More tributes to a great man

I bless and praise G-d for the precious life of his son Ernest Lloyd! his service in the IMJA was honorable and a great inspiration for several generations, and his testimony will remain a beautiful light that reflects the love of Yeshua.

Is the men of G-d and a servant more sweet than I've known, and his life, during the last 13 years of our friendship, was an inspiration to me (and to hundreds of people). Over the years we wrote many letters and talked on the phone. I'm crying at his departure but my consolation is that he is with G-d who served and loved with all his heart.

We will see each other with our Heavenly Father, my dear Ernest... is the way you say to me the last time we talked on the phone!

“Precious in the sight of the LORD [is] the death of his saints” (Psalm 116:15)
Myriam Levy, Vice President International Messianic Jewish Alliance

Ernest was a man who took an enormous interest in the witness of the Free Church [of Scotland] and understood the support and understanding of the Free Church in the past. His links with many Free Church families go back over at least 50 or 60 years. My own appreciation of him is more recent, but I found him a most agreeable companion when, as a member of Council of CWI, I often sat with him in the meetings of Council. His dedication to his Lord, his appreciation of what would be useful in the extension of the work, his wisdom in evaluating character and his judgement on specific situations reflected profound godliness and a life lived in the light of his Saviour.

His graciousness, his wisdom, his humour and his vision will be sadly missed, but fondly remembered.
Rev William Mackay, former member of the Council of Christian Witness to Israel

Thank you for conveying the passing away to glory of our dear Brother Ernest.

I got your earlier news that he had gone into a home for care, so the news was not unexpected; although I was hoping the Lord will keep him until the Messiah whom he loved and for his cause he served until the coming of the Lord. I am certain the Lord would have said to him, “Well done, my faithful servant”.

I first came to know him when he came to Sri Lanka in the early sixties. I was in my twenties when I first came to know the Lord through the reading of the Word; thus I would go to any meeting to learn more of God’s word; not worried about denominational barriers. When Ernest came to Sri Lanka; he conducted studies in the mornings at the Bible Society. I used to go early mornings to these studies before I went to work. He also demonstrated the Jewish Passover at the Brethren Assembly in the city and I went to that meeting too I always thank the Lord for him, for he was the one the Lord used to teach me Israel’s special place in the Lords plan and purposes.

A few years after this meeting, the Lord was calling me to the Christian ministry; I was running away from it but ultimately the Lord got me and He opened the door as an independent student at South Wales Bible College. Again, in the Lords providence, Ernest came to minister unto us and I made myself known to him and thanked him for his ministry in Sri Lanka. The next and the last time I met him was during 1969/70 when I was ministering in an evangelical church in Gorseinon which is near Swansea and again I renewed fellowship with him and it was he who put me on the mailing list of the CWI.

I do praise the Lord for Ernest, who had the love of Christ in his life and ministry. I do thank and praise the Lord that he gave me the privilege in meeting him and have fellowship with him in the service for the spread of the gospel. Our loss is heaven’s gain; but the comforting thought is that one day we will meet him in glory; there will be no more separation.
Jonathan Chin

I would like to convey my sincere sympathies to you as a close friend of Ernest, and to all of the staff at CWI who loved him so much.

Ernest was always a tremendous blessing to me, and I have many happy memories of sitting around the dining table in Vancouver with him as he regaled us with wonderful, warm conversation.

Those who would like to imagine that as “Messianic Jews” today they are better than Ernest’s generation of “Hebrew Christians” can be reminded that in their day, Ernest and others were by no means less revolutionary than the modern generation in asserting their Jewish identity while passionately embracing the Man from Nazareth.
Daniel Nessim, Executive Director, Chosen People Ministries (UK)

I first met Ernest about 60 years ago at the home of my aunt and her companion. To that lad of 12 he appeared an enormous chap and a bit overwhelming. He was a big man, of course, not only in stature but in spirit. Years later he became a dear friend and valued colleague during my work for Spanish Gospel Mission. This friendship continued after retirement until his death. Ernest's life was filled with Christ and a desire for his glory and he worked tirelessly for that end. He was a man with a great heart. Now another Mr Greatheart has passed over and this earthly scene is the less for his passing.
Matthew W Hill <><

Many thanks for the communication. We had the GREAT pleasure of regular visits with him over the time he has been in the home ... and for years before that when we met him in S. Africa.

We will MISS him - but THANK GOD for the privilege of his friendship ... the Christian's HOPE is a great comfort!
Billy & Freda Farr.

He was a truly remarkable man. I am astonished heaven could get along so well for so long without him, but it is now a richer place and we are the poorer - temporarily. Thank you so much for passing on the news so promptly.

Maranatha!
Elizabeth Arbuthnot

Thank you for letting us know of Ernest Lloyd's passing into the presence of the Lord. In that place of eternal safety we can rejoice he is there, even though he will be greatly missed by those who knew him. I only met him about 2-3 times, the last time being at a delightful meal with him and Tom Lori in dear Kathleen Thirtle's home, when I discovered his mischievous sense of humour!
Margaret E Martin

Ernest Lloyd: more tributes

Thanks to those of you who are leaving comments about Ernest (seen above as a teenager). Please keep them coming.

Here are four new ones:

I was a very young believer when introduced to Ernest 12 years ago in Belfast.

It was Valerie Shaw who introduced us and thanks to her initiative and efforts we became good friends. It was her also who informed me of Ernest’s death.

Soon after getting to know Ernest, I started to draw from him much inspiration in my Christian walk. His great love for Christ and life-long service, humility, meekness and a good sense of humour, were the main attributes which have always stood out in my memory. Being constantly captivated by Christ was the secret of whom he was and what made him so special. Mike Moore’s biography of Ernest conveys it much better than I can here in few words.

