By: Sherry Kuyt | skuyt@mlive.com
WAYLAND -- Two small local churches have decided to combine resources and staff to benefit their congregations and ministry.
First Baptist Church of Wayland, 3514 12th St., has merged with Sycamore Community Baptist Church, which had been meeting at Sycamore Elementary School in Dorr, part of the Hopkins school district.
The combined congregation now meets at the 12th Street location, which has become Unity Baptist Church of Wayland.
According to Kelly Ryan, who was the pastor of the Dorr church, the arrangement has benefited all involved.
"First Baptist Church of Wayland, Michigan had a beautiful building and a handful of members while Sycamore Community Baptist Church of Dorr, Michigan had a little more than a handful of members but with no building to call their home," Ryan said.
"After months of meetings, questions and much prayer, the two churches decided that an opportunity of combining would give the two of them an even greater hope of thriving. This would give us all more ministry opportunities that will impact our church families as well as the surrounding community."
Ryan has become the senior pastor of Unity Baptist Church. The former pastor of First Baptist Church of Wayland left last fall, and an interim served in the meantime. Another retired pastor, Jerry Hopkins, is now also on staff part-time.
Both congregations approved the change, and began meeting together several months ago while legal, financial, and other details were worked out, according to church trustee Han Fikkert. He said attendance on a recent Sunday morning was about 80.
"Our ultimate desire as a church family is to live out the challenge of Philippians 2:2: 'Then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind,'" Ryan said. "That is our challenge, that is our goal and that is our desire."
Unity Baptist Church of Wayland is affiliated with the Michigan Association of Regular Baptist Churches. For more information, call 269-792-2540.
Originally found at http://www.mlive.com/wayland/index.ssf/2016/07/wayland_dorr_churches_combine.html