On 21 January, the British evangelist Peter Anderson died in a care home in Leicester.
Born in Glasgow, he enrolled in the Army when he was 18 and was posted to Singapore, where he became a Christian under the ministry of a Chinese doctor. Sensing a call to full-time evangelism, he applied for a place at Redcliffe College – only to find that it was for ladies only! He then enrolled in Matlock Bible College (later called Moorlands) and on graduating, immediately began itinerant evangelism.
He joined the National Young Life Campaign in 1959, and some years later the Movement for World Evangelism where, with John Blanchard, Derek Cleave and others, he had an extensive ministry, especially in local church missions lasting from one to three weeks. In 1980, Peter, John and Derek founded Christian Ministries, and for 23 years they preached the gospel in every part of the UK as well as in the United States, Europe, South America, Africa, Asia and Australia.
Peter had a particular burden for Eastern Europe, and made over 40 visits there, especially to Bulgaria. He served on the Council of UFM Worldwide for 20 years, during which he made a series of missionary films in Ireland, Hungary, France, Spain, Bulgaria, Portugal, Brazil, Cote D’Ivoire, the Czech Republic, Papua New Guinea and Zaire, in conjunction with Christian Television Association. He also visited India with Derek Cleave some ten times to serve churches there.
John Blanchard told en: ‘I had the privilege of working with Peter Anderson for over 50 years, and he had a profound impact on my life and ministry. His gentle persona hid great wisdom, a passion for the gospel, and a deep commitment to serve others.’
