John Davies died on November 23rd, 2019, following a 5-year illness during which the Lord was very real to him. He often shared with family and friends that, ‘The Lord is real. This is reality – knowing the Lord Jesus Christ.’ He wrote blogs during his illness encouraging people to trust and enjoy the triune God; Calvary meant everything to him.
John became a Christian in his teens, and after hearing Billy Graham preach in Wembley in 1955, he experienced a deep assurance of his acceptance with God in Christ. In 1957, he was called to the Christian ministry and was later accepted as a candidate for the ministry of the Presbyterian Church of Wales. John studied in Bala College (1957-1958), the Theological College, Aberystwyth (1958-1961) then in Cardiff University (1961-1964), where he mastered several of the biblical languages.
John was ordained to the Presbyterian ministry in 1964, and appointed pastor of Port Tennant and Burrows Churches in Swansea, with Trinity in Clydach and the Mission Hall in Llansamlet later added to his charge. In 1971, Clydach seceded amicably from the presbyterian movement and became an independent evangelical church, Bethel, where John remained pastor until 1979. There was considerable blessing at Bethel, with many young people and adults converted, which was also true of his pastorate in Peniel Evangelical Church, Maesteg (1979-1991). From 1991 to 2013 he pastored Flint Evangelical Church, where again he exercised a fruitful God-honouring ministry.
John was a gospel preacher and a conscientious pastor, caring deeply for people. Prayer was important in his life. For many years, he served as secretary of the annual Evangelical Movement of Wales’ ministers’ conference in Bala, and regularly attended local ministers’ fraternals.
For his funeral service, he had asked for the words of Philippians 1:21 to be preached: ‘For me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.’ His instructions were clear: ‘Tell them how wonderful Christ is and what he means to me.’
John’s widow, Joan, was an important help-meet over the years, and sympathy is extended to her in her deep loss and to the children – Alison, Helen and Jonathan – and the seven grandchildren.
The service ended with the singing of Stuart Townend’s song:
In Christ alone, my hope is found, He is my light, my strength, my song;
No guilt in life, no fear in death. This is the power of Christ in me;
From life’s first cry to final breath, Jesus commands my destiny.
No power of hell, no scheme of man, can ever pluck me from His hand;
Till He returns or calls me home, here in the power of Christ I’ll stand.
