Muskegon is a beautiful small town situated along the shore of Lake Michigan. It’s a virtual playland, boasting three state parks and plenty of opportunities for boating and hiking. Despite being known as a summer vacation destination, there’s a solid community of people who live there year-round.
The challenge for a church in Muskegon is finding a permanent place where they can grow.
Since planting Genesis Church in 2009, Jamey Newstead helped his congregation develop resilience. Starting with 29 people meeting in a local park, Genesis Church grew modestly to around 150 members. Their ministry became one focused on discipleship and outreach; the church strongly supported missions in Haiti and community events like Trunk-or-Treat.
First Things First
Genesis Church knew the importance of planting roots in Muskegon. As a portable church that had met in multiple locations, the road to finding a permanent home wasn’t easy. The church began their search just before the pandemic, which significantly slowed their progress. In 2022, after being rejected twice on potential properties, they finally discovered a peculiar but perfect location: the clubhouse of a shuttered golf course. The building was never intended to be a place of worship, but Jamey and the congregation were able to see what could be.
CDF Capital was able to advise Genesis throughout the challenging purchase process and, eventually, provide the financing necessary to make this dream a reality.
As a smaller congregation with budget constraints, the church knew they couldn’t finance all the renovations needed so they came up with creative solutions. For the first few months, they held kids classes in the old bar area of the clubhouse. They also organized and managed most of the rehab work themselves, rolling up their sleeves to paint walls, run cables, and thoroughly clean the facility.
Because of the faithfulness of our investors, CDF was able to step in and take a chance on the smaller congregation when other lenders wouldn’t.
We never dreamed we would be able to do something like this with a church our size
Still Getting Started
Now that Genesis Church is settled and fully acclimated in their new home, they can look back on what the Lord was able to accomplish through this journey.
“We never dreamed we would be able to do something like this with a church our size,” Jamey shared. “CDF Capital has allowed us to pursue our dream of reaching more people simply by providing us a larger facility. Our launch Sunday was hugely successful and we have continued to see growth since then. We’re excited about what the future holds. Thank you, CDF investors, for believing in us!”
During his message during the first service in their new building, Jamey told the church, “the best is yet to come. This is just the starting line as we race for Jesus.”
Genesis Church never let their lack of a permanent space deter their mission. Now, as they’re fully settled in their first permanent home, this church on the shores of Lake Michigan is energized and ready to continue making waves in the kingdom.
They’re only just beginning . . .
