Who We Are: Family & Adult Ministries Elder
Eric VanHofwegen
Where were you born? What was your childhood like?
I was born in Sioux Center, Iowa, but moved to California when I was 3 years old. I lived for a few years in the Central Valley farmland town of Hanford and moved to San Jose (Silicon Valley), in the San Francisco Bay Area, before 4th grade. We were members of the small and only CRC church in San Jose, which is a metro area double the size of the Grand Rapids metro area. I graduated from a multi-denominational evangelical Christian high school called Valley Christian in San Jose (not to be confused with Valley Christian in Bellflower, CA near Los Angeles). Our family had a tradition of going to Calvin College so I too came to Michigan to attend college along with my sister and several cousins from California.
How did you meet your significant other?
I met my wife, Lisa, at Calvin. She is from Hudsonville, so we decided to stay in the area. I thought I might convince Lisa to move to California when we were talking about marriage, but I learned quickly that she was not interested. Marrying her was certainly worth staying in Michigan, she is now a 3rd grade teacher. Also, I do enjoy living in Michigan now, even if it was hard to adjust to the weather initially. I like the seasons and natural beauty here and I actually even like the snow. Growing up, we would drive up to ski and snowboard by Lake Tahoe and our family enjoys getting out a few times each winter to do the same here in Michigan. However, by April I’m definitely ready for warm weather again, so we usually join half of West Michigan and drive down to Florida for spring break to get a little early shot of warmth again.
How did you come to faith in the Lord?
I was blessed to have parents, grandparents, and faithful church members teach me in my youth about the Lord and His great love for us, how we can see that most clearly in Jesus’ death on the cross for our sins and His resurrection from the dead.
The Lord himself has worked in my life to bring me closer to Him through many experiences and plenty of failures on my part. He is such a faithful God, though, and through some of the more difficult times I’ve had, He has revealed idols in my life and made me more and more dependent on him alone for all of my joy and security. The gospel is such great news! I’ve learned that I can’t create my own self-worth or security, or earn God’s love and acceptance - even though I’ve certainly tried. The beauty is that I don’t have to try - Jesus has done it all on the cross for me - it’s already done and finished!
So, with God’s help, I eventually found that my only real, true identity, self-worth and security is found in the fact that I know that God accepts and loves me as His child with the same love He has for the Son. Not for anything I’ve done or ever could do, but only by accepting His gift of pure grace and finally resting and putting ALL of my trust in Christ. Besides, no other source of security or confidence in this world even comes close in comparison. In knowing that now, what else can I do but follow Him and fully trust in HIS victory over death and sin? I certainly can’t trust myself - I know that doesn’t work. Praise God for His great mercy and love!
Where have you worked and where do you work now?
I work at Gordon Food Service doing Supply Chain type stuff. Supply chains are quite the mess right now, but it’s a good challenge.
What were some experiences that have helped shape you?
Moving 2,000 miles away from home for college certainly shaped me. I learned some stuff the hard way and still do, at times, but God has guided me through. Meeting my wife has been the biggest life shaping event. She kept me here in Michigan and has been a huge blessing in my life, helping me grow in many ways. Having 3 wonderful children and raising them with her, and seeing them grow physically and spiritually has been an absolute joy and a blessing as well.
What are your hobbies and passions?
I enjoy watching and following my old Bay Area pro sports teams (SF Giants & 49ers and Golden State Warriors). I root for the Michigan teams as well, but they’ve been a little harder to get excited about lately. I enjoy watching and cheering at our children’s fun and plentiful activities of baseball, basketball, volleyball, softball, soccer, swimming, orchestra, band and theater. I’m also an avid reader of Christian books and listener of Christian podcasts that push me to continue to grow in my faith and wrestle with difficult questions.
When/how/why did you come to Hillside?
We came to Hillside in 2013, I believe. We chose Hillside because we were convicted and challenged by the preaching of God’s word here. We also really enjoyed the worship time, and appreciated the high value placed in faith formation in the church’s youth that we happened to see very clearly and personally on a profession of faith Sunday! Our family joined a Care Circle early on and have enjoyed the many relationships we developed there and through serving and sending our children to the ministries here at church. I’ve also joined the Tuesday morning men’s Bible study group and have been extremely blessed by studying the Word with a group of men from different backgrounds and stages of life all devoted to trying to honor and glorify God in their daily lives.