Funeral Eirwen Joy Davies

We headed for Aberystwyth again last Monday. We called into Caerffili en route. Our main reason for heading west this time was for the funeral of Eirwen Davies. When my father-in-law, also there, began his ministry back in 1965 he soon had three elders alongside him (Ieuan Davies, Mike Keen and Ira Mills who soon had to relocate to Yorkshire). Eirwen is the youngest if Ieuan's three children. A medical doctor with a flair for arts and crafts, a believer from the age of four, she remained single and spent most of her life in her home town. She was three weeks older than me and reently died rather suddenly through CJD. I did not know her well partly because when I was a student in Aber she was in Cardiff. We know the family well, however. Eleri is a good friend of Eirwen's brother Geraint (and Tim Mills who was aso there). We sang at the graveside first (the modern way is to have the burial first) then went to Alfred Place where my son is the pastor. Derrick Adams led the whole service and did it well (latterly he was Eirwen's pastor). Everything was in English but for two hymns. There were light refreshments and fellowship after at Llety Parc. Such times are refreshing but sad. I joined Rhodri's half of the congregation in the evening for their midweek meeting. We headed back to London on the Wednesday.

Funeral Rev Dr John B Hall

On Thursday I drove down to Woodbridge in Suffolk for the funeral of Rev Dr John B Hall. It was at St John's and was an Anglican service. As I expected, I knew almost no-one there but was thankful to bump into J P Earnest, who was ther in a similar capacity to me. He was there as John had been many years a trustee of the Open Air Mission. I was there representing the Evangelical Library, which John also was a trustee for. John began life in the navy but was then converted during a terrible storm and soon began as an Anglican minsiter. He served in several places and then in retirement served as a chaplain in expat congregations in Amsterdam, Dusseldorf anf Kiev. I was surprised to learn that John was dyslexic. That didn't stop him gaining an earned doctorate from America, later in life. J P kindly stood me lunch before we headed off our separate ways.

Funeral Sheena Tresidder

https://www.achurchnearyou.com/church/15587/

A strange phenomenon of our situation here is that you can walk just over 1200 yards from our Baptist church in Childs Hill, and if headed in the right direction, you will come to quite a different neighbourhood and another church, an Anglican one, St Luke's, Kidderpore Avenue, West Hampstead. In some ways quite different, St Luke's is robustly evangelical. I know the vicar, Alistair Tresidder, to speak to but not more than that. We were very sorry to hear that his wife Sheena had contracted cancer a while ago and even more sad when recenty she died, not yet 60.

There must have been over 400 present to hear Andrew Sach preach and the family bear witness to this woman who loved simply being a mother. With five children of their own they went on to foster four others, some with great difficulties. It was a privilege to be there, as alien as I find some of it, just to hear testimonythat it is still possible even in 21st century Britain to live an evangelical life as a happy mother, trusting in the only Saviour there is. How one feels for the family and the congregation to some ectent too.

Funeral for Gary Benfold

I made my way down to Bournemouth yesterday for the funeral of Gary Benfold. The actual burial was a family affair beforehand but a large number gathered in Lansdowne Evangelical Church for the memorial service. Refreshments were served afterwards. Gary's good friend Chris Kelly led the service and did so very well. Gary had planned most of the service - the hymns (mostly traditional) and the text Chris was to preach on (Job 19:25). Tributes were given (and done very well) by his two children. I did not know most of the people there but it was good to chat with my old friends from London Seminary days Bernard and Linda Lewis and Chris and Serena Durrant. Chris is a pastor in Bournemouth and was contemporary with my oldest son at the seminary. Also Peter Baker, pastor at Lansdowne, Chris and Jim Sayers who first knew Gary when both were in Aylesbury. I also spoke to Gary's son-in-law. Others I would like to have spoken to but did not get to do so.

I first met Gary when he was beginning his second year in London Seminary and I my first. He had already taken up the pastorate and had a young family. Much of the time he spent in Aylesbury but sometimes he was back to the single life in seminary and one fond memory is being driven in his car with others to MacDonalds in Golders Green (no longer there). That was my first experience of such delights. Although I did not keep up a proper friendsip with Gary (he was always ahead of me in everything at first - marriage, driving, pastorate, theological thinking, etc) I always appreciated speaking with him in person or by other means and admired his solidity, down to earth approach and friendliness. People would sometimes confuse us I understand merely because we're both Gary B.

