Mission Statement (updated April 30, 2010)
Guiding Light Mission exists to create a healing experience that allows individuals to discover a new life in Christ. We expect re-engagement in community. We provide food and shelter to all and resources to men that support their social, physical, spiritual and intellectual needs.
Vision
Our vision is to be a God-glorifying ministry that exemplifies His mercy and truth.
History
West Fulton Mission was established in 1929 by a layman named John Van de Water. It began out of a need for meals for the unfortunate in the community.
In 1957, the new Guiding Light Mission dedicated a new location at 50 South Division Ave by Andrew and Cornelia VanderVeer. The mission stayed at this location from 1957-1959. The VanderVeer’s led the mission since 1944, when it was first called the West Fulton Mission, and then the Gold Avenue Mission. In 1956, seeing a growing need for service to the “unfortunate” souls, and recognizing the need for an emphasis placed on the Christian values, the Grand Rapids Board of Evangelism of the Christian Reformed Church decided to expand the Gold Avenue Mission and move it more to the direction of a rescue mission and bring it closer to the center of downtown. This new mission would not only continue the family-type ministry of the Gold Avenue Mission, but would also reach out to the troubled on the street. Then in February 1957, a contest was held to name this new mission. Out of 600 entries, one stood out. Guiding Light Mission.
This new mission was a place for many ministry and outreach opportunities. There were gospel meetings, Sunday school classes, Bible study groups and youth activities. Some attended as families, but many were the “unattached” – never having married, or divorced, or from broken homes. Soon the facilities at 50 South Division proved to be too small and limited the growth of programs. When another building on Division became available, the mission decided to make a move that would help expand the ministry. In January 1959, Guiding Light Mission relocated to 101 South Division where it would remain for the next 20 years.
At the new location, the lodging program for the transients and homeless begun. Clothes were collected and distributed to those in need. The basement converted into a dining area for breakfast and dinner, and a chapel built to seat 150. In 1960 the Grand Rapids Police Department and the Alcoholism Rehabilitation Center approached Guiding Light Mission and requested another expansion. So, in November 1960, Guiding Light Mission made the decision to rent the adjoining location at 12 Oakes Street and added more lodging facilities.
During the next few years, at least 125 people called upon the mission daily for help. Counselors ministered to many homeless individuals, advising and helping them with their marital and medical needs while ministering to them daily.
By the fall of 1965, a committee at the urging Andrew VanderVeer, began to make plans to separate the family ministry program from that of the ministry to the transients. On January 21, 1966, Andrew VanderVeer died suddenly while conducting the evening chapel service at the mission. His wife Cornelia had died two years earlier.
Jacob Vredevoogd, an assistant to the VanderVeer’s in both the funding and operations part of Guiding Light Mission took over as interim director. Then in 1967, Rev. John Maliepard was appointed as the full-time Director. During his time, he developed a night ministry program that was especially effective at this period due to the race riots. He continued VanderVeer’s goal of separating the family mission from that of the work with the homeless. Maliepard felt the family ministry work could be moved to neighboring Grace Christian Reformed Church and Madison Square Chapel. In 1968, Maliepard resigned and the board decided to terminate the mission’s services entirely. Guiding Light Mission was officially closed.
Vredevoogd petitioned the Board of Evangelism to reopen the mission, both the ministry to the homeless and families. Members of the board were not in agreement and differed in their opinion of the future of the ministry programs.
In July 1969, Vredevoogd, with his own money and financial support from other interested individuals and Godwin Heights Christian Reformed Church reopened Guiding Light Mission as an independent faith project. Godwin Heights continued to be the main source of funding until December 1971. In April 1972, Vredevoogd died. A few months later, Princeton Christian Reformed Church assumed general supervision and partial financial support of the mission. Eno Howerzyl took over the duties of Director on a part-time basis.
In January 1973, Edward Oosterhouse accepted the appointment as full-time Director. Oosterhouse decided to set up a program for the mission which would best meet the real needs of those it served without unnecessary duplication of existing programs at similar organizations. After a comprehensive analysis and evaluation, the committee came up with a series of recommendations which were approved and put into effect.
First was the final separation and relocation of the family division of the mission’s program. By June 1976, the basic family division of the Guiding Light Mission was relocated and combined with the ministries of Madison Square Christian Reformed Church.
The second was to further develop the special ministry to the “forgotten” people in the area bordered by Fulton Street on the north, Wealthy St. on south, Lafayette on the east and US 131 on the west. This was estimated to have a population of 800 who lived in several human service facilities, hotels on South Division and Ionia or in numerous low income apartment housing. By focusing on this area, the mission was able to utilize all of its resources to reach people on the streets, to eliminate services which were available at other area organizations in the area, and to develop guidelines and start a course for programs that are still in effect today.
In November 1979, Guiding Light Mission moved to a new building owned by LaGrave Avenue Christian Reformed Church, the Center for Christian Hope, located at 25 Commerce St. SW. It remained in this location until 1984 when Herm Koning became Director and moved Guiding Light Mission to its current location, 255 South Division Ave.
During his tenure at Guiding Light Mission, Koning established a women’s and children’s shelter in 1990. It was closed in April 1996. Koning served as Director until early 1996. In the summer of 1996, Lucky Hobson was named new Executive Director. In 1997 Tim Cole took over the reigns as Executive Director and served n that role until 2001. In February 2001, Rev. Chico Daniels became Executive Director of Guiding Light Mission.
Rev. Daniels held his position from 2001 – 2007. After his departure, there were three interim or permanent Executive Directors until the hiring of current Executive Director, Stuart P. Ray in 2009. Ray has a background in retail franchise as well as took an interest in various community development projects in the Grand Rapids area.
Today, Guiding Light Mission sets out with a renewed focus on creating community partnerships that promote economic stability and self-sufficiency for all men through Christ. We are committed to understanding the real issues facing our community and on being more efficient and effective in our efforts to rehabilitate individuals.
Learn more about Homelessness: The Big Picture and ways to Get Involved at Guiding Light Mission.
Many lives have been touched throughout the history of Guiding Light Mission, and we will touch many more in the years to come. But our goal will remain to provide sustainable solutions to the systemic problem of homelessness, while supporting individuals in their personal recovery.