Fifty Years of God’s Faithfulness at Millbrook Christian Elementary School

The Millbrook Christian School Society came together on January 17, 1955. These parents had a vision of a new school, and “Forward in Faith” became their motto. They were ready to move ahead, creating a new school on the outskirts of Grand Rapids. Fifty years later, Millbrook Christian School celebrated that anniversary with a special program on May 12, 2006. The program recounted the history of the school, with special emphasis on God’s goodness to the school community.

The first principal, Helen Oostdyk, remembers being asked to take on the leadership of the school. “I told the board I would pray about it, and I did. The Lord gave me a text from I Corinthians 16:9: ‘For a great door and effectual is opened unto me, and there are many adversaries.’” She accepted on the condition that she would only hold that position for two years, after which she would again focus on teaching. The first summer was very busy. She needed to order all the furniture and all the textbooks. She found it to be a rewarding effort. “Parents were one hundred percent behind the school and very helpful,” she remembers. “It was a wonderful experience, one of the greatest in my life.”

Millbrook Christian School opened for classes on September 8, 1955. Students moved into the three-classroom building with three teachers. Ms. Oostdyk was the principal, the kindergarten teacher, and the person who took tuition payments. She was also the assistant janitor by default, always having to call to get the boiler repaired.

The original 77 students grew to 425 students by 1966, and the building grew accordingly. In 1969, Millbrook and seven other schools formed the Grand Rapids Christian School Association. The middle schools of Millbrook and Seymour united on the Millbrook campus in 1972.

When asked about the best part of teaching at Millbrook, long time teacher Patsy Bylsma said, “as far as a job is concerned, it was the colleagues. I enjoyed the other people I worked with a great deal. They were always supportive.” Former middle school teacher Joel Brower recalls the gracious parents. “The families who sent their kids there were good, down-to-earth, nice people.”

The Millbrook community chronicled the history and many more memories at the anniversary program. After listening to the story, the audience and students joined together to sing “Great Is Thy Faithfulness.” Teacher Shirley VanWoerkom enjoyed “seeing the parents and the grandparents stand up who had been former board members and students, seeing the tradition continue.” Current students from preschool through 6th grade were the real crowd-pleasers, singing with enthusiasm.

Ms. Oostdyk was very pleased with the anniversary celebration, because there was “still very much an emphasis on the Lord God Almighty. They kept the goals I tried to establish.” And although things continue to change at Millbrook, according to Principal Mark Krommendyk, “God has been faithful for many years. We can be confident that God’s plan will continue to unfold for this community in the future.”