In 1869, local farmers were having a difficult time riding their horse-driven wagons all the way over to Graafschap for church services, and they wanted to build a local church of their own. So East Saugatuck Church was born. The church was founded in 1869 as the Collendoorn True Dutch Reformed Church, with 80 immigrants from the Netherlands signing their name to become charter members. The original church building tragically burned down two years later in the great fire of 1871, but the pulpit Bible was saved. This early crisis would prove the resilience and faith of our country church, leaning on God’s faithfulness for over 150 years since. When the church faced the long transition from worshipping in the Dutch language to the English language, God was with us. When the church sent off many of its young men to fight in WWI and WWII, He was with us. When the church sent out missionaries to foreign countries and inside the U.S., He was with us. When the local community had changed around us and was in need of outreach, He was with us. When we disagreed, He was with us. When we felt unified in our mission, He was with us. When we mourned, He was with us. When we rejoiced, He was with us. When we look to the future, we know and trust that He is always with us. God has built the foundation of this church on Jesus Christ, and He is the hero of our story.