Gospel class
Shared by Sherri Langton , Orange City, IA
I took "gospel class" with Dr. Vander Werff. It was scheduled Monday/Wednesday/Friday during 1st hour. As with most 1st hour courses, there were many who either showed up late or dozed off during class. It was their loss.
Beyond Dr. Vander Werff's thorough knowledge of the Bible, I so appreciated his sense of humor. The way that he would very quietly and subtly share a "one-liner" that would have me laughing so hard, I would fall out of my chair. Then, Dr. Vander Werff and those of us who were paying attention would get to share another laugh as the dozing students would wake up and say, "What? What's so funny?"
I will never forget his loving and accepting heart. He had such a gentle spirit. I am a better person because of his example. What a blessing he has been to so many lives!
A challenge to me
Shared by Mark Bloemendaal , Orange City, IA
Dr. Vander Werff asked us to pick up our Gospels tests at the end of the class period. When he handed me my test, he quietly said, "You are a much better student than this." He was right, and I had to confess I was not working very hard in this general studies class. That one statement made me realize that if he cared enough to know that I was underperforming, I needed to care enough to do my best. It changed my entire approach to college, and I am grateful for his concern. I later really came to appreciate him as a colleague in the mission of NWC, and admired his relentless pursuit of providing an opportunity for international students to be educated in a Christian environment with the hope that they could impact the world for Christ. He was a true example of a servant.
Tireless Kingdom worker
Shared by Mike Yoder , Orange City, IA
Lyle was at the peak of his career when I arrived at NWC as a junior faculty member in 1982. Words I would use to describe him would be tireless, dedicated, unrelenting, unwaveringly Christian, and world citizen. It is largely because of Lyle's efforts that our international student program began to attract significant numbers of international students, especially from Japan. A former pastor and missionary himself, Lyle didn't stop spreading the good news of the gospel when he became an academic. He always sought to bring others to Christ. And he helped me to have a vision of God's kingdom as one without earthly national boundaries, where persons of various nationalities, languages, tongues, denominations and races are united in Christ. Well done, good and faithful servant. You are gone from our midst, but your heritage and example live on.
Lyle's legacy
Shared by Ron Juffer , Orange City, IA
Lyle had unlimited energy. When you walked on campus with Lyle, you could hardly stay up with him. He was involved with practically every committee we had on campus in addition to teaching a full load, advising 40-50 students, and then recruiting numerous international students. When Lyle arrived at Northwestern as a faculty member we were still living with a partial junior college image; when he retired, we were a well-respected college with this transition largely the result of his efforts.
Friend and colleague
Shared by Ron Takalo , Iron River, MI
I first got to know Lyle well when I started teaching ESL in the Summer Institute that he started. I ended up teaching in the institute for 16 wonderful years. We had such fun with the students both on and off campus on our excursions. Then I became Lyle's neighbor, and we discovered our mutual love of the outdoors, and went fishing, hunting and trapshooting together. What a wonderful friend Lyle became, and I have many wonderful memories of our time together. God bless and keep you, Lyle.
Lyle Vander Werff will not be forgotten at NWC
Shared by Bruce Murphy , Orange City, IA
Lyle Vander Werff invested 31 years in Northwestern College. He will be remembered as a professor with high academic standards, as ever the missionary with a love for God’s word and God’s world, and as a mentor not only to many pre-seminary students, but also to students who struggle with the demands of college.
I would like to share two stories with you about Dr. Vander Werff:
As a former missionary, Lyle came to Northwestern with a vision for connecting NWC and northwest Iowa with the Far East. He wanted to develop sister school relationships with institutions in Japan, Hong Kong and South Korea. And he wanted to create a summer institute where students from these schools would come to learn English and be introduced to the gospel—-not necessarily in that order.
At the time, Northwestern was having financial difficulties and the program costs, though not high, would be cumbersome. But Lyle was persistent—-he simply wouldn’t take no for an answer. He wasn’t obstinate in his determination, however. He gained respect for being a person who thought things through and then, when given an opportunity, could be counted on to follow through.
Finally, the institute became a reality, and over the years hundreds of students came from the Far East as well as other parts of the world, and many became Christians.
