
- Founded
- 1963
- Along road
- Kenwabakisie Lane
- Coordinates
- 45.7501° N, 85.5201° WGoogle Maps: Beaver Island Christian ChurchDownload KML
- Eras
- Modern era
- Concepts
- religioncommunityheritagecommunication
- Within
- Beaver Island
Summary
The Beaver Island Christian Church is a congregation on Beaver Island, Michigan, founded at an Easter Sunday service in 1963. Beaver Beacon coverage from 1966 through at least 2006 calls it non-denominational; the Chamber of Commerce now calls it multi-denominational. Early services met in a motel room, the Medical Center’s basement, and Holy Cross Parish Hall each summer, before the congregation purchased a log building in St. James in April 1966. A larger building, framed in 1984 and dedicated July 7, 1985, replaced it as the sanctuary; the 1966 building now serves as the parsonage. Dr. H. B. Haynes is credited with a founding role and occasional ministry; St. James Township named the street in front of the church for him in 1983. The congregation had no full-time pastor until 1999. The church building and, since 2006, its adjoining Gregg Fellowship Center have hosted island-wide fundraisers, concerts, and gatherings.
History
The congregation held its first service on Easter Sunday, 1963, in a motel room. A June–July 1970 Beaver Beacon history places that service at the Harbor View Motel, where Dr. and Mrs. H. B. Haynes were living;1 a fuller account in the September 1999 Beacon instead names Wogan’s Motel #1.2 No later issue reconciles the two, so this record keeps both. A 2006 groundbreaking notice, without naming the motel, lists twelve worshipers at that first service, including Phil, Lil, Phyllis, Ruth, and Ron Gregg. For the next three years, visiting ministers and Dr. Haynes, the island’s physician from 1962, led services in the Medical Center’s basement, with Father Wren of Holy Cross Parish arranging Holy Cross Parish Hall each summer.
On April 4, 1966, the congregation purchased a log building in St. James, the former Amos home, as its sanctuary; it was registered April 29, 1966 as the Beaver Island Christian Church,2 and the 1970 Beacon calls the body incorporated that same year. The April 1966 issue reports the first services there on Good Friday and an Easter Sunrise Service, led by the Rev. Arthur Johnson of Grand Rapids, who performed five baptisms. A steeple and bell were added later, and the congregation enclosed two porches and removed an interior wall — alterations that still left the building too small.
Recurring fundraisers filled the Beacon’s pages from the mid-1960s on: a White Elephant Sale with the Holy Cross Altar Society in April 1966 split $99.02 between the two congregations, and the Women’s Circle staffed a booth at Holy Cross’s Christmas Bazaar that December. A school potluck benefited the church in January 1968, and Easter egg hunts on the church grounds became annual by 1969. A $3,000 mortgage drive begun July 4, 1970 had reached $2,093.80 by September, helped that December by a cookie carnival that raised more than $72; the congregation marked its tenth anniversary in April 1973.
A local construction company was contracted in 1984 to frame a larger building, funded partly by Building Committee bazaars at Beaver Haven Marina in 1983 and 1984. Volunteer labor and donations completed it, and it was dedicated July 7, 1985; the 1966 log building has served as the parsonage since. That December, island resident David Gladish — remembered by fellow congregants as a lay preacher and church-board moderator — published a Beacon editorial describing the church as centered on “communication between the individual and the Lord, and communication between the individual and his neighbors,” open regardless of a worshiper’s theology.
Dr. Haynes, credited by a November 1967 obituary with a founding role and with serving “as minister during winter months or any time visiting clergy were not available,” died that year.3 In December 1983, St. James Township named the street in front of the church “Haynes Street” at the church board’s request, citing his role “in founding the Church.”4 Other named clergy include the Rev. Chester McGees, in a 1972 ecumenical service, and the Rev. Arthur Johnson, active through at least a 1976 baccalaureate. The congregation had no full-time pastor until October 1, 1999, when the Rev. Howard Davis — spelled “Howell Davis” in that announcement — began a one-year appointment after eight years’ retirement from the Reformed Church in America; he left the island around 2005 after roughly six years. The Rev. Steve Skinner spoke for the church at an April 2006 groundbreaking; Ed Campbell was welcomed as pastor that September and resigned November 5, 2010, after which the congregation again relied on visiting pastors.
