Rev Tariq Waris – Full Gospel Assemblies of Pakistan
I met Rev. Dr. Patrick Sookhdeo for the first time at a church in London in 2008 when I was a theological student in England. On that night at a London church, he eloquently reported on the persecution of Christians around the world and the challenges of religiously inspired terrorism in the West and beyond. His highly clear, articulate, and persuasive communication style greatly inspired my mind and touched my heart. In subsequent years, I got to know Patrick as an individual through personal interactions and as an intellectual through reading his books. Patrick had a high academic capacity for writing books and exceptional organizational skills to lead a large charity, which he was also a founder of. He was uniquely gifted to simultaneously engage with the academic world and arrange distribution of relief among persecuted Christians. If his mind was occupied with complex intellectual ideas, his heart would be burning with sheer compassion for the persecuted church. The breadth and depth of his knowledge was also very wide-ranging. He could preach expository sermons at Christian leaders’ gatherings and deliver lectures on Jihadist ideologies and global security in military settings. And he would not disappoint his audience in either context. His ability to distill complex ideas into a clear, concise, and comprehensive speech would captivate the audience. Patrick Sookhdeo was an outspoken and brave advocate of the persecuted church. Through his words and actions, he expressed resolute solidarity with the majority world Christians who were hated for no reason except for their faith in Christ. He led initiatives in providing food, housing, education, legal aid, and other forms of support to suffering brothers and sisters all over the world. These acts of compassion and support were performed irrespective of a Christian community’s denominational background. That is why he was much…