One of Lyle’s students in his freshman biblical studies course was not doing well. He didn’t like college, and he handed in a paper that he hadn’t put much work into. The student got the paper back from Professor Vander Werff all marked up in red with a big F and a note from Lyle, “Please come to see me.” The student thought he would go and be chastised, but Lyle didn’t respond as expected. He told the student he could do better and committed to working with the student to see that he did. The student stayed in school, graduated and became a significant businessman in northwest Iowa. This alumnus told me this story when I came back to town and then added, “I now pray for Northwestern every day.”
Dr. Lyle Vander Werff will not be forgotten at Northwestern College.
First professor
Shared by Kari Broadway , Orange City, IA
Dr. Vander Werff was the first professor I had class with when I came to NWC the first time in the fall of 1996. I had a required Biblical Faith class with him at 7:45 a.m. on Monday, Wednesday and Friday. It was in one of the 3rd floor lecture rooms before they were remodeled ... they had really tiny desks all set right next to each other in about eight rows going up the stairs. He sat us all in alphabetical order in the middle section only.
He was already struggling with Parkinson's at that time but made every effort to make sure each of us understood how important Old Testament history was. I remember so much how kind and compassionate Dr. Vander Werff was and, like others have shared, he always felt I could do better than I was.
As I struggled with depression, Dr. Vander Werff was one who always gave me a hug when he saw me and reminded me that "God has a purpose in your life." I will never forget this man. I appreciate his love for his students and NWC so much.
Thank you
Shared by Terry and Laura Muller , Adams, NE
Dr. VW was a Bible professor when we needed someone to officiate at our wedding on Dec. 27, 1969 in Chandler, Minnesota. He drove up the night before, and the day of the wedding there was a snowstorm so none of our friends from NWC came to the wedding.
We are so grateful to him for his pre-marital visits and advice and always keeping in touch with us through the years. He always treated us special--remembering the part he played in our lives and congratulating us for still being together! It will be 38 years this year. We missed him at Northwestern's pastors/wives conference April 10th this year.
We rejoice in his eternal destination, even as we say our sympathies to his wife and family, whom we never really got to know personally.
Remembrances from Keiwa College
Shared by Tokiyuki Nobuhara , Shibata City, Japan
hihoo uke
aitoo setsusetsu
haru kanashi
receiving sad news
deep condolences in heart
spring sobs bitterly
We at Keiwa College are so sad remembering dearly that Professor Vander Werff was awarded an honorary doctorate by President Muneharu Kitagaki at Keiwa College in 1996. It was a wonderful occasion on which he delivered an unforgettable speech on the importance of an international Christian academic fellowship such as we now have between our two campuses, yours in Northwestern College and ours in Keiwa College, because it conquered and far surpassed the miseries of war, World War II.
Professor Vander Werff even mentioned his own personal self-transformation at that time, one from enmity in wartime into the Christian friendship and peace of mind which secured a lifelong dedication to the divine call to what he envisioned as the first Summer Institute for International Students, through which we at Keiwa have been blessed so greatly because of his kind and competent leadership.
He also delivered a lecture on an interreligious understanding between Christianity and other religions, including especially Islam which he came to know so well as a dedicated missionary.
I never forget his joyfully smiling face and his open hands that were always waiting for our hands to shake together--especially when we visited your campus in the midst of the Tulip Festival! Glorious May in 1994! President Kitagaki and accompanying twelve persons from Keiwa and Shibata City happily rested and talked with each other on the beautiful yard of Professor and Mrs. Lyle Vander Werff's residence with them at our center.
May God bless Professor Lyle Vander Werff and his magnificent career and your college and your city on this sad occasion. I know that our Lord's blessing is gloriously eternal--beyond all vicissitudes in this world.
Tokiyuki Nobuhara
Chaplain and Professor, Keiwa College
Prayers
Shared by Harlan VanOort , Orange City, IA
Dr. Vander Werff was my academic adviser, professor and mentor. He became a parishioner, colleague and friend.
Lyle loved Jesus, wanted the whole world to know the good news of the kingdom of God, was open to the mysterious power of the Holy Spirit, and loved his neighbors. He was a model for cross-cultural sensitivity. He was convinced that the Holy Spirit called women as well as men into ministry.
