|
Ypsilanti Friends Church
YPSILANTI, MI
|
|
|
|
About Us
|
|
| Our Senior Pastor |
 |
 |
|
Pastor Doug Burch is no stranger to the Evangelical Friends Church (EFC), as he grew up in the Bellefontaine (Ohio) Friends Church where his father was pastor for 12 years. Pastor Doug’s grandfather, Herbert Burch, was also an EFC pastor and ministered in the Ypsilanti EFC for almost 18 years (1954-1972). Pastor Doug was on staff in two EFC Churches in Barberton and Winona (Ohio) before coming to the Ypsilanti EFC in July of 1987 where he has served for over 19 years. He graduated from Malone College (an EFC affiliated college) in Canton, Ohio in 1982 and completed his Master-of-Divinity degree through Ashland Theological Seminary (Ohio) in 1985. Pastor Doug has been involved in short-term mission work in Guatemala and completed a short-term graduate program at the American Institute of Holy Land Studies in Israel as part of his seminary training.
Pastor Doug and his wife, Sandy, have been married for 24 years. They have two daughters, Megan (18) and Kaitlin (14). Sandy teaches 3rd grade in nearby Van Buren School district. She is also a graduate of Malone College where she and Pastor Doug met.
Pastor Doug has a heart for ministry to all ages, but especially loves to interact with the children. His desire is that others will see Jesus and come to know Him as their personal Savior and Lord.
Email: EFCDCB@juno.com
|
|
The Ypsilanti Friends Church has a very long and rich history dating back to the 1830's. Some of our current members, the Malick family, are direct descendants of the original founders of our church. The first recorded gathering of Ypsilanti Friends was in 1835 by settlers who traveled the waters of the Erie Canal, Lake Erie, and other waterways, mainly coming from the New York state area. At this time, Michigan was not even a state of the union, but rather simply a 'territory' of the United States.
The original Ypsilanti Friends meeting house was built in 1842 on the land between the current church and the current Youth House. It was in use for 30 years. In the early meeting of Friends the men sat on one side of a partition and the women on the other during normal worship & business meetings. Occasionally, there would be times of 'silent meditation' where everyone met together for a meeting that would somewhat resemble a testimony meeting of today.
The large maple trees in the front were planted by the original pastor, Edward Gorton, in 1841. In 1872, a new church was built and the original church facility was sold in 1888. This 'new' church is the facility that still stands on the corner of Bemis and Tuttle Hill roads, and is currently used primarily for youth activities. A basement was put under it in 1918 and electricity was installed in 1928. A plaque that stands outside of this facility commemorates that the State of Michigan recognizes this facility as a historical landmark.
In 1941 the present parsonage was built and was occupied by Pastor Charles Carey.
For over 99 years the current building on the corner served as the sanctuary. But in 1971 the present brick church was built and eventually dedicated on October 17 at a cost of $125,000!
In 1992, God reminded each of us that the church is not a building, but rather the people in the church that serve the Lord. In April of 1992, a fire consumed the sanctuary and a good part of the rest of the church facility. The fire was later determined to be a result of theft and burglary. For about 5 months, all services were held in the previous church building next door. After the fire, the church facility was rebuilt and in September of 1992 the church was reopened for worship.
In the years following the fire, the Lord has continued to bless us with many resources. A fellowship hall was added onto the current church structure, a playground/park with a family pavilion was built, as was a softball field.
It is our desire and prayer that we will continue to meet the challenges that the Lord will put before us in the coming years and that the Lord will continue to bless this church.
With God's blessing, we look forward to celebrating the Bi-Centennial of 200 years of the Ypsilanti Friends Church in 2035!
|
|
|
