INAUGURATION OF THE REV.A. ELSHOUT TO THE KALAMAZOO CONGREGATION

On Tuesday evening, August 4, 1969, the Rev. A. Elshout, who had accepted the call to the Kalamazoo congregation, was inaugurated by the moderator, the Rev. Wm. C. Lamain.

Great interest was shown in the occasion. Not only were all pews occupied, but also the hall was filled to capacity. The mayor of the city was present, as well as the Rev. J. Tamminga of the Old Chr. Ref. Church in Grand Rapids, several elders of the Grand Rapids congregation and of the Unionville, Ont. congregation, and a number of visitors from Grand Rapids.

A message had been received from the Rev. L. Kieboom that he was unable to attend the service in connection with his intended visit of some weeks to the Netherlands.

The moderator mentioned in his introductory remarks that forty-one years ago the late Rev. A. Van Dyke had preached his farewell sermon and that the pulpit has been vacant ever since. Many calls had been extended by the congregation until at last it was gladdened by the coming of the Rev. Elshout. The moderator further expressed the hope that the favor of the Lord might rest upon the new minister’s presence here and that it might become evident in the fruits of his labors that they would not redound unto judgment but unto eternal salvation for many in the congregation, both young and old, as well as for the minister and the office-bearers. That his presence in the midst of the congregation might be to the glory of God and the welfare of Zion.

The Rev. Lamain chose as his text the Song of Solomon 8:13, “Cause me to hear it.” He spoke in the first place of the great privilege God’s called servants have, namely, that they, in spite of their own shortcomings, emptiness, insufficiency, and responsibility are allowed to raise their voice to the King of the Church, who has been anointed by the Father to be King of Zion, the hill of God’s holiness (Ps. 2:6). Not only God’s children but also His servants are enjoined in this text, as well as in Chapter 2:14. The moderator further called attention to the great privilege a congregation has when it is granted a divinely called minister.

In the second place the Rev. Lamain described the wonderful and pleasant commission of God’s servants, namely, to preach Christ. Philip preached Christ in Samaria, and he preached Jesus to the eunuch of Candace (Acts 8:5, 35). Paul writes in 1 Cor. 2:2, “For I determined not to know anything among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified.” And Peter said in Acts 4:12, “Neither is there salvation in any other for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.”

One of the old English divines, “Dr. Gill”, writes concerning the inauguration text: “Let Christ and His righteousness and mercy be the subject of your preaching. This was the case with Paul and it will also be with all faithful ministers until the end of the world when Christ returns on the clouds of heaven. No other foundation can be laid then Jesus Christ. Our false foundation must be removed, and everything of man must be taking away, so that God will be glorified in His own work.

The moderator further pointed out the necessity of the revelation of Christ as declared in Matthew 16:16 and Galatians 1:15, 16. Not only the glory of His Person as the God-Man, but also the fullness and riches of His saving work must be presented to an empty, unworthy, and hell-worthy sinner. A minister must present a fitting object for a fitting subject.

The Spirit of God must make room for such preaching in the congregation as well as in the hearts of the hearers. His message of salvation is not a message of man’s invention, nor is it to his liking by nature. The doctrine of free grace does not have many adherents as a rule, and is only accepted by those whom God prepares for it.

The moderator concluded his inaugural sermon with the sincere wish that both law and gospel, blessing and curse, life and death would be preached; and that God might be glorified, Christ be exalted, and many be saved and sanctified.

After the reading of the Form of Installation, the Rev. Elshout answered the questions addressed to him by saying, “Yes, truly with all my heart”. Then the moderator spoke a few personal words to the minister and his wife and children, whereupon he requested the congregation to stand and sing Psalter 348:4, and then pronounced the benediction.

Since no other ministers from the classis were present, due in part to the great distances, the Rev. Lamain addressed the new minister in its behalf. He said that the problems in the church are multiplied: they were present in the Classis Far West, they were also present in the Classis Middle West. We would do well to mourn the breaking down of Joseph and constantly confess: “We have offended God on high and have departed from the way…” Each and every one of us need such a broken heart and contrite spirit, and only then is there hope for the congregation. The moderator concluded by saying: “May the Lord richly bless your labors also in this Classis.”

After the intermission, the congregation again gathered, this time to hear their own minister for the first time. Rev. Elshout read from II Corinthians 5, verses 17 through 21, and sought the Lord’s blessing in prayer. His text was taken from the portion of Scripture which he had read, only these words, “Be ye reconciled to God” (verse 20). He explained how these words should be understood in three different ways—

(1) Be ye RECONCILED to God;

(2) Be YE reconciled to God; and

(3) BE ye reconciled to God.

Under the first are included the necessity of a reconciliation, the possibility thereof, the way to a reconciliation, the proofs and fruits of it, the profit of a reconciliation, and the solidity thereof. Secondly, these words were expressed as a personal matter for each of his hearers, as no one was excluded because of the past, the present, of age, or anything else. In the third place he pointed out that we cannot do this ourselves. We need a Mediator and we need the Holy Spirit. Both false activism and false passivism were both refuted.

He explained to the congregation that the message given him by the Lord at the commencement of his ministry was “To the poor, out of grace”, and this was the message he wished to continually set before them. He hoped that the congregation would accept him and his family in love, but with the understanding that they, too, were but human. A word of appreciation was spoken to the consistory, to those who had worked on the parsonage, to the Dorcas Guild members, and to all who had made his transfer so much easier for them. He also directed appropriate words to all his hearers, also to the mayor of Kalamazoo, who was present that evening.

Rev. Lamain then spoke a few words of welcome in behalf of the classis, and Elder J. Beeke welcomed him in behalf of the consistory and congregation. After expressing his thanks for the words spoken, Rev. Elshout gave the benediction, bringing to a close a memorable evening for the congregation of Kalamazoo.

The address of Rev. Elshout is 112 Pratt Road, Kalamazoo, Michigan 49001, and his telephone number area code 616/381-0999.

Some years ago, a friend of a clergyman still living, said to him, “You have a very large family, Sir; you have just as many children as the patriarch Jacob had.” “True,” answered the good old divine, “and I have Jacob’s God to provide for them.”

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