Gary was not 70 and it is amazing to think that he has been taken from us so soon. Great for him but hard for Elaine and the family.

His son shared with us that the last sermon that he heard on the Sunday before he went to hospital the last time was Geoff Thomas on YouTube asking "Are you satisfied with what Jesus has done for you?" Apparently every time my father-in-law asked the question, Gary was enthusiastically saying 'Yes!'. It was apparently powerful stuff and it deeply moved Gary. Andy said "On that morning, let me tell you, dad was satisfied with what Jesus had done for him."

(There seem to be two versions of that sermon on YouTube. Not sure which one Gary heard but this is one of them.)

Pre-conference days in Aber

We are here in Aberystwyth for the EMW conference. We came up from Cardiff on Friday in order to be at the funeral of Arthur Murray, a godly man who lived most of his life in Aber and was for many years a member in Alfred Place, where the funeral was. My son Rhodri led the meeting and there were tributes from one of Arthur Murray's daughters and Stuart Bell.

On the Lord's Day Rhodri preached twice - from Matthew 5 and Romans 8. A great blessing to be there.

On Monday the church had organised an excellent lecture by Heather Nicholas on Whitefield and his books. (Heather is studying Whitefield at PhD level). This was marking the fiftieth anniversary of the church's bookshop, which began near the station and has been next to the church since 1994. Good sales followed I think. (I bought some volumes myself, including one on Whitefield by James Schwenk, which I'd not seen).

Another Funeral Back at Home

I spent most of Wednesday back at home for another funeral. Mrs Rosemary Aston was 89 years old and I had known her, I suppose since I was about four. I would think my first encounter with her wold have been as a child in the youngest department of the Sunday School. They taught us using a sand tray. I knew her best in my teenage years when she would serve squash in YPF and be with us on camp down in Amroth. Her husband died some years ago. She had two sons. Philip and Peter, both around my age (Philip a year older, Peter a little younger). Philip would give me a daily lift into Cardiff the year after I graduated and was doing my teacher training. Peter went to the same university as me in Aber but after I had finished. Mrs Aston I believe was always a religious person but didn't know the gospel until she brought her children to Sunday School. She was a woman full of good deeds and faith and kindness. She is a great loss. The preacher was the present pastor of the church, Jonny Raine. (This was the hindredth time he's preached at a funeral in just ten years, I believe). Rev Bruce Powell led, very helpfully, in oprayer. It was good to speak to him and to the sons and Philip's son Jason and to Mrs Garwood, my old pastor's widow and my good freinds Stephen and Fay and many others. It was a burial and so I did not fail to look at my parents' grave. Someone remarked how odd it feels to be stood among gravestones of people who for the most part you knew in days gone by. I had to be home for our meeting so it was a quick turn around. I did manage to pop down to Cardiff. More on that in the next post.

Funeral of our oldest member

Having said goodbye to our longest serving members, as they move house, last Sunday, on Monday we said an even more permanent goodbye to our oldest member Mike Smith (95) who died last month. It was a small funeral - just family, friends a few church members. It was a burial which I'm sure is the best way to do things. We had a bite to eat back at the chapel. Mike has three sons but none of them have embraced the faith in the way he did all those years in Bangalore. We have not had much contact with him during the pandemic but we will miss him still.

Funeral Back Home

Pontrhydyrynn Baptist Chapel

Back in the early seventies, I was converted. I lived on a housing state that, by the grace of God, surrounded a church that began in 1815. The church began well but got itself in a bit of a mess. However, when I was three or four they called a good though flawed man called Derek Garwood who preached the gospel and not only was I converted but many other young people too - Paul, Julie, John, Michael, Carol, Chris, Stephen, Fay, David, Gail, Paul, etc, etc. Not all the young people who made connection with the church were converted, of course, but many went on to serve faithfully in different places.

Last month one of these "young people" died. He was 64. David Morgan must have been converted within a month or two after I was converted. I didn't know him well but he was one of the older ones you looked up to who took the things of God seriously and loved the Lord. I was eager to be at his funeral, which took place in our home church. Not all the old gang were there but many were and also the present and former ministers, Steve Levy from Swansea, Mike and Jayne Leaves, members of the Morgan clan and many others,

David married a girl from Swansea, Gillian, and they spent some years in the north east but he was mostly a Cwmbran boy, a chemistry teacher by trade and an elder in the church for many years. They had three children and many grandchildren. The service was very evangelistic and we sang many songs (mostly newer ones). How sobering to think that what must be the first of us is now with the Lord.

