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Home » Publications » Free Presbyterian Magazine » 1974 » April 1974 » Church Notes

Church Notes

Death of Rev. Dr R. Macdonald, Vancouver

We record with sorrow the passing of Rev. Dr R. Macdonald which took place in Vancouver, Canada, on Friday, 1st March 1974. Dr Macdonald had been out visiting that afternoon but as he was getting ready to go out again in the evening he collapsed and was found unconscious. He passed away in the ambulance taking him to hospital.

Dr Macdonald was ordained by the Southern Presbytery at Glasgow on 15th August 1928 as a Medical Missionary for our Mission in Rhodesia (F.P. Mag. Vol. 33 p. 197) where he continued to labour for over 20 years. In 1949 he went to Canada as the Church’s Deputy and in 1950 he received a call from the Vancouver congregation. He was inducted to Vancouver in January 1951 (F.P. Mag. Vol. 55 p 252) where he laboured faithfully in the Gospel of God’s grace until his passing on the 1st of March 1974. He would have been 75 years of age in August.

Dr Macdonald’s death is a great loss to our Church and especially to his own congregation and family. We would extend sincere sympathy to Mrs Macdonald and her family in their time of sorrow, and also to the congregation in Vancouver now bereft of their Pastor. We trust that they will experience much of the Lord’s comforting Presence in their sorrow, and be enabled with Job to say: “The Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord.” Job 1: 21.

When the Lord is removing in this way those who were useful in His vineyard to the better country, may we be enabled to plead with Him to raise up other faithful labourers to take the place of those whom He has taken away to glory. We feel very much for the Vancouver congregation, situated as it is so far from the rest of the Church, and we would ask our people to remember the congregation in their prayers at a Throne of grace.

Southern Presbytery Clerkship

At a meeting of the Southern Presbytery in Glasgow on the 19th day of February, 1974, the Rev. Malcolm MacSween resigned from the Presbytery Clerkship. His resignation was accepted and the Court appointed the Rev. Donald MacLean, Glasgow, as their new Presbytery Clerk. Mr MacLean accepted the appointment and thanked the Court.

Malcolm MacSween, Clerk.

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Southern: At Glasgow, on Tuesday, 23rd April at 6 p.m.

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