Rhian Middleton had worked in the EMW office in Bridgend for more than ten years, and had recently been appointed as Acting Office Manager. In so doing, she was following in her family’s footsteps — her father, Huw Kinsey, had previously worked for the Movement for several years, including as Managing Editor of this magazine.
Rhian always tackled even the most mundane of jobs in a meticulous manner and with a great sense of humour. Among many responsibilities, she was in charge of looking after the subscribers of the Evangelical Magazine, and many readers have told us of her helpfulness and care. She loved working for the EMW — both because she genuinely loved her colleagues, and because she found it a joy to have a job where the gospel was central. But, fuelled by her love for sharing the gospel with children and young people, perhaps the ministry Rhian enjoyed the most was the youth camps, where she took almost sole responsibility for the huge amount of admin work that needed to be done behind the scenes.
Rhian suddenly went to be with her Lord on 5 January 2018, aged just 50. She leaves behind her husband, Andrew, and two teenage children, Bron and Owen. At her funeral service, Jonathan Stephen of Grace Church, Bridgend preached on, ‘for me to live is Christ, and to die is gain’. It is a fitting summary of the Christian life in general, and of Rhian’s life in particular.