It is always a little traumatic to be back home. I enjoyed seeing my sister and husband and my niece and many others. Some things stay the same but much changes. Forgot to look at my parents' grave and didn't walk the 200 yards to look at the house where I grew up. May be next time.

Recent Deaths of Christian Leaders

It was a privilege to be last week at the funeral Michael Keen a long serving elder at Alfred Place Baptist Church alongside my father-in-law Geoff Thomas who read and prayed at the funeral. The service was led by my son, the present pastor, Rhodri Brady. Michael's son Andrew gave a helpful tribute. Keith Underhill read and prayed at the graveside. It was good to sing there. Thankfully we missed the rain. Among Michael Keen's many achievements was the establishment and continuation of one of the finest Christian Bookshops in the country. His Finder index was also a great help. He was one of those quiet, anonymous heroes of the faith (like his wife Norma). A recording of the funeral is available here.

Then shortly after we heard of the death of the evangelist John Blanchard. Proper  obituaries do not appear to have been produced yet but they ought to be and surely will. An interview with him from just a few weeks ago can be found here.

Three Good Weeks

It's been quite busy here and there are three weeks f activity I wanted to write something about that have just gone by.

In the first week (May 12-18) we had people staying with us from New Zealand. I think I mentioned how Georgina from Wellington was here in London 26 years ago when she was given a tract by us on the street (she still has it). She came to church and within a very short time was converted. After five weeks she moved down to Crawley where she met her now husband, Graham. Things were not straightforward but their son Calvin was born about six years before they headed to New Zealand to live. They have been in Christchurch these last 14 years and as you will be aware these have not been easy years for that city. Further, Georgina now has stage 4 cancer and so it was a bitter sweet reunion. She is very positive about it while  being realistic and it was lovely to have them with us. On the Friday I had to leave for Cwmbran where there was a funeral for a man who had been a deacon in the church where I grew up, Derek Morgan. Derek's brother started the service. I thought it was just right when he began the service by saying that he had discussed what should be said with Derek and they were agreed to begin by saying Derek was a sinner and so are well but Christ saves sinners. I have not heard such a good beginning to a funeral. Pontrhydyrun minister Jonny Raine did well too and spoke very clearly to a very mixed company. It was good to see old friends, some of whom I have not seen in ages. We did not realise it at the time but that was a very special period in the seventies when many, many young people were saved. We are now scattered but some remain in the area.

The second week (May 19-25) was my birthday week and that was a lot of fun. That was on Wednesday. I had an phone and various other things. The best present came the next day, however, when we went to Heathrow to collect our on Gwion fresh home from his stint in America. True to form he arrived without luggage, prompting a wild goose change to Gatwick, where he should have come in originally. We were shattered by the end of the day. His suitcases have now been located and should arrive by the end of the week. On the Friday evening we all (Eleri, Gwion, Owain and I) headed out to Pizza Express for a celebratory meal. Great time.

I have spoken of how this third week (May 26-June 01) began with celebrations in church. On the Monday we headed off to Derbyshire, to Tibshelf (yes, it does have an M1 services but we are on the other side). We are staying in a lovely old farmhouse in the town for a family holiday. We have been up to 23 here plus Alffi the dog all told but one son and wife have headed back to Wales and a niece has flown off to Uganda where she is for the next five weeks with UFM. Meanwhile we have been enjoying the house and one another and one or to sites, including Hardwick Hall. There was also a further celebration as some of the boys had still to give me a gift. I was given a lovely book and a voucher for a night in a hotel. These are very easy and enjoyable days.

Thanksgiving service for the life of Megan Franklin

Eleri and I have just returned from the packed thanksgiving service in East London Tabernacle for Megan Franklin who has recently and suddenly died. We did not know Megan personally but I know Brad and he has spoken for us here. One could not meet a more friendly man. We pray for Brad and their seven children and for St Giles Christian Mission in the months to come. The service was live streamed and can be seen at present here on Youtube. (The eulogy begins around an hour and five and the sermon on John 11 from Mike Gilbart-Smith at one hour and 19) It was good to spend time speaking with some of the hundreds present. The tone was rightly serious but hopeful.

