By Jill Fennema –

Pastor Tim Ouwinga of the Pipestone Christian Reformed Church has retired from the ministry. He preached his farewell sermon last Sunday, January 24.

Tim and Deb Ouwinga came to the Pipestone CRC in June 2009. They had previously been in Orange City, Iowa, where he was the pastor at First Christian Reformed Church. 

Pastor Ouwinga grew up in Michigan and later the Willmar area. His father was also a pastor. He graduated from Central Christian High School in Prinsburg, which is also where he met his wife, Deb Groen. 

It was in high school that he first felt led to become a pastor. “I saw how my dad was able to have a positive influence on people’s lives for the Lord, and wanted to use my gifts in this way,” Pastor Ouwinga said.

He then went on to Calvin College in Grand Rapids, Mich., for his pre-seminary and seminary studies. 

His first pastorate was in Inwood, Iowa, where he began serving in 1981. After several years there, he took a call to Racine, Wisconsin, where he served for 10 years. This would be followed by 10 years in Orange City, and now 11 years in Pipestone.

He considers his preaching style to be conversational or teaching style. His theology is heavily influenced by R.C. Sproul, a modern Reformed theologian who passed away a few years ago. Sproul was the president of Ligonier Ministries, which puts out a lot of Reformed literature and teaching tools, as well as hosting conferences throughout the year. Pastor Ouwinga has attended several of their conferences over the years.

The Ouwinga’s children came of age in Iowa, and that is where their two sons and their daughter are raising their families, and where Tim and Deb are retiring to. They are looking forward to spending more time with their eight grandchildren. While they are currently looking for a church home there, Pastor Ouwinga plans to eventually assist with preaching in that area. He is also looking forward to being on the receiving end of preaching for a change. 

They moved back to Iowa in November and Pastor Ouwinga planned to preach his farewell sermon on January 10, but there were several in the congregation either with COVID-19 or on quarantine, so the official ending to his Pipestone ministry was this past weekend instead.

He preached on the theme “Finally, Goodbye” from the words in II Corinthians 13:11-14, which speaks of rejoicing and encouraging one another, and living in peace.

For the complete article, please see the January 27th edition of the Edgerton Enterprise. If you do not currently receive the Enterprise, CLICK HERE for information on how to subscribe!