In the early hours of yesterday morning I heard the very sad news that my dear friend and fellow Every Nation Europe church planter Ray Shiels had passed away after a long-standing bout of cancer. With his family, he had been on a trip to the US from Dublin, but because Ray was too weak and getting weaker, they could not travel further so have been hosted in Nashville by our other dear friends Michael & Julie Swain for the past few weeks. While our grief is deep, even deeper are our feelings for Rays incredible wife Claudine, and his two awesome teenage sons Jack and Sam. And off course Rays father and family. We give them our sincerest condolences, and pledge our whole-hearted support to to help them and the Dublin church with whatever they need now and in the future.
It was about 7 years ago that Ray & Claudine sat with Ali & I in our lounge in London and shared with us their dream to plant an Every Nation church in Dublin, where Ray had grown up. It has been an incredible privilege to send them out and cover and support them from our church in London, and to see Jesus build His church in Dublin over these years.
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Ray & Claudine
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The Shofar blower
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Going up the Alps
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Action Man
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That famous penny-whistle
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Some of the Dublin power team
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Europe Pastors antics
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Ali & I with Ray & Claudine
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Spot the Guinness…
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With a best friend Michael Swain
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Ray
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Ray the Baptist
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Jack and Sam
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With Steve Murrell two weeks ago
After preaching my Sunday morning message for the London service to a video camera at 3am (!), I was on a 7am flight to Dublin to be with our church there to share the sad news and support them at their Sunday morning service. This is a very special group of God’s people – and Jesus’ promise to build His church not matter what still stands: Watch this space for the incredible church rising here in future…
On the flight to Dublin yesterday I penned these words in an attempt to express my memories of this great husband, father, preacher, pastor, architect, and friend:
“Ray was my friend and my Irish Kingdom co-labourer. A man with an infectious convincing passion for life, and for His Lord Jesus Christ. He walked worthy of His calling, not settling for the rewards and honour of this world. He dreamt big. As a high-flying architect he had been a part of planning and architecting many magnificent structures around the world, but his greater dream was for the church which Jesus Christ is building. He stayed true to what he believed. He always hoped. He fought bravely. He lived by conviction, definitely not for convenience and comfort. He died to self, long before he died yesterday.
Ray was a man in love with his wife Claudine. He was so proud of his two sons Jack and Sam who are fast becoming men, and who will now be forced to grow even faster. He knew and lived out his priorities of family first.
I had the privilege of laughing with Ray, of dreaming with Ray, of praying with Ray, of crying with Ray, of planning and planting churches with Ray, of standing on the upper slopes of great Alpine mountains and skiing down with Ray, and eating Goulash and drinking Glu-wien at the bottom…
Ray loved music, but more than music he loved worship, and I like thousands of others I had the privilege of worshipping with Ray. His saxophone and Irish penny-whistle seemed irresistible to the Holy Spirit. Ray brought a new sound to Ireland. He raised the spiritual temperature there. He worked for unity among the ministers and churches, and saw great fruit in this through the “Arise Dublin” initiative.
I was challenged by Ray’s life and by His passionate preaching of Gods Word. The most impacting message I ever heard himpreach was at our London church men’s weekend last year, which he entitled “Let your pain be your pulpit.” It was the story and lessons from his struggle with the cancer up to that point. It was the best “apologetic for suffering” I have ever heard (And I have heard many, by the best!). He challenged us as men to live beyond all excuses and comfort zones. He spoke of being willing to give it all up and lay your life down for the cause of Christ, if that’s what it required. Our recording equipment failed for that session, and that message was never recorded. But Ray’s life will keep telling the Great Story. His pain WAS his pulpit, and continues to be. I am sure that Ray would want nothing less than that our own pain at his loss would at this time also be our pulpit to tell the Great Story of the life which he had found through faith and hope in Christ as Saviour and Lord – a life which Ray is right now living in its fullness for eternity.
I look forward to worshipping our King Jesus again with Ray in eternity. I know that we can’t take anything with us from this life to the next, but I do hope that Ray will have his sax and Irish penny-whistle with him there, because eternity, like the past, will be all the richer with it! Until then, I and we will miss you deeply my friend.”
THE FUNERAL HAS NOW BEEN ARRANGED FOR mONDAY 20 OCT IN DUBLIN, AT 13.00. http://www.stmarks.ie
If coming from out of town and ned a hotel, try the Jurys Inn Christchurch Hotel, 10 minutes walk from St Marks. website is www.jurysinns.com/
Details of a Ray Shiels Memorial Fund, will be posted here as soon as they are available. God bless you.
