A Church That Is Home

After decades of teaching students with disabilities, Tom and Joyce Monsma knew how rare true inclusion could be. When they walked into a worship service at City Hope GR—a Resonate Global Mission partner church plant in Grand Rapids, Mich., where every ability is not only welcomed but also embraced—they knew they hadn’t just found a congregation. They had found home.

The Monsmas were members of a Christian Reformed church in New Jersey before moving to Grand Rapids to be closer to their children and grandchildren. They wanted to join a small church community but said they were having a tough time finding one where they could use their skills and experience. 

One week, they visited Monroe Community Church on the first Sunday that the congregation was worshiping in their new building—which had been constructed using universal design standards so that City Hope, a church plant for people of all abilities, could also use the space.

Hearing about City Hope caught the attention of the two retired special-education teachers. “Having spent our careers working in special education, we know how hard it is for families to be integrated into any part of society,” shared Tom Monsma. They visited City Hope and decided to stay.

From their career experience, the two teachers understood that church—from the building design, to the atmosphere of the worship service, to the way ministries and programs are run—can be overwhelming and difficult for people with disabilities to navigate. At City Hope, they said, they were captivated by the warm welcome they received and by seeing how people of diverse abilities were included in worship.

They said they felt as though they needed this congregation as much as it needed them.

It didn’t take long for the Monsmas to get involved in the church community. Both are part of a small group, have been able to encourage and give advice to parents of children with disabilities, and have formed friendships within the congregation.

Often on Sundays they arrive early to help set up for worship. Joyce Monsma said that she “delights in watching people arrive and greet each other before the service.” 

“It’s really quite wonderful. I think the relationships, the love of God, are so genuine,” she added.

Pastor Dave Vander Woude, who planted City Hope, said he has appreciated having the Monsmas as part of the faith community’s mission.

“As a church plant of ‘all abilities,’ we're learning and building the bridge as we walk across it,” he said. “[Tom and Joyce] have modeled and felt very called to the mission of all abilities, specifically as two people who do not have disability but who do understand that we belong together and are better together through the mutual blessings of God.”

“I appreciate the personal care they extend to others, including my family and myself. They are faithful, courageous, resilient, and compassionate. I believe God is doing things in them and us, together, through Sunday worship, the relationships, and small groups. Ultimately, City Hope GR is more of a family than a group of people, and I believe the Monsmas have also been impacted as a result of being part of that family.”

Church plants such as City Hope take a denomination of support to start and sustain—but they are helping to meet pressing needs in communities and to provide faith communities where people can grow and find belonging.

As lifelong Christians, said the Monsmas, the growth they experience in their Christian walk has always been “slow and constant,” and City Hope has been a great community to grow alongside.

“We know we can call on anybody and find help if we need it. We know absolutely that people pray for us,” shared Joyce Monsma. “It’s a little bit of heaven.”

“It’s a really comfortable home,” added Tom Monsma.