‘Good evening ladies and gentlemen.’
Well, that was different.
Gerald Coates was the guest speaker at this particular Bible
week. A provocateur, a prophet, a pioneer, even his opening line causes a
reaction.
Not a ‘brothers and sisters’ in sight!
And that was Gerald of course. A strong dislike for anything
religious, he was not afraid to provoke a response. Eating the bread from an
overly ornate Lord’s table whilst preaching comes to mind.
Born in Cobham, Gerald finds a faith in Christ at a Christian
boys camp at the age of 12. As the youngest display manager in the country,
working for a department store, he meets and later marries the love of his life,
Anona.
They are encouraged by others on that same journey, most
notably John and Christine Noble who eventually join them in Cobham as the
church grows. (Christine also stepped over the finish line the same weekend
that Gerald died).
A church becomes a movement. The Pioneer group of churches
is born. Hundreds – thousands – leave their denominational churches to join. Along
with other pioneers, this new church movement changes the face of evangelical Christianity
through the 1970s and 1980s.
The main stage of Christianity across the nations becomes one Gerald stands on. Most noteably, the March for Jesus - hundreds of thousands around the world marching through the streets of towns and cities in a worldwide declaration of faith.
Gerald pioneered a movement, and along the way became a
mentor to many who in later years would find their own national ministries. Men
such as Stuart Bell, Pete Grieg, Billy Kennedy and Steve Clifford come to mind.
He also had close friendships with many notable Christians in society such as
Cliff Richard and Queen Anne of Romania.
His sharp prophetic voice was heard on many occasions,
accurately identifying what God was doing and was about to do. His prophetic
words spoken personally over individuals were equally life changing. In later
life, he would see a photo of someone and immediately have a word for them,
always accurate, often life changing, including on one occasion reaching out to
a young man on Facebook with a word that halted a suicide attempt.
In the last year or so of his life, Gerald withdrew to his
family and close friends as he and Anona struggled with health issues. A
husband, father to three boys, a pastor, friend and mentor. A provocateur, a
prophet, a pioneer. We can be grateful that a 12-year-old boy on a boy’s camp
responded to a call to follow Jesus Christ.
Gerald’s final word in the Endpiece to my biography of him talks
of listening to the music of heaven. As Gerald says ‘keep listening and keep
dancing.’
Today he’s part of the music and the dance.
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