Significance
The church has repeatedly joined Holy Cross Catholic Church and, from 1972, St. James Episcopal Mission in island-wide observance: clergy from all three took part in Beaver Island’s annual Ecumenical Service at Holy Cross Church in July 1972, and the three congregations’ Sunday services were built into that year’s Homecoming program. The 1975 Bicentennial Committee proposal assigned “church histories” jointly to Holy Cross, the Christian Church, and the Episcopal Mission.
The building has also served as a general community venue: a March 1987 benefit concert by folksinger Claudia Schmidt supported the Beaver Island District Library, and it hosted funerals for island residents including Owen D. Chapman (1973) and Lorene Ladd (1987). In the 2000s it hosted the Beaver Island Cultural Arts Association’s “Jazz and More” youth music camp in 2008, an annual Gospel Music evening and Christmas Cantata, and, by 2006, the Ray Denny Memorial Art Show; the Baroque on Beaver festival held its Saturday chamber concert there that same year. In 2006 the congregation also built the adjoining Gregg Fellowship Center — groundbreaking April 30, dedicated with a community banquet July 15 — which the Beaver Island Chamber of Commerce credits to charter members Phil and Lil Gregg and describes as the island’s general gathering hall, seating up to 149.
Evidence and limits
This is a source-qualified institutional record built almost entirely from Beaver Beacon reporting, checked against the Beaver Island Chamber of Commerce’s current page. The Beacon accounts disagree on which motel hosted the 1963 founding service — Harbor View Motel per 1970, Wogan’s Motel #1 per 1999 — and this record preserves both rather than choosing. The Beacon consistently calls the congregation “non-denominational” from 1966 through at least 2006, while the Chamber of Commerce page calls it “multi-denominational”; this record notes the change without resolving it. No deed, incorporation filing, membership register, or Building Committee ledger is held, so costs, attendance, and most fundraiser proceeds beyond the reported totals are not established. The record of ministers is incomplete between Rev. Steve Skinner’s April 2006 appearance and Ed Campbell’s September 2009 welcome.
Open questions
- Which motel — Harbor View or Wogan’s Motel #1 — hosted the 1963 founding service, and can a primary record settle the discrepancy?
- Did the July 1970 mortgage drive reach its $3,000 goal by Thanksgiving Day 1970, and when was the mortgage retired?
- Who served as minister or pastor between Rev. Steve Skinner’s April 2006 appearance and Ed Campbell’s welcome in September 2009?
- What building permit, deed, or Building Committee ledger documents the 1984–1985 building’s cost and completion?
- When and why did the congregation’s self-description shift from “non-denominational” to “multi-denominational”?
See also
Sources
See the sources: block above. Footnotes cite the specific claims checked
directly against the held issue text.
Footnotes
The dated record
Sources
- The church announced a Sunday service at 10:00 a.m. with visiting pastor Dean Byrom after an initial post mistakenly said 10:00 p.m.; the author corrected the time in the thread. This documents a specific schedule and correction, not a complete worship calendar.forum · www.beaverislandforum.com · 07 · t007953
- A church notice cancelled the December 15 service because of weather. It documents a single operational decision, not a change in the congregation's regular schedule or a church closure.forum · www.beaverislandforum.com · 07 · t007061
- The church solicited hourly bids for snow removal, specifying a two-inch/significant-drift trigger, completion one hour before scheduled events, seasonal coverage, and grounds-repair responsibility. The notice does not identify the award or contractor.forum · www.beaverislandforum.com · 06 · t006890
- The current visitor information places Beaver Island Christian Church at the corner of Kenwabikise Lane and Pine Street. The coordinate is the intersection of the corresponding current OSM road geometries (Kenwabakisie Lane and Pine Avenue), not a surveyed church-building point.
