_Celebrating the Past - a History of Rehoboth CRC
The history of Rehoboth CRC should be viewed within the context of history of the Rehoboth Mission campus. In the 1880's the Christian Reformed Church began to think in the direction of missions. In 1896 Herman and Katie Fryling and Andrew and Effa Vander Wagen were sent out from Grand Rapids, MI, to do mission work among the Indians of the Southwest, before Arizona and New Mexico became states in the Union. Their work was under the auspices of Foreign Missions. They began their work in Fort Defiance, AZ. Their efforts then expanded to Tohatchi and Zuni, NM, with missionaries Mr. and Mrs. James DeGroot and Leonard P Brink joining them in the work. In 1903 the mission board bought the Smith Ranch located outside Gallup, NM. There the missionaries began a mission boarding school, fashioned after the government boarding schools of the time. Rehoboth opened with only six students, but by 1910 it had 38 students and continued to grow steadily.
The first organized Christian Reformed Church of the Southwest was established on Rehoboth's campus in 1906. Rehoboth CRC was located so far distant from other churches in our denomination that it was part of Classis Pella, IA! Rehoboth students traveled great distances over bad roads to attend school at the mission, going home only during Christmas and summer breaks. They did not have Christian homes or home churches. With Christian teaching in both the classroom and Sunday worship, as well as Christian nurturing from dorm parents, school staff, and missionaries, many students made commitments to Christ through baptism and profession at Rehoboth CRC. Later their memberships were transferred to outlying Christian Reformed Home Missions churches. Rehoboth CRC met in homes and school classrooms until our current church building was built in 1923. Church members consisted of students, school staff, maintenance personnel, missionary families. and hospital medical staff. (A mission hospital was founded on Rehoboth's campus in 1910.) Because the school continued to grow and a high school was added in the 1940's, a small addition to the church was built in 1956 to accommodate additional seating. This space was later converted into two offices. This is how our building appears today.
In the 1970's many changes began to occur at Rehoboth. The school transitioned from a boarding school to a day school. The hospital moved off-campus, and later merged with the McKinley General Hospital to form the current Rehoboth-McKinley Christian Health care services in Gallup. Rehoboth CRC changed as well, with community friends joining this body of believers. It was during this time that various new building committees were formed to discuss inadequacies of the present building and options for remodeling, building on campus, or building elsewhere.
Today the church holds near capacity crowds on Sunday mornings, ministering to community members, school staff, and beyond. Rehoboth Christian School also uses the facility during the week for chapels, choir practices and small performances. God has made room for us and we have indeed flourished in the land. As our new facility committee continues its work, building on the past 30 years of discussions, we stand confident of the Lord's leading and blessing.
The first organized Christian Reformed Church of the Southwest was established on Rehoboth's campus in 1906. Rehoboth CRC was located so far distant from other churches in our denomination that it was part of Classis Pella, IA! Rehoboth students traveled great distances over bad roads to attend school at the mission, going home only during Christmas and summer breaks. They did not have Christian homes or home churches. With Christian teaching in both the classroom and Sunday worship, as well as Christian nurturing from dorm parents, school staff, and missionaries, many students made commitments to Christ through baptism and profession at Rehoboth CRC. Later their memberships were transferred to outlying Christian Reformed Home Missions churches. Rehoboth CRC met in homes and school classrooms until our current church building was built in 1923. Church members consisted of students, school staff, maintenance personnel, missionary families. and hospital medical staff. (A mission hospital was founded on Rehoboth's campus in 1910.) Because the school continued to grow and a high school was added in the 1940's, a small addition to the church was built in 1956 to accommodate additional seating. This space was later converted into two offices. This is how our building appears today.
In the 1970's many changes began to occur at Rehoboth. The school transitioned from a boarding school to a day school. The hospital moved off-campus, and later merged with the McKinley General Hospital to form the current Rehoboth-McKinley Christian Health care services in Gallup. Rehoboth CRC changed as well, with community friends joining this body of believers. It was during this time that various new building committees were formed to discuss inadequacies of the present building and options for remodeling, building on campus, or building elsewhere.
Today the church holds near capacity crowds on Sunday mornings, ministering to community members, school staff, and beyond. Rehoboth Christian School also uses the facility during the week for chapels, choir practices and small performances. God has made room for us and we have indeed flourished in the land. As our new facility committee continues its work, building on the past 30 years of discussions, we stand confident of the Lord's leading and blessing.