First Church of South Holland - OPC

07/25/2023

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GnvHZlbd8Z8&ab_channel=FirstOPCofSouthHolland

Rev Daniel SvendsenIsaiah 5: 1-7, Matthew 21: 33-46

03/28/2023

A helpful prayer today for those in shock and grief over our brothers and sisters in Nashville, and for any who wish to join in prayer for the situation. May God be glorified amidst our vexation and sadness:

“A cry is heard in Ramah— deep anguish and bitter weeping. Rachel weeps for her children, refusing to be comforted— for her children are gone” (Jer. 31:15). “Abhor what is evil… Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good” (Rom. 12:9, 21). “He will wipe every tear from th...

12/23/2022

Merry Christmas to all!

We look forward to gathering for sacred worship this Lord's Day, Christmas Day, at 9:30am.

Sermon: "The Son of God" -- Luke 3:23-38, Pastor Svendsen preaching.

Our second worship service, which we usually have in the evening, will be at 11:15am, following a time of fellowship and refreshment.

Sermon: "The True Treasure: The Pearl of Great Price" -- Matthew 13:44-45, Dr. Alan Strange preaching.

If you have no place to worship Christmas morning, we welcome you to First OPC.

Come hear God's word, sing hymns and carols, fellowship with God's people, and worship twice, all before lunchtime!

11/18/2022

We're Happy to play a small part in the giving spirit this year, and every year, in the name of Jesus Christ!

Thank you First Church of South Holland - OPC for your annual donation of food for our Thanksgiving Boxes of Love! With your help, we expect to serve 250 families on Saturday. 🤎🧡

03/25/2022

Here is an update on the OPC's efforts to raise money and give support in Ukraine. Praise the Lord for the generosity shown so far and for those on the ground showing Christian love and service to those in need.

by David Nakhla, Administrator for the Committee on Diaconal Ministries The OPC Committee on Diaconal Ministries rejoices in the generous and rapid response to the Ukraine Crisis Fund, now at […]

03/10/2022

OPC Diaconal Ministries and OPC Disaster Response are sending whatever help they can to Ukraine. If you'd like to donate, go to www.give.opc.org and use the "Ukraine Crisis Fund" option on that page.

Here is what the website says about that fund:

"Donations to this fund will go toward aiding our missionaries in Ukraine and others as they minister to displaced citizens fleeing their homes as a result of the war with Russia. Updates can be found by going to the OPC Disaster Response website."

03/03/2022

UPDATE: The "Ukraine Crisis Fund" is now open online! If you would like to donate electronically, please go to http://give.opc.org. If you prefer to donate via check, please follow the instructions on the OPC Disaster Response website: https://opcdisasterresponse.org/opportunity/ukraine-crisis-fund/. Thank you!

02/27/2022

With the anticipation of needs due to the war in Ukraine, the OPC Committee on Diaconal Ministries Disaster Response Subcommittee has determined to immediately send an initial $5,000 to our missionaries serving in L’viv, Ukraine, and is prayerfully considering opening a disaster response fund to aid future needs. Updates to come, as the details of needs become known. Please pray for our missionaries in Ukraine, for safety and as they work to aid those in need.

02/25/2022

We were excited to have a write-up in this month's New Horizons, the monthly publication of the OPC. What a great opportunity we have for Gospel ministry in our new denominational home!

A Short History of First OPC of South Holland, Illinois
by Alan D. Strange with Daniel Svendsen

On a Sunday afternoon in early December, First OPC of South Holland, Illinois, a suburb just south of Chicago, was packed. Pastor Dan Svendsen welcomed the crowd to the customary annual performance of Handel’s Messiah by a local oratorio society, directed by First’s music director, Bill DeYoung. Tears came into my eyes as I heard the pastor welcome everyone, for the first time, not to “First CRC of South Holland,” as I had heard many times before, but to “First OPC of South Holland.” I thrilled at the sound of those lovely words. Just weeks before, on November 19, 2021, First had enjoyed a service of recognition as a congregation entering the OPC, with the installation of seven elders and deacons along with Pastor Svendsen, who is in his fourth year as pastor.

First CRC began in the 1860s when the area that was to become South Holland was known as “low prairie.” Teunis DeJong had arrived at low prairie in 1859, Antonie VanDrunen in 1856, and they would become the church’s first elders. The first deacons of the church were Peter De Young and Arie VanDrunen, Antonie’s brother. Arie provided the home in which the church first worshiped, and he donated the farmland for the church’s first building.

Arie and Antonie VanDrunen, two of the pioneers of the church, are the beginning of the historical connections to the OPC, because they are the brothers of Johannes VanDrunen, the great-greatgrandfather of David VanDrunen, an OPC minister and professor at Westminster Seminary California .

John De Waard was raised in First South Holland; he stood against modernism in the 1930s in the face of serious opposition in Cedar Grove, Wisconsin, and thereafter became the first pastor of Calvary OPC there. Over the years, First CRC of South Holland remained sound and can now, as an OPC congregation, be part, once again, of a sound denomination.

(from the February issue of New Horizons)

01/23/2022

Good morning and a Blessed Lord's Day!

To any of our people who may be snowed in this morning, just a reminder that you can find our service live stream at this link below:

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCvF074ECdCvV9khWsOyLiDA

Be wise and safe when deciding whether or not to make the journey in!

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