Funeral St Bride's Wentloog

I was at a funeral yesterday. Going back home is always a little troumatic I find. I grew up in Cwmbran and the nearest boy of my age on the street where I lived, lived three doors up. His father was older than mine (and had fought in the war) but both worked at Lucas Girling (though my father left when I was 10). Stephen and I were thrown together from babyhood. Sadly when we were 6 Stephen's mother left home and we lost touch a little not really reconnecting again until we were 9 or 10. He is the one who invited me to the church where we were both converted and baptised. I was his best man when he married Fay, still quite young, and he reciprocated some years later when i married Eleri. Unlike me, he has continued to live in the same general area. He is an accountnat.

This month his dad, Uncle Eric, died at the grand age of 95. He was buried in the graveyard of St Bridget's,.St Bride's Wentlooge near Newport, where he grew up and where my friend Stephen lived a short time. It is a distinctive low lying part of the country. It makes me think of the Kent Marshes in Dickens. We were only about 25 present at the church, where we sang Hark the herald and Abide with me with food served later at the Ashbridge in Cwmbran. I enjoyed being with my sister and talking to some old college friends and members of Stephen's family.

Uncle Eric was a distant figure for me. My main memory is of him coming to our house weekly on a Thursday night to pay my mother the rent she had paid for him. It always seemed to be during Top of the Pops. I spent a lot of time when he was out at work in his house in the summer holidays as a teenager jumping down the stairs or over the hedge (they moved immediately around the corner and we moved across the road when sisters came along but we were still only yards from each other's homes). We listened to Uncle Eric's records (Last train to San Fernando, Trains and boats and planes, Ernie, etc) adn soemtimes Stephen would try to horrify us with his dad's spare glass eye. As was said in an excellent eulogy, he was a conservative man of humour who loved to tell stories. It was right to honour him and his good deeds. Whatever age you are it is never good to lose your father.

Funeral for our oldest church member

On Wednesday we said goodbye to our longest serving member Ken Rawlings. Ken died at the end of March. He was 84 and joined the church, I believe, back in 1954, over sixty years ago. (The oldest members currently joined the church in the early eighties. The oldest member in years is 90). Ken was a bachelor, one of three sons (both of whom died before him) and the son of a local man and a Welsh mother. He had health problems all his life and latterly was under constant care at home. We will miss him. I preached on the text in 1 Thessalonians 4:11, 12 ... make it your ambition to lead a quiet life: you should mind your own business and work with your hands, just as we told you, so that your daily life may win the respect of outsiders and so that you will not be dependent on anybody. It was a small funeral. We sang Guide me O Thou great Jehovah and Stand up stand up at the chapel and Great is Thy faithfulness at the graveside.

Recent Thanksgiving

On Friday I was one of over a hundred at the thanksgiving for the life of Richard Stonelake in Hayes Town Chapel, where the service was led by Richard's lifelong friend David Philpott and the recently retired minister Gwynne Evans. I was there really on behalf of the Evangelical Library where, for the last twenty years of his life, Richard had served in a voluntary capacity. Richard knew he was dying from cancer and so carefully arranged as much as he could of his funeral. It was a privilege to hear testimony of a man whose life was dedicated to God. What I had not realised was that it was only half way through his life (when he was 39) that he was actually converted. He had always gone to Gower Street Memorial Church but it was not until one Sunday in 1977, hearing the preaching of the late Peter Rowell that he was finally delivered from the wall of unbelief that he had built around himself. From then he sort to serve the Lord in various ways, first as a member at Gower Street Memorial (you can find his history of the place online) and then latterly at HTC. Like myself, the father of five boys, Richard leaves a grieving wife and sons and many friends but also a fragrant testimony of the grace of Christ. The Library will not be the only organisation that misses his input.

Last week's funeral

Traditionally, men are not supposed to get on with their mothers-in-law. That was not the case with my mother-in-law, Iola. I do remember that when our first son was born she put a little gentle pressure on us to use more environmentally friendly Terylene nappies rather than disposables ones but the pressure (which we resisted) was never more than gentle. She was a strong nationalist and lover of the Welsh language and just occasionally we would both go at it a little too strongly and have to make friends again. For the rest, however, she made it very easy for me over my more than 25 years of courtship and marriage to her eldest daughter.

I had first come to know her the 10 years or so before that from when I came as a student to Aberystwyth. I'm sure she found me a rather strange boy with my theories about what constitutes working class and other strange and often dogmatic notions. She was always ready to listen and then to point out my absurdities. I soon got to see what a strength she gave to her husband, who I admired and sought in certain ways to emulate.

