Who We Are

OUR FEDERATION

The Grand Valley Canadian Reformed Church is a member of the federation of Canadian Reformed Churches. Our purpose is to bring glory to God, to shine like stars in the universe by making known the mighty acts of God. We enjoy meeting together to worship our Redeemer and Creator. In worship, we adore Him, ask for His help, bring Him praise for all He does and continues to do, and receive the blessing of his presence.

OUR HISTORY

To understand a little of the history of the Canadian and American Reformed churches, we should go back to the sixteenth century Protestant Reformation in Europe. During these years, the Holy Spirit changed the hearts of many members within the Holy Roman Empire. Through the study of His Word, He opened the eyes of believers and created within them, a desire to return to the teachings of Scripture. Thus, the Word of God became the driving force behind the Reformation.

One of the men instrumental in the work of the Reformation was a German monk, Martin Luther. Luther, who grew up within the Roman Catholic Church, studied God’s Word and tried to live a perfect life before the face of God. He realized that no matter how hard he tried, he could not keep God’s Word perfectly and that even his best works were tainted with sin. Through the study of God’s word he realized that the salvation from sin is not based on good works, as the church taught, but that good works are a result of faith in Jesus Christ. His teachings from scripture were rejected and he was excommunicated from the church.

Eventually, the Protestant Reformation spread to all different parts of Europe. Believers met in secret churches, confessions and creeds were written. The confessional documents developed at this time and still used in our churches are the Belgic Confession, first published in 1561, the Heidelberg Catechism, first published in 1563, and the Canons of Dort. The Canons of Dort are the result of the decisions made during the Synod of Dort. These documents became known as the Three Forms of Unity. They help defend and promote the truth of the Bible.

The first Canadian Reformed Church was instituted on April 16, 1950, in Lethbridge, Alberta. That same year also saw churches instituted in Edmonton and Neerlandia, AB, Orangeville, ON, and New Westminster, BC. Over the years, this has grown to a federation of 54 churches. Twenty seven are located in Southern Ontario, four in Manitoba, eight in Alberta, eleven in British Columbia, along with four American Reformed Congregations with one each in Pennsylvania, Michigan, Colorado, and Washington.

MEET OUR PASTOR

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Rev. Bryan Vanderhorst was born and raised in the Fraser Valley of Beautiful British Columbia. After graduating from High School in 2010 he pursued a career in Biomedical Engineering Technology. A few short years later, however, the Lord God in his sovereign wisdom put him on the path towards ministry. After receiving his BA from the University of the Fraser Valley he moved to Hamilton where he earned his Master of Divinity from the Canadian Reformed Theological Seminary, graduating in 2022. In November of the same year he was ordained as a minister of the Word and Sacraments in the Grand Valley Canadian Reformed Church.
Bryan was married to his wonderful wife Paige in 2014 and since then they have been blessed with two children. Together they have come to thoroughly enjoy life in Ontario, and Grand Valley in particular, with its natural beauty and snowy winters.
When he’s not at work or spending time with his family, Bryan enjoys things like cycling, reading a good book, and pipe organ music.