- Current volunteered-map road geometry used to calculate the representative intersection point; the road data does not itself identify the church building.osm · roads
- Reports that the church began on Easter Sunday 1963 at the Harbor View Motel, where Dr. and Mrs. H. B. Haynes were living; met in the Beaver Island Medical Center basement and Holy Cross Parish Hall during its first three years; was incorporated in 1966 and purchased its present property that year; and held a 1970 mortgage drive that had raised $350 to date.data1 · beaver-island-archive · beaver_beacon · 1970-06_Beaver-Beacon
- The held ten-page issue scan is paired with the OCR source and confirms the published notice or report; it does not expand the source-specific identity, event, or outcome claims.data1 · beaver-island-archive · scans · beaver_beacon · issues · 1970-06_Beaver-Beacon
- Reports that the mortgage drive had reached $2,093.80 toward a $3,000 goal and was scheduled to end on Thanksgiving Day 1970; it does not establish the drive’s final result.data1 · beaver-island-archive · beaver_beacon · 1970-09_Beaver-Beacon
- The held seven-page issue scan is paired with the OCR source and confirms the published notice or report; it does not expand the source-specific identity, event, or outcome claims.data1 · beaver-island-archive · scans · beaver_beacon · issues · 1970-09_Beaver-Beacon
- Reports the church’s annual Thanksgiving potluck on November 25 for island residents without families nearby; it does not provide attendance totals, a complete membership list, or a separate building record.data1 · beaver-island-archive · beaver_beacon · 1971-11_Beaver-Beacon
- The held ten-page issue scan is paired with the OCR source and confirms the published notice or report; it does not expand the source-specific identity, event, or outcome claims.data1 · beaver-island-archive · scans · beaver_beacon · issues · 1971-11_Beaver-Beacon
- Reports a surprise Easter Sunday christening for Craig Allen Wagner as part of the church’s tenth-anniversary program; it does not provide a sacramental register or officiant.data1 · beaver-island-archive · beaver_beacon · 1973-05_Beaver-Beacon
- The held nine-page issue scan is paired with the OCR source and confirms the published notice or report; it does not expand the source-specific identity, event, or outcome claims.data1 · beaver-island-archive · scans · beaver_beacon · issues · 1973-05_Beaver-Beacon
- Reports that A. J. Roy requested memorial contributions to the Beaver Island Christian Church after Mable Roy’s death; it does not establish a completed donation, amount, or church ledger.data1 · beaver-island-archive · beaver_beacon · 1974-11_Beaver-Beacon
- The held eight-page issue scan is paired with the OCR source and confirms the published notice or report; it does not expand the source-specific identity, event, or outcome claims.data1 · beaver-island-archive · scans · beaver_beacon · issues · 1974-11_Beaver-Beacon
- The obituary again names the church as a memorial-contribution recipient after Mabel E. Roy’s death, and the Christmas Bazaar notice says Beaver Island Christian Church participated with the Ladies of Holy Cross Parish in offering handmade and homemade objects. Neither notice supplies a donation ledger, bazaar accounting, or parish register.data1 · beaver-island-archive · beaver_beacon · 1974-12_Beaver-Beacon
- The held nine-page issue scan is paired with the OCR source and confirms the published notice or report; it does not expand the source-specific identity, event, or outcome claims.data1 · beaver-island-archive · scans · beaver_beacon · issues · 1974-12_Beaver-Beacon
- Reports the former Amos home purchased as a permanent sanctuary, Good Friday and Easter Sunrise services, five baptisms performed by Rev. Arthur Johnson of Grand Rapids, and planned weekly Sunday services. It does not provide a deed, complete membership or baptismal register, or later continuity evidence.data1 · beaver-island-archive · beaver_beacon · 1966-04_Beaver-Beacon
- The held six-page issue scan is paired with the OCR source and confirms the published notice or report; it does not expand the source-specific identity, event, or outcome claims.data1 · beaver-island-archive · scans · beaver_beacon · issues · 1966-04_Beaver-Beacon
- Current community page places the church at the corner of Kenwabikise Lane and Pine Street; describes it as "a multi-denominational church established in 1963" served by visiting pastors housed in the Parsonage; lists Sunday worship at 9:30 a.m. in summer and 10:00 a.m. after Labor Day plus children's worship; and describes the adjoining Gregg Fellowship as honoring charter members Phil and Lil Gregg, seating up to 149. It is a current organizational page, not a deed, survey, or historical record, and its "multi-denominational" description differs from the "non-denominational" self-description used in Beaver Beacon coverage from 1966 through at least 2006.
