Reverend Evan Harris Jones

“Well done, good and faithful servant.” In the early days of 1976, shortly after sensing a “Gospel Call” to the Pastoral Ministry, I attended a local Presbyterian Church in my neighbourhood, St. Andrew’s Presbyterian, on Barton Street in Hamilton, Ontario, where I was warmly greeted by the Reverend Evan H. Jones. He was both warm and welcoming to a young man who had just renewed his commitment to Christ a couple of months before. After a short conversation, Evan made the time to escort me among those present in the church and introduce me. He befriended me and over the time at St. Andrew’s (through my last years of my undergraduate degree at McMaster and my first year at Knox College) we enjoyed many conversations where he generously shared stories (often with a good dose of humour) about his pastoral ministry first as an Anglican and then as a Presbyterian. Evan encouraged me to accept the “call” to be ordained into the Ruling Eldership at St. Andrew’s, and later presented me to the Session as a “candidate for ministry” (and subsequently, to the Presbytery). Over my time at St..Andrew’s, he often involved me in the worship services and, on many occasions, provided me opportunities to “cut my teeth” in the challenge of preaching. Following my ordination to the Minister of Word and Sacraments in 1982, we had lost touch (Evan had left Hamilton for a ministry in London a few years or so before). Later, in the early 1990s, while he was the Chaplain to the Veteran Hospital in London, we enjoyed a lunch together as he was willing to “supply” the congregations I was with at the time so that I could preach for a Gospel Call elsewhere that weekend. Again, we enjoyed a time of discussion, “catching up”, and his enthusiasm as well as his good natured humour was evident. That was the last time we spoke face-to-face though over the many years in-between “then” and “now” I’ve thought of all that I was “taught” by his example about being engaged in “Pastoral Ministry.” In his own way, he was my first “mentor” and encourager in pastoral ministry. I am what I am today as a Minister partly because of his foundational influence.

One last aside: I have before me a photograph that was taken in the church office of St. Andrew’s on the day that he officiated over the marriage of my father, Harry, and my stepmother, Jean. I believe was the last “official act” that he did as the minister of that congregation. In the photograph the bookshelves were bare and the room empty. Still, behind the desk Evan is standing joyfully with his ever-present smile beaming radiating warmth . That is how I will remember this caring and grace-filled man of God. “Godspeed, my friend, Evan….Godspeed!”

My heartfelt prayers and condolences are offered to Evan’s family. God bless.