Gordon David Hawkins, minister of the gospel at Wattisham Chapel for the last 38 years, passed into the presence of his Lord on 10 January 2003. He was taken suddenly and unexpectedly in the full vigour of his ministry. The Lord’s work for his faithful servant had come to an end, but the influence of his gracious ministry will continue in the hearts and lives of those many believers, both young and old, who were touched by his powerful preaching and tender pastoral care.

A native of Bristol, he was brought up under strong Christian influence and attended Fishponds Baptist Church. He served in the Royal Navy during the Second World War, after which he entered the Bristol Police Force. He came to a saving knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ when he was in his mid-twenties and soon found himself involved in regular evangelistic witness to the Teddy boys and girls of the city. He met Shirley Harvey at the Fishponds church and they were married in July 1958.

The Lord called him into the ministry through the London City Mission. After a period of ‘door-knocking’ ministry, he was called to pastor the congregation at Keswick Hall, Boundary Road, Leyton in East London. During his six and a half years at Leyton the Lord blessed his ministry with many remarkable conversions, not least that of the local vicar who was baptised and later became minister of the church. In 1964 he was called to a rural church at Wattisham in Suffolk, but he and his wife never forgot those East Londoners, and a number over the years were given a holiday at the manse in Wattisham.

Gordon Hawkins was a man of deep convictions, a Calvinist who maintained a thoroughly doctrinal, experimental and practical ministry, and sought by the consistency and transparency of his life to exemplify what he believed in the church and the family home. He was a man who practised what he preached and encouraged others to do the same, whether church members or fellow ministers. He was a member of the Westminster Fellowship, attended the Banner of Truth and Westminster Conferences, became National Chairman of the Sovereign Grace Union and was on the Council of the Bible League Quarterly. He was unashamedly Protestant, and deplored the lack of national leadership in the affairs of church and state.

He was a great ‘encourager of the brethren’, who had a real concern for the spiritual welfare of all kinds of people, especially those who were concerned about their souls. He was a praying man, who not only prayed for his own dear people at Wattisham but many other ministers and congregations to whom he regularly ministered in this country and overseas. He made eight preaching visits to the United States and five to the Philippines to encourage the work of Brian and Necy Ellis at the Cubao Reformed Baptist Church.

The God-glorifying, Christ-centred ministry of Wattisham Chapel was greatly appreciated down the years, and many believers travelled considerable distances to attend. Many of those who came enjoyed the warm hospitality of the manse, which was virtually an ‘open house’ each Lord’s Day and at other times. They were prayed for, as were his detractors, in what he referred to as his ‘night work’. Like all ministers, he was sometimes misunderstood and misrepresented. But nothing distracted or deflected him from the high work of the ministry, a work which he fulfilled with exemplary faith and courage. The Lord blessed the church with a number of conversions during the last twelve months of his ministry.

The deeply moving funeral service was held at Wattisham Chapel on Tuesday 21 January. It was led by Rev Brian Green from Feltham. The preacher was Pastor Gerald Buss from Chippenham. The committal at the chapel cemetery was conducted by the Rev Dr Ian Paisley. Large numbers attended, including some from Holland and the United States.

Hywel Roberts, Penzance

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