Rev. Corey Dykstra came to the end of his short earthly pilgrimage on Saturday, June 22, 2019. All the families of the Walker United Reformed Church, in Walker, Michigan, were notified by phone that evening that our brother had taken his own life. We do not know the reason for his action that afternoon, and so we leave this in the hands of our all-knowing God.
Although he was still on vacation, he and his family had returned home a few days earlier. Many of the congregation—old, young, men, women—were eagerly awaiting for eight days later when on that Lord’s Day he would once again break the bread of life to God’s people at Walker.
Only two weeks before, the Walker congregation had been filled with joy because he had announced that he had declined a call to serve in another congregation. What joy! However, that Saturday evening phone call plunged the congregation into the dark sorrow of death.
After an emotional Sunday, on Monday a congregational gathering was called by the Walker consistory. It was led very capably by Rev. Jeff Doll of the Institute for Reformed Biblical Counseling, at which many gave testimony of the impact Rev. Dykstra’s ministry had made on their lives. Young people, as well as those seasoned in their faith, spoke, many referring to one or another of his sermons. He was a gifted preacher and a concerned pastor who loved God’s people.
The following Saturday, June 29, the funeral service was held in nearby Remembrance Reformed Church in order to provide room for all who would attend. It was estimated that six hundred people gathered for a God-glorifying service, lea by Rev. Robert Van Manen, who spoke on John 10. Also participating were Rev. Jason Tuinstra, Dr. Cornell Venema, and Rev. Jeph Nobel. A moving letter from Mrs. Jill Dykstra was read. Rev. Dykstra’s young son Kyle served as one of the pallbearers. Burial was at Lamont, Michigan.
As the servant of the Lord at Walker, Pastor Dykstra made the message of the gospel clear. This, no one would question. The pastor’s message was that through faith in our Savior all our sins have been covered by his shed blood: past, present, and future. This assurance was made clear to God’s people through his preaching.
We at Reformed Fellowship came to know him well. Capably he served as secretary of the board. He had a way of making order out of our motions and discussions, thus making the minutes clear.
He was ordained in 2013 and served Walker as his first and only congregation. Rev. Dykstra leaves behind his wife, Jill; two sons, Kyle and Lucas; and a daughter, Sarah Grace, born on July 18. Our hearts go out to them in these difficult days, and to the Walker congregation. We raise them in prayer before our sovereign God, pleading that he will abundantly care for them. A husband, a father, and a man of God has been removed from us. “O God, to us show mercy.”
Rev. Jerome Julien is a retired minister in the URCNA living in Hudsonville, MI, and serves on the board of Reformed Fellowship. He and his wife, Reita, are members of Walker URC in Grand Rapids, MI.