I heard when I was still a student that in college her Hebrew was better than Geoff's and in more recent years when the Banner of Truth published John Aaron's translation of Owen Thomas on the atonement controversy and people were remarking that it was a mark of every truly cultured Welsh speaker that they had read Thomas's biography of John Jones, Talsarn, from which the volume came, I was not surprised to have it modestly confirmed from her own lips that, yes, she had read all 1060 pages of the two volume work!

These last few years, since her dementia began, have been trying ones for the family and we hope that her eventual death after five or six weeks hospitalisation and last Thursday's funeral have done something to help them in this very trying time. I know that the abundance of messages of sympathy that Geoff and his daughters have received have been greatly appreciated.

At the funeral my father-in-law gave a very full and moving tribute laced with gospel lures and my son Rhodri preached a very clear and helpful sermon at the chapel.

We began with the burial on a warm enough autumn day on a hill above Aberystwyth before removing to Alfred Place Baptist Chapel, where something like 250 had gathered. As a member of the family I sat where I never sit - in the front pew, 12 inches from the communion table. I thought I'd never sat there before but I was reminded that I'd sat there when Eleri and I married. Before the wedding, I recall, Iola had asked that I would not wear a red tie (she'd seen me in one and I'm sure thought it looked rather socialist and proletarian). I obliged by wearing one of a slightly less socialist hue.

After the funeral we repaired to the hall below where it was lovely to talk with so many old friends and make a small dent on the mountain of food provided. It is always a privilege to be at the funeral of a Christian, especially one you know. Rhodri and Geoff shared lovely things. I liked Rhodri's description of how as a young teenager he, the oldest grandchild, was given by her, instead of Easter chocolate like everyone else (and what he would have preferred) B A Ramsbottom's Biblical doctrines simply explained. Her delight in God and his  kingdom was central to what made her such a wonderful wife, mother, grandmother and indeed mother-in-law too.

I don't find it hard to believe that her soul is with the Lord, which is far better. It is amazing to think that 75 years have flown by so quickly, however. Even the 39 years I knew her have galloped by. It is sobering to think that so very soon it will be over for us all.

We had to sing a Welsh hymn, of course. I once attempted a fairly literal translation it turns out (you can find Noel Gibbard's one in New Christian Hymns). The original is by John Elias.

Did he for my mistakes,
Great Jesus, face such plight,
When, in power, his love came down
To earth from heaven's height?

The law so pure he kept,
To justice true he stayed;
The massive debt, although so great,
In full he now has paid.

Obedient on the hill,
He suffered death in woe;
His blood the black Eth-iop-ian cleans
As pure as pure white snow.

His death, it is our death,
Through his work on the cross;
A legion, because of his blood,
Through death to glory pass.

When dying in our place
He, Jesus, bowed his head,
A way he made, through the rent veil,
To heaven's pure abode.

He conquered a black hell,
The serpent's head he bruised;
Through grace, from jail, to join God's own,
He brought a legion loosed.

(Noel Gibbard has, more poetically,

And was it for my sin That Jesus suffered so,
When moved by His all-powerful love He came to earth below?

Thy holy law fulfilled, Atonement now is made,
And our great debt, too great for us, He now has fully paid.

He suffered pain and death, When on the hill brought low;
His blood will wash the guilty clean, As pure and white as snow.

For in His death our death Died with Him on the tree,
And great the number by His blood Will go to heaven made free.

When Jesus bowed His head And, dying, took our place,
The veil was rent, a way was found To that pure home of grace.

He conquered blackest hell; He trod the serpent down;
A host from fetters He’ll set free By grace to be God’s own.)

Through many hardships

I led a funeral at the church last Tuesday, the third we have had had this year, which is unusually high for us. The dear lady was a good age. She grew up in Sri Lanka and India but lived most of her life here. I was glad to be involved. I couldn't take the last one as I was unwell. I preached from Acts 14:22 and the phrase about needing to pass through many hardships to enter the kingdom of God, as this lady had gone through some real struggles for which she was not always prepared. I felt very tired after the service and the burial and so on. I guess it is emotionally draining. Death is a horrible thing even for the believer.

Lilian Searle 1918-2013

I'm taking a funeral this afternoon. It is for the lady who was the oldest member of our church.

I first met Lilian in 1983 when I came to be the pastor here. I was 24 years old and Lilian was 65. She was, even then, one of the older generation.

