The Revd Rodney Sawtell: 1942-2024
Long-time pastor of Eld Lane Baptist Church in Colchester (now known as Colchester Baptist Church), who loved, honoured and served God
Rod was born in Leeds hospital on 23 March 1942. During the Second World War his father was in the army and sent to Belgium. His mother was living in Romford and was pregnant and decided to stay with her sister in Yorkshire. While she was there, their home back in Romford was bombed and they would have been killed.
After the war they eventually returned to Romford and attended Romford Baptist Church. As a family they went to the Billy Graham crusade at Harringay arena and it was there that Rod made the decision to give his life to Christ and become a Christian.
They moved to Bromsgrove, Worcestershire due to his father's job, but eventually moved to Hornchurch and Rod was baptised in his late teens at Main Road Baptist Church Romford. He became a leader in a Christian organisation called crusaders and helped in the boys' Bible class on a Sunday afternoon and other activities in the week such as sailing and different sports.
He started working in the Isle of dogs, London in transport, dealing with container lorries. He attended a conference for Crusader Leaders and met my brother, who brought him to our parents home for supper one Sunday evening. I had decided to have supper when I had finished my nursing duties. On arriving home, I was surprised to see this young man sitting at the table. If he ever told you that I fell in love with him immediately, he was deluding himself, but happily it wasn't long before we both fell in love with one another. I was 19 and he was 20.
He wanted to broaden his horizons with work so he went to New York for one year and while there attended Calvary Baptist Church and sang in the choir. It was during one Sunday service that he felt God calling him to think about becoming a Baptist minister. Soon after that he received call up papers to go and fight in the Vietnam War for the USA. He immediately decided to leave and return to England.
He prayed about his next steps and applied to Spurgeon’s Theological College in London to train to be a Baptist minister, so commenced his four-year training in 1965, and we became engaged in 1967. He completed his course on 7 June 1969, and we were married on 14 June 1969. Rod was chosen by the college to be the first student to go to the First Baptist Church in Dallas Texas to join the ministry team for one year. He was ordained at Main Road Baptist Church, Romford in July 1969, and we flew to Dallas in September, and had a wonderful year there.
On arriving back in England, Rod was called to be the minister at Cranbrook Baptist Church in Ilford where we served for eight very happy years and where our three sons Paul, James and Mark were born.
In 1979 Rod had the call to be the minister at Eld Lane Baptist Church in Colchester (now known as Colchester Baptist Church). For the next 28 years he was the minister here and the church grew, and it was exciting to be part of this very vibrant and enthusiastic church. Rod was an extremely devoted pastor of this church and a very good preacher. He cared for and loved the people here and gave his whole life to serve them. He used to say to me “they probably won't remember what I preached about but they will remember if I visited them.”.
He preached at 21 different churches in the county, was a chaplain at the Essex County hospital, the university and for a business in Witham. He was a moderator to four different churches, a trustee at Balkerne Gardens and the Castle Gate Centre, spoke at women’s meetings, and in care homes. He was president of the Essex Baptist association for one year and had many other commitments. Also, one afternoon a week he played his oboe in the Abbeygate Concert Band.
He would be telling me off now for letting you know some of the things he did, because he was a very humble man. After he retired, he was given the honour of being pastor emeritus of this church.
I feel so privileged to be married for 55 years to such a kind, loving, caring, generous, patient, Godly husband, a true Christian gentleman who loved me and our boys so much, and was a devoted father to them. We had a very happy family life, and we will miss him so much.
Rod loved, honoured and served God, putting him first in his life and thanking him for being a wonderful, loving and faithful God, teaching him how to live a life that honours Jesus Christ.
My darling Rod I want to thank you for filling my life with so much joy, happiness and love. God has been so good to us.
For Rod all pain, suffering and sorrow is ended, and he is being greeted and welcomed into heaven by Jesus Christ and heard these words. From him “well done good and faithful servant”
Until we meet again in heaven, I will always love you. Margaret
Margaret Sawtell