You may have heard that "life begins at forty." Well, moving to Martindale Place gives you a new start. Here, life begins the day you move in at 55, 60, 70… God’s promise to provide for His people in Isaiah 46: 3, 4 is carried out in a wonderful way at Martindale Place.

God’s blessing was truly upon the work and mission of First Reformed Church in St. Catharines, Ontario. Fifteen years ago, a committee was formed to develop a Christian-based facility that would provide a home for seniors. In the spring of 1991, Martindale Place opened its doors to the first tenants.

Ken and Wendy Byker from Ebenezer Church in Stoney Creek, Ontario, were the first to sign a life lease; they moved into their two-bedroom unit in the spring of 1991.

"What I really like," Ken says, "is that the Reformed Church has something of its own for the seniors." The things that he and Wendy like best about Martindale Place are the Christian community, the friendships, and the mixture of people. You are never without friends in this place.

Ken sings in the Messiah Male Chorus at the church. Most afternoons, Ken will join the men in a game of billiards. He likes to grow his own fresh vegetables in the garden plots that are available for tenants to use. They both enjoy attending the weekly hymn sing hour and Bible study on Tuesday mornings.

The Hymn Sing and Bible Study Hour is lead by the Rev. Bill Vandenberg, who is the pastor for seniors at First Reformed Church in St. Catharines. He and his wife, Rita, are residents of Martindale Place as well. For the Vandenbergs, it is the ideal place to make their home. Rita says, "It was God’s guidance that showed us the way from ministry in the church to the ministry here." As part of that ministry, Bill does funerals and weddings from time to time. He sits on the committee that organizes special Dutch services and is involved in the monthly meetings of the Young At Heart Club. Both Bill and Rita do visitations. Rita is known for her little vases of flowers that she gives to cheer and encourage. For his own pleasure, Bill enjoys sailing with friends on Lake Ontario. He and Rita travel often to see their children who live as close as St. Catharines and as far away as Surrey, B.C.

Grace and Boynton Fisher are in their mid eighties; last March 31, they celebrated their 65^th wedding anniversary. When the Fishers came to see Martindale Place for the first time, they were impressed. So much so that when they returned home to Beaverton, on Lake Simcoe, they sold their home in quick order, and they sold their winter home of 20 years in Texas. "Our roots originate here, in St. Catharines, " says Grace, "and our daughter and her family live nearby, in the city, which is wonderful. So here we are!"

Boynton’s favorite pastimes are feeding the birds from their patio and keeping a flower garden below their living room and bedroom windows. Grace runs the art and paint classes on Friday mornings. She loves it, and she is a great teacher.

"The people here are such a friendly and caring bunch," Boynton states. Both he and Grace enjoy the variety of residents.

One of the first things they did, after moving into Martindale Place, was to join First Reformed Church, which is located next to Martindale Place. "It is nice to be able to go out of our back door to walk to church," says Grace. When the weather is bad, Boynton, and others like him, are able to sit comfortably in their living rooms and listen to the radio broadcast of Pastor Art Van Slageren’s sermons. Grace and Boynton also love to take part in the weekly hymn sing and Bible study hour.

Bouwe and Djoeke Visser moved here in May 1991. They had always lived in St. Catharines and were very much involved with the Reformed Church, both locally and through Classis Ontario. Shortly after they moved into Martindale Place, Bouwe started the tenant’s association and was the chairman until shortly before he passed away in October 1994.

Djoeke says, "I’m so glad we could do this together. I’m never going to move again, if I can help it. I have so many beautiful memories, and that is so nice. Bouwe really liked it here too."

Djoeke’s life is not an idle one, even though she must use a walker in the hallways of Martindale Place. She likes to go to the church dinners. For 16 years, she has been responsible for sending out birthday cards to the members of First Reformed Church. She’s also on the phone committee of the Young At Heart Club, and she helps prepare the soup, buns, and coffee for the Club’s lunches.

Most of the first 47 units in Martindale Place are still occupied by the original tenants. The rest of the units are in great demand. The fact that there are currently no vacancies speaks for itself. Phase 2, which is comprised of eight patio homes (or bungalow townhouses) was built in 1992. Another 21 patio homes were added in 1997/1998 as Phase 3.

In 1993, Arie and Nel Nieuwland moved into one of the Phase 2 patio homes. They formerly lived in the Hamilton area and were members of First Reformed Church in Hamilton. They sold their home and took an extended vacation in Florida before settling into their new home.

"We love it here," Arie shares with us. The patio homes have a full basement area where Arie makes his own wine for fun. Arie and Nel have enclosed their patio area, and Nel uses this space as her craft room, where she paints and works on her other crafts. She is involved in R.C.W.M. and helps with lunches and coffee for the Young At Heart Club and church dinners. They both support Vacation Bible School in the summer. Arie rolls the coins collected monthly from the Sunday School Mission Pail. Every morning and evening from May to October, Arie raises and lowers the Canadian Flag at Martindale Place. Nel is a member of the Tenant’s Association Board. She is head of the kitchen, and with eight other tenants, she helps to organize the Wednesday Afternoon Teas, the Canada Day B.B.Q, the Christmas Party, monthly birthday parties, bazaars and bake sales, the library, and more. Several times a year, Nel and Arie travel to Kentucky to visit their daughter and her family. Every September, they join in on the annual Church Bus Trip that is offered through First Reformed Church.

Martindale Place has one full-time staff administrator and two part-time staff members for cleaning and repairs. Lawn care and snow removal is contracted out. Yes, Martindale Place has come a long way. When it is completed, it will house a community of 200 tenants. Plans are in the making to add Phase 4 to the community. Pieter Visser, the present chairman of the Board of Martindale Place states that the Board is governed by Christian principles. Its mission is to provide Christian fellowship and support to all who live here.