- Announces Christian Church pancake suppers on November 14 and 21, with free-will offerings for the Bicentennial. It does not establish attendance, proceeds, or a completed event. The holding institution's portal restricts automated access; the archive holds a copy of this issue and can provide it on request.data1 · beaver-island-archive · beaver_beacon · 1975-10_Beaver-Beacon
- The held issue confirms the two planned suppers.data1 · beaver-island-archive · scans · beaver_beacon · issues · 1975-10_Beaver-Beacon
- Reports a $315 cash contribution from Beaver Island Christian Church to the Bicentennial campaign. It does not provide a receipt, donor ledger, or church accounting record. The holding institution's portal restricts automated access; the archive holds a copy of this issue and can provide it on request.data1 · beaver-island-archive · beaver_beacon · 1975-11_Beaver-Beacon
- The held issue confirms the contribution entry.data1 · beaver-island-archive · scans · beaver_beacon · issues · 1975-11_Beaver-Beacon
- Reports an April 25, 1966 sale at the Christian Church, jointly held with the Holy Cross Altar Society, with $99.02 in total receipts divided equally and the Altar Society donating its share to help the new church.data1 · beaver-island-archive · beaver_beacon · 1966-05_Beaver-Beacon
- Reports the December 11, 1966 Holy Cross Altar Society bazaar at Holy Cross Hall, at which the Christian Church Women’s Circle also operated a booth.data1 · beaver-island-archive · beaver_beacon · 1966-12_Beaver-Beacon
- Reports a January 21, 1968 potluck dinner in the school multipurpose room whose proceeds went to the Beaver Island Christian Church.data1 · beaver-island-archive · beaver_beacon · 1968-02_Beaver-Beacon
- Reports an Easter Sunday egg hunt on the Christian Church grounds with about 20 children.data1 · beaver-island-archive · beaver_beacon · 1968-04_Beaver-Beacon
- Reports the second annual Easter egg hunt on the church grounds, April 6, 1969, with twelve dozen eggs hidden.data1 · beaver-island-archive · beaver_beacon · 1969-04_Beaver-Beacon
- Reports the Women’s Circle cookie carnival of December 18, 1970, which earned more than $72 toward the mortgage fund.data1 · beaver-island-archive · beaver_beacon · 1970-12_Beaver-Beacon
- Reports the second annual Ecumenical Service, July 23, 1972 at Holy Cross Church, naming Rev. Arthur Johnson and Rev. Chester McGees of the Christian Church among participating clergy, with refreshments served afterward by women of the three churches; the same issue’s “HOMEcoming 1972” item folds the three churches’ Sunday services into the August 13 Homecoming program.data1 · beaver-island-archive · beaver_beacon · 1972-06_Beaver-Beacon
- Publishes the Bicentennial Committee’s proposal assigning "church histories" jointly to Holy Cross, the Beaver Island Christian Church, and the Episcopal Mission, among many other projects; it is a fundraising appeal, not a completed history. The holding institution's portal restricts automated access; the archive holds a copy of this issue and can provide it on request.data1 · beaver-island-archive · beaver_beacon · 1975-03_Beaver-Beacon
- Reports that the Beaver Island Christian Church Board requested naming the street in front of the church, from Back Highway to Pine Street, for the late Dr. Harley Haynes "because of the contributions he made in founding the Church," and that the township named it Haynes Street unanimously. The holding institution's portal restricts automated access; the archive holds a copy of this issue and can provide it on request.data1 · beaver-island-archive · beaver_beacon · 1983-12_Beaver-Beacon
- Announces a July 16, 1983 summer bazaar at Beaver Haven Marina sponsored by the Christian Church. The holding institution's portal restricts automated access; the archive holds a copy of this issue and can provide it on request.data1 · beaver-island-archive · beaver_beacon · 1983-05_Beaver-Beacon
