A little personal tribute today.

Today in church we marked the Sunday closest to All Saints Day – the time of year when we remember absent friends, and give thanks for those whose lives have touched ours.  So I’d like to introduce you to John Yoder – or Smiley John as we all called him – who, to our great shock and sorrow, passed away a few weeks ago.

John had been back in his homeland in the States for the past couple of years, but I was privileged to know him during the exciting, powerful couple of years he spent in Holywood.  He was a gifted musician, an anointed worship leader, a natural-born youth worker, a great friend, and a person of massive integrity.

Among the countless reasons why he will be missed is that we won’t hear any more of his songs.  I don’t think he ever got the recognition he deserved.  A lot of Christian music can be a bit maudlin or derivative, but John had a great knack with a catchy tune, an honest, down-to-earth lyric, and an infectious joy which shone through all his songs.

‘You Broke Through’ was his classic (we begged him to perform it again and again!) and you can actually hear him smile as he sings his story – the difference that Jesus made in his life.