On May 20th, we were sad to announce the death of the Rev David Cruise. David was a much-loved minister at Hinde Street, as well as Superintendent of the West London Mission between 1991 – 2001. He returned to worship at Hinde Street during his retirement.
Following a cremation and funeral on Friday 28th of June, we were all welcomed by Rev Peter Cornick to a service of thanksgiving for the life and ministry of Rev David Cruise. At this service, those who knew David as minister, fellow churchgoer, friend, or family member all gathered together to give thanks to God and to support one another.
After Peter’s words of welcome, the opening prayer was read, referencing the resurrection of the body and the eternal life of the soul to be found in God. Further Prayers of Thanksgiving were given by Peter, while Prayers of Praise and Confession were read by Rev John Swarbrick.
Throughout the service, we came together in song with the hymns ‘O for a thousand tongues to sing’, ‘How shall I sing that majesty’, and ‘O thou who camest from above’. These hymns were alternated by readings from Open Gate by David Adam, as well as John 14 vv1-7, 27 and Revelation 21vv1-7, given by Sue Figueiredo, Brenda Doku and Tony Jasper. With these readings, we thanked God for the words of assurance from Jesus to his friends in John’s Gospel. We also thanked God for the Revelation, the vision of a new heaven and a new earth.
The address was given by Rev Phil Hoar, who began by situating it in the context of the good news of Jesus. In Phil’s words, “saying goodbye, facing loss, always brings a confusing mixture of feelings”, including sadness, gratitude, and the feeling of being lost. In facing these feelings, Phil reminded us of the words spoken by Jesus: “Set your troubled hearts at rest. Trust in God always; trust also in me.” Phil also reminded us of the possibility of reconciling our lasting love for those who have passed with the act of moving forward by finding a new way to love. Phil invited us to do so by drawing inspiration and courage from our memory of David as he continued to give his eulogy.
The service concluded with a final prayer and blessing by Peter, leading into an organ voluntary of the Hallelujah Chorus, played by Alexander Evans.
A word from Rev Peter:
“I remember meeting David when I first came to Hinde Street, and he welcomed me in the same way I believe he welcomed everybody. He was a deeply thoughtful and pastorally caring man, and I thoroughly enjoyed our conversations. I remember these conversations well, whether they took place at church or later, when he took residence at a care-home. David was also one of our regular Zoom attendees over Covid, and we appreciated his presence at least as much as he appreciated the remote connection we were able to set up.
For me, it was a real honour and deeply moving to be able to lead the services of cremation and thanksgiving for David, who was deeply respected and appreciated by so many in his role as a minister of Hinde Street – and beyond it.”
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Thanks to all who attended David’s thanksgiving service, as well as those who were with us in spirit. David will be remembered in all our hearts.
If you were unable to attend, you can listen to or read Phil Hoar’s touching address through the links below. You can also view or download the obituary, written by David’s family and featured in the Methodist Recorder.
Sorry to hear the sad news of the passing of David I knew him from Trinity church Plumstead , he was involved with the Stephen Lawrence family sorry this comment is late but I have only just found out about it .
Dear Alf,
We were all very grieved at David’s passing and we thank you for taking the time to share your memories of him.
With appreciation and blessings,
Hinde Street Methodist Church