Glorifying God on Fraternity Row

By Gordon Govier
Special to ASSIST News Service

MADISON WI (ANS) -- InterVarsity staff, students, and alumni, are saddened to hear of the passing of John R. W. Stott, Rector Emeritus of All Souls Church in London and Urbana conference expositor from 1964 to 1979.

John R. W. Stott

According to the All Souls Church website, "John Stott died in his retirement home at St. Barnabas College at 3:15pm on Wednesday July 27th. He was surrounded by Frances Whitehead, and a number of good friends. They were reading the Scriptures and listening to Handel's Messiah when he peacefully went to be with his Lord and Saviour."

John Stott was the Bible Expositor at InterVarsity's Urbana Student Missions Conferences in 1964, 1967, 1970, 1973, 1976, and 1979. He had a long association with InterVarsity in the U.S., as well as in England. He made his first visit to North America in 1956-57, speaking at campus meetings arranged by InterVarsity students at the University of Michigan, Harvard, Yale, and the University of Illinois. The title of the lecture series was, "What Think Ye of Christ?"

In 1950 InterVarsity Press published Becoming a Christian by John Stott. After that, InterVarsity Press became the major U.S. publisher of Stott's books, including the classic Basic Christianity , which sold over a million copies.

Stott was invited back to the U.S. to be the Bible Expositor at InterVarsity's Urbana Student Missions Conference. Thousands heard him at the Urbana conferences on the campus of the University of Illinois in 1964, 1967, 1970, 1973, 1976, and 1979. He spoke at InterVarsity staff conferences immediately after Urbana on many occasions, and also at InterVarsity's 50th Anniversary celebration in 1991.

"I personally was impacted by John Stott through meeting him as a Harvard student in 1993," said Tom Lin, InterVarsity's Vice President and Director of Missions. "During a busy trip to Boston, I was amazed that John invited me and a few other students for a luncheon at the Harvard Faculty Club.  He listened to us and encouraged us in our campus ministry.  His encouragement was one thing God used to call me to God's global mission."

Tom learned of the death of John Stott while attending the quadrennial World Assembly of the International Fellowship of Evangelical Students (IFES) in Krakow, Poland. "John loved two things that InterVarsity and IFES continue to be passionate about - students and God's global mission.  He challenged students and inspired students to become God's missionary people and to live for God's purposes."

(Photo: John Stott speaking at Urbana. Twentyonehundred Productions)

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Gordon Govier is a veteran journalist currently working as a web editor for InterVarsity Christian Fellowship, atwww.intervarsity.org.  You can contact him at ggovier@intervarsity.org.