Rev Dr Joel Edwards, the former General Director of the Evangelical Alliance passed away after battling cancer. Joel wrote a letter to family and friends before he passed away bidding them goodbye and thanking everyone for their prayers.

A British immigrant of Jamaica, he came to faith in the black Pentecostal church and had a rich time of ministry. He served as the senior pastor of the Mile End New Testament Church of God and was an honorary Canon of St. Paul’s Cathedral. A significant part of his career was with the African and Caribbean Evangelical Alliance then the UK Evangelical Alliance.

In 2019, he was awarded a CBE for services to tackling poverty and justice and in April 2021 was appointed by the Church of England to establish a racial justice commission.

Joel’s goodbye letter included ‘Dear friends, this is to say my final goodbye. Words cannot express the depth, breadth, and height of my gratitude, but I have gone home. My earnest prayer is that your faith and tenacity on my behalf will not be considered a pointless religious exercise, but that it will have strengthened your faith in a God who is marvellous, mysterious and majestic in all he does: The Faithful One.’

We at KTLCC are saddened by his death, but encouraged by his legacy and impact, and will continue to pray for his family and loved ones.