1929 - August 28 - 1979 ANNIVERSARY OF THE ORDINATION OF REV. W. C. LAMAIN

The Lord willing, August 28 will be the day that Rev. Lamain will have the privilege to commemorate the 50th anniversary of his ordination as a minister by the late Rev. G.H. Kersten in his first congregation at Leiden in the Netherlands. The text on that occasion was Isaiah 62:6a. He served the congregation of Leiden for three years, and then accepted a call to Rotterdam-Zuid. His last congregation in the Netherlands was Rijssen. When he was called by the congregation of Grand Rapids, he left the Netherlands in the early part of 1947, and now has served the congregation there for thirty-two years.

Although he has been in America for so many years, he has never forgotten the old country, as can be seen in the vast amount of his correspondence and published material. Through his articles in the Saambinder and his many visits to the Netherlands, the ties remain unbroken.

This aniversary date is a day to remember, as the Lord has said that we may not forget His benefits (Psalm 103:2). I was asked by friends to write a few words regarding it for the Banner of Truth, of which he is the editor. Although among the ministers here in the United States and Canada, I have served with him for the least number of years, I could not refuse to do this; however, I do so with a certain sense of hesitance.

We may say that he has labored very much in the Vineyard through sermons and in church meetings during his ministry with all the talents which the Lord has granted him. Perhaps he has recorded how many times he has preached here and there, in all kinds of buildings and churches, and in a variety of circumstances. Many are the marriages in which he officiated and the funerals which he conducted. Looking back upon all those years, it will be his desire to acknowledge the Lord with the apostle Paul: "But by the grace of God I am what I am: and His grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vain; but I labored more abundantly than they all; yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me."

Eternity shall reveal the fruits of his work in the Vineyard, as commanded by his Sender, to the extension of God's kingdom and to the edifying of His people. Speaking about the ministry, he once said, "To make or prepare a sermon is a very heavy task; to deliver a sermon is a very responsible task; to publish a sermon is a very dangerous task."

I once read the impression of a minister (not of our congregations) regarding Rev. Lamain. This minister had heard him preach during one of his many visits to the Netherlands. He wrote: "He is now in his sixties, but is still vital as always. For a short time he with his wife is in his dear old country, and this week he hopes to baptize one of his grandchildren. So it was not such a wonder that in this service many personal impressions and experiences of his youth and the experience of God's faithfulness and kindness toward him were heard. According to men who are wiser than I am, this does not belong to the preaching of the Word. I myself am not of the same opinion, and I can say that I was happy with it. Brother, tell boldly what the Lord has done in our life; the Lord Himself shall be glorified in it. Rev. Lamain told me, 'I have preached now more than forty years, and until now I don't dislike it'."

May we be grateful to God for that which the Lord has given out of grace to our beloved brother, who has such a great place in our congregations. It is not only our personal wish and prayer, but I trust also of the readers of the Banner of Truth and of the Saambinder and the members of all of our congregations with their officebearers, that the Lord will remember him with his wife, his family and his congregation with His tender mercies. May the Lord bring them on that day and in the future to that place where only the Lord can bring us, to His glory and the welfare of our souls. It is as with the poet of ancient times, praying, "What shall I render unto the Lord for all His benefits toward me?"

We hope that the Lord may spare him in his old age with his dear ones, and anoint him with the Holy Spirit. May by grace his labors also in the future be in the token and meaning of the text by which he commenced his ministry, namely Acts 13:38-39, "Be it known unto you therefore, men and brethren, that through THIS MAN is preached unto you the forgiveness of sins: and by HIM all that believe are justified from all things, from which ye could not be justified by the law of Moses."

St. C.

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