16 Jan GS 1980 art 18

GS 1980 ARTICLE 18

Congratulations –  Rev. C. Van Dam

The Chairman requests the members of Synod to sing Psalm 98:1, 2. On behalf of Synod and the Churches, he welcomes the Rev. C. Van Dam who has entered the meeting and congratulates him with his appointment as Professor of Old Testament at the Theological College. He expresses the fact that the appoint­ment was a unanimous one on the part of Synod. He remarks that this joyous occasion is made even more so by the fact that Rev. C. Van Dam has been a student at the Theological College and that from our own Churches a man has come forward who is fully qualified to fill the coming vacancy. He wishes the Rev. C. Van Dam much wisdom from the Lord in coming to a decision that will be to His glory and to the upbuilding of the Churches.

The Chairman, the Rev. D. VanderBoom, then gives Rev. C. Van Dam the opportunity to address Synod. Rev. Van Dam expresses his thankfulness for the confidence that Synod has placed in him. He also thanks Synod for the invitation to come out from the West in order to meet with Synod. If he is led to accept this appointment he promises that he will endeavour to do the work for which he has been called to the utmost of his ability, in faithfulness to the Word and to the glory of the LORD.

Professor Dr. J. Faber, Principal of the Theological College, is given the floor and he too expresses his thankfulness for the appointment of the Rev. C. Van Dam. In addition to the fact that the College will now receive back one of its own “products,” he also notes it is very important to appoint to this position a young man who will have, D.V., many years to contribute to the Old Testament Department. This Department has experienced its difficulties in the past, among them the passing of Professor F. Kouwenhoven and the two year vacancy that followed; however, now it has appointed a successor to Prof. Ors. H.M. Ohmann who will hopefully have a great future ahead of him. It is truly a historic moment in the life of the Churches.

The members of Synod receive the opportunity to congratulate the Rev. C. Van Dam with his appointment.

Thereafter, the Chairman states that seeing as Synod appointed Prof. H.M. Ohmann in 1971, it is only proper that Synod 1980 state its great appreciation for his many years of faithful labours at the College. He also congratulates Prof. Ors. H.M. Ohmann on his appointment to the chair of Old Testament at the Theolo­gische Hogeschool, Kampen, The Netherlands.

Prof. Ors. H.M. Ohmann responds to the words of the Chairman by expres­sing his thankfulness with this moment. He congratulates his successor on his appointment and hopes that the future will reveal an even closer co-operation between Hamilton and Kampen. He is grateful for the work that he was able to do in Canada and extends the wish that the LORD will bless the federation of the Canadian Reformed Churches.