The sudden homecall of John Appleby on July 24 came as a shock to his family and friends. So has ended the earthly life of a devoted servant of the Lord.
After a brief pastorate at Wood Green, John answered the call of God to service in South India. Little did he realise, when serving with Fleet Air Arm as a radio mechanic, that this was to be a vital part of his preparation for the work of radio evangelism in India which would develop in the late 1950s. When Strict Baptist Mission — now Grace Baptist Mission (GBM) — was presented with a challenge from the Far East Broadcasting Co. (Manila) to consider the possibility of a radio ministry, John was the only serving missionary qualified for this type of ministry. The potential was immense. The Mission accepted and Tamil programmes to India and beyond commenced in November 1958. The blessing of God was evident as enquirers began to respond. The early days were tough. There was no studio, just a tape recorder, microphone, seven-inch tapes and a stopwatch! It was a case of finding the quietest place for recording programmes. Imagine that in India!!
Literature ministry
John continued in this work both in India and later in the UK until a visit back to Tamilnadu in 1981. John became visibly burdened by the lack of good teaching material for Tamil pastors and church workers. The Mission recognised his burden and set him apart to develop this ministry until the early 1990s when he officially retired. Since then, the literature ministry has grown beyond all expectations and so has the radio ministry. Both were his vision. Incidentally, the story of the 50 years of radio ministry is available from GBM in Abingdon.
Radio and literature may have been his major work. However, his usefulness spread far beyond. In India, John's deep concern for the spiritual state of the churches brought about the Ministry Committee to deal with the perplexing problem. He was foremost in putting the indigenisation of the churches into practice along with Wilfred Kuhrt. In the UK, he served on Grace Publications Trust and the Praise Board.
His was a full and profitable life motivated by his passionate desire for the glory of God. He possessed an active and fruitful mind. He was a clear thinker with a unique ability to preach and teach. With all this, he was gracious and truly humble. All his gifts he would attribute to the grace of God alone. The Word of God was his guide and to that he was faithful until faith became sight at 1.00 pm on July 24.
We mourn his loss but thank God for all the delightful memories and rejoice that he is now ‘with Christ, which is far better’.
