On Your Way Out

It was a pleasure to sit down with Terri Caldwell and Rebecca Meyer and hear more about Doors of Hope, one of our ministry partners. Doors of Hope is part of City on a Hill Ministries in Zeeland, Michigan. They seek to work alongside people in whatever struggles they are experiencing in life, whether that's domestic violence, divorce, recovery or financial problems stemming from generational poverty. They aim to speak truth into the shame that comes along with these things and remind people of their God-given worth and value as they coach them through building a new foundation of practical life skills.

We took a short break from recording as Tyler was in Zambia for the past couple weeks! On this episode, we’ll welcome Tyler back and hear about his experience there, how he spent his time and what he learned. We’ll talk about the similarities and differences of Zambian culture to American culture and how he sees the Holy Spirit working there. Tyler emphasizes the power that the simple gospel story holds and how he was reminded of that during his time in Zambia.

This past week, Tyler and Pastor Toby sat down with one of Pastor Toby's friends, David Rendon. Ever since he was a little boy in Texas, David wanted to be a trucker. Years later, David moved to Michigan and got his own truck. As he made frequent trips between West Michigan and the Chicagoland area, David recognized that his job provided some unique opportunities to show God's love to people. We also hear about David's process of coming to Christ and the importance of obedience.

This past week, we had the opportunity to talk about the Holy Spirit with Pastor Jose Duran. Jose grew up in Venezuela in an animistic culture where he was very aware of the spiritual realm, but not familiar with Jesus. He had his first encounter with the Holy Spirit at a prayer meeting that a friend invited him to when he was 16 years old. He gradually formed a relationship with God and now is a church planter and pastor who has lived abroad but currently resides in Holland, Michigan with his wife and son. Tyler and Pastor Toby talk to Jose about being in tune with the Holy Spirit, as well as recognizing the great power of Christ that has been shared with us through the Holy Spirit. Jose discusses the importance of praying boldly for what the Spirit puts on our hearts.

This week, Tyler sat down to talk with Providence member Mary Rynsburger. Over the past several years, Mary and her family have been hosting Bible studies for neighborhood kids in their backyard. The structure of these Bible studies has evolved over the years, and last year during COVID it became a key time for the kids to connect with each other, play some games, and learn about God. Their neighborhood has kids that come from a variety of faith backgrounds, so they have had some unique opportunities to introduce people to the gospel. Mary talks about what this experience has been like for both her and her husband Case, as well as their kids.

We're excited to have Bryant Russ back for a follow-up episode to Episode 16! Prayer is something we talk a lot about as Christians. It is a very important part of a relationship with God, but it can sometimes seem hard to know where to start. Tyler and Bryant talk about jumping into a conversation with God wherever you're at, as well as the many good things that can happen when we start to pray.

For this episode, the tables are turned! Tyler Schnute, our usual host and Director of Worship at Providence, takes the guest seat and answers questions our listeners had for him. We definitely had fun with this one! Among the topics discussed: an instrument he's been wanting to learn, his favorite aspect of Reformed theology, and the correct way to consume an Oreo.

This week, we welcome Bible teacher and fellow podcast host, Bryant Russ! Tyler and Bryant discuss how reading Scripture often brings up questions. They talk about how to handle those questions, as well as the importance of pairing Scripture with prayer and reading it in community. Ultimately, the purpose of Scripture is to help us encounter God.

This week, Tyler is joined by Karen Machiela, a longtime member of Providence, as well as Sue Prins, our Director of Adult Discipleship. They discuss the long break we’ve had from traditional church attendance and how that has evolved into new habits and routines for many. This time has also provided the space to reflect on how and why we do church. Tyler, Karen and Sue share some of their experiences and insights and talk about the importance of reaching people where they’re at.

For this episode of the podcast, we have a return guest! Tyler interviews Julie Leeson, our Director of Children’s Ministry. She talks about the unique opportunity to step out of old routines and try new things this year, and she shares about how her prayer life has been enhanced over the past year by being more intentional and disciplined. Julie also discusses some hopes she has for Children’s Ministry.

For this episode, Tyler interviewed Abby Rotman, a Providence member (and mom of Alison Rotman, who was on the previous episode)! Abby provides insight about fasting and prayer, a biblical practice that has become a key part of her life over the years. At its core, fasting is a very personal practice, but Abby was gracious enough to share some things she’s learned from it and why it’s important.