As a professor he was, like many at Northwestern, gracious and demanding at the same time. In class I can remember taking notes on his prayers. They were powerful, and usually gave clues to the important points of the day’s lecture.
Unforgettable
Shared by Yoriko Dohi , Saitama, Japan
I felt very sad to hear about the news that Dr. Vander Werff passed away. His dedication for not only NWC but other Christian schools overseas was just amazing, but moreover his warmth of personality is also unforgettable for me.
I was one of those who received his International Mission Scholarship. I feel very thankful when I remember him and his support for my education at NWC that made so much impact in my life.
I pray from Japan that peace in resurrected Christ be with his family, church and NWC community.
God's ambassador to international students at NWC
Shared by Albert Okine , Orange City, IA
It is with deep sadness that I write to extend my heartfelt condolence to Mrs. Phyllis Vander Werff, their kids, grandkids and the entire Northwestern community. What a great loss to our earthly world! However, I believe a joy to the heavenly hosts.
I was a stranger, and so were most of the international students. Many of us came from places unknown to Dr. Vander Werff, yet he and Phyllis loved and nurtured us all.
Dr. Vander Werff was a representation of Christ to me. He always smiled and would stop to talk to me. He would ask how I was doing and would usually encourage me to stop by his office if I had any problems. He was our dad away from home.
I also was a recipient of the Vander Werff International Missions Scholarship, and I am forever grateful.
Dr. Vander Werff believed God had a special plan for each one of us, and that is to be witnesses for Christ in whatever profession we chose. He worked tirelessly to ensure that NWC fostered in us a strong sense/mind for missions. I know Dr. Vander Werff would be proud to know that I am I reaching out to others by way of medicine.
I pray for God to continuously bless and protect his family and the legacy of his work.
Thank you, Dr. Vander Werff! May your soul rest peacefully in the arms of God till we meet again.
A colleague and friend
Shared by Syl Scorza , Orange City, IA
Lyle was a student in my OT theology class at Western Seminary and quietly challenged Arie Brouwer and Ron Brown in their set positions.
Lyle was my colleague in the religion department and greatly improved the world religions course when he took it over from me. His earnestness won many friends for NWC and for himself.
He left a great heritage!
We will miss him
Shared by Gail Beran Neils , Seattle, WA
Dr. Vander Werff and his family were a special blessing to me during my years at Northwestern College and later in Japan. They frequently invited me to their home for Arabic tea, conversations and fun.
Dr. Vander Werff was very instrumental in helping me decide to serve in mission in Japan. This decision became long-term, and I saw the Vander Werffs several times in Japan over the continuing years as they visited Japanese graduates.
It was easy to see that Dr. Vander Werff had a deep heart for ministry to international students. His dedication and commitment touched many lives.
We will remember him fondly.
A father's heart
Shared by Royal Huang , Palo Alto, CA
Dr. Vander Werff treated me like a son. His favorite line to me was “Can we have a cup of tea together and talk?” He once told me I had the gift of teaching, which I did not fully realize until my graduate school years.
I grew very close to him while at NWC. I loved the Bible courses he taught, and my most memorable course of the entire four years at NWC was the senior seminar course he taught, "Vision for the Future." He often talked about the “Christian worldview” and the "Kingdom vision," and he helped me to catch that exciting vision of God's Kingdom. The paper I wrote for that class turned out to be the longest I ever wrote at college.
He was most instrumental in reaching out to the international students through Christian education because he had a vision. He taught the "Gospel of John" summer after summer at the Summer Institute. He planted the gospel seeds from Orange City to Asia. He was faithful in the Kingdom work.
I have many fond memories of Dr. Vander Werff. I was often invited to his home during those four years. What I looked forward to the most was spending Thanksgiving with the Vander Werffs, and after dinner, we would all decorate the family Christmas tree.
Whenever I think of him, I see his eternal, gentle, loving smile. His smile was the reflection of his deep love for God and for his students. But I also saw him cry once. It was one Sunday morning when we had our usual small Sunday school class for the international students at Hospers lounge. There were tears quietly running down his cheek during his closing prayer. He was deeply concerned about the salvation of one of his students. I saw the heart of a father going out to his child.
