City on a Hill

In April of 2006, the new Zeeland Community Hospital opened, leaving this site, the old hospital,  vacant at 100 S. Pine Street. When the possibility of this property becoming available first circulated, there were speculations that it could be purchased to house a retirement center, a rehab center, apartments, condos, office spaces for general business purposes and other ideas floating around the community. One such idea was to purchase the site as a place where non-profit service organizations could operate with low overhead to better serve the needs of the community. This is the possibility that eventually came to fruition in September 2006, City on a Hill Ministries,  and has been growing ever since. The site of the old Zeeland Community Hospital now houses 28 not-for-profit ministries. The facility is overseen by director, Gary Ellens, and a nine person board. All of the maintenance and everyday facility functions are taken care of entirely by volunteers. This facility has 100,000 square feet of space on an 8-acre campus centrally located near downtown Zeeland and directly across from Lawrence Street park.

On the day that I dropped in, the Serve camp had just ended. It was a 5-day camp for people age 14-26 with special needs and disabilities. There were 33 campers and 33 mentors along with a full complement of ancillary service volunteers. The campers were treated to plenty of fun and fellowship but were also able to participate in service projects to help others. Participants were from all over the Midwest and Canada. It was fun and exciting to see the old hospital facilities being put to such great use. All of the participants, mentors and volunteers were exuberant and full of energy as they exchanged hugs and said their good-byes. It was obvious that something wonderful had happened during their time together.

The health clinic provides free medical care for minor illnesses and injuries to those without health insurance and/or unable to pay for medical services. A social worker is also available to help clients locate other needed resources.

Food, clothing, furniture, and home repair services are available through His Harvest Stand.


Cafe 58 is a food service ministry for everyone, regardless of economic status. The cafe is open from 8am-4pm Monday and Friday, and 8am-7pm on Tuesdays and Thursdays with dinner being served.
Among the ministries operating at City on a Hill are two that assist with substance abuse: Recovery Source Ministries and Families Victorious.
The Gray Center for Social Learning and Understanding is an organization which provides education, services and resources for those dealing with the autism spectrum or Asperger's Syndome.
ATLAS is a mentoring program for people struggling with addictions, marriage issues, financial problems, emotional or spiritual needs.
Youth For Christ also has an office here.
There's much, much more! I was impressed by the height, depth, and breadth of the services being offered in this facility. The director, Gary Ellens, also said that City on a Hill does always have need of volunteers, donations, and the support of our prayers. I am definately interested in finding ways of supporting the work that is going on here.
If you'd like more information about what is available at City on a Hill or would like to get involved with helping the efforts going forth here, check out the website shown below or on the sidebar of the blog:

http://www.coahm.org