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Tributes to K. Neill Foster ...entered heaven May 14, 2006 |
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From Pastor Brent Trask Neill was an Elder of the RockPoint Church and his eight fellow Elders (including myself) were very privileged to serve with him. Neill devoted his life to Christian ministry and he made a significant impact at RockPoint and around the world. Strangely, this is true even amongst our Elders. Quote from our EB Chairman ~ Steven John:
Other Elders at RockPoint have had similar experiences with the breadth and length of Neill's ministry. David Belsey, our Church Treasurer, was twelve years old living in Midland, Ontario when Neill came through town on a preaching tour. David responded to a call along with a number of others during a Sunday evening service. Neill laid hands on David and prayed for him – this was 48 years ago. This experience remains firmly etched into David mind as a fond memory to this day. I myself gave my life to Christ in 1975 in response to ministry around a campfire at the Camp Nakamun firepit…at the very place that I am sure Neill had preached many times and through the camp whose ministry he laboured to build. As an Elders Board, we appreciated Neill for many reasons:
. . .We respect him very highly in love because of his work in the Lord. A Tribute to my brother Neill Joan Foster – May 18, 2006 Neill you were always my big brother, my protector…well almost all the time! I remember when you and Janet pushed me first into our unlit bedroom so the boogie man would get me first! I don't think that was one of more protective moments! You and I share a love for animals but you were a bit more extreme. I remember Mom asking you to kill a rooster for her. You got the rooster on the block but you could not bring yourself to chop it's head off with the axe! Mom finally had to kill that rooster! Your tender heart was evident from an early age. You loved God and your family but you loved people too! You made nine trips to Africa and several to Pastor Allaye Duyon and you became good friends because you both had evangelist hearts. Your were prayer partners and had kindred spirits. He, too, is getting old and will soon join you in heaven. Neill, I always admired you for the many book your wrote. Thought provoking and sometimes controversial but always pertinent to our times. Your legacy will go on for many years as people read your books and are encouraged in their Christian lives. I will miss you, Neill, but know that you have finished well. You have "run the race" right into heaven. I will miss your "protective spirit" but I know you are in heaven and catching up with Dad & Mom so I wouldn't wish you back. Love, Your sister Joan A tribute to my brother Neill - Norman My brother Neill had an unselfish spirit and was always thinking of others rather than himself. Many people's lives were changed because of his ministry and we will not soon forget his passion for the lost. I was always amazed with his writing skills and his ability to understand and teach deeper life issues. As my brother, he was a great example to me and he truly lived what he preached. Never once did I feel a judgmental or critical attitude. We had great family times together and he looked forward to every family gathering and was disappointed if anyone was missing. It won't be the same again with out you Neill. We miss you already. Your kind heart and gentle spirit will leave lasting memories. Your brother Norman from Bill and Diane Finnemore In the early morning hours this past Monday I awoke thinking about our past history with you and Neill. Most of those memories go back to Beaverlodge and our first days in ministry. Before we came to Beaverlodge I had heard about the "World Traveling Evangelist" K. Neill Foster. I still remember how excited I was to finally get to meet him. Ken Schamuhn brought me up to your house one morning about I think Ken kind of woke him up and then the two of them began to have this groggy conversation. I remember how his hair was sticking in several different directions. I just stood there and listened. After about 10 minutes Neill suddenly realized there was a third party present. me. Without a word he kind of looked at me for a minute and said "who are you"? And that was my introduction to the great Neill Foster. I always teased him how that introduction burst my bubble. Another significant memory was the day Neill called me to his office at the Horizon House. Being a young preacher I felt insecure. In my first sermons I would often use the preface "I know I am young, but...". As I stood in Neill's office that day, he looked me straight in the eye and said "Pastor Billy, if I ever hear you say again the phrase "I know I am young, but..." I will stand up in the service and publicly rebuke you. Just preach God's Word." I could see that he was definitely not joking and I never said that phrase again. There is one last memory that I would like to share. Neill was writing a paper or a book or something about