The Covell Avenue NRC Of Grand Rapids, Michigan (4)

1915-1944: Rev. Jacob C. Wielhouwer (1875-1956)

Shortly after Wielhouwer’s personal experience of deliverance (with which last month’s article concluded), two Reformed ministers, Reverends Sieders and Steketee, asked him if he felt called to the ministry. After attempting to evade their questions, he finally told them that he could not deny that he did and that the ministry had been the desire of his heart from early youth.

When these ministers readily received Wielhouwer’s testimony, inward strife was multiplied. While wrestling with this one day, Jeremiah 1:5 was applied to his heart, “Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations.” Wielhouwer then thought that if this were true, his mother may be aware of it. And indeed she was.

“Son,” she said, “I knew before you were born God would use you in His church, as He has revealed this to me.”

After additional conflict, Welhouwer explained his ministerial call to the consistory. The consistory wrote Classis. Classis responded that Wielhouwer should be allowed to speak in vacant churches upon their request after the consistory had examined him regarding his conversion, his calling to the ministry, and his knowledge of Scripture and doctrine.

After passing this examination, Wielhouwer spoke an edifying word on several occasions to his own consistory, and subsequently before a Classis committee on Job 14:1. Two ministers, his mother, and numerous friends were present. Permission was given by Classis to the 25-year-old Wielhouwer to become an exhorter in the congregations.

Shortly after this, a mission post newly formed in March, 1901 in Ooltgensplaat, the Netherlands, called Exhorter Wielhouwer as an evangelist. He received freedom to accept this call and labored faithfully and fruitfully in Ooltgensplaat for more than six years. His first sermon was based on 1 Corinthians 2:3, “And I was with you in weakness, and in fear, and in much trembling.”

The firstfruits of Wielhouwer’s work as evangelist appear to have been the conversion of a 73-year-old man, who cried aloud while he was teaching Bible class: “Is there still a possibility for me to be saved?” The conversion of this formerly uncouth, elderly brother made a profound impression upon many. Shortly thereafter, several others were also brought to true conversion. The little group grew outwardly and inwardly.

Consequently, it was not long before the little chapel became too small. Various attempts to obtain financial assistance for a new building ended in failure. Finally, two wealthy men came forward and agreed to purchase land and to pay for a new building. The building was erected in less than three months and was dedicated in June, 1903 by Evangelist Wielhouwer from Ezra 3:13b, “The people shouted with a loud shout, and the noise was heard afar off.”

Like all God’s true servants, Evangelist Wielhouwer did not proceed without trials. He experienced much strife within and without. Once when called upon to preach in the Reformed State Church, everything seemed so barred shut within that he felt he could not ascend the pulpit. At the last moment, Klaas van der Stende, a God-fearing elder and one of Wielhouwer’s best friends, movingly prayed for the evangelist, grasped his hand, and said, “Come, it is late; let’s go.” When they entered the church, the congregation was already singing the first psalm — Psalm 25. That night Wielhouwer preached with much freedom from Psalm 25:6, “Remember, O LORD, Thy tender mercies and Thy lovingkindnesses; for they have been ever of old.”

Evangelist Wielhouwer’s preaching aroused enmity in many quarters. As he accepted invitations to preach in a variety of Reformed denominations and settings, it is not surprising that several ministers of various denominational persuasions opposed him vehemently. Happily, the Lord granted persevering grace in these trials.

Moreover, on a few occasions young people showed their rebellion by trying to interrupt a worship service. Once a young man named Matthew, who failed to accomplish this goal and walked out of church, returned in work clothes by the time the service had concluded in order to “fight it out” with Wielhouwer. Though Matthew did not strike the evangelist, he threatened to kill him. Two weeks later he met Wielhouwer walking on a dark, lonely road.

“Well,” the evangelist said, “are you going to carry out your threat? We are now alone — except God is here also.”

This broke Matthew’s heart. He threw his arms around the evangelist, cried, and begged for forgiveness.

