John G. Van Ryn (1931 -) | Heritage Hall, Hekman Library

John G. Van Ryn was born in Chicago on September 23, 1931. He grew up in Chicago where the family were members of the First Reformed Church. They joined the Second Christian Reformed Chuch of Englewood when John was a senior at Chicago Christian high. He then attended and graduated from Calvin College and Calvin Seminary and was ordained to the ministry in the Christian Reformed Church in 1956. In 1955 he married Elizabeth Timmer and to this union was born four sons. Elizabeth passed away in 1988 and in 1991 he was remarried to family friend Margaret Van Winkle.

His first pastoral charges were Long Beach, California (1956); Second Paterson, NJ (1961); and First South Holland, IL (1966). He then served as Executive Secretary of the CRC Board of Home Missions (1974) followed by pastorates at Fellowship, Big Rapids, MI (1987) and Providence, Cutlerville, MI (1994), retiring in 1996.