discernment. He told me about a day he was jogging along the road above Beaverlodge with your dog as a companion. To describe discernment he told me how the dog could see things as they jogged along. He could see things in the ditch like field mice or rabbits or he could see if a car or truck was coming along the road. But then Neill told me about what the dog could not see. He could not look out and see the town down below. The dog could not see beyond the town, the fields with all the colors of the different crops, and then beyond the fields he could not see the peaks of the Donna's Tribute to Dad People used to tell me when I was a young girl how fortunate I was to have such wonderful godly parents. I wasn't always sure what they meant, as in my teenage mind, my parents were just like everybody else's parents: old-fashioned and out of touch. As I now have children of my own, I have begun to appreciate my parents for what they were able to provide for us, and for what we were able to learn from them. It is these things that I have been pondering this past week. My dad provided all our needs. As a parent now myself, I recognize that that is not always an easy task. Sometimes my boys ask me why I work so much. I tell them that when they stop eating, that is when I can stop working. Then they stop complaining. As you can tell by looking at all three of us, my dad kept us well fed. My dad honored his calling. Our life was an exciting adventure as he exposed us to travel, to other cultures and languages, to people as he honored his calling to ministry. True, he may have been absent often when we were young, but in the times he was home, I think he tried to make up for it by infusing as much wisdom into us as he could. We used to moan and whine when he would break out his Bible after dinner -- or worse, we thought, some devotional by A.W. Tozer, his favorite. But he spoke into our lives truth wherever and whenever he could. And we are the better for it. My dad maintained his integrity. Many of my friends as I was growing up would complain that their parents were hypocrites. I can honestly say that my parents lived what they believed one hundred percent. Even if I disagreed with some of their beliefs on some things, I had to respect that they never wavered, they were always consistent, and they were who they presented themselves to be to the world. There was no double standard. There was no hypocrisy. My dad kept his priorities in order. His first priority was to love and serve God. He never wavered on that all the days of his life. He ordered his life around that. His relationship with God was intimate and he would study and meditate by the hour, plumbing the depths of God's Word and seeking to know Him. He sought God's will in every decision and often tapped into his relationship with God to stand in the gap for one who was weak. My dad lived his whole life with TODAY in mind. He yearned for Heaven. He wisely ordered his life starting with the end of it, when he would answer for the time he had been alotted and receive his reward. He sought the approval only of the One who called him. He wanted only to hear, "Behold good and faithful servant. Welcome into my rest." As I leaned over the bedside of my dying father last week, I caressed his head, wept freely and kissed his face, emptying my heart into his ear. I told him how blessed I was to have been his daughter, how thankful I was to have had such a fine example of integrity, of service, of kindness, and of dedication to ministry. I thanked him for being a faithful and loving husband to my mother, for embracing and enjoying my children, and for leading our whole family in the ways of truth. It is an honor to call him Dad. It has been my proud honor to have been his daughter. Tribute to my Dad by Jeff While this past week has been very difficult I feel like I have gotten to know my dad quite a bit better than before. It's amazing to see the emails and phone calls from all over the world, some people that I have never heard of saying how my dad had ministered to them or they heard him preach or read his books…..he truly had a worldwide influence!!!!! How many sons can say that about their dad? The one thing in all of this that I'm thankful for is, that this happened while my mom and dad were at home together…..not driving or in some public place. I started thinking about things that I might want to say at Dad's funeral as soon as he went into the hospital…events like this tend to make you want to plan for the future. Here are some of my thoughts…. My dad coached me one year in bantam hockey. I don't think he even knew of any drills for practices but I knew he looked forward to the challenge. Things started out well but about halfway through the year we started to go bad……a 13 game losing streak. I think he started to think that people were saying that a preacher couldn't coach hockey and that they were going to replace him (is that even possible?) We finally broke the streak and I still remember that smile on his face. He still talked about that even