In January, 1903, a hunter’s shot at a weasel ricocheted off frozen ground and struck Mr. Wielhouwer, wounding him in several places, including his head. By God’s gracious providence, he recovered fully.

In 1905 Evangelist Wielhouwer was bitterly disappointed when representatives from the Ledeboerian churches and the Churches Under the Cross meeting at Bruinisse failed to reach an agreement to pursue closer fraternal ties. At that time, there was too much of the spirit of 1 Corinthians 1:12—one of Paul, another of Apollos, and still another of Cephas.1 Wielhouwer’s distress intensified as he felt his call to the ministry lay with these groups. After three burdensome days, he found relief under his mother’s guidance from Jonah 2:4, “Then I said, I am cast out of Thy sight; yet I will look again toward Thy holy temple.” Throughout such trials, Wielhouwer’s mother proved to be a wise spiritual counselor, often advising him to look more to the Lord and less to man.

In 1906 Wielhouwer felt loosened from his flock in Ooltgensplaat through a powerful application of Ezekiel 12:3a, “Therefore, thou son of man, prepare thee stuff for removing.” Some weeks later he awoke one morning with a strong impression that he would receive a pastoral call from an American congregation. Ten days later a call arrived from the Peoples Park Reformed congregation, Paterson, New Jersey.2

At first Wielhouwer’s flesh resisted this call. Moreover, his mother refused to accompany him; friends and relatives sought to persuade him to remain. The Lord, however, won the battle and made all things well. He confirmed the call from Job 21:18 and inclined the heart of Wielhouwer’s mother and friends as well.

Many farewell messages were delivered. At one such service in Den Bommel where Wielhouwer preached on Psalm 130:7, a young man was converted. Wielhouwer, however, did not realize this until thirty-two years later when this brother finally told him of what the Lord had done. Finally, Evangelist Wielhouwer preached his last message to his own flock from 1 John 2:18, “Little children, it is the last time.”

Wielhouwer’s journey across the ocean went more smoothly than his settling down in New Jersey. Contrary to church order, a certain Rev. Contant, who opposed his arrival, repeatedly postponed his classical examination. Several other ministers informed Mr. Wielhouwer of Rev. Contant’s intentions and invited him to join their denominations, but he had no liberty to stray from the call he had received. Moreover, he was encouraged to wait on the Lord from the words, “Herod will seek the young child to destroy him” (Mt. 2:13).

Finally, Rev. Contant personally examined Wielhouwer in theology, church history, church order, and the Dutch language. He appeared satisfied with Wielhouwer’s answers, but further conversation revealed Rev. Contant’s opposition to the doctrine of predestination and the need for experiential preaching. Mr. Wielhouwer then informed Rev. Contant that it was impossible for them to work together and that he would not submit to a classical examination if Rev. Contant was chairman. Difficult days followed. Mr. Wielhouwer expressed his convictions to his consistory. Finally, the consistory annulled Rev. Contant’s moderatorship.

Rev. Titus Hager from Grand Rapids, who had formerly served the congregation in Paterson, offered timely assistance. On October 23, 1906, he examined Mr. Wielhouwer for more than six hours in Reformed dogmatics, exegesis, church history, liturgy, logic, and church order. Members from the consistories of the Peoples Park, Hale-don Avenue, and Passaic congregations were also present. Mr. Wielhouwer passed this examination satisfactorily. He was ordained into the ministry and installed in the Paterson flock a few weeks later by Rev. Hager.

The Lord blessed Rev. Wielhouwer’s early labors in Paterson. In the first years, several members were converted and thirty-five families joined the congregation from other denominations.

About this time, Rev. Wielhouwer’s desires to be married increased. One day, based on an application of Psalm 32:8, he believed the Lord would provide guidance. This feeling increased when he went to mail some letters; in fact, he felt persuaded that he would meet a God-given helpmeet at the mailbox! When he arrived at the mailbox, he met a single woman, Jennie Cooper, a daughter of one of his elders, who was coming to visit his mother. After speaking for a few minutes, Rev. Wielhouwer informed Jennie of his exercises, and asked her to lay the matter of potential marriage before the Lord and to inform her parents.

