Bill Voortman: An Encourager

Bill Voortman was an encourager.

He encouraged many Kingdom causes and the institutions that embodied and advanced those causes.

Bill Voortman was a builder.

He had the gift of foresight, and he was often an early advocate of new ways of doing things that would have an outsized impact.

Bill Voortman encouraged the establishment of the Christian School Foundation. And his support was instrumental in helping to build it. Both directly and through the William Voortman Fund he established, Bill responded to our initiatives, our requests and (at times) our pleas. But he didn’t only respond. He also spurred on initiatives, nudged us forward, and gave us confidence that there were like-minded supporters who could be counted on.

Bill Voortman was unfailingly positive, expressed genuine joy when he saw an idea become reality,  and throughout he maintained a winsome humility.

When he and his foundation donated the building to the Christian School Foundation – just one recent example of the generosity that helped ground our Foundation – we were very excited to suggest that we name the building the William Voortman Ministry Centre. His children – very familiar with his humility – said he would resist the idea, and resist it he did. We gently persisted, telling him how much it would mean to us, and he did eventually relent, but with one condition that we did not see coming: we were not to make this public, or put up any sign, until after he had passed away.

On Easter Sunday, our Foundation lost a great friend and a great champion for Christian education. We will dearly miss his kind encouragement and his humble, joy-filled nature. Rest in peace Bill Voortman, dear brother in Christ.