Place of Worship:
420 Highway 5, Dundas (5 km West of Clappison Corners)

The council and congregation of the Calvin CRC of Dundas join with the churches of classis Hamilton in celebrating the 50^th anniversary of classis. We celebrate together the goodness and the faithfulness of our God who has been with us in the establishment and growth of our churches and kingdom community.

The Calvin CRC of Dundas had its beginnings in the early days of the post World War II immigration wave that flooded over Canada. Thousands of Europeans, who had been through fifteen arduous years of economic depression and brutal warfare, heeded the call to come to the great open expanse of Canada and begin a new life in a new land. Among these was a large group of Reformed Dutch people who brought with them a vision of dedication to Church and Kingdom which they tried to put into practice from the day they stepped on Canadian soil.

The First CRC of Hamilton became the focal point of their spiritual and social life, but as family after family arrived, new churches were planted in the communities around the city. In the fall of 1954, a group of 37 families requested and received permission from classis to form a new congregation in the Flamborough area of Wentworth County. And on November 8, the first worship service of the Calvin CRC was held in the West Flamborough Township Hall in Greensville. For four years the congregation used this facility. Some Sunday mornings the streamers used to decorate the hall for one function or another the night before, still hung from the ceiling.

In 1956 the congregation called its first pastor, the Rev. Adam Persenaire, whose service as a home missionary to the early immigrants was legendary. There is not a family who arrived in the early 1950’s who does not have a story of the humble helpfulness of Pastor Persenaire. Calvin was most privileged to have the benefit of his wisdom and experience in the establishment of the congregation in those early years.

In 1958 work began on a church building. The highway 5 location was central to the church’s drawing area. Already the founders of the congregation had a vision of establishing a Christian school, and designed the church so that it could function as a school when that vision became a reality. From 1961 to 1965, Calvin Christian School used the church facility until it became too small and the new school building was built on nearby Ofield Road.

The church building was completed in the fall of 1958, and in the spring of 1959 the then already 55 year old pipe organ was purchased and installed for the grand sum of $3500.00, providing a beautiful backdrop to the pulpit and giving inspiration to the exuberant singing that has become the trademark of the Calvin congregation.

Rev. Persenaire accepted a call to Cambridge in 1961, and after a lengthy vacancy, Rev. Jelle Nutma arrived in 1963. Rev. Nutma was a young, energetic and enthusiastic pastor, whose little white VW beetle could be seen scurrying along the highways and byways of the Flamborough area.

In 1966 Rev. Nutma moved on and again the Calvin congregation went through a lengthy vacancy. In 1968 Rev. Wm Renkema arrived from Renfrew, and ministered to the congregation. The congregation continued to grow as new families moved into the area, and as the families already in the congregation continued expanding and enlarging. Rev. Renkema left for Aylmer in 1973. This time there was no real time of vacancy, for Rev. John Zantingh accepted the call to serve at Calvin before Rev. Renkema had left. During the ministry of Rev. Zantingh, the congregation celebrated its 25^th anniversary. It was a time of rejoicing and thankfulness for a quarter century of God’s blessing and favour on this small country church. It was also during this time that we celebrated God’s gift of 50 years of service by our organist, Mr. John Vriend. Pastor Zantingh served the congregation faithfully for ten years, sharing times of joy and sorrow, blessing and trial with the membership.

In 1983 Rev. Zantingh accepted a call to the Bowmanville CRC and once again the Calvin church experienced a lengthy vacancy. During this time, the congregation thought long and hard over its future direction, whether to enlarge and expand the current facility, or to work toward the establishment of a second congregation. In January of 1985, classis Hamilton approved the proposal to start a new church. It was a step of faith, and in the spring of 1985, the Calvary CRC of Flamborough was organized.

In 1985, Rev. Richard Stienstra arrived as the new pastor of a now smaller congregation. He ministered faithfully for six years, and in 1990 accepted a call to the CRC of Dunnville. Shortly after Pastor Stienstra’s departure, Rev. Marvin Van Donselaar accepted the call to serve at Calvin, and is now our longest serving pastor. In 1998 the congregation undertook a major rebuilding of the education/fellowship facilities, resulting in the construction of a beautiful fellowship hall and a large, functional education wing. In the summer of 2002 plans are in place for a total facelift of the sanctuary.

As we look back at 50 years of classis Hamilton, and nearly 50 years of our own congregation’s life, we experience a wide range of emotions and thoughts. From Calvin church too, there have been young people torn from life through accidents or sickness. We have joined with families in the unspeakable grief that comes when an infant is called back to the Father’s bosom. There are more than 20 widows in Calvin, from a membership of about 65 families. We have experienced the tragedy and brokenness that so often is a part of life on this side of eternity. But we have also experienced incredible strength and support from the prayers and love of God’s people for eachother. We have witnessed miracles of healing and restoration. We too struggle with what it means to be a church of Jesus Christ in this turbulent and uncertain time, and with how we are to speak on God’s behalf to the world we live in today. And still we move forward in faith. We rely on the Word of God which says that He will build His church, and that the gates of hell will not prevail against it. We believe that there are still many "good works which God has prepared in advance for the members of the Calvin CRC to do.

To His Name be the glory.