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Welcome
to First Church! Our Local Church History The history of the First Church of the Nazarene of Kalamazoo, Michigan, began with a visit from Rev. C.P. Roberts, Michigan District Superintendent, in the spring of 1924, while en route to a meeting at Nazarene Headquarters, Kansas City, Missouri. After a brief visit, he promised to return in the fall to help start a church which was organized on November 18, 1924. On January 6, 1932, a church meeting was called and the motion unanimously carried to purchase the Bethany Reformed Church on South Burdick Street. On May 22, 1932, the building was dedicated. They soon had the young people of the church actively engaged in street meetings and began to build a musical program of orchestra, choir, and smaller groups. In 1960, after a great deal of searching, a committee found a ten-acre parcel of land on Oakland Drive which was formerly an apple orchard. The congregation voted to purchase the property and to build a parsonage with a fellowship hall in the basement. Work began immediately, with members and friends donating the labor. A groundbreaking ceremony was held on October 20, 1963, for the new church building on Oakland Drive. A dedication ceremony was held December 13, 1964. During the year 1997-1998 worship attendance averaged 305. The congregation was surveyed resulting in beginning two Sunday morning services. Shortly thereafter, construction began on our present sanctuary and on February 18, 2001, the church began worshiping in the new addition with more than 500 present at the dedication service.
5625 Oakland Drive
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