I’m often asked, “Where are you from?”  It’s a simple question.  My answer, that I currently live and pastor in Iron Springs, Alberta, usually guarantees welcome conversation.           

“Did you grow up in southern Alberta?”  No, my birthplace is a small town called Oud-Vossemeer, in the province of Zeeland, the Netherlands.  “Your family moved to Canada?”  Yes, when I was 10, we immigrated to southern Ontario.  There, we started a fruit and vegetable farm operation called Fort Elgin Orchards, in between two small towns: Salford and Mt. Elgin.  Maybe you’ve heard of Salford Farm Machinery?  The “other” red equipment?  It’s right across the highway from our farm. 

“How about school?”  After attending grade school in Woodstock and high school in London, I moved out of country again.  This time to Sioux Center, Iowa, USA.  Where I enrolled at Dordt University in their Agriculture Business program.  “So that’s your degree?”  Actually no.  Three courses shy of graduating with a BA in Ag Business, God began catching my attention more clearly including his calling me into ministry.  I finished my studies at Dordt and moved to Grand Rapids, Michigan, where I joined and graduated from the Master of Divinity program at Calvin Theological Seminary.

“Are you married?”  Yes, I met my wife Jill at Dordt in Sioux Center.  We married in July of 1999 before our senior year at college.  After graduating from Calvin Seminary our first son was on the way, born in Sarnia, Ontario, in 2005.  Two brothers joined him in 2007 and 2009.  Jill graduated with a degree in secondary education, currently teaching early and special education in Iron Springs.

“Is Iron Springs your first church?”  The Iron Springs CRC is our fourth ministry.  We moved to this community in January of 2020 after serving Drayton CRC in Ontario, High River CRC in Alberta, and Wyoming CRC also in Ontario.

“What do you enjoy doing?”  I continue to love engaging the agriculture community.  Tinkering with the garden, photography, and my truck are relaxing activities.  Our youngest son, who has non-verbal autism, finds his happy place in our fifth wheel, so camping remains a favourite for our family.

Thanks for asking the questions!  Feel free to stop by or connect in some other way!  I’d love to chat about more about this and many other things. 

The Lord bless and keep you … Pastor Paul