On this episode of the podcast, we had the opportunity to talk to a couple of our students, Belle Bruinsma and Alison Rotman. The Sunday before we recorded the podcast, both of these girls made their Profession of Faith in front of the Providence congregation. Tyler, Belle and Alison talk about what this step means to them, how they’ve experienced God in their lives, and how spending time with God helps them through various challenges they encounter.

For our eleventh episode, Tyler interviews a few of our high school students — Jaclyn Meyer, Owen Quillan and Luke Gruppen. Jaclyn, Owen and Luke offer insight into what it’s like to be in high school right now. They talk about what they’ve learned during this strange year, and they also talk about sharing their faith with others. The crew mentions the value of discipleship, as well as the importance of being bold when talking about their faith. They also discuss that it takes practice and a connection with the Holy Spirit to make those bold moves with others.

For our tenth episode, Tyler interviews Laurie Schipper. Laurie and her husband Cal have been at Providence since 2007. For anyone that knows Laurie, she’d be one of the people that would come to mind when thinking about the word “joy.” It’s something she embodies and something that’s important to her—she also says it’s a choice. Laurie and Tyler talk about choosing joy, the awe of the small things in life, and listening to the Holy Spirit.

In Episode 9 of the podcast, Tyler interviews his friends Austin and Tate Bonnema. Tyler got connected with them through Worship In The Woods, an outdoor worship revival on the south side of Holland. The Bonnemas are missionaries in Zambia with Overland Missions. They share a bit about what it is like to live and work with the people there, as well as the specific ways they are able to minister to Zambians. They also talk about how our culture can have an effect on how we take in and live out the Gospel.

On this episode of the podcast, Tyler interviews Sue Prins, Director of Discipleship, and Karin Gabrielse, Discipleship Coordinator at Providence. Sue and Karin talk about how over the past couple years, they have started to think differently about the “why” and the “how” behind the programs they put together for adults. Over the past several months, they have been focusing more on empowering people to own their discipleship and live out their faith outside the walls of the church building. They share about their own experience in Disciple Path and how they have been encouraged by the ideas and fresh perspectives of other people in their groups.

If you are interested in starting your own Disciple Path group or want more information, please visit providencechurch.net/disciplepath.

Gene Klaasen is a member at Providence Church, where he and his wife Linda serve on the Mission and Prayer teams. Gene has quite the story—he was a professor and research mathematician at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville, through which he also spent time doing research internationally. From there, he became a professor of mathematics at Calvin College. Gene and Linda became involved with Bible Study Fellowship and were eventually asked to help start a Bible Study Fellowship group in Tanzania. They answered that call and spent fourteen years there. During their time there, Gene also worked as a professor of mathematics at the University of Dar es Salaam. For two years, they settled back in Michigan, until they left again to start another Bible Study Fellowship group in India. There, they also helped start and implement Timothy Leadership Training. As you might gather, the Klaasens have made a lot of big decisions together throughout their lives. More than once, Gene was told that what they were doing was crazy or that they were making a big mistake. However, he and Linda always felt peace and ease when they obeyed God’s call. When asked how they were able to identify and answer those opportunities that God placed before them, Gene credits the discipline of reading Scripture regularly.

We have our very first returning guest for episode number six! Pastor Toby Gruppen takes us to John 4, where Jesus asks the Samaritan woman for a drink of water at the well. Toby and Tyler talk about how Jesus struck up a conversation with this woman and within a few questions, got down to the core of her heart. Just like this woman, everyone has a story. It’s amazing what can happen when we follow Jesus’ example and honor others by taking the time to learn their stories.

For our fifth episode, Tyler interviews Providence member Erich VanRavenswaay. Erich serves as Chief Wealth Management Officer, Senior Vice President at Macatawa Bank, and he also serves as an elder at Providence Church. Erich and Tyler discuss how making yourself available to God and showing genuine interest in people can often open the door to deeper faith conversations with others.

In this episode, Tyler interviews Julie Leeson, Director of Children's Ministries, and Mike Van Drie, Director of Student Ministries at Providence. They discuss the importance of talking about God with others--and how they're learning that these types of conversations don't have to feel forced.