- Announces a July 14, 1984 Summer Bazaar at Beaver Haven Marina sponsored by the Beaver Island Christian Church Building Committee, naming Marge Wagner and Lil Gregg as contacts. The holding institution's portal restricts automated access; the archive holds a copy of this issue and can provide it on request.data1 · beaver-island-archive · beaver_beacon · 1984-06_Beaver-Beacon
- Publishes Gladish’s editorial describing the Beaver Island Non-Denominational Christian Church as focused on "communication between the individual and the Lord, and communication between the individual and his neighbors," open regardless of a worshiper’s theology; it is a personal reflection, not a doctrinal statement. The holding institution's portal restricts automated access; the archive holds a copy of this issue and can provide it on request.data1 · beaver-island-archive · beaver_beacon · 1985-12_Beaver-Beacon
- Announces and, in the April follow-up, reports a well-attended March 5, 1987 Claudia Schmidt benefit concert at the Christian Church for the Beaver Island District Library. The holding institution's portal restricts automated access; the archive holds a copy of this issue and can provide it on request.data1 · beaver-island-archive · beaver_beacon · 1987-03_Beaver-Beacon
- Obituary reports Ladd’s April 16, 1987 funeral at the Christian Church and burial in Beaver Island Cemetery. The holding institution's portal restricts automated access; the archive holds a copy of this issue and can provide it on request.data1 · beaver-island-archive · beaver_beacon · 1987-05_Beaver-Beacon
- Obituary reports Owen D. Chapman’s May 13, 1973 funeral service at the Christian Church, followed by interment at Holy Cross Cemetery. The holding institution's portal restricts automated access; the archive holds a copy of this issue and can provide it on request.data1 · beaver-island-archive · beaver_beacon · 1973-06_Beaver-Beacon
- Obituary for Dr. H. B. Haynes, resident physician from 1962, says he "had a great deal to do with founding the Beaver Island Christian Church and served as minister during winter months or any time visiting clergy were not available"; memorials were directed to the church.data1 · beaver-island-archive · beaver_beacon · 1967-11_Beaver-Beacon
- Beaver Beacon, November 2007, “Forty Years Ago” retrospective.A "forty years ago" column restates Dr. Haynes’s 1967 death, adding that he had served on the island five years and was "instrumental in founding the Christian Church, where he occasionally served as minister." Corroborates rather than adds new facts. No public copy of this file is known; the archive holds one and can provide it on request.data1 · beaver-island-archive · beaver_beacon · 2007-11_Beaver-Beacon
- Memorial tributes describe Gladish’s "ministry in the B.I. Christian Church," his sharing the pulpit, serving on the Church Board as moderator, singing in and directing the choir, and rewriting the church’s bylaws. The holding institution's portal restricts automated access; the archive holds a copy of this issue and can provide it on request.data1 · beaver-island-archive · beaver_beacon · 1996-09_Beaver-Beacon
- Announces the Rev. Howard Davis (spelled "Howell Davis" in this issue) as the congregation’s first full-time pastor, effective October 1, 1999, after eight years’ retirement from the Reformed Church in America. The same article gives an institutional history: first service Easter Sunday 1963 in a unit of Wogan’s Motel #1; Medical Center basement and, through Father Wren’s arrangement, Holy Cross Parish Hall in summer; purchase of the log building (now the parsonage) on April 4, 1966, registered April 29, 1966; a steeple and bell added; two porches enclosed and a wall removed; a new building framed by a local construction company in 1984 and dedicated July 7, 1985. The holding institution's portal restricts automated access; the archive holds a copy of this issue and can provide it on request.data1 · beaver-island-archive · beaver_beacon · 1999-09_Beaver-Beacon