Dr. Vander Werff and his family had visited the place where I grew up in China and met my parents there. He and his family also visited me and my wife in California when I first started my post-doc at UC San Francisco. I look forward to the day when I can visit with him for eternity.
Mentor in mission
Shared by John Hubers , Chicago, IL
He is with his Friend now. That’s the news I got from my parents in a not unexpected e-mail. My professor, my mentor in mission, my pattern for missionary faithfulness, Dr. Lyle Vander Werff, passed on to glory.
It had been difficult to watch his slow decline into ill health over the past few years. He wasn’t himself. And although eternity is cloaked to those of us who remain on this side, it seems appropriate to say he has now become himself once again. He is with his Friend.
My own missionary journey was launched with Dr. Vander Werff’s enthusiasms. Those who sat in his classes noting his sometimes deadpan delivery style may wonder at the word “enthusiasm,” but it was always there, the enthusiasm of a man with a missionary heart who cared deeply not only for his students but for those to whom his students would be sent. And this extended well beyond the classroom.
Some of the best “home-leave” memories my wife, Lynne, and I have from the 10 years we spent with the Reformed Church mission in Arabia were of gracious, hospitable evenings at the Vander Werff home sharing our passions for the people among whom we were privileged to serve. (He and Phyllis had also spent time in the Arabian Gulf.) It was an open invitation, giving us the sense that this was a normal way of life for a professor and his wife who went far beyond the professorial call of duty--a missionary professor in the best sense of that term.
I will miss my mentor as will all others (and there were many) whose lives were shaped for service by his gentle yet always persuasive love for the global dimension of the gospel witness. If Saint Peter does, as the spiritual says, actually meet God’s people at the Pearly Gates, there is no doubt what he said to Dr. Lyle Vander Werff. The same thing those who knew him well always said: “Well done, thou good and faithful servant.”
John Hubers
Ph.D. candidate in global mission
Lutheran School of Theology
Encourager and mentor
Shared by Kristine Van Noord , Grandville, MI
I was in the last graduating class to sit under Dr. Vander Werff's instruction and advisement and had at least half a dozen courses with him. I am truly thankful for the gems of wisdom I gained from him and his continual encouragement of me as a scholar, servant and follower of Christ.
I learned so much by watching his quiet, intentional way of living. I am grateful for his years of service and the knowledge he shared from it. Even though I was just one of thousands of students he had over the years, I felt that he truly cared for me and how the Lord was leading me. And he wished to walk with me in the journey of seeking God's direction for the future.
How I long to come to my the end of my life and have touched so many!
Encourager and mentor
Shared by Jeff Taylor , Orange City, IA
As a new faculty member in the theatre and speech department at NWC, I found Lyle very encouraging. He understood my evangelical background. Once when I expressed my frustration about a friend from my past, he encouraged me to keep the relationship alive because I could be a witness to him.
I helped out Lyle with canoeing in the Summer Institue, and once when we had a lake full of foreign students who had never been in a canoe, Lyle capsized his canoe! Rather than being embarrassed, he enjoyed the merriment that went with his retrieval and his sitting at the picnic table in his dripping clothes! I'm sure Lyle's humble, fun-loving demeanor was quite a contrast to the formality that the students were used to back in their home countries.
What a brilliant, passionate, humble saint.
Servant of God, builder of a global community
Shared by Grace Lo Rohrer , Orange City, IA
Lyle and Phyllis Vander Werff are very special to me and my family. Their love has enriched our lives.
Back in 1998 when we were living in Taiwan, Lyle was our first contact with Northwestern College. He and Phyllis welcomed us to Orange City with open hearts and open hands, the way they have welcomed so many other internationals into this community.
Lyle, whom my sons always called “Uncle Lyle,” had the warmest smile and the most sincere handshake. People immediately knew he cared for them and that they could trust him.
When I think of Lyle, I think of the time my family and friends played Yahtze at his kitchen table. I think of the many treasured mementoes from friends and acquaintances all over the world that he proudly displayed in his home and proudly showed to interested visitors--each gift a link to some special person whose life he had touched in his many journies.
