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guest blog by Pastor Matt Waterstone, First Reformed Church of South Holland
Matt Waterstone is senior pastor of First Reformed Church in South Holland, Illinois. He enjoys spending time with his church members who live at Holland Home.
(NOTE: The blog that follows was originally written as a letter from Pastor Matt Waterstone to his congregation. That letter became a weekly letter, which later became a weekly blog. Because of Pastor Matt’s relationship with Providence Life Services, he was not only willing to share this letter on the Providence Life Services blog, he also linked us to updated information about Jeanette Gouwens, the resident highlighted below.)
It was a dreary Monday afternoon, and I had already gotten all of my typical Monday work done. Order of Worship was in good shape; I had memorized Sunday’s Scripture passage and had already tied any loose ends from last week. So, after visiting Cora VanDerBilt at Ingalls Hospital, I made my way over to Holland Home.
I first stopped at the little fellowship hall they have next to the gift shop and had a cup of coffee with Bertha Van Milligan and a dear woman named Edna. We didn’t exchange last names, but she kept inquiring about my marital status.… (Interesting, I thought.) I then took the elevator upstairs and knocked on Jeanette Gouwens’ door. This is where I experienced joy.
Jeanette let me in to her beautiful, warm room. Together we sat for the better part of an hour, talking about church and playing Dutch Bingo. (Her son-in-law works at Western Seminary and actually recruited me to go to Western!) Jeanette’s late husband’s name was Tys (what a great name!), and I made a mental note about that name for future Waterstone boys.
As Jeanette was talking about Tys, her face kind of squinted together, and she said, “O, how we’ve been blessed by God! You can’t imagine how much we’ve been blessed by God, Pastor.” Being the inquisitive young pastor that I am, I asked her to share a few of those blessings.
For starters, she shared that every single one of her kids and grandkids professes Jesus as Lord. Next, she shared that none of her family had been riven by divorce. Finally, she shared that she had been able to be with Tys when he went on to glory. Three profound blessings, shared with obvious joy.
When I read about corrupt political leaders and shaky financial futures, the darkness from the outside starts to get to my insides. I need more times with people like Jeanette to remind me of God’s blessings. I need her example, her encouragement, her testimony.
The more time I spend with Providence residents like Jeannette, the more I am reminded of God’s faithfulness. It’s a genuine joy for me to serve in a setting where I can continually learn from these senior saints!
_____
Pastor Matt shares additional thoughts about Providence residents in two videos on our website — Precious Residents and Living Gems.
by Melanie Jongsma, Director of Communications
As part of our ongoing celebration of our 50th year of ministry, Providence Life Services has been hosting a series of “History Meetings” with key members of the Providence family. At a May 27 meeting with Providence Ambassadors (agroup of volunteers who represent Providence in their home churches), one of the honored guests was George Cooper. George was one of the original elders at Second Christian Reformed Church of Engelwood who heard the plea of members who needed Christian options for family members who needed nursing care.
George shared his memories of those early beginnings, as recorded in the video below. The letter he refers to in the video is shown at left. If you click on the small image here, a larger, more readable version of the letter will open up.
by Melanie Jongsma, Director of Communications
The banner ministry at First Reformed Church in Lansing (Illinois) has been designing and creating banners for 10 years. The four women who comprise this ministry estimate they’ve created at least 60 banners for their church — marking the liturgical seasons, various Scripture truths, and Christian holidays.
When fellow church member and Providence employee Nancy Van Drunen approached the women about creating banners for the Providence campus in Palos Heights, they agreed.
Ruth Dekker, Kathy Carlson, Doris Dokter, and Ann Brouwer estimate they spent 8-10 hours on each of the nine banners that now adorn the Providence chapel. The banners were dedicated in a special ceremony last fall. Chaplain Phil Tjolker led the group in a service that included singing, Scripture, and a responsive reading. “Father in heaven, we dedicate these banners to your service,” participants prayed in unison. “We pray that they will glorify you and bless your saints who worship you in this place. In all things may Christ be praised! Amen.”
Glimpses of Providence 