Thomas Murray Chapman, pastor of Surrey Chapel Free Church in Norwich, went to be with his Lord on 23 September, after a ten-year battle with brain cancer. Aged only 45, he leaves behind his devoted wife, Suzanne, their four children, and the church he loved and shepherded for 15 years.
In 1990 Tom went up to King’s College, Cambridge, to study Earth Sciences. As a student he was immediately active as a Christian, sharing the gospel and rejuvenating the Christian Union in his college. He went on to train as an assistant minister at Eden Baptist Church in Cambridge from 1995 to 2002. With his ability to engage people of all ages and backgrounds he was soon recognised as ‘one of the finest preachers of his generation’.
In 2002, Tom was appointed as pastor of Surrey Chapel in Norwich, a large Evangelical Free Church with a strong tradition of Bible-based preaching that had been without a pastor for seven years. From the start of his 15 years as pastor he proved to be a man with wisdom beyond his years, yet unpretentious, humble and compassionate. He loved his church, cared for each individual and showed understanding of their personal challenges. His knowledge and understanding of the Bible informed every aspect of his ministry.
