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not coun ng people s sins against them. And he has commi ed to us the message of reconcilia on. We are therefore God s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ s behalf: Be reconciled to God. They decided to go with REC to remind themselves that they are on a mission in this world as well as to remind themselves that they have been made right with God through His grace and love. Youth Group A endance REC (High School): 15-18 REC Jr. (7th & 8th): 10-15
FACILITIES The church structure has undergone many physical changes since it was built in 1896. In 1989, we moved into a new sanctuary which seats 600. At that me, a narthex, pastor s study, church office and handicap accessible restrooms were added. The original building was transformed into a fellowship hall, kitchen, nursery, and classrooms. In 2001, another building project led to the addi on of a fireside room and classrooms that serve as our Children s Worship Center. In 2005, a mul media system was added with three large screens in the sanctuary. We have also recently installed a smart tv system in the Fireside Room and upgraded our Wi-Fi. Our grounds not only include the church and parsonage, but a park with a band shell, an enclosed structure that we call the Canteen, a playground, and a lighted baseball field. Currently, REC and REC Jr have been mee ng in the church on Wednesday nights. They have been u lizing the Fireside Room, the Fellowship Hall as well as the sanctuary and park.
LEADERSHIP The Church Council The organiza onal structure of PCRC consists of Council and Leadership Teams. The Council is made up of nine elders and nine deacons and is the chief governing body. The term of office is three years. One elder or deacon serves as a representa ve on each of our Leadership Teams. The Staff The Council and staff work together to keep ministries flowing and the congrega on growing. Currently, the staff includes our head pastor, a part- me ministry coordinator, a part- me worship coordinator, an administra ve assistant, and custodian. Leadership Teams Leadership Teams serve as extensions of the council and are directly accountable to the council. Their primary purpose is to assist the council in carrying out PCRC s mission and ministry in Christ s name. Each team strives to use the God-given gi s of each team member and through these teams, the gi s of all church members. The Leadership Teams, their missions and responsibili es are outlined below. Execu ve Team The Execu ve Team func ons as the chief administra ve arm of the Council in an effort to facilitate the Council s work. Worship Team Mission: To provide celebra ve worship services which praise God, upli worshippers, promote the Reformed faith, and which are sensi ve to both church members and guests.
Educa on Team Mission: The Bible commands both parents and the church to train and disciple children and members of all ages. To assist parents and to keep our covenantal responsibility in training, the Educa on Team provides educa onal programs for all ages. These programs are based on scripture, taught from a reformed perspec ve, and are intended to deepen a person s walk with Christ. Outreach Team Mission: To encourage and facilitate the body of believers at PCRC to reach out with love into our community, both local and global, by sharing the good news of salva on found in Jesus Christ and then encourage non-churched people to find a church home. Building Team Mission: PCRC s buildings and equipment are dedicated to God for His worship, for building up the body of Christ, and for a witness to the community. In line with these goals, the Facili es Team supervises the use and maintenance of PCRC s buildings, grounds, parsonage and equipment. Fellowship & Food Mission: To help organize meals that enhance the fellowship of PCRC
HISTORY In 1893, a group of Dutch settlers from Iowa, South Dakota, and Wisconsin migrated to what is now known as Pease, MN. On June 15, 1895, under the leadership of Rev. C. Bode of Classis Iowa, thirty one members officially organized under the name of The Holland Christian Reformed Church of Pease, MN. The following year, in 1896, a modest wooden church was built along with the first parsonage which was completed in 1900. The original brick church was built in 1907, along with the present parsonage in 1920. The cornerstone of the church reads Eben-Haezer, which translates to Thus far the Lord has helped us. John De Groot accepted the call to be our first pastor in 1900. He received a yearly salary of $400 plus free housing, firewood, and enough hay to feed one horse and two cows. In 1925, the church name was legally changed to The Christian Reformed Church of Pease. Since our humble beginnings, we have undergone many changes. Our church experienced a time of growth during the late 1970 s which led and gave birth to our sister congregation, The Bethel Christian Reformed Church, in Princeton, MN. This decision was characterized by an exciting, cooperative spirit and we maintained a supportive and financial role for many years. In the 1980 s, it became evident that we needed more room to worship. In March 1989, we opened our new sanctuary and narthex. Members still recall the excitement and symbolic carrying of the Bibles and hymnals from the old sanctuary to the new. In the same confidence that got us this far, we continue to go forward striving to live out God s plan for us by proclaiming his love. Thus far, the Lord has helped us.
COMMUNITY Pease, Minnesota is a rural community located in Mille Lacs County and is situated in central Minnesota. Pease CRC is located approximately one hour north of the Minneapolis/St. Paul metropolitan area (Popula on: 3.2 million) and 30 minutes east of the city of St. Cloud (Popula on: 67,000). As these metropolitan areas con nue to expand, changes are taking place to the face or our community as well. Twenty-five years ago, the Pease area was primarily agricultural. Today, more people are finding employment in the service and industry fields as the surrounding business communi es expand. Many people also commute daily into the metropolitan and suburban areas. As the changes con nue, it presents a challenge to our church to meet the ministry needs of our surrounding community. Medical care is excellent. A clinic and hospital affiliated with the Fairview Healthcare System are located in Princeton, a community of 4,700 people located ten minutes south of Pease. A care clinic is also located in Milaca, a community of 3,200 people located five minutes north of Pease. Both communi es have numerous den sts, chiropractors, optometrists and pharmacies. Community Chris an School, for children in grades Pre-K through grade 8, is supported by our church and located in Pease and presently has an a endance of 105 students. Elementary, middle and high schools are also located in Milaca and Princeton. State and private colleges are located in St. Cloud, Minneapolis and St. Paul. There are many opportuni es for recrea on and entertainment in our area. Recrea on includes numerous lakes for fishing, swimming and boa ng, golf courses, snowmobile and biking trails and state parks for hiking, camping and cross-country skiing. The greater area also contains many shopping malls, restaurants, theaters, museums and professional sports teams.
CONTACT INFORMATION Contact Trudy Ash with any ques ons: 320-369-4228 (church) 320-420-2468 (cell) peasecrc@fron ernet.net