 Derek enjoying a harvest quiz | Sadly the Rev. Derek Shaw died on Wednesday night October 21st, in the Marie Curie hospice at Solihull. Those who knew him will not forget easily his gentle concern for others. His funeral on the 13th November had a number of the chapel who were able to attend and celebrate his wonderful contribution to our chapel lives. Derek was born and brought up in Zimbabwe together with his three brothers. He came to London to train for the ministry and met his future wife Mollie there. They married and had a son Geoffrey but later moved to Kenya. Here their daughter Jessica was born. When they returned to the UK Derek held several posts around the Reading area before he retired and they moved to Birmingham to be nearer Jessica. In 2009 Derek volunteered to be the minister of Nether Whitacre for one year and ended up staying for three! We have never had a minister solely responsible for our church and will probably never again experience such luxury. Throughout his time with us Derek was not paid nor claimed any expenses. He asked for gift aid envelopes and regularly put his collection in our plate each Sunday. When he retired again in 2012 he continued to lead some of our monthly Bible Studies, attend our quizzes and all fund raising events. He has taken the Christmas candlelit services for the last 10 years and will be sorely missed. Truly he practised what he preached and his quiet but strong leadership inspired us all. We sent £200 to the Marie Curie hospice in Derek’s memory. |
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Today our service was all about the power of prayer. We thought of the people on our prayer list as well as the persecuted Christians of the world and prayed for all in need. £50 was collected to be sent to Barnabas Fund.
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