Holmes Road Church of Christ

Church History

In the 1920’s, a group of Christians began meeting in a rented facility on Washington Avenue in Lansing, Michigan, with the purpose of following the pattern of the New Testament Church. When the location became unavailable, the group of 12-15 members met in the house of member Lockie Williams.

During the 1930s, this group worshipped in a concrete block building on Mt. Hope Avenue. Toward the end of the 1930s, they met on Moores River Drive until a building was secured on Banghart Street in North Lansing (c. 1940-1941). During these early years, an emphasis was placed on house-to-house personal evangelism and the membership grew to about 80.

In 1953, the Banghart Street congregation agreed to assist a group of members to establish a new congregation in South Lansing. In November 1953, the new congregation purchased and began meeting in a church building on Forest Avenue. The first service had approximately 60 people present. Soon this building filled to capacity. The Banghart Street church also continued to grow, and eventually moved to northeast Lansing and established the Kimberly Downs congregation.

In 1958, the Forest Avenue church purchased 2.3 acres on East Holmes Road near Cedar Street on October 1, 1960, construction began on a new church building. On February 19, 1961, the congregation had their first service in the new building.

In 1968, God worked in the hearts and men to integrate the Holmes Road congregation and the Butler Boulevard congregation. This occurred at a time when much of the nation was involved in racial conflict, a conflict which was especially intense in Michigan, as evidenced by the events in Detroit during the summer of that year.

During the early 1970s, a group of Christians came from the Kimberly Downs church and then again in the late 1970s, a group came from the University congregation. During that time, the church had active outreach efforts in the community and on the Michigan State University campus as well as a bus program and personal evangelism ministry.

An addition was built in 1975 to provide more classrooms, an expanded kitchen and a large fellowship room. These efforts and a receptive community resulted in the church growing from a membership and attendance of about 175 in 1976, to the low 300s by the early-1980s.

In 1980, the church sent out its first missionary couple to Cost Rica, and through a providential set of events, soon settled into a productive mission work in eastern Honduras.  In the 1980s, a Hispanic church met in the Holmes Road Church basement for a time. Eventually, the Hispanic congregation became part of the English-speaking assembly, swelling membership and average attendance to over 350.

In 1994-1995, the minister’s home was converted into a work area and offices for staff, with an adjacent conference room in the former parsonage garage. A connecting structure as built between the church building and the house, providing an updated kitchen and expanded meeting and class area.

During the last decade, at least two groups left the Holmes Road congregation to establish or support other area congregations. Today, the Church remains a vibrant group of over 200 believers who share a common commitment to a unity based on the Word of God. The Holmes Road Church of Christ continues to serve the Lansing area through various ministries. The church continues its global vision, which is reflected in its mission work in Kenya and other countries.

In 2011, the congregation, celebrated 50 years of worship and service at the current location on Holmes Road. The future of the church is bright as it strengthens its commitment to being a friendly, loving body of believers. As a result of this commitment, today the church has a diverse mix of cultures and ages, and maintains a focus on following the pattern of the New Testament Church.