recently!!!! We moved to We played a lot of golf together growing up and it was always very competitive. I remember the Foster/Cook challenge and I think if I looked around I might be able to find the trophy that Dr. Cook made for the winner!!!! It seemed like when we played I would always be quite a bit ahead of Dad, then we would get to the last hole and he would say "Winner take all on the last hole!!!" I didn't have any choice in the matter and Dad usually won that hole!!! I still use that line in some of my golf games even now. My Dad was famous for his mechanical abilities. His tool kit was comprised of a hammer, a crescent wrench and an eight bit screwdriver. Sadly to say I seemed to have inherited this trait!!! I think when it came to building things our motto would be "Measure 4 times and still cut it crooked" That being said he still asked me to build things for him…..haven't figured that one out quite yet!!! Whenever we got together for something I always made a point of extending my hand for a handshake and saying "Hello Neill!" He would look at me and say "don't call me Neill, I'm your Dad and give me a hug….no handshakes!!!" I knew he would say this every time but I always enjoyed hearing him. My last "event" with my Dad was game 7 of the Flames and Ducks series this year. My brother Tim and I gave tickets to Dad and Auntie Joan and Veronique and I went to the game with them. My Dad couldn't believe the face value of the seats…$275!!! They both wore Flames jerseys and were part of the One of the best things about my Dad was his relationship with my Mom. I can honestly say that I can't remember ever hearing him say anything to her in anger. How many of us can say that? It was very apparent the love that he had for "Wifey" and that she had for him. I'm sure any of you that knew them would say the same thing When my Dad was in the hospital he never did wake up or even open his eyes. We weren't sure if he could hear us but we talked his ear off. I talked to him about hockey, his dog, stock prices (he always called me whenever our stock went up). Although this was hard I really enjoyed bending his ear and I think he enjoyed the familiar voices. While this past week has been difficult on us as a family I know Dad is in a better place….probably bragging to Grandma Foster about his Grandsons……taking a walk with Grandpa Foster or talking with A.B. Simpson or A.W. Tozer about books and such. As we say good bye to Dad today I can't even express to you, how proud I am to be his son! I'm sure I disappointed him a few times but I know that he loved me unconditionally and was proud of me. I will miss him terribly…..I love you Dad!!!! We'll take care of Mom for you!!!!! Jeff from T.V. Thomas I was deeply shocked to hear of Neill's passing away so suddenly. We had just enjoyed some very rich fellowship together on May 5 and 6 at the Equipping Evangelists' Retreat in My memories go back to the mid-seventies when Neill was championing and running Summer Family Camps from In Neill's ministry, he was biblical and global in outlook regardless of what role he was placed in – camp director, evangelist, newspaper editor, entrepreneur, publisher, author and speaker. The world-wide I will always remember Neill as patient, gracious, thoughtful and LOVING. I will miss him dearly. With much gratitude,
Photo of three In life it is rather rare that two upon meeting each other should sense an immediate oneness of spirit. And yet it should not surprise anyone because we are "members one of another." In 1968 Neill Foster and his wife studied in the Spanish Language School of the Rio Grande Bible Institute.I was Academic Dean at the time and taught a class in Missionary Spiritual Life on Romans 1-8. Even though our relationship was one of language learning, it was evident that the Message of the Cross found an echo in their heart. As David and Jonathan, our hearts were knit together in the belief in our blessed union with Jesus Christ in death to the old and a new life in Christ risen. As a consequence Neill invited me to speak in one of the camps he sponsored in the early seventies in St Lazare MB. Our ministry paths separated. In the succeeding years God led the Fosters into evangelism, missions, publishing and worldwide ministry. On occasion, I caught of glimpse of his name in missionary circles. Last year one of my sons in law saw Neill's web page and recommended I read it. Immediately I found myself carried back to our early connection. What a joy to read the writings of my brother. He responded immediately to my e mail and suggested that his web page carry my recent ministry in Spanish and English. I had looked forward to meeting Neill in person on an upcoming trip to Western Canada, but God had other plans and better ones. My life was blessed by that early encounter and, more importantly, God's people have been enriched by the ministry and lives of the Fosters. Dr. Gordon E. Johnson, President Emeritus More tributes will be added as soon as they are ready for posting. |
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