I think of Lyle bringing buckets of cucumbers and tomatoes from his garden to our home, to share with our family. I think of the set of chairs he gave us, and that now sit in my office here on campus.
Lyle was incredibly generous. It was easy for him to give away chairs and vegetables!
It was much harder for him to give away his international files and correspondence—-the contacts he had built up for Northwestern College over the years. Stepping down from the post of international programs director was hard for him, because that was where his heart lay. Lyle was truly a servant of the international church of Christ.
I have read many of those files. In them I can clearly see his dreams for a Northwestern College that would be truly global. I can also see how many countless hours he prayed and worked to make Northwestern College a global community. He invested enormous time and energy in his work on behalf of international students, all the while continuing to serve as a professor of religion and a husband, father and friend to countless persons. Lyle was a deep thinker. But even more, he had a huge heart and a great capacity to love and serve other people.
Every time I visit Japan, Taiwan, Korea and Hong Kong--places where Lyle built bridges between Northwestern College and sister schools--I see his footprints and I observe the fruit that has grown from the seed he planted and cultivated.
Lyle Vander Werff, servant of Christ and friend, will be missed by so many friends around the globe. The best way we can honor and remember him, then, is to uphold the principles that he believed in and continue to work to make Northwestern College a global community that welcomes all God’s people, of every race and nationality.
Father of Kristyn Joy
Shared by Sean Howe , Dallas City, IL
As indicated by their words, all of the folks on this tribute page have greatly benefited from the life of Lyle Vander Werff.
However, I can’t help but feel I have benefited the most. I will be forever grateful for the impact Lyle and Phyllis have had on their daughter—my wife, Kristyn Joy.
He left a great heritage indeed! Thank you, Dad, for an example of a life well-lived.
Thank you
Shared by Hiroyuki Iwamoto , Tokyo, Japan
I was really surprised and felt sorrow when I read the article about the death of my mentor, Dr. Vander Werff, on Northwestern's website at the begining of May. On that day, I was working at my office as usual, but for some reason, I started to think of memories from when I was a Summer Institute student at NWC in 1994.
After I came back to Japan,I never opened the Northwestern website or contacted the college. Thirteen years had already passed since then. I got the urge to know what was going on at Northwestern and how Dr. Vander Werff, our mentor for Summer Institute students, was doing. As soon as opened the website, I learned of his death.
He was a good mentor, counselor, teacher and friend for us. He took us to a lake, a baseball field, his house, the Indian festival, local churches, etc. He always smiled, had a sense of humor and made people happy. Before I left Northwestern at the end of the summer, he said, "Hiro, I know that you have been really enjoying your life at NWC. I am very happy about it." I really had a wonderful time there because he gave me a lot of wonderful experiences!
But the most wonderful gift he gave me was the Bible. He taught us the book of John in Bible class. I was not a Christian at that time, but through his teaching some verses impressed me and after I came back to Japan, I became a Christian. That is a wonderful eternal gift I had never expected!
Thanks go out to Dr. Vander Werff for all he has done for us. I'll never forget his memory.
In closing, I would like to give thank to our Lord Jesus Christ who gave me the wonderful memories with Dr. Vander Werff. Our Lord is always with him and us forever.
Tribute to a great soul
Shared by Rahul Bhandari , Washington, DC
I agree with my friend Royal Huang's sentiments. We shared many memorable times together with Dr. Vander Werff and his family.
For me, Dr. Vander Werff personified how to be Christ-like in everything we do. He appreciated, celebrated and communicated the rich differences across religions, cultures and professions while being steadfast in his faith. His lessons of love, service and fellowship are eternal: Life is sacred. Celebrate life. Care for others and for those less fortunate than you. Spread the good word. The whole world belongs to you when you belong to Christ ... and many more.
He had a tremendous zest for life with all its diversity. Dr. Vander Werff was down-to-earth, without pretensions, and with a practical sense about him. He always had the smile that we all secretly carry in ourselves and he shared his smile freely with everyone.
Dr. Vander Werff was truly a professor who made a fundamental, meaningful and lasting difference in his students' lives. I celebrate his life by living what he taught me and the life he made possible for me. Thank you, Dr. Vander Werff. We love you and miss you. I pray for peace to be with you and your global family.
