OBITUARY : REV PROFESSOR ADAM LOUGHRIDGE, MA, MLitt, DD

We were saddened to hear of the death of Professor Adam Loughridge. He was a encourager of many of us and preached edifyingly in a number of our pulpits. Below is an obituary by his long-time colleague, the Rev Professor Hugh Blair.

It is with a deep sense of loss that we report the death of Rev Professor Adam Loughridge on Thursday, 8th November, 2001. We want to place on record our appreciation of what his life and service meant to the Reformed Faith and Evangelical witness throughout the world. What he was to the congregations in which he ministered and to his own beloved Reformed Presbyterian Church was shared with many other groups and churches. It would be an impossible task to summarise adequately the length and breadth and depth of the service that he gave. One can do little more than indicate some of the areas of that outstanding service.

A MINISTER OF THE WORD

His service as a minister of the Word: his faithful exposition, his winsome evangelism, his clear application of the Word to every part of life, his manifest joy in preaching, were all shared with many of his fellow-ministers at the Leicester Conference and Larbert School in Theology. He was involved in these conferences from an early stage and made vital contributions to their programmes; and not least led increasing numbers of ministers and students from Ireland to be part of them.

A PASTOR

His service as a pastor: In all the congregations that he served he had a deep and compassionate concern for the needs of every member, and not least for young people who were irresistibly drawn to his warm and loving personality. That service, too, reached out beyond his own denomination. Again at Leicester and Larbert he provided encouragement and counsel to many pastors who were ploughing a lonely furrow and facing difficult and discouraging circumstances.

A TEACHER

His service as a teacher: In Belfast at the Reformed Theological College and at the Belfast Bible College, and in 1967 at the Reformed Presbyterian Seminary in Pittsburgh, he gave students a love for Church History, a love for the Word of God, a love for preaching, and a love for people, that were all kindled by the warmth in his own heart. Again his teaching was shared with other groups who learned from his masterly exposition of the Word and
from his contemporary applications of church history.

A WRITER

His service as a writer: He provided an indispensable History of the Reformed Presbyterian Church in Ireland by his publication in 1984 of "The Covenanters in Ireland," which has gone into several printings. Many religious periodicals, including the Banner of Truth Magazine, were enriched by his most readable articles.

In all these ways and many more he set a standard of ministry that remains as an inspiration and a challenge to all who knew him. And for it all we give thanks to God upon every remembrance of him. His life of service stemmed from his life commitment to Jesus Christ as his Saviour and Lord, and from his love for his Master and his love of God's people.

His funeral service was held in Kilraughts Reformed Presbyterian Church, where his godly parents had been members, where he came to personal faith in Christ, and where he first heard God's call to the Gospel Ministry. Attention was focussed on words from Psalm 116:15: "Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of His saints". One of the points that was stressed was that the death of a believer is precious to the Lord because it provides confirmation of Christ's victory over sin and death. In the midst of sorrow there is a great joy, for death has been robbed of its sting and the grave of its victory. That was true for Professor Loughridge, and for his wife and his beloved and loving family, who in the days before his death gave in a hospital ward a compelling example of death being challenged in Paul's words, "0 death, where is thy sting? 0 grave, where is thy victory?" The sting of death was surely drawn, for all to see. And all that could be said was, "Thanks be to God who giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ".

Our sympathy goes out to his wife Evelyn, who was what Eve was meant to be to the first Adam, a help "meet for him" a helper suited to aid him in all his service by her encouragement and support, and not least in the warm hospitality that she provided in their home to visitors from near and far; and to all the members of a loving and beloved family. They are commended to the Father of mercies and the God of all comfort.

HUGH BLAIR

The Free Church Witness, January 2002