PRESS RELEASE
MEMORIAL AND THANKSGIVING SERVICE FOR JOHN STOTT
ST PAUL’S CATHEDRAL, 13TH JANUARY 2012.
A life that still speaks; a vision that inspires.
The majestic stone columns and arches of St. Paul’s Cathedral glowed in the honeyed light of
the winter sunshine, while Christopher Wren’s great dome resounded to the music of organ,
orchestra, choir and two thousand voices giving glory to God in thanksgiving for the life and
ministry of Rev Dr John R. W. Stott (1921 – 2011). The service was held on Friday January
13th, 2012 and drew people from the corners of the UK and many parts of the world.
Music for the service was led and arranged by Dr Noel Tredinnick with the All Souls
Orchestra and a gathered choir, along with soloist Elisabeth Crocker. The hymns, some of
which were chosen in advance by John Stott, included ‘Sing to God new songs of worship’,
written by Bishop Michael Baughen who presided, and ‘Lord for the years’, written by Bishop
Timothy Dudley-Smith, who preached. The service opened with a welcome and bidding by
Canon Mark Oakley, Canon in Residence at St. Paul’s.
Tributes began with Frances Whitehead, John Stott’s secretary for 55 years, who was
converted to Christ through his preaching and thanked God for his life - marked to its very
end by faith, hope and love, along with grace and truth. Stott’s global influenced was
recognized in tributes brought from Asia, Africa and Latin America by, respectively,
Archbishop John Chew (Singapore), Bishop Robert Aboagye-Mensah (Ghana), and Ruth
Padilla DeBorst (Costa Rica). All spoke of the influence in their continents of his life and
friendship, as well as his teaching. Ruth Padilla DeBorst stressed how Stott had listened so
deeply to his friends and allowed the realities of poverty and injustice in Latin America to
stretch, challenge and inform his own worldview and his understanding of the scope of gospel
mission.
In his sermon, Timothy Dudley-Smith, one of Stott’s oldest friends since their student days at
Cambridge, preached from Revelation 17:14, where those who are with Jesus are described
as ‘Called, chosen and faithful’ – words that he illustrated from Stott’s life, while challenging
all present to answer the question that Stott himself would ask, ‘How is it between you and
Jesus?’ He recalled John’s sermon at the re-opening of All Souls church in which he had said
he ‘dreamed’, among other things, of a serving church that would be salt and light in society.
That theme was picked up by Mark Greene and Chris Wright who presented the ongoing
vision that is embodied in the two organizations that they lead and which, at Stott’s request,
will benefit jointly from The John Stott Memorial Fund – respectively, the London Institute for
Contemporary Christianity and the Langham Partnership International. Greene pointed to
Stott’s passion that lay Christians should be the agents of the gospel’s transforming power in
the frontlines of their places of work, but lamented that this part of Stott’s vision had not been
truly grasped or implemented in whole-life disciple-making. As a result, even though there are
more Christians in the City of London than in the tents outside the Cathedral, the salt had not
been doing its job. Wright pointed to Stott’s complementary passion that, for Christians to be
such transformative salt and light in the world, they need the nourishment of applied Bible
preaching by pastors who are committed and trained to provide it.
Prayers of thanksgiving after the tributes were led by Bishop Michael Baughen, and prayers
of commitment after the sermon and ongoing vision were led by Judge David Turner. Closing
prayers were led by John Sentamu, Archbishop of York, and Richard Chartres, Bishop of
London, and the blessing was pronounced by Rowan Williams, Archbishop of Canterbury.
As the echoes of the last lines of the final hymn resounded among the sunlit stone vaults of
the vast Cathedral spaces -- ‘Past put behind us, for the future take us / Lord of the years, to
live for Christ alone’ -- two hundred and fifty miles away another stone stands surrounded
only by the music of the sea and sky. A gravestone of rough-hewn Welsh slate now marks the
spot in the tiny village cemetery of Dale, Pembrokeshire, Wales, where John Stott’s ashes lie
buried. Like the man himself – slender, upright, rooted in the earth but pointing to the heavens
– it is inscribed with his own words:
Buried here are the ashes of John R. W. Stott …
who resolved both as the ground of his salvation
and as the subject of his ministry
to know nothing except
Jesus Christ and him crucified.
1 Corinthians 2:2
Chris Wright
International Director
Langham Partnership International