Wednesday, October 18, 2000 — North Shore News - 23

Mi2 AUTO WELCOMES ERIC MARTIN r

Owners Mark and Mike are proud to have Eric join our staff.
Eric has over 20 years experience as a licensed mechanic
and is formerly from Carter Chev Olds. Eric was born and
raised on the North Shore and invites all his former customers

reverend retires

the congregation, because we
were conscious of the need to

Robert Dunn
Contributing Writer

of my ministry, 've worked
with voung, folks. Lots of

TO the North Shore
congregations he has
served for more than
two decades, Rev. John
Gouws has become
‘known for calming
troubled waters or
worries about tomor-
row with words like .
these: “Be faithful to
the now, and the future
will take care of itself.”

Says Joan, his wite of 36
years: “I can always see it in
his | personal philosophy. ‘Just
wait,’ he'll say, ‘and it'll work

Recently retired as senior
minister of West Vancouver
* United Church, Rev. Gouws
and his wife will be toasted at
a dinner in their honour, on
Friday night at the North
Shore Conference Centre
(tickets available from the
» Cherch at 922-9171),
oo: It was 2] years ago this
~ month that the Gouws —°
*, along with 12-year-old
*, daughter Bronwen and 10-
-- year-old son Mark — arrived
“from South Affica.
“All we had were eight lit-
tle suitcases, and about $24,”
he says (a small crate of

belongings would follow). “I

remember we said that if
nobody meets us we'll have
to take a bus to the North

~ “Kids were coming tothe

” door that night saying ‘Trick

or treat...trick or treat!"” Rev... |

Gouws recalls with a laugh.
“We didn’t know what they
were saying, because we had
no Halloween in South
Africa. They were holding

out their hands, so I was giv-

ing them money!” *
After five years at St.
David’s United Church, he’
ucceeded the retiring Rev.
Tom Oliver, who passed away
earlier this year, as scnior,
minister at West Yancouver.

It .was the boldest geographi-*

cal move of an ecumenical

career that began when, at 28. |
and after almost 10 years:

working for the “Anglo- | ...
Asnerican Corporation, he

became’an ordained minister. :

In the choir, he spotted ’.
Joan; a hair stylist for. many

of Johannesburg’s socialites.
We were engaged for six.

years,” she says. “In those /
days, a minister couldn’t get

married until he had finished

his training.” - :

+ Ordained in the ;
Methodist Church, Rev,
Gouws made three. stops on
the way to British Columbia.

Durban,’ Ladysmith (the ”
one on Vancouver Island is
named after it), Bryanston
and Amanzimtoti, on the’
ccast of the Indian Ocean,
where he had two churches
and drove 3,000 miles a’
month to serve five small |: :
“farm”. churches i in outing

they.
was divine right and provi

ey
him the Flying | Parson.”
He became ‘a ministe

the chutch and built a coffe

times, Pve camped out with
teenagers and gone to youth
camps. I’ve always been more
concerned about doing what
we can for young people and
their families today, than
about using them to build
the church of the future. If
you serve them today, the
future will rake care of. itself.”

Originally planning to
leave South Africa for the
U.K., the U.S. or New
Zealand, Rev. Gouws struck
up friendships with three
North Shore colleagues: Tom
Oliver, who spent time and
became an occasional golf
partner of his in Durban
while on a ministerial
exchange; Cliff Henning,
who switched pulpits with
Rev. Oliver and later became
minister at North Lonsdale
United; and Ron Smith, who
invited him to be a visiting
minister at St. David's for
three months in the spring of
1979.

Joha and Joan returned to
South Africa that summer, to
initiate their immigration.

“We've been happy in all

our appointments,” says
John. “They’ve all been
places where we could spend

” the rest of our lives. West

Vancouver was like the pinna-
cle for me. Even in trying
times, it’s always been a
happy congregation. For
many years, we were trying
to bui ld d the younger end of

serve young families. That
was a whole change in philos-
ophy and the congregation
accepted it. As I got older, I
got more involved in Caring
Ministry, which was started

‘by Rev. Paul MacKinnin and

lan Andrews (West
Vancouver lay preacher).”

He will continue to serve
in the church's Caring,
Ministry program, occasion-
ally giving his successor —
Rev. Don Collett — a day off
in the pulpit.

“Dve never come across a
church like this one,” he says.
“It has an active membership
of about 600 people and
there must be at least 400
people involved in lay leader-
ship or as volunteers at any
given time. It’s incredible.
And Don’s an excellent min-
ister, and a good guy. We're
very lucky to have found
him.” :

And the Gouws legacy?

“I was playing golf with a
friend of mine one day,”
replies Rev. Gouws, who
loves the game. “His father
had died, and he said to me:
John, let’s be honest about
this legacy thing. The odd
person, like Churchill, has
left a mark on history. For
the rest of us, our genes are
with our children. Our genes
are part of their fife. That’s
the legacy.””

In other words, the future

> will cake care of it.

to visit him in his new location at M2 Auto.

FALL BRAKE SPECIAL

RECEIVE 35 Ser B@ntix®

BRAKE PADS OR SHOES.

When installed by M2 Auto includes most cars
and trucks with
* plus tax & installation

DUE TO HIGH CUSTOMER DEMAND SPECIALS HELD OVER TILL NOV. 18/00:
We honour all competitors’ fetime warranties on brake shoes & pads.

FALL TUNE UP SPECIAL $

4 cyl. starting at
Specials on 6 ey: & 8 cyt as wel

& tox. Mast vehides

machining of rotors or drums

Owners Mark and Mike are factory tra ined deolership operon
mechanics without the ottude or price. ;

© PICKUP & DROP OFF SERVICE © COURTESY CARS AVAILABLE
© OPEN San - Sem, MON-FRI, SATURDAYS 9-5

© 24 HR EMERGENCY SERVICE: MARK 73 15-2625, MIKE 728-2625

987-2009 |

f*20% SENIORS DISCOUNT OFF LABOUR

1170 West 14th St. North Van. ;

1/2 block east of Pemberton :

Rot available

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bar,” he'says. “It became our
coffee-house ministry

Friday and Saturday nights,

ard Sunday after church. Al