A Personal Biography

I

was born on February 20, 1949, in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, of two godly parents, Arie and Elfriede Elshout. Since my father became a minister in the Netherlands Reformed Congregations (Gereformeerde Gemeenten) in 1955, I lived in Utrecht, the Netherlands until 1961, and in The Hague (Scheveningen) until 1967. During that year our entire family (I am the oldest of eight children) emigrated to the United States of America as a consequence of my father having accepted a call from the Netherlands Reformed Congregation of Artesia, California.

In 1969, my father became the pastor of the Netherlands Reformed Congregation of Kalamazoo, Michigan, and served this congregation until 1974 when he returned to the Netherlands to serve three more congregations until his decease in 1991. During the Kalamazoo period of our family's history, I graduated from Western Michigan University (1971) with a teaching certificate-and I also married my dear wife Joan Sweetman (1973). The Lord graciously blessed our family with two children: David (1974), and Sarah (1986)—and since 2004 with a wonderful daughter-in-law Michelle.

After having served as the founding principal of the Netherlands Reformed Christian School in New Jersey from 1975-1984, I was employed as an evangelist in the Denver, Colorado area from 1984-1989. From 1989-1995, I worked part-time as a translator of a major Dutch theological work, entitled “The Christian's Reasonable Service”, by Wilhelmus à Brakel, and worked part-time as Bible teacher in the NRCS in New Jersey.

Though I already felt called to the ministry as a young man, it was not until 1995 that the Lord opened the door for me to study for the ministry. From 1995 till 1998, I was enrolled at Puritan Reformed Theological Seminary in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Upon the completion of my studies in 1998, I was ordained as the pastor of the Heritage Reformed Congregation of Jordan (St. Catharines), Ontario. After having served this congregation for seven years, it became very clear to me early this year that the Lord was calling me to become the pastor of the Heritage Reformed Congregation of Chilliwack—a task I was privileged to begin on July 29.

Pastor & Mrs. Elshout