Who We Are
Vision:
Cambodian Fellowship CRC exists to mediate the love of Christ to Cambodian people in the greater Holland area through Bible study, dynamic worship service, fellowship and celebration.
The Cambodian Fellowship CRC is pastored by Rev. Socheth Na. He is also a member of the CRCNA's Asian-American Pastoral Ministry (AAPM).
The Worship Services are 9:30 am each Sunday morning. The first and third Sunday of the month are Khmer (Cambodian language) services while the second and fourth Sunday of the month are in English. The congregation meets in the Connection (located to the north of the Central Avenue Church building). Parking is on the north side of 10th Street, next to the Theil Research Center. Adult Bible Study follows the morning service. The children join with Central Avenue for Sunday School and Catechism.
The Cambodian and Central Avenue congregations combine worship on several occasions throughout the year. Please contact one of the pastors for more specific dates and information.
Saturday evening Bible study and other times of fellowship and learning happen throughout the week as well.
Cambodians in Holland
On April 17, 1975, the Khmer Rouge, a communist guerrilla group led by Pol Pot, took power in Phnom Penh, the capital of Cambodia. During their rule, it is estimated that 2 million Cambodians -- 30 percent of the population -- died by starvation, torture or execution. Khmer Rouge banned all institutions, including stores, banks, hospitals, schools, religion and the family. Everyone was forced to work 12-14 hours a day. People were fed one watery bowl of soup with a few grains of rice throw in.
After the Vietnamese invaded and liberated the Cambodian people from the Khmer Rouge [in 1979], 600,000 Cambodians fled to Thai border camps. In those camps, many were introduced to Christ for the first time.
In the early 1980s, many churches in west Michigan sponsored families from southeast Asia. Those sponsorships and subsequent immigration has led to a Cambodian population in the Holland area of more than 2,000 - most of them Buddhist.
From this arose a Khmer-speaking congregation at Graafschap CRC in 1991.From just a few families, and several relocations, the Cambodian Fellowship CRC has grown to be a thriving congregation. In 2006, the CFCRC was official organized as a congregation of the Christian Reformed Church.
May God bless us as we seek to bring Him glory and advance His kingdom together.
Note: From The Dith Pran Holocaust Awareness Project, Inc.