In 1983 Lilian had recently retired from the civil service but was active in the retirement fellowship. She used to get about in a little red car that she carried on driving until her eyesight became too poor to do so safely. She and her friend Ann Mathews would be there Sunday morning and Sunday evening without fail for many years. When I came here, Lilian was the church treasurer, a task she had fulfilled very well, but from which she stepped down shortly after. Her full involvement in church life continued for many years after that and it was only bit by bit that she eventually came to the stage where she could no longer join us at our meetings.

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Lilian's parents lived in Salusbury Road, Kilburn. When Lilian was due to be born, however, her mother went home to West Wratting, Cambridgeshire, to her parents and that's where Lily was born. Her father was a taxi driver and owned his own business. Following the death of his first wife, Lily Bucknell, he remarried and had two children in addition to the son John (Jack) born to his first wife, Lilian (named for that first wife) and Albert (called George). Lilian once told me of a day trip they all made to Paris. They wanted to see the Eiffel Tower but it was a little further away than expected. Apparently her brother decided to make his own way there but the rest of the family did not know and so they spent the rest of the day looking for him and never did get to see the Eiffel Tower!

Being born in 1918, at the end of the first world war, Lilian's earlier years were lived through difficult and demanding times. One has the impression of a happy family life but with some pressures. Lilian was an exceptionally bright girl and went to Kingsbury Girls Grammar where in June 1934 she passed with a credit in 5 of the 13 subjects and gained a distinction in mathematics and then matriculated in 1935 from the University of London. She would have loved to have gone on to study for a degree at university and become a school teacher of Mathematics, but financial necessities meant that it was not possible. Lilian left school at 16 and began to work for the locally based Abbey National Building Society. She went on to take her civil service examinations and by the time she was 20 was happily living with her parents at 92 Gladstone Park Gardens, Cricklewood and working in London.

It was on the 25^th August that everything took a dramatic turn with a confidential letter at work. The year 1939 and, as we now all know, war was about to come again. The immediate upshot for Lilian was a sudden transfer from the familiar sights of London to unknown Tetbury. The government had decided to place a number of civil servants outside London for reasons of safety and security. I remember her telling me how when she finally arrived at her billet, after a long day travelling, her landlady Mrs Constable, said to her and her friend “Come on in, you must be starved”. Lilian assumed this was a reference to being hungry but in that part of the world being starved meant being cold!

About a year later Lilian then moved to Worcester and it was while she was here that she really came into the orbit of Christian people through her friends Elsie and Mary. That first Christmas it wasn't possible to go home to mum and dad and so, through Elsie, she was invited to spend it in Malvern, in the home of the St John family, well known through the missionary and writer Patricia St John.

It was during the war that Lilian first came to trust in Christ for herself. She saw that as conscientious as she undoubtedly was she was a sinner and she needed to trust in Jesus Christ for forgiveness and strength to do right. This she continued to do from her twenties into her thirties and forties and on into her eighties and nineties by God's grace. On the 24^th January 1943, she was baptised, which was one of her first acts of obedience we can be sure.

Eventually, she was able to move back to Cricklewood permanently. While cutting the garden hedge she spoke to a neighbour who invited her to come along to Willesden Green Baptist Church and that is where she was a member for the next 20 years. During that time she grew as a Christian, benefiting not only from the evangelical preaching of the Word but from evening lectures at the newly started London Bible College on Marylebone Road and with thousands of others hearing Billy Graham preaching in White City and elsewhere. She became aware of the British Evangelical Council (now Affinity) and at an early point became a personal member.

I am not sure exactly why she left Willesden Green but there was a difficulty and so she decided to begin to come to us here in Childs Hill. At that time John Pretlove was the minister. John later moved to America but she continued to keep in touch with him. I guess it was he who introduced her to the RSV Bible, which she always used as her preferred version. Lilian became a Sunday School teacher and a deacon and served the church in many other ways. She was a great asset.

As I say, she was treasurer when I came but resigned from that fairly early on. This was partly because she then became very much involved in the establishing of Spring Court, where she was to live for the next nearly 25 years. The development was originally undertaken by the Baptist Men's Association and Lilian was one of our church members appointed to the committee that worked to establish it. It must have been a great moment to see the place up and running after all the planning. She sold her Gladstone Park Gardens home and moved there to become one of the first residents. For most of her time there she was very much involved in the daily life of the community serving on various committees. It was my joy for some years to meet with her and other residents once a fortnight. I particularly remember her prayers. Lilian was a woman who knew how to pray. She had no stock phrases but would genuinely shut herself in with God and make her requests known.

