Last Wednesday, Richard Hubbard international speaker, CEO of Links International, and long-time member & elder of our church passed away after a battle with cancer. I had the pleasure of knowing Rich and serving with him at the church these past few years. He was a huge influence on my faith in my early teens and continued to be an inspiration with his energetic and enthusiastic Bible teaching.

It’s really difficult to know what to say or how to respond in these times, so I will simply reproduce an edit from the church newsletter which highlights a bit more about the life of this amazing man.

…After about 5 years working in Plymouth, Rich left full-time employment, and launched out into children’s ministry. Rich and his wife Lynda moved back to Littlehampton and Rich travelled the country leading children’s meetings under the title Powerpoint. He produced a number of cassettes of children’s songs and thousands of children were affected by these, as well as by the many praise concerts and conferences he took part in, often taking a large team along with him.

Rich branched out from children’s ministry and spoke wherever he was invited. Sanga Millar asked him to go and minister in Shillong, North East India. This was the start of his international ministry. Soon afterwards he crossed paths with Norman Barnes of Links International, and Norman invited Rich to travel with him on some trips. This developed and Rich became more and more involved with the work of Links, eventually taking over as CEO in 2006. He has ministered in very many countries across the world to many thousands of people.

Rich always firmly believed in the importance of the local church, and always made it his priority. Rich joined the leadership team of Arun Community Church, and was appointed an elder in November 1993. He was an elder and part of the senior leadership team up until September last year.

In addition to his spiritual input, his wisdom and expertise in legal and financial matters were invaluable. He has helped lead the church from a small gathering to a sizeable church with a significant influence locally and beyond. He believed that the Bible was the Word of God but it needed to be read and understood in context to be understood. For the last few years he has systematically read through the whole Bible each year, and would be continually recounting what God had shown him from it.

His mother recalls a conversation with him when he was 17. He said that he was determined to be able to say on his deathbed that he had not failed to achieve all that God had for him. Rich was never one for resting on his laurels. This time last year he knew he had faithfully fulfilled all that God had called him to up until then, and he felt he should be pressing on to something further, but he was not sure quite what. God had other plans for him.

Rich has influenced so many people in so many ways across the world, but his influence began with us here. He has been a highly respected elder of this church for 16 years. He has been such a loving faithful and loyal family man. He has been a foundational builder, a pillar, a senior statesman, a loyal and faithful preacher and teacher of God‟s word, an inspiration, an example and an encourager. We have been so inspired by the way he has faced the recent illness and has been so positive and faithful to God right up to the end of his life here. I sense God say “Well done, good and faithful servant‟.

His gain is our loss, and all of us will miss him so much. We send our heartfelt love to his wife, children and to all other members of the wider family.

Thank you Rich for the life of dedication and obedience that you faithfully modelled. You will be missed.

UPDATE: A website has been setup for people to leave their thoughts, messages and memories of Rich and to share with others about his unforgettable character. www.richhubbard.co.uk