The United Reformed Church is sad to announce the death of the Revd Dr Robert John McKelvey, the Moderator of the United Reformed Church General Assembly from 1994-1995, at the age of 95.
Known as Jack, Revd McKelvey was born in 1929 in Northern Ireland and studied at Nottingham and Oxford. After a New Testament doctorate, he was ordained in 1959 and for 20 years was with LMS/CWM in South Africa.
There his ministry as a theological educator is remembered gratefully. He served at Adams United College, latterly as Principal, and then as Director of Internship Training for the United Congregational Church of Southern Africa (UCCSA).
In 1979, he accepted the call to be Principal of The Congregational College (now Northern College) in Manchester, where his many achievements included the introduction of internship as a development of the more practical element of ministerial formation.
The ecumenical commitments that characterised his work in South Africa continued as he supported increasing collaboration in Manchester, facilitated not least in 1984 by developing the multi church Luther King campus in Rusholme, which continues to evolve today.
In 1993, he concluded his service to Northern College, and then served as Moderator of the United Reformed Church General Assembly from 1994-1995.
Remarkably, there followed another sustained period of ecumenically focused local church mission with the East Manchester Group, including the building of the Church of the Epiphany. Study never stopped; in 2013, he published his final book, Pioneer and Priest: Jesus Christ in the Epistle to the Hebrews. He eventually retired in 2015.
He is predeceased by Myrtle, his partner in both marriage and ministry, who died in 2015, and Paul, their eldest son.
The Revd Nigel Uden, General Assembly Moderator 2018-2020, said: “Wherever he served, Jack brought a rich mix of academic commitment, and pursuit of justice – the Greek New Testament and The Guardian were constant companions. Likewise, he held in creative tension a vision for the Church’s future, and pastoral care for all whom he met. All were the faithful living out of a profound Christian discipleship which he inspired in many others. One of his former students descried him as ‘a father in the faith’; he was appreciated, respected and loved by very many.”
The Service of Thanksgiving for the life of Jack will be held on Monday 10 February at 12pm in Cornerstone Church, Manchester.