The Revd Richard Bewes OBE, the former rector of All Souls Church, Langham Place in London, has died aged 84.
Bewes was an influential Christian leader in the UK throughout his life. He was the rector of All Souls from 1983 until his retirement in 2004. He also served on the Church of England Evangelical Council in the 1990s and was on the British Board of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association for much of his life.
Early life
Born and raised by missionary parents in Kenya, Bewes made a confession of faith as a teenager, partly under the influence of John Stott, who would continue to be a mentor to him during his undergraduate years and as one of his predecessors at All Souls. After studying at Cambridge, he trained for ordination at Ridley Hall, and was ordained in 1959. Bewes continued to be passionate about Africa and was involved in raising up and training church leaders there.