Eventually even this came to an end. For a while she was pretty much confined to her room with a sore on her leg caused by the diabetes she had had for some time. Eventually she was hospitalised and an amputation was recommended. Those were tough days but she came through them and was able to move into the home in Wembley, next door to Doris, Elsie's sister, who she had known so many years. That was slightly frustrating in that even though Doris was next door they could seldom meet. Then sadly Doris went to be with the Lord on 11^th January 2013.

This last year of life was not easy. Lilian kept quite bright almost to the end. I last saw her five days before she died. She was rather sleepy and not up to any real conversation. When I met with her, we always prayed and read the Bible. On this occasion I read just one verse. I read it because it was Christmas and because it seemed appropriate. It was 2 Corinthians 8:9 For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich. That's the verse I plan to expound under the headings

1. Realise what the Lord Jesus did for Lilian

2. Realise what that meant for her and what it can mean for you

It is easy to say nice things about Lilian. There is a lot to say. There is the example of her faith. All through her life people in this country were turning away from the faith and crying it down. Not her though. She continued to believe all the way through by God's grace. With her faith came service to God. She continued to serve as long as she could. Then there was her patience and orderliness. Our strengths are often our weaknesses. Lilian liked to go to bed quite late and if she then woke up late she could be in a bit of a fluster as she would still have to go through her morning routine before going out. God is a God of order, however, and she is an example to us there. I could also mention her kindness and friendliness. She was very formal. I remember when I was first married. I sensed an awkwardness from Lilian about speaking to Eleri. It then dawned on me. I had not formally introduced her to Lilian. Once that was done it was nothing but friendliness. I remember too how at Spring Court she would lean over backwards to keep the peace and to be friendly to all. What a good example she has left us.

Feasting and mourning

Ecclesiastes 7:2 says that It is better to go to a house of mourning than to go to a house of feasting, for death is the destiny of every man; the living should take this to heart. I have had opportunity to test that out over the last few days being at a wedding in South Wales last Saturday and a funeral yesterday in Bradford on Avon.

The wedding was that of Eleri's cousin's second daughter Mari who was marrying Owain Davies of Bridgend. Mari's father is Meirion Thomas, pastor of Malpas Road Evangelical Church, Newport, (Site currently under construction) who married them (in Welsh). The preacher (and very good too) was Stephen Clark, Owain's pastor who I've known for years. Mari's sister Bethan was married this time last year so there was some deja vu but as Meirion pointed out it was a unique event. People like to have themes these days and the theme here was beach holidays, which was pursued avidly but not relentlessly. The ice cream van outside the reception area before the dancing was a big hit. An added bonus for me was getting to see my sister in Cwmbran (she also did the posies for the bridal party). It was great to be at a Christian wedding, as two young people committed themselves to the Lord for life.

Then yesterday it was the funeral of Eleri's brother-in-law's mother, Ruth Alsop, in Bradford. She was only 58 and had been suffering from cancer for the last couple of years. The burial was first. There is nothing quite like a Christian burial and with fine weather it was a bitter sweet joy to share with the family in their sadness. Phil and Ruth have four married children and a five or six grandchildren (is it?). Back at the chapel Robert Oliver preached from Philipppians 1:21. After a short bite to eat over the road we headed back along the M4. One feature of the funeral is the presence of a number of preachers, most connected with the large Alsop clan (Ian has 27 cousins on that side). Besides Robert Oliver, there are two other retired ministers at the church - John Hancock and Alec Taylor (I was sorry not to get to speak to him just as I was to miss Bruce Powell at the wedding). Also around were Simon Ladd (Bury), Paul Oliver (Netley), Hugh Collier (Gt Ellingham), Ed Collier (Sheffield), Ian's brother-in-law Jamie Cater (Reading) and myself. It was also nice to see Tim Collier again who only lives over the hill from here though we rarely meet up. He had a nice story about being on a plane with Jedward.

So what of Ecclesiastes 7:2? There was not much in it but he is right. The older you get the more you can see it.

Nigerian funeral

Most of my day has been spent at a funeral that I was taking part in. I know one or two Nigerian families that have a London base though they spend varying amounts of time in Africa. I have known well respected and now retired Chief Achimugu and his large Igala speaking family since I first came to the church here. I'd not met many Africans before them and it was wonderful to get to know him and his large family. Because the family are rather spread between here and Nigeria it took a while to get to know everyone's name and I'm still not always 100% sure which name goes with which person!

