Vander Werf Electric Inc.

Past

In 1983, Ralph Vander Werf founded Vander Werf Energy. For over 12 years, Ralph, along with his three sons provided Heating and Cooling as well as Electrical services for the Michiana area and beyond. In 1995, due to business growth, it was decided to incorporate the electrical department separately, and so began Vander Werf Electric Inc. For several years, we continued meeting the electrical needs of both residential and local businesses. In the mid 2000’s, as opportunities arose in the oil terminal and pipeline transportation industry, we began shifting our focus in that direction and have continued ever since. Ralph continued with Vander Werf Electric until 2011 when he became the pastor of a church in Elkhart.

Present

Ralph’s son, Phil Vander Werf, currently leads the team. Under his leadership, six of his sons are kept sufficiently busy providing our customers with a wide range of services from electrical installations and service to general maintenance. With six different personalties bringing unique strengths to the table, we’re able to team up to provide quality work with all the checks and balances that teamwork comes with.

We are a family owned and operated business. Just a father and six boys.  Some laugh at the novelty of it. Others perhaps quietly wonder how a father and his sons could possibly stay together in the same business, working alongside each other for so many years. Each of us truly count it a joy and privilege to work together, but that doesn’t mean our relationships are always what they should be. We do make mistakes and sometimes step on each other’s toes real bad. Yet we are able to forgive, forget, and keep working together for one reason– and it’s not because any of us have a special knack for keeping the peace! The key to our relationships holding together is Jesus Christ, and here’s why: God, the one powerful Creator of this universe tells us through His Word, the Bible, that we’re all rotten to the core (Romans 3:23). Every one of us is born a sinner just like everyone else in the world. It usually doesn’t take long to see even the youngest child demonstrating that fact! This sin problem is not possible for us to overcome on our own (Romans 3:10-12). Oh sure, we can do things that are “good,” but no amount of doing “good” fixes our sin problem (Titus 3:5). As brothers, we would never be able to get along, work together and love each other the way we ought to with this sin problem hanging over us. What’s more, we’re told in the Bible that the sin that we have committed must be paid for. And it makes sense, too. What kind of judge would let wrongdoing go without requiring payment for the wrong? Let’s look at it this way: what murderer should be allowed to go free without receiving the due penalty for his murder? What about a thief without paying for his thievery? Would that be justice? No! Justice demands that sin be judged. God tells us in the first part of Romans 6:23 that “the wages of sin is death”– death, as in, not just a physical death (which is a consequence of sin), but death, as in, a separation from God in the Lake of Fire (Rev. 20:14). So even though we can’t fix our sin problem, the Good News is that Jesus can and He came to this earth to do just that! Jesus– who is called “Emmanuel” (which means “God with us”)– who didn’t for a moment cease to be God– came to this earth and died a cruel death on the cross to pay the price for our sin. The price that we deserved to pay. The price of which is eternal separation from God. This is something that only He, as God, could do! When Jesus died, the Bible says that He took on Himself the sins of ALL mankind (Isaiah 53:6). But when he accomplished the payment, Jesus did what no man could ever do: He rose again from the dead! If He hadn’t risen from the dead, it would have all been pointless, but because He is God, death couldn’t hold Him! So knowing what the Bible says about 1) our problem of sin, 2) the penalty for our sin, and 3) Jesus’ payment for our sin is one thing, but how can you have YOUR sins forgiven and know it? Jesus said that “God so love the World, that He gave His only begotten Son [Jesus], that whosoever believeth in Him [Jesus] should not perish, but have everlasting life” (John 3:16). God’s promises are the most reliable promises ever made. Every promise He has made, He has kept– and this one is no different (Titus 1:2). He says in this verse that if you believe [trust/place your dependance] in Him for salvation you would 1) Not perish and 2) Have eternal life! Notice it’s not “believe in Jesus-plus my works.” It’s Jesus alone who can save, and trusting Him for it makes that true for you! That is God’s promise to YOU! It’s because of God’s great love for us that He has made available this way for us to be forgiven of our sins, to live at peace with Him, and have the hope and joy of living forever with Him. Won’t you trust Him for salvation today?

Simply this: Jesus promised that if we would depend on Him, taking Him as our personal Savior from sin, He would not only forgive us of our sin and give us a secure promise of eternal life with Him, but He would also be with us each moment of every day to be all the strength we need to fight those battles against temptation and sin (1 Corinthians 10:13, 2 Corinthians 10:4). We can testify to that fact that in our lives He has– and He does– and He will. God is so good! Without His grace and blessing, we would not be where we are, doing what we do and especially not as a team that just loves to work together. The mission that God has given us as a family is to live and work in a way that demonstrates His saving grace in our lives; To live out before God, our family and our neighbors an example of the difference He makes when we walk with Him, depending on Him to live through us in a way that honors Him and does right by our fellow man.

If you would like to know more about how you can have your sins forgiven and have hope of eternal life in Jesus, we’d be happy to take time to open God’s Word and answer any questions you may have. Just drop us a note below and we’ll be in touch!