The Death of Very Rev. Patrick Sookhdeo, Ph.D., D.D. 19 May 2026 The Board of the Oxford Centre for Religion and Public Life (OCRPL) heard with great sadness of the death of Dr Patrick Sookhdeo on 18 May 2026, at the age of 79. Dr Sookhdeo served as Executive Director of OCRPL and was the founder of Barnabas Fund, now known as Barnabas Aid. Dr Sookhdeo’s family came to the United Kingdom from Guyana in the 1950s. Leaving his Islamic background behind, he became a Christian at around the age of sixteen or seventeen. He later studied at London Bible College, where he met his future wife, Rosemary, who had come from New Zealand. Together, Patrick and Rosemary founded In Contact Ministries in 1975 — later renamed Servants Fellowship International — based at St Andrew’s, a redundant church building in Plaistow, East London. Their work focused on evangelism and compassionate ministry within multicultural urban communities. In 1989, Dr Sookhdeo established the Institute for the Study of Islam and Christianity. He and Rosemary also founded Barnabas Fund to provide practical support to persecuted Christians around the world. In 2000, he obtained a doctorate from the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), University of London. Over the course of his life, he authored, co-authored, or edited more than forty books. Nic Ng of Olive Aid Malaysia said: “Dr Sookhdeo dedicated much of his life to a cause that the world too often overlooks — the suffering and persecuted Church. His deep compassion for Christians facing hardship, discrimination, and persecution across the globe was the driving force behind the work he helped establish here in South East Asia through Olive Aid Trust. Dr Sookhdeo once said, ‘My inspiration has always been Barnabas, the encourager, who stood up for the suffering saints of…