In Memoriam (Listed by Date of Death)
Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on. Blessed indeed, that they may rest from their labors, for their deeds follow them!" (Rev. 14:13)
1. R.W. Schambach died on January 17, 2012, at the age of 85 from heart failure. He was a Pentecostal Christian Evangelist/Preacher for 60 years. His work lives on in the Schambach Foundation.
2. Rev. Kang Young-Sup died on January 21, 2012, at the age of 80. Rev. Kang Young-Sup was the chairman of the Central Committee of the Korean Christian Federation (KCF). He was a North Korean Christian leader who was working for the reunification of North and South Korea (Presbyterian Church USA, January 23, 2012).
3. Gary Carter died on February 16, 2012, at the age of 57 from a brain tumor. He was a Hall of Fame Major League Baseball catcher in the 1970's and 80's. "Gary Carter said he became a Christian after reading a book by former basketball coach John Wooden, a man he respected. He said the Bible has all the answers to man's problems, including the greatest problem, the forgiveness of sins through Christ's death on the cross ."
2. Rev. Kang Young-Sup died on January 21, 2012, at the age of 80. Rev. Kang Young-Sup was the chairman of the Central Committee of the Korean Christian Federation (KCF). He was a North Korean Christian leader who was working for the reunification of North and South Korea (Presbyterian Church USA, January 23, 2012).
3. Gary Carter died on February 16, 2012, at the age of 57 from a brain tumor. He was a Hall of Fame Major League Baseball catcher in the 1970's and 80's. "Gary Carter said he became a Christian after reading a book by former basketball coach John Wooden, a man he respected. He said the Bible has all the answers to man's problems, including the greatest problem, the forgiveness of sins through Christ's death on the cross ."
4. Pope Shenouda III died on March 17, 2012. Pope Shenouda III was the leader of the Coptic Christians in Egypt for 40 years. Christianity Today said, "Pope Shenouda was extremely popular among millions of everyday Christians. A charismatic reformer and an advocate of Christian rights and interests in a predominantly Muslim country, many considered him to be just like a father (Christianity Today, March 17, 2012)." For more information on his death read the News Article from the Coptic Orthodox Church Network.
5. Edmond Perret died on March 24, 2012, at the age of 87. Edmond Perret was a Swiss pastor who served as the General Secretary of the World Alliance of Reformed Churches (WARC) from 1970 to 1989. After merging with the Reformed Ecumenical Council the organization is now known as the World Communion of Reformed Churches (WCRC).
6. Charles Colson died on April 21, 2012, at age 80. He was the founder of Prison Fellowship and a prolific author of Christian thought. He was referred to as "America's best-known Christian leader after Billy Graham (Christianity Today, April 21, 2012)." For more information on Charles Colson on the Light Blogs you can read his Autism Light post that was written to honor his inspirational role as a Grandfather of a young man with autism.
9. Stephen Hill died on August 5, 2012, at the age of 55 of a massive heart attack. He was a Gospel singer known for his tenor voice. Over three decades in music, he collaborated with notables including Dolly Parton, Tammy Wynette, Vern Gosdin, Charlie Louvin, Dottie Rambo, Sam Moore, Marie Osmond, and Nancy Sinatra."
12. Dr. Sun Yi-yin (Freddie Sun) died on August 29, 2012, at the age of 76. Freddie Sun was a Christian Chinese leader who worked with Christian Aid. Bill Bray, of Christian Aid said, "When we look back at the history of China, we will see that Freddie Sun is probably one of the two or three greatest Chinese leaders (Christian Post)."
13. John Chapman died on November 16, 2012, at the age of 82. John Chapman ("Chappo") was a Christian Evangelist and author from Sydney, Australia. Wikipedia says,"He wrote several books including "A Fresh Start", "Know and Tell the Gospel", "Setting Hearts on Fire", "A Sinner's Guide to Holiness", and "Making the Most of the Rest of Your Life", all published by Matthias Media (Wikipedia: John Chapman - evangelist)."
16. General John Gowans was promoted to glory on December 8, 2012, at the age of 78. He served as General and the International Leader of The Salvation Army from 1999-2002 and during his life wrote over 200 songs. A story on his death is available from The Salvation Army International News.
17. Frank Pastore died on December 18, 2012, at age 55 from injuries in a motorcycle accident. He was a Major League Baseball pitcher for 8 years. Frank Pastore was converted from atheism and became one of the top Christian Radio hosts in America with a passion for Christian apologetics.
18. Inez Andrews died on December 20, 2012, at the age of 83 from cancer. Anthony Heilbut said, "She was the last great female vocalist of gospel's golden age." More on her life and career can be found on her New York Times Obituary.
19. Dr. William J. Prince died on December 27, 2012, at age 82. Dr. William Prince was a General Superintendent and one of the International Leaders in the Church of the Nazarene from 1989-2001. He also served as the President of Mt. Vernon Nazarene University from 1980-1989.
20. Dr. Millard Reed died on December 27, 2012, at the age of 79. Dr. Millard Reed was a pastor in the Church of the Nazarene, serving many years at Nashville First Church of the Nazarene. Most recently he served as the President of Trevecca Nazarene University from 1991-2005.
This feature is part of an annual series. All the years of the series can be viewed at these links.
