Reformed minister (1903–1930)
Adriaan Schouten was born on 6 June 1864, in Raamsdonk. He studied at the Christian Gymnasium in Zetten and subsequently at the Vrije Universiteit, where he became a candidate in 1889. On 26 January 1890, he was ordained into office in Charlois by Rev. F.P.L.C. van Lingen, rector of the gymnasium in Zetten.
A few days earlier, on 22 January 1890, he had married Johanna Maria Schuurman in Raamsdonk. Together they would have no fewer than 13 children, eight boys and five girls. However, several of them passed away at a young age.
Appointment in Aalten
Reverend Schouten left Charlois in 1892 for Willemstad, before moving to Rozenburg in 1899. On 13 December 1903, he was inducted in Aalten as the successor to Rev. A. van Dijken. As a gifted preacher, he managed to build a strong following in Aalten. He also played a significant role within the church community and beyond.
The Schouten family lived in the parsonage of the Westerkerk on Hogestraat in Aalten. Adriaan’s wife Johanna Maria passed away in 1919, at the age of 52, due to the Spanish Flu. She was buried at the Old Cemetery in Aalten.
Retirement
On 30 April 1930, after celebrating his forty-year jubilee in office, Reverend Schouten retired. He then moved to Ormelstraat 23, on the corner with Hofstraat.
As a minister emeritus, Schouten remained very active. For several years, he preached regularly in the small Reformed church in Dinxperlo. And when this congregation had sufficient resources to appoint its own minister, he had the pleasure of seeing his son Johannes Pieter Schouten become his successor there.
Schouten also frequently conducted services in the Reformed church in Halle. He did this with youthful enthusiasm and passion. In Halle, just as previously in Dinxperlo, he was affectionately called “our minister.”
Socially Involved
In his former congregation, the church of Aalten, Schouten always remained a faithful member of the church council. He never missed a meeting and was appointed as scriba (secretary), a role he fulfilled very meticulously. He also proved himself very useful as head of the church office. He performed all his duties with a vitality that belied his advanced age.
When a Reformed Men’s Association was founded in 1933, he was appointed chairman, and he performed this work with great cheerfulness. Furthermore, the “youthful elder” remained heart and soul interested in all kinds of association work, especially the activities of youth organisations. Schouten still regularly appeared as a speaker for them.
Beth San
He gave his house on Ormelstraat the name ‘Beth San’, which in Hebrew means House of Rest or House of Peace. Due to his commitment to elderly care in Aalten, the nursing home on Ludgerstraat was later also named Beth San. Since then, the house on Ormelstraat has been called ‘Klein Beth San’.
Adriaan Schouten later moved to Culemborg, where he passed away in 1954 at the age of 89. He was buried with his wife at the Old Cemetery on Varsseveldsestraatweg in Aalten.
