The students who went on to big things for Elim

As Regents Theological College marks its centenary, Elim historian Maldwyn Jones remembers some of the remarkable individuals shaped by its legacy — leaders, missionaries, and martyrs

In its hundred years of training, over three thousand students have gone through various study programmes at the Elim Bible College in the four different campuses it has occupied.

One of the photographs that seems to have pride of place in the present campus of Malvern is the 1968-70 student photograph. From that group of students there were to emerge four future members of the Executive Council (now known as the National Leadership Team). Three were to become Regional leaders: Geoff Feasey, Gordon Neal and Michael Sherwood. One, John Glass, was to rise to the highest position in the Elim Movement when he served as General Superintendent from 2000-2016.

Also in that intake of students were Lionel and Ruth Currie who, after serving as missionaries in Ghana for over ten years, led the famous Bridge Street Church, Leeds, through a period of great growth and blessing. Others in that group included Bob and Edith McDonald who established an Elim Mission Station in Romania, and David and Maureen Butcher who served as missionaries in the Transvaal, South Africa. Eric Carter, who was the Director of the famous Ice House, Grimsby for many years, was also a student at the college during this period — as was the writer, Maldwyn Jones.

There have been other periods in the history of the College that included men and women who were to have a major impact on Elim. The period 1949-1952 saw a number of high-profile figures in Elim attend the Bible College. Among them were two future General Superintendents (Eldin Corsie and Wynne Lewis), a future Bible College Principal (John Smyth), a future International Missions Director (David Ayling) and Elim’s first Historian and Archivist (Desmond Carter).

Returning to the intake of 1967-70, there is one name that clearly stands out — that of Roy Lynn. Roy, who hailed from Cullybackey in Northern Ireland, was a fine preacher and, on leaving College, pastored the Elim Church in Brookeborough, County Fermanagh for six years.

Despite the fact that he was lame due to an accident as a youngster, Roy was a genius with all kinds of machinery. He volunteered to go to Zimbabwe (then known as Rhodesia) as a missionary. He became a very popular member of the missions team. He was especially loved by the Africans because if he fell over while doing a repair, he got up and laughed.

Roy met and fell in love with Joyce Pickering, another former student who graduated from Elim Bible College. Joyce hailed from York and was a midwife by profession. They both served at the Elim Mission Station in Zimbabwe. Tragically, they were both just 36 years of age when they were brutally martyred along with their three-week-old daughter, Pamela Grace.

Peter and Sandra McCann from our Huddersfield Church were two other former Elim Bible College students who were martyred on the cricket field at the Eagle School premises in the Vumba hills on the 23rd June 1978. Killed with them were their two young children, Philip and Sharon.

Catherine Picken from Southend-on-Sea was the oldest of the martyrs. She too studied at Elim Bible College. Catherine was a proficient hockey player and sports teacher. She was 55 years of age when she was martyred.

We must not forget the other members of this, the most gifted group of missionaries that have ever served our Movement, who were martyred that awful night. Philip and Suzanne Evans and their five-year-old daughter, Rebecca. Philip was a member of our Mansfield Church and Suzanne from Nuneaton Elim Church. We were friends, having attended a number of Elim youth camps together. Mary Fisher, a teacher from Caerphilly with whom I used to sing duets at various youth activities in South Wales. Wendy White, a nurse from Kensington Temple in London.

We must also note that the leaders of the missionaries, Peter and Brenda Griffiths with their two sons, were on furlough in the UK when the massacre took place. Peter died in Zimbabwe and his widow Brenda went to her eternal reward just recently.

A memorial garden to our fallen colleagues has been created at Regents Theological College in Malvern.

Joy Bath was another former Elim Bible College student who served as a midwife and nurse at the Elim Missions Station in Rhodesia. Joy was a member of the Salisbury Elim Church, and was on furlough when the awful massacre of our missionaries and their children took place. After training at the Bible College, Joy flew to Rhodesia and was an invaluable member of the team. HIV was rampant in many African countries, particularly in Zimbabwe at the time, and Joy became infected with the AIDS virus whilst working at the hospital theatre in Katarere. Joy had returned to Zimbabwe after a short period working in India. She died on Easter Saturday 1995, two days before her 45th birthday.

This article first appeared in Direction Magazine. For further details, please click here.