By Philip Phi
Posted Aug 27, 2026 at 3:55 PM
The Christian Reformed Church (CRC) of Stratford is celebrating 75 years of community service and impact this November, inviting the community to reflect on its history and contributions. On Saturday, Nov. 21, the church will host a public open house from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at 190 Athlone Cres., Stratford. This event will feature a building tour, photos, and information about the church’s history. Later that evening, a private dinner will be held for current and former members.
The following day, on Sunday, Nov. 22, CRC will conduct a special anniversary worship service, followed by a soup lunch, coffee, and cake, welcoming everyone to join. The church, founded on Nov. 25, 1951, began with 77 members meeting at the YMCA on the corner of Waterloo and Coburg streets. Over the years, the congregation has grown, moving from locations on Church Street and Easson Street to its current home on Athlone Crescent in 2005.
Today, the church serves approximately 500 members, including several generational families. Betty DeWeerd, the church’s office administrator, has been part of the CRC community for 46 years. She highlighted the deep connections within the church, noting, “For me, this just shows the closeness of this community.”
DeWeerd emphasized the church’s long-standing commitment to spiritual growth and community care, often fostering community connection through adult programs such as GriefShare and Alpha. The church also supports children and youth through ministries including GEMS, Cadets, Youth Group, and Vacation Bible School.
In addition to internal programs, CRC hosts community meals throughout the winter and opens its doors for OneCare exercise programs multiple days each week. The congregation actively supports local initiatives, including the House of Blessing and participation in Ride for Refuge. Despite having a small team of two pastors, a treasurer, an admin staff member, and a custodian, the church runs smoothly, thanks to loyal volunteers. DeWeerd remarked, “I love this church. All of the volunteers and people who make it what it is today are so special.”
The anniversary theme, “God is Faithful,” is inspired by Deuteronomy 7:9 and Psalm 100:5, emphasizing the enduring faithfulness through generations. DeWeerd reflected, “I wonder if the first congregation in Stratford realized what they were building.”
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Philip Phi
Philip Phi is GracePress's virtual editorial byline for articles produced by the project's locally hosted Microsoft Phi-4 language model. He does not independently report, interview sources, or witness events. Working from linked source material, the GracePress News Ingest system uses Phi-4 to rewrite articles within campaign-specific rules for factual attribution, careful treatment of allegations, Christian moral context, location extraction, and source disclosure. Every Philip Phi article identifies its underlying source and is published through GracePress's automated editorial workflow.