Live life to the max – like Ray did…
“Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted”
Posted by weckleben 
Posted by weckleben 
Posted by weckleben 
If you are a believer, and someone asked you that question, how would you answer it? What are your reasons for believing? What about when the God you believe in feels a million light years away, and doesn’t seem to be at all involved in your circumstances? How do your reasons for believing stand the test of tests? Is it more reasonable to believe that God does or does not exist?
Tribute to my hero friend: Ray Shiels
October 13, 2008In the early hours of yesterday morning I heard the very sad news that my dear friend and fellow Every Nation Europe church planter Ray Shiels had passed away after a long-standing bout of cancer. With his family, he had been on a trip to the US from Dublin, but because Ray was too weak and getting weaker, they could not travel further so have been hosted in Nashville by our other dear friends Michael & Julie Swain for the past few weeks. While our grief is deep, even deeper are our feelings for Rays incredible wife Claudine, and his two awesome teenage sons Jack and Sam. And off course Rays father and family. We give them our sincerest condolences, and pledge our whole-hearted support to to help them and the Dublin church with whatever they need now and in the future.
It was about 7 years ago that Ray & Claudine sat with Ali & I in our lounge in London and shared with us their dream to plant an Every Nation church in Dublin, where Ray had grown up. It has been an incredible privilege to send them out and cover and support them from our church in London, and to see Jesus build His church in Dublin over these years.
On the flight to Dublin yesterday I penned these words in an attempt to express my memories of this great husband, father, preacher, pastor, architect, and friend:
“Ray was my friend and my Irish Kingdom co-labourer. A man with an infectious convincing passion for life, and for His Lord Jesus Christ. He walked worthy of His calling, not settling for the rewards and honour of this world. He dreamt big. As a high-flying architect he had been a part of planning and architecting many magnificent structures around the world, but his greater dream was for the church which Jesus Christ is building. He stayed true to what he believed. He always hoped. He fought bravely. He lived by conviction, definitely not for convenience and comfort. He died to self, long before he died yesterday.
Ray was a man in love with his wife Claudine. He was so proud of his two sons Jack and Sam who are fast becoming men, and who will now be forced to grow even faster. He knew and lived out his priorities of family first.
I had the privilege of laughing with Ray, of dreaming with Ray, of praying with Ray, of crying with Ray, of planning and planting churches with Ray, of standing on the upper slopes of great Alpine mountains and skiing down with Ray, and eating Goulash and drinking Glu-wien at the bottom…
Ray loved music, but more than music he loved worship, and I like thousands of others I had the privilege of worshipping with Ray. His saxophone and Irish penny-whistle seemed irresistible to the Holy Spirit. Ray brought a new sound to Ireland. He raised the spiritual temperature there. He worked for unity among the ministers and churches, and saw great fruit in this through the “Arise Dublin” initiative.
I was challenged by Ray’s life and by His passionate preaching of Gods Word. The most impacting message I ever heard himpreach was at our London church men’s weekend last year, which he entitled “Let your pain be your pulpit.” It was the story and lessons from his struggle with the cancer up to that point. It was the best “apologetic for suffering” I have ever heard (And I have heard many, by the best!). He challenged us as men to live beyond all excuses and comfort zones. He spoke of being willing to give it all up and lay your life down for the cause of Christ, if that’s what it required. Our recording equipment failed for that session, and that message was never recorded. But Ray’s life will keep telling the Great Story. His pain WAS his pulpit, and continues to be. I am sure that Ray would want nothing less than that our own pain at his loss would at this time also be our pulpit to tell the Great Story of the life which he had found through faith and hope in Christ as Saviour and Lord – a life which Ray is right now living in its fullness for eternity.
I look forward to worshipping our King Jesus again with Ray in eternity. I know that we can’t take anything with us from this life to the next, but I do hope that Ray will have his sax and Irish penny-whistle with him there, because eternity, like the past, will be all the richer with it! Until then, I and we will miss you deeply my friend.”
THE FUNERAL HAS NOW BEEN ARRANGED FOR mONDAY 20 OCT IN DUBLIN, AT 13.00. http://www.stmarks.ie
If coming from out of town and ned a hotel, try the Jurys Inn Christchurch Hotel, 10 minutes walk from St Marks. website is www.jurysinns.com/
Details of a Ray Shiels Memorial Fund, will be posted here as soon as they are available. God bless you.
Live life to the max – like Ray did…
“Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted”