Whitneyville Fellowship Church
We are located at 4935 Whitneyville Ave SE
Ada, MI 49301
Between 48th and 52nd Streets
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Pastor Ed & Jackie Carpenter
Glad to see you visited our Web Site. Enjoy the trip through our site, then stop in for a visit, as a body of believers we would love to have you worship God with us. May God bless you in your walk with Him, we are looking forward to seeing you. May God bless you.
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Whitneyville Fellowship Celebrated 65 Years with special service on October 14
65 years of ministry was celebrated as Whitneyville Fellowship Church hosted a Reunion Sunday on October 14. The service included a video presentation and narrative of the church’s history, special music representing the songs of the times and stories of those who used to sing them, followed by Pastor Ed Carpenter’s message. A luncheon for all was held in the fellowship hall following the service. The congregation invited any members of the community to attend, and encouraged those who have attended in the past to come and share their memories. The church is located at 4935 Whitneyville Ave, between 48th and 52nd Streets.
The church ministry was started in 1953 by Pastor Dean Overholt and his wife Almah, under the direction of the United Brethren in Christ Church. They originally gathered in the Old Time Methodist Church on Whitneyville south of 52nd Street, which was unused at that time, fixing up the grounds and the church after a time of vacancy. A year later a strip of land on Whitneyville near 48th Street became available and was purchased by the Overholts for $500 on behalf of the congregation. The neighbors to the south generously offered the basement of their new home for the congregation to meet while raising money to build the new church.
In 1960 the cement block church basement was completed and the congregation was able to begin meeting in their own building. The flat roof over the basement also served as a stage for the preacher and singers during the outdoor drive-in services that were held on summer Sunday evenings. Visitors would park on the lawn and listen to the music and message from their cars. The basement would serve as the sanctuary and class rooms until 1964 when a loan was obtained to finish the church building.
In 1973 the congregation voted to become an independent non-denominational church under the name of Whitneyville Church of Jesus Christ. Pastor Overholt had become paralyzed due to cancer but continued to serve from his wheelchair until his passing in 1974. Several pastors served for a short time after him, with his grandson Jim Groendyke Sr. eventually leading the church for 30 years before his passing in 2005. He was succeeded by Don Crawford who served for 10 years, followed by Ed Carpenter who serves today.
The church name was changed to Whitneyville Fellowship Church in 2002. Despite the many changes, the church’s mission has remained the same through the years – to serve the community by spreading God’s love and the message of Jesus Christ. This has included weekly services, Sunday School, prayer meetings and Bible studies as well as scheduled community soup suppers, food drives for those in need and Christian movie nights. A line from one of Pastor Overholt’s last sermons illustrates the impact that one individual can make in the world. “You can count the seeds in an apple but who can count the apples in a seed?”