Dear brothers and sisters,
I have some very sad news to pass on to you.
With deep sadness I announce the death of our former English Pastor, W. Ward Gasque. He died in Vancouver on December 29, 2020 at the age of 81, and is survived by his wife Laurel and daughter Michelle.
Pastor Ward, as we warmly called him, served at RCAC from 2007 to 2013. He was a loving presence, always and very ready to give encouragement, and a tireless champion for rooting people in the Bible. Pastor Ward wore many hats throughout his life - he was a professor of Biblical Studies at Regent College, Vancouver, a school he helped to begin, wrote commentaries, edited and contributed scholarly articles, and an advocate for women in church leadership. See Regent College’s Remembering Dr. Ward Gasque. One of his legacies at RCAC were the Koinos Seminars, which brought theological education to the church.
Pastor Ward was a colleague, mentor and friend who, when we talked about ministry, often surprised me with, “Why not?” A towering figure, he was kind to me, personally caring for my well-being and family, and a never-stopping encourager. In fact, this is what I most appreciate most of him - PW always encouraged me.
As he was with me, he was to numerous others, and for this, I give thanks to the LORD for Pastor Ward.
There are currently no plans for a public memorial service.
Please hold Laurel and Michelle in your prayers - for Christ’s comfort to rest on them.
If you have a memory to share, or a word to convey to Pastor Ward’s family, feel free to send these to me - jason.cheung@rcac.ca - and I will compile and send to the Gasques.
In Christ,
Jason
