Rev. Jacob Eppinga

The Rev. Jacob Eppinga, age 90, known by name to Christ his Savior, died on March 1, 2008. This was "home-going" for one who served his Lord long and well. He was a beloved preacher, pastor, author, husband, father, grandfather, great-grandfather, brother, uncle--and counselor and friend to many more than can be named here. Born to believing parents in June 1917, in Detroit, Michigan, he is survived by his wife, Anne Gertrude Batts; children, Dick and Judy, Jay and Shirley (grandchildren, Matthew, Margaret Anne and Jeff Fierstine, and Laura, and great-grandchildren, Evyn and Claire), Susan and Mike McCarthy, and Deanna and John DeVries (grandchildren, Chelsea and Brittany DeVos). He is survived also by brothers and sisters, Stuart and Helene, Johan and Betsy, Pieter, John and Ruth Batts, Herm and Marge Batts, and Jerry and Arlyn Batts. There are many special nephews and nieces as well. Rev. Eppinga graduated from Calvin College, Westminster Theological Seminary, and Calvin Theological Seminary and studied further at Union Theological Seminary in Virginia and at Cambridge University's Westminster College. He served the Christian Reformed Church of Dearborn, Michigan, from 1944 to 1951, Grand Rapids' Highland Hills (now West End) Christian Reformed Church from 1951 to 1954, and LaGrave Avenue Christian Reformed Church in downtown Grand Rapids from 1954 to 1987, retiring after leading the church through its centennial celebration. During his long retirement Rev. Eppinga preached and spoke nearly weekly. On Sunday, September 18, 2005, he preached at LaGrave Avenue CRC on the sixtieth anniversary of his ordination. When forced by cancer to cease preaching in the late fall of 2007, he cancelled engagements throughout 2008 and 2009. Rev. Eppinga was the author of ten books, from (Eerdmans, 1954) to (CRC Publications, 1999), including (Hoekstra, 1987, a history of LaGrave Avenue CRC), and (CRC Publications, 1996). He also was the long-time author of the "Of Cabbages and Kings" column in , the magazine of the Christian Reformed Church. The publication of his last such article, planned for September 2008, will mark precisely the column's fortieth anniversary. Over the course of his long career, Rev. Eppinga served on numerous denominational classical committees and synodical committees, including the Inter-Church Relations Committee, and also on denominational boards, including CRC Publications and the Back to God Hour, for which he served five years as president. Three times he was president of the Synod of the Christian Reformed Church; he served also on the boards of Pine Rest Christian Hospital and the Grand Rapids Young Men's Christian Association. He was a decades-long member of Grand Rapids Rotary Club. Jacob Dirk Eppinga was shaped by his Christian home, church, and school. As a child he spoke Dutch in his home, English on the street, and German in the German Lutheran School he attended prior to the establishment of the Grosse Pointe Christian Day School in the Grosse Pointe CRC, to which he transferred. Musically talented, in high school his final examination required him to play all the instruments in the band and orchestra. His church was the center of his life--spiritually, educationally, and socially. On November 10, 1940 he married a fellow church member and fellow student, Anne Gertrude Batts. They were married for over 67 years. In recent years he gave up golf, but remained a hopelessly devoted fan of the Detroit Tigers, some of whose players, like Charlie Gehringer, he knew personally in his childhood. All their lives Rev. and Mrs. Eppinga have been committed to the cause of Christian education. The same is true for foreign missions, especially in Nicaragua and Cuba; in both places he played a pivotal role in the development of national churches. In his retirement he was a tireless booster of the Christian Reformed Church in Cuba. Under Rev. Eppinga's leadership, LaGrave Avenue Christian Reformed Church became one of the largest in the denomination. Initially he did all the preaching, calling, and catechism instruction. Eventually there came a part-time secretary, then a part-time seminarian, then providentially a full-time secretary in the person of Mrs. Ruth Snoek, and finally a team ministry with the Rev. John Steigenga. Rev. Eppinga instituted programs and practices that since have become standard in Christian Reformed churches across the continent--for example, coffee times after the services and robust organizations for high-school youth and collegians. Other visionary actions remain virtually unique in the denomination--Boy Scouts, the Henry Beets Mission Society to support mission endeavors outside of the regular church missions budget, and the Benefactors Trust Fund. This last is an independent trust that furthers the mission of the church; established in 1964 with a gift of $25.00 from Rev. and Mrs. Eppinga, its assets now exceed $1 million despite having funded hundreds of projects over the decades. Rev. Eppinga received many awards and honors during his career. He was named Chair of Michigan's Spiritual Foundations Day by former Governor George Romney. In 1983 he received The Distinguished Alumni Award from Calvin College and Seminary. In 2007 he was accorded an honorary doctoral degree in theology by Westminster Theological Seminary. But the title of which he was most proud and for which he was most grateful is "minister of the Gospel of Jesus Christ." His family and friends mourn his passing, but we do not grieve as those without hope. To our risen Lord we commend his spirit. Visitation is planned for Tuesday, March 4, at LaGrave Avenue CRC from 2 till 4 p.m. and from 7 to 9 p.m. The funeral service will be held in the church at 11 a.m. on Wednesday, March 5. The family will greet guests beginning at 10 a.m. and all are invited for a light lunch after the service. Contributions in memory of Rev. Eppinga may be made to the Henry Beets Mission Society of LaGrave Avenue CRC for the CRC in Cuba, to Calvin Theological Seminary, to Westminster Theological Seminary (Philadelphia), and to Home Repair Services of Grand Rapids. Zaagman Memorial Chapel