- Beaver Beacon, May 2006, “Christian Church breaks ground on the new Gregg Fellowship Center.”Reports the April 30, 2006 groundbreaking, with Judy Meister, Phil Gregg, and Rev. Steve Skinner speaking; names the Gregg family — Phil, Lil, Phyllis, Ruth, and Ron — among the twelve worshipers at the church’s first 1963 service, held "in a motel room," and recaps the building sequence from a small home to "the shell of a structure" finished as a church. No public copy of this file is known; the archive holds one and can provide it on request.data1 · beaver-island-archive · beaver_beacon · 2006-05_Beaver-Beacon
- Beaver Beacon, June 2006, “Baroque on Beaver – A Festival of Classical Music.”Announces the 2006 Baroque on Beaver Saturday chamber concert at the Beaver Island Christian Church; a separate item in the same issue calls the church "a non-denominational church on the island." No public copy of this file is known; the archive holds one and can provide it on request.data1 · beaver-island-archive · beaver_beacon · 2006-06_Beaver-Beacon
- Beaver Beacon, July 2006 and August 2006, Gregg Fellowship Center and event notices.The July calendar announces a July 15, 2006 community banquet celebrating the new Gregg Fellowship Center; the August issue reports the Ray Denny Memorial Art Show held at the Christian Church "for the second straight year" and lists a Gospel Music evening there. No public copy of this file is known; the archive holds one and can provide it on request.data1 · beaver-island-archive · beaver_beacon · 2006-07_Beaver-Beacon
- Beaver Beacon, December 2006, holiday calendar.Lists a Christmas Cantata and a Cookie Carnival at the Christian Church in December 2006. No public copy of this file is known; the archive holds one and can provide it on request.data1 · beaver-island-archive · beaver_beacon · 2006-12_Beaver-Beacon
- Beaver Beacon, April 2008, “Music Camp.”Announces the Beaver Island Cultural Arts Association’s "Jazz and More" kids music camp, held mornings at the Christian Church, 28 July–1 August 2008, timed with Baroque on Beaver. No public copy of this file is known; the archive holds one and can provide it on request.data1 · beaver-island-archive · beaver_beacon · 2008-04_Beaver-Beacon
- Beaver Beacon, October 2005, “Reverend Howard Davis... leaving the Island.”Reports Rev. Howard Davis and his wife Sally leaving the island after six years as minister of the Christian Church, a post he took after ten years’ retirement and twenty years in ministerial rotation before that. No public copy of this file is known; the archive holds one and can provide it on request.data1 · beaver-island-archive · beaver_beacon · 2005-10_Beaver-Beacon
- Beaver Beacon, September 2009, welcome pot-luck notice.Announces a September 23, 2009 welcome pot-luck at the Gregg Fellowship Center for Pastor Ed Campbell, the new pastor of the Beaver Island Christian Church. No public copy of this file is known; the archive holds one and can provide it on request.data1 · beaver-island-archive · beaver_beacon · 2009-09_Beaver-Beacon
- Beaver Beacon, December 2010, “Christian Church Loses Its Pastor.”Reports Ed Campbell’s resignation as pastor of the "non-denominational Christian Church," effective November 5, 2010. No public copy of this file is known; the archive holds one and can provide it on request.data1 · beaver-island-archive · beaver_beacon · 2010-12_Beaver-Beacon
- Beaver Beacon, March 2011, visiting pastor schedule.Lists visiting pastors Steve Finch, Jayne Bailey, and Harold Kruse serving the Christian Church in March 2011, after Campbell’s departure. No public copy of this file is known; the archive holds one and can provide it on request.data1 · beaver-island-archive · beaver_beacon · 2011-03_Beaver-Beacon
Added 1 August 2026 · revised 4 August 2026. Recent changes
Cite this article
Beaver Island Archive, “Beaver Island Christian Church”, https://beaverislandarchive.org/organizations/beaver-island-christian-church/, accessed [date], citing Beaver Island Christian Church, "Beaver Island Christian Church," Beaver Island Forum, September 5, 2014. (and 51 further sources listed on the page).
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