The Rev John Wyndham was Promoted to Glory on Sunday 6th September. He was trained at Moore Theological College, and ordained in the Diocese of Sydney in 1961. In 1963 John and Jan went to Ceduna in South Australia with Bush Church Aid, and ministered along the Trans Australia Railway. Recently, John wrote a book, “The Cross and the Railway,” describing the challenges of that ministry.
From 1964-1967, as well as ministering at Tarcoola in SA, he was also a Chaplain with the Citizen Military Force, which involved going to Maralinga, where the Atomic Bomb tests were carried out. Just last year, he received the Maralinga Medal from King Charles for assisting the Aborigines in that location.
From 1967-1969 John became Chaplain in the Australian Regular Army, and saw service in Vietnam. In 1969 he came back to Sydney Diocese, and in 1976-77 was Assistant Minister at St John’s Darlinghurst, where Bernard Gook was Rector. Bernard was open to Holy Spirit Renewal and was a great encouragement to John.
The Charismatic Movement had come to Sydney in the late 60’s and John embraced it fully. When the British Anglican charismatic leader Michael Harper visited Sydney, John linked up with his Fountain Trust, and then in 1977, with Dr Alan Langstaff, launched the Australian Temple Trust and was Administrator of that until 1981. John’s vision was for Holy Spirit Renewal to be spread beyond Australia, and in 1981, he founded Pacific Renewal and Outreach Ministries, and was Administrator of that until 1987.
At the same time he was pastoring (part time) the Parish of St Paul’s Belfield, and acting as Chairman of the Sydney branch of Anglican Renewal Ministries Australia.
SOMA had been formed in England in 1978, “to care for the nervous system of the Body of Christ,” and in 1987 John was asked by Michael Harper to become National Director of SOMA Australia. He handed over the leadership of ARMA and left Belfield, and began a ministry that would take him to 35 countries, with SOMA Teams of ordinary parishioners, whose lives subsequently were changed forever. He retired as ND in 1999 but was involved in SOMA Missions to Malaysia, Fiji, Indian Ocean, and The Solomon Islands even after that.
For many years, finance was a problem, but John’s faith that the Lord would provide was met with miraculous provision time and time again. God somehow made a way. His zeal and love for Jesus, and commitment to the work of the Spirit, influenced church leaders and their ministries, including many who went on to become Anglican Bishops around the world, including: Madagascar, India, the Seychelles, Mauritius, Singapore, Solomon Islands, South Africa, Tahiti, Nepal and Australia.
John wrote the book “From Everywhere to Everywhere,” to tell the story of SOMA, for its 40th Anniversary, he continued to bless and encourage believers to the end, sharing transcripts of his sermons online from his aged care facility. Even in his passing, he urged people to give financial support to SOMA in lieu of flowers. He was truly remarkable, and now has gone to join the LORD he loved so much.
