History

Our Story

In 2018, Generation Spark was developed by Hope College students who were concerned about the rate at which youth are leaving the church. The program, created through the Hope College’s Center for Leadership, was designed to bring intergenerational mentoring relationships in the church to help keep more youth and adults engaged. Receiving an initial 3-year Lilly Endowment grant, the program was led by director of the Center of Leadership, Virgil Gulker, and piloted in a handful of Reformed Church in America (RCA) and Christian Reformed Church in North America (CRCNA) churches.

In 2019, Virgil began looking for sustainable efforts for the program. His connection with Ron DeVries and Anna Radcliffe from the CRCNA and the RCA helped Virgil see the valuable connection denominations have with their congregation. To expand the program, Virgil determined a collaborative partnership between the CRCNA and the RCA would be the best scenario. The Generation Spark Leadership Team was then developed to include leadership from both the CRCNA and the RCA.

In 2020, the RCA and CRCNA received a second, 5-year Lilly Endowment Grant which has allowed the work of Generation Spark to both continue and expand. As Generation Spark continues to grow, we now work with congregations of many different denominations and are in the process of training other Christ- centered denominations and organizations who are interested in doing this incredible work.