In Memory of Charles E. McEwen

With the homecall of our dear friend and brother, Charles McEwen, Precious Seed magazine said ‘good-bye’ to its last founder member. In a way it marked the end of an era. He shared the vision in 1945, with other brethren of like mind, to commence a magazine that would further the aims and interests of the local assembly, and give space to the reporting of the work of the Lord in many places. Those of us involved in this work today are grateful to the Lord for the solid foundation laid in those early days. Our brother’s name is among the committee members listed in the first issue of the magazine. He also appears often in the Reports Section, as accounts of his labours in the gospel are recorded.

In a few words it is difficult to record all the benefits that the magazine enjoyed through the faithful and consistent association of our brother with us. As we moved from the south country up to Bristol for our committee meetings, Charles travelled with Desmond Gahan without fail, even right up to the time when he moved to Ireland in 1991. We watched with sadness his growing frailty, yet always felt his strong spirit and this often encouraged us. His main activity was to correct all the references in the proofs, and we can say that very few errors escaped through his net. He was invaluable in correcting the reports and places, as he had travelled widely in the British Isles and knew personally so many of the Lord’s servants. In the committee he acted for a long time as chairman. He kept us to time and order, and we enjoyed much of his wit and wisdom in the meetings. Also the sense of his spiritual maturity and deep commitment to the spreading of New Testament principles were a tremendous blessing to us all.

We need more men of the calibre of our brother. He is now with His Lord and a gap has been left in the work of Precious Seed. In paying our tribute to him, and in thanking God for him, we pray that the Lord will raise up others of like mind to carry on the work.