A little over 20 years ago we learned that another baby was on the way – in fact it was twins! Like most of my own and unlike their Nigerian born siblings, Timothy and Martha were born in the Royal Free Hospital.

In my mind, those births only seem a month or two ago. Because I haven't seen Timothy and Martha that often, it's like a series of snapshots in my mind. First, they are newborn babies (she with earrings, him not), then toddlers, then there around 5 or 6, then 9 and suddenly teenagers and so recently a lovely young woman and a smart young man. And I assumed I would go on collecting snapshots as the two became older. However a few short months ago Timothy contracted a virulent form of cancer and died just under two weeks ago.

The whole family are professing believers and it was a privilege to be present at the burial where they sought to express their great grief and their absolute confidence in God. One of the sons, Emmanuel, had worked out a careful programme of hymns (Rock of ages, Great is Thy faithfulness, etc) readings and tributes. The UK chaplain for the Anglican Church of Nigeria Canon Ben Enwuchola led, family members spoke and read, I preached and a Charismatic pastor led in prayer (the only jarring note for me was the round of applause for Jesus - those after the tributes are simply cultural). We used the south chapel at Hendon Cemetery then proceeded to the interment, where I prayed and read Psalm 23. It was the most distressing moment especially for Mrs Achimugu. The earlier tributes brought me to tears. Martha is 21 in April. The idea of facing such an unknown is hard to imagine.

We then headed back to the chapel here where food had been laid on. I enjoyed the opportunity to eat fried plantain, jollof rice, puff puff, etc and to drink Supermalt, as well as talk with the family members and some of their many friends. Chief Achimugu spoke again later, full of faith and full of Scripture. It was a privilege to be there.

(I left as most people were going. I think we avoided a clash with our Korean friends who meet at the church two Thursday evenings a month - I love being in London!).

An update

The trip back from Aber last Friday was long but uneventful. I came via Newport but just didn't have time to visit my dad. On reflection, I should have been up at 6 am not 7 am. There we are. It was imperative that I got back to London in good time as I had agreed to take the funeral of a lady (Betty Plant) who I knew from the BUPA care home I visit fortnightly. The funeral was at the Marylebone Crematorium in Finchley. There were only a handful of mourners. We wisely chose not to sing. There was a brief tribute by her grandson and a poem then I spoke briefly from Romans 6:23. Refreshments were served back at the grandson's home. One funny things was that I had heard recently that she had been to Lourdes, which made me concerned about whether she would really have wanted the sort of funeral I would do. Anyway, it turned out she was a cricket fan and the trip had been to Lord's! These occasions are not easy and I don't do them often but I feel one can just gently scatter the seed and hope for something. We had the clubs in the evening. Somehow I'd found time to prepare an Autumn quiz. Saturday was mostly taken up with preparations. However, in the morning four us headed up to Golders Green to give out a tract I'd prepared. It was called The power of God for salvation. One man tried to be clever and said he had his own power. As I pointed out that will soon run out though. In the evening we had the older young people around and I spoke from the call to remember your Creator in the days of your youth towards the end of Ecclesiastes. To make things interesting I put up some appropriate little posters, played some music (death by Ravi Shankar, young gifted and black, if I had a little time, etc) and had quizzes on age related diseases and guessing people's ages (I must replicate the latter quiz some time). Sunday was a good day as we carried on with Mark 11 and Romans 1. I had to spend a lot of time preparing in the afternoon a it has been such a busy week. The days following haven't been much less busy. On Monday there were lots of Jews about marking Yom Kippur. I was at LTS for the TSG, looking at Calvin's sermons on Acts (I only had time to read some of these beforehand but it was still worthwhile being present with the other 6 or 7 present led by Jeremy Walker. On Tuesday it was the committee for organising the next Grace Assembly, preceded by a trip to Brent Cross with my wonderful wife for a cuppa in the Krispy Kreme joint there. David Last will chair next May and Gerard Hemmings will be among the speakers. Watch this space. Then to round off Wednesday was another busy day with a trip up to the new library location in Bounds Green to help out with manning the place while the stuff that has been in storage was unloaded. Ian Densham did the lion's share as ever. In the evening we had a good turn out for the midweek meeting looking at Deuteronomy 32 and praying for GBM, etc.