Dr. Donald M. Lewis

Reflections from Bishop Charlie on the promotion to glory of Don Lewis.

My dear friends of ANiC,

Last Tuesday, October 19, 2021, Professor Donald M. Lewis, a mighty man of God, was unexpectedly promoted to glory. A husband, father, and grandfather, he was a professor of Church History at Regent College for just over forty incredible years, a leader of the Anglican Studies Program there, and a much loved member of our own St. John’s Vancouver and then St. Peter’s Fireside. It is reported he suffered cardiac arrest.

We grieve his passing and thank God for this faithful saint who has touched so many people, literally all around the world.

Regent College has put out a fine “In Memoriam” which I encourage you to read here.

Personally, I was shocked to hear this news of Don’s passing. As it happens, Don and I are basically the same age and I have known Don for virtually all my life. He and I grew up in the small community of Lennoxville, Quebec. (Which is now part of the city of Sherbrooke. One of our ANiC congregations is St. James, Lennoxville.)

Growing up, Don and I were in the same class each year from Grade 4 until Grade 10, when my family moved to Ontario.

We both were blessed to be raised in Evangelical families. His dad was the local Pentecostal pastor as well as working in administration at Bishop’s University. My dad was a professor at Bishop’s.

The Evangelical community in the Sherbrooke area was pretty small. By far the largest contingent were wonderful believers from Grace Chapel, Sherbrooke, the Brethren Church.

It seemed to me growing up, that almost all the Evangelicals were from Grace, with the exceptions being the Lewises, who were the Pentecostals, and the Masters, who were the Anglicans.

I lost touch with Don after 1966 until, to my delight, in 1994 at the Essentials Conference, we encountered one another once again. We both were now married with young families. I was serving as an Anglican priest in the Diocese of Niagara and by now Don was a professor at the great Regent College in Vancouver, BC. What was of particular interest and joy to me was that in his late twenties Don had become an Anglican and, from then on, was a mighty force for evangelicalism within Anglicanism.

In the years following, Don and I were not regularly in contact but whenever we bumped into each other or made contact it was always a delight.

I found Don, as a Church historian, to be extremely wise and also an astute strategist for the cause of the gospel.

I remember a time, before ANiC existed, when he contacted me about a vacancy in Vancouver where he felt I might make a contribution. I ultimately decided not to pursue this opportunity but, because Don was recommending it to me with such compelling reasons, I took his advice very seriously.

Don was a man who kept in close contact with graduates of Regent College, as I mentioned, literally around the world. I am sure his personal encouragement and advice to countless folk, both clergy and laity, has served the cause of the Gospel in a very significant way.

We in ANiC have once again suffered a great loss. Don was keenly involved during our Anglican Essentials years, the ACiNW, and then when ANiC was formed. He was a member of St. John’s Shaughnessy, then Vancouver, and I believe right from the start was a much valued member and mentor to Canon Alastair Sterne and the leadership of St. Peter’s Fireside.

As a bishop, knowing there was Don Lewis, along with J.I. Packer and others, at Regent College was so encouraging and important. There are a large number of our clergy who were taught by these two great men.

I am so thankful for Professor Don Lewis and, with his family, his church family, the Regent College community, all of us of ANiC, and all gospel partners in the Anglican world, I want to remind us of the wonderful words from Revelation 14:13 that again take on even more significance as we remember Donald M. Lewis:

“And I heard a voice from heaven saying, "Write this: Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on." "Blessed indeed," says the Spirit, "that they may rest from their labours, for their deeds follow them!" (Revelation 14:13)

Yours in the sure and certain hope of the Resurrection,

+Charlie

The Right Reverend Charlie Masters
Diocesan Bishop of the Anglican Network in Canada