About RGC
Who are we?
Radical Grace Church aspires to be a multiethnic family of believers working together to nurture each other’s faith and to advance the Kingdom of Heaven. It is a place where all members are valued, have a role in the church, and are encouraged to use their gifts and talents. We come together on Sunday mornings to praise and worship YHWH God, fellowship with each other, and grow in our faith. From here we go out to serve YHWH, each other, and our community.
About Radical Grace Church
Radical Grace Church began in a former grocery store at 607 Livingston Ave in the mid 1960’s. It was a church plant of East Leonard Christian Reformed Church. In the early 1970’s, the Grand Rapids North Classis teamed with East Leonard to help run the ministry, which consisted of a drop-in center, a Cadet Club, and a variety of men who led Sunday services. By 1975, the property’s landlord had raised the building rent enough times that East Leonard looked for other options. In May 1975 the CRC people left the Livingston building and joined with Epworth Methodist Church at 600 Lafayette, NE. For two years, the CRC and the Methodists ran a joint ministry, with the Methodists providing a preacher for Sunday services, and the CRC providing all other ministries, such as the Cadet Club, Calvinettes, Sunday School, Kids’ Club, etc.
After two years of the joint ministry, the Methodists were ready to step back and turn the entire ministry over to the CRC. The challenge was accepted, and as of October 1, the church was renamed Coit Community Christian Reformed Church. The first pastor was Peter Kooreman, who had begun his work at Epworth two years earlier, when the joint ministry began.
Between 1985 and 1994, Coit Community CRC was led by two other men of God: Rev. LaVern Haas (1986-87), and Rev. Henry Perez (1990-1994), as well as Rev. Kooreman between those pastorates. In 1994, the church called Rev. Jerome Burton as their pastor.
Coit Church thrived under the late Rev. Jerome Burton. They developed a relationship with the neighborhood elementary school, established a food pantry known as The R.O.C.K. (Reaching Others for Christ's Kingdom), and began an annual Gospelfest/block party to fellowship with the community. Pastor Burton served faithfully until his transition to glory in July of 2023. Rev. Adriel Saville Morgan assumed leadership following Pastor Burton's passing.
On August 23, 2023, the members of Coit Community Church voted overwhelmingly to change the name to Radical Grace. The new name reflects the focus of the church to be rooted in the foundation of Christ as well as out-of-the-box in outreach, as Christ was in His ministry. Radical Grace continues to go beyond tradition and norms to fully extend the radical grace of our Lord and Savior to all!
Our Pastor
Rev. Adriel Saville Morgan, B.S., M.Div., M.SEd.
Pastor Morgan was unanimously elected the lead pastor of Radical Grace Church on April 23, 2023. He was born in Kalamazoo and raised in Portage by the late Rev. Ira D. Morgan Jr., and Rev. Bertha E. Morgan alongside his older sisters and older brother.
At the age of sixteen, Pastor Morgan acknowledged his call to preach and was licensed at the Second Baptist Church in Kalamazoo by the late Pastor M.W. Wright. After graduating from the United States Naval Academy, he returned home to Michigan and attended Grand Rapids Theological Seminary. Pastor Morgan graduated from GRTS in May 2010 with a Master of Divinity in pastoral studies, a Zonderval Greek Scholar Award, and the Strauss Expository Preaching Award.
Pastor Morgan is passionate about education and outreach. Some of his first actions as pastor were to create and make use of social media for live broadcasts, as well as establish a scholarship fund. He also instituted a Bible class for adults where they can dig deep, beyond just the words to find real meaning and relevance for their lives.
As a tri-vocational pastor, Pastor Morgan also teaches Spanish at East Kentwood Freshmen Campus and coaches long and triple jumps at Cornerstone University.
Council of Elders and Deacons
Elders:
Bryan Dam-Chairman
William Lagrund
Dick Broene
Deacons:
Scherry Aldridge-Chairwoman
Kena Lee
Earl Hogle
Church Secretary
Ricka Macias
E-mail: office@radicalgracechurch.org