News

Jan 15, 2024

Worship on the Waterfront continues this summer at Beechwood Church

PARK TWP. — A family-friendly concert series bringing national contemporary

PARK TWP. — A family-friendly concert series bringing national contemporary Christian artists to Holland will have an emphasis on local support.

Worship on the Waterfront takes place 7-8:30 p.m. Sundays from June 25-Aug. 20 at the outdoor campus of Beechwood Church, 895 Ottawa Beach Road in Holland.

There's a suggested $5 per person donation. Skip the line passes are available through iTickets.com.

General admission entry opens at 5:45 p.m. Attendees are asked to bring their own blankets and chairs. There will be food trucks on hand, plus a play area and hiking/biking trails. There will also be activities and books for children.

The nine-week concert series includes:

The event is hosted by the nonprofit Community Concert Connections of West Michigan. Kathleen Bobeldyk of Community Concert Connections said the annual summer event started more than 70 years ago in Grand Haven. When it outgrew that church, the nonprofit took over and moved it to Holland.

Worship on the Waterfront is not affiliated with any specific church, Bobeldyk said.

"It's all local and it's completely community supported," she said.

The event attracts roughly 2,500 attendees per week and is growing, Bobeldyk said. People from Ohio, Wisconsin and Indiana travel to Holland for concerts. The event's social media page now has 10,000 followers.

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Bobeldyk said this year's lineup includes a mix of new artists and familiar favorites. One of the latter is Schultz, who's closing out this year's series on Aug. 20.

"(Schultz is) super charismatic and interactive with the audience," Bobeldyk said. "I think people are depending on him closing our event every year now. He's been a staple right along with us."

Bobeldyk described Worship on the Waterfront as "a church without walls." Comments from attendees have called it a "powerful and incredible night of worship," Bobeldyk said.

"This just brings us all together to support each other," she said.

More information is available at facebook.com/worshiponthewaterfront.

— Contact reporter Evan Sasiela at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @SalsaEvan.