My memory of George Verwer – Dirk Roth

As George’s gopher (assistant) from 1983-84, I have wealth of unforgettable memories through working closely with him. On one occasion, he was being advised by doctors to be careful of his throat; he was due to have some small benign growths removed. Knowing full well that when he got into full preaching mode, he was likely to forget to be careful, he came to me before one meeting with a piece of string. He told me that he was going to tie one end of the string to the bottom of his trousers, and that I should sit some 10 feet behind him on the stage, holding the other end of the string.

He said, “Dirk, if forget, and start letting rip, you need to pull that string hard…you got
it?” I nodded, trying hard not to laugh.

Needless to say, I did have to pull that string, several times, and can therefore claim to be one of the few people to have quietened George Verwer down when he preached.