Ernest was a very faithful friend – I could always be assured of his interest and prayers. There was never any wavering in his warmth and friendship, even when my replies to his letters were much delayed. He often laughed when I was telling him that, paraphrasing, he shifted all paradigms when it comes to retirement. It was indeed a high privilege to be his friend.

His love for Christ was infectious; when listening to him one was captivated by something real and passionate in the way he spoke about the Lord. While speaking to Ernest one had no doubts that he was a spiritual giant.

I hoped to come to Ulster for a short spell to see him before he would pass away.
Though I feel sad for losing such a friend I am truly happy for him – he is finally in the presence of His beloved Saviour whom he served so passionately and faithfully his entire life. As Apostle Paul said in Philippians 1:21 “For me to live is Christ and to die is gain”.

Thank God for His grace in Ernest’s life and for the example that he was to us.

Andrew Machauf

My brother who lives in England today sent me an e-mail to inform me of Ernest Lloyd's passing. I knew Mr Lloyd from the age of nine or ten through his visits to Cape Town where he usually stayed with our family during visits. Those were a particular pleasure for me because Mr Lloyd was full of fun and good humour, and prepared to put up with the distractions I created, almost certainly because I recognized the fun that he represented. Not particularly angelic as a child, my father and I clashed bitterly for years, but Ernest Lloyd saw through the harshness that existed and those few weeks around our home left special memories and a great impression regarding what a truly great Christian is all about. We managed to keep in touch over the many years and I can truly say that I have lost a friend. What a lovely Christian he was with that ever ready humour and no-nonsense approach.

Rob Porter
Mississauga, Canada.

I will be so grateful to G-d for bringing Ernest to the truth in Mashiach. The members of BMJA and other Messianic ministries have been heartfelt dearest of friends to me, bringing encouragement amidst the most terrible of storms. Over many, many years I have been able know and share such love and compassion with others because Ernest chose to follow the pathway Mashiach showed him.

Ernest will be mourned by many across the world. Many will wish they were there to say prayers at his graveside. So many more will write, far more eloquently than I, about the giant of a man – a true mensch – who spoke truth – emet – with such conviction.

His care for the following generations, his encouragement to all who came along his path, will have lasting effect. We are the poorer for his passing, the richer for his presence in our lives.

It is a tradition that at a burial in Judaism, the tzitzit [fringes] are cut from the deceased’s tallit [prayer shawl]. The people they are given to will look on them and remember the life of prayer lived by the one they once belonged to. Ernest was indeed a man of prayer and we can all look on the threefold cord that binds us all to Mashiach and to Ernest.

May HaShem grant Him the joy of eternal life.

Gerry Cohen

Heaven is peopled today by many noteworthy characters but, if one is allowed one’s imagination to picture things “humanly graphically”, dear Ernest’s entry may well have been noticed!! After such a full life, he certainly may have his well deserved rest, but his works will follow him, at least in the memory of so many friends, family and colleagues. May the Lord bring forth much fruit from his endeavours and hard labour, which the Lord promised would never be in vain.

It is sad not to have the prospect any more to hear his loud enthusiastic laughter, or the splendid jokes which produced it but, above all, how thankful I am to have known him and to have been encouraged so often and cheered by his good common sense, and Spirit filled advice!

I thank the Lord for lending to this world such a servant as Ernest; also for the privilege to have spent times of precious fellowship with him in Haifa when he was visiting, or on deputation tours in Scotland.

May God bless his family and close friends with comfort and care, and renew the strength of those who will continue to witness in his steps.

Francine

Tributes to Ernest Lloyd

Within minutes of emailing the news of the death of Ernest Lloyd (seen above preaching in South Africa in the 1950s), the following two tributes appeared.

I have just heard a very sad news... My “adoptive” Grandfather, as we decided that I would call him, Mr. Ernest Lloyd, went to be with Jesus... I think I am still shocked... I was supposed to see him on January 10th, 2011... He was 97 and his life is one of the purest examples of what a servant of the Lord should be like...

He'd been serving the Lord through Christian Witness to Israel for over 70 years... a man whom God used to turn high numbers of people to Himself... A man with humble beginnings, but with an incredible Saviour, Yeshua HaMashiach (Jesus the Messiah)... A book was written about him -The Importance of Being Ernest, by Mike Moore -which impacted me greatly before entering this mission, but which was just a glimpse of the beautiful creation God had made in him...

I was going to see him... but Jesus wanted to have him quicker... I am not surprised He wanted to spend time with him... He is definitely someone everyone enjoyed spending time with...

Ernest Lloyd is with the One whom he'd given his heart and life to... what a gift for Jesus on this Christmas to take into heaven...

In my adoptive Grandfather's memory,

Andreea


I am very thankful that I had the opportunity to meet Ernest in 2006, when he was 94. I was impressed by his hospitality, generosity, his lively mind, and by his sense of the history of the Messianic movement. More recently, Ernest twice wrote to me to encourage me in my role as [BMJA] President and, when I rang him a few weeks ago, he told me that he continued to pray for the BMJA. I know that any others of you who have met him, will share my admiration for him. May our thoughts and prayers be with Ernest's family, and with the many, many people whose lives were, under God, touched by this remarkable man.

In Yeshua, our Messiah and our Hope

James

Having had the privilege of meeting and getting to know Ernie Lloyd a little at an SDHS conference in Bournemouth a few years ago, I can personally say what a very special and godly man he was, and what a loss he will be to the church on earth. But now he is in glory with the Saviour he loved and served so faithfully, “which is far better”.

Pam