The following week, Rev. Wielhouwer visited the Cooper family. “Well,” Mr. Cooper said, “we knew for a long time this would happen!”

Five months later, on July 23, 1907, they were united in holy matrimony by Rev. Hager. The Lord blessed their marriage with eleven children, of which one died in infancy.

Within sixteen months after their marriage, both Rev. and Mrs. Wielhouwer lost their God-fearing mothers. The last words of Rev. Wielhouwer’s mother were spoken to her son: “He has fulfilled His promises about you. I thank Him for His goodness.

My song forever shall record,
The tender mercies of the Lord.”

In 1912 deputies from the Reformed, Christian Reformed, and Netherlands Reformed congregations had a combined meeting to consider if a home of care could be provided for the mentally ill. Rev. Wielhouwer was elected president of the original committee.3 Through many human impossibilities and much prayer, this goal was realized many months later when the doors of Wyckoff Sanitorium, built on a spacious lot on Goffle Hill, Wyckoff, were opened for the mentally impaired.4

In 1913 Rev. Wielhouwer’s right cheek and throat became seriously infected. He could no longer speak and both his physician and a throat specialist felt he would never be restored. Faintly, Rev. Wielhouwer told his distressed wife, “Be not discouraged; the doctors are wrong. I shall not die but live and declare the works of the Lord.” Within three months, Rev. Wielhouwer was preaching again.

Though the Lord removed this cross, He deemed it fitting to place another upon the Wielhouwer family. In the fall of 1913 all five of their children became sick due to the Spanish influenza. When Rev. Wielhouwer asked one physician how much he owed him, the doctor answered, “You will have expense enough, as I fear you will lose three of your children within a week. You do not owe me anything.” Miraculously, all of their children were spared at that time. One child was out of school for six months, but eventually regained strength. Shortly after this, however, their 7-month-old daughter, Jennie, became ill again and passed away. Their sorrow was great, but the Lord gave strength for the day of adversity.

In the fall of 1915, Rev. Wielhouwer received a pastoral call from the Turner Avenue Congregation of Grand Rapids. He became troubled about the call from 1 Corinthians 16:9, “For a great door and effectual is opened unto me, and there are many adversaries,” and later was made willing to accept it on the basis of Psalm 45:10-11, “Hearken, O daughter, and consider, and incline thine ear; forget also thine own people, and thy father’s house; so shall the King greatly desire thy beauty: for He is thy Lord; and worship thou Him.”

On December 5, 1915, Rev. Wielhouwer preached his farewell sermon to the Peoples Park flock, based on Philippians 4:9, “The God of peace shall be with you.” He explained to the congregation that not man, but the God of peace, was of primary importance. The messenger was leaving, but the message remained the same: There is peace only through the Prince of Peace, who speaks to His needy followers, “Peace be unto you. My peace I give unto you.”

May this also be our personal experience, for then all shall be well for time and eternity. As one of the early martyrs wrote on a catacomb wall, “In Christ, in peace; out of Christ, no peace.”

Dr. J.R. Beeke and Rev. J. den Hoed are continuing a series of articles on the histories of individual Netherlands Reformed Congregations.

1Happily, what failed in 1905 succeeded by God’s grace in 1907 under the leadership of Reverends Beversluis and Kersten, giving birth to our sister denomination—the Gereformeerde Gemeenten.

2This congregation later united with the Franklin Lakes NRC in the early 1970s.

3Rev. N. H. Beversluis served as the second president after Rev. Wielhouwer accepted a call to Grand Rapids, Michigan in 1915.

4Today, nearly eighty years later, this excellent facility, known as the Christian Health Care Center, is still located on the same site. Presently, it retains an eighty-bed psychiatric hospital, a 250-bed nursing home, and has expanded into outpatient psychiatric and geriatric services. Members of our NRC have been on its board since its inception.

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