VETERAN Christian leader Bob Birch passed away December 4, only three weeks before his 100th birthday.

He died peacefully in Burnaby Hospital, of natural causes – leaving wife Margaret and three sons:  John, Paul and Alfred, and their families.

Renewal leader

Pastor Bob, as he was affectionately called, was a key church figure in Vancouver.

During the 60s and 70s, as the pastor of St. Margaret’s, an East Vancouver church (now called West Coast Christian Fellowship), his ministry was central to a spiritual renewal among hippies.

He was a shy and retiring man, and the influx of newly converted ‘Jesus people’ into his church was a challenge to him – one he rose to.

Pastor Bob abandoned his clerical robe, prayer book, pulpit, lectern and choir – all of this to make room for the crowds of young people being swept into the kingdom of God.

He became a spiritual father and mentor of countless young converts, training them up in ways of the Lord and imparting to them his deep commitment and passion.

Many still speak of those days as powerful and impacting.

In 1977, Pastor Bob went on to be a leader at Burnaby Christian Fellowship, another influential renewal church in the 80s and 90s.

Beyond congregational leadership, he was an ardent man of prayer and intercession.

Intercessor

In 1991, at age 82, Pastor Bob pulled together a team of young men who would covenant together, to give themselves constantly to prayer.

He founded Watchmen For The Nations, which drew  its name from Isaiah 62:6-7:

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'A Nursing Log' - Fred Peters' tribute to 'Pastor Bob'

“I have posted watchmen on your walls, O Jerusalem; they will never be silent, day or night. You who call on the Lord, give yourselves no rest, and give him no rest till he establishes Jerusalem .”

His oft-repeated exhortation to the church was this verse: “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.”

New growth

David Carson, pastor of First Century Church in Burnaby, especially appreciates the legacy of Pastor Bob.

Whilst on a prayer walk, he recounts,            “I noticed that there were numerous stumps of giant trees that had been felled, perhaps 100 years ago. I became frustrated at the disappearance of these giant firs, so tall and ageless, quiet witnesses of creation. It really did seem as though a race of majestic giants had tragically passed, never to rise again.

“Then I noticed that, in their place, a forest of smaller trees had obviously emerged, many of them actually growing out of these huge stumps. Many trees were quite tall, but lacked the stature of the stump.

“Then, in a flash, I saw Pastor Bob as one of these stumps, with his life’s work behind him – appearing to be cut down, but with a multitude of new growth towering out of the stump.”

A public memorial of the life and ministry of Pastor Bob will be held at Harvest City Church in Vancouver, January 5 at 2 pm.      – Peter Biggs

January 2008