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REVEREND JOHN G. ANDERSONChatham Christian Ministry |
CLERGY & MINISTRY SNAPSHOT
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Rev. John Anderson has a loving heart with a capacity for compassion, practical caring and a sense of fairness and justice. He strives to manifest a sense of humour and joy to all. Like the Apostle Paul, who was very sensitive to the needs of hurting individuals, he believes that those who are strong must bear the weaknesses and help carry the burdens of those who are weaker. Rev. John Anderson is currently the Branch Padre for the Lt. Col. W. Ivan Nurse Branch 628 Royal Canadian Legion.
John uses his special gift of proclaiming the good news of the Gospel at every opportunity: from the pulpit, in the streets, in homes, and to everyone he meets. He knows the importance of tending to the needs of the sick: he spends time offering up prayers to our Lord and Saviour on their behalf, and you will find him in hospitals, palliative care and nursing homes helping the sick in with their every spiritual need. John takes the time also to prepare those who are actively dying look forward to meeting their creator. Rev. John Anderson advocates for and empowers for the "less fortunate" in his community and ministers to those facing personal, family, financial and spiritual issues. In addition, he volunteers for Bibles for Mission [a used furniture and clothing etc. store where proceeds are used to purchase Bibles], within the fields of drug awareness, and on a daily basis for his local food bank "Outreach for Hunger".
To sum up, John's passion in life is to serve God's people. His reward comes by reaching out and helping others; leading them to God and His wonderful works. Ultimately, Rev. John Anderson feels called personally by Jesus to reach out and do more than he can even ask for or imagine.
Please see below for the News Story "CHATHAM PADRE SOLVES INTERNATIONAL MYSTERY"
CHATHAM CHRISTIAN MINISTRY
CHATHAM PADRE SOLVES INTERNATIONAL MYSTERY
Quick detective work by Chatham Christian Ministry's Rev. John G. Anderson has helped an Australian war hero discover a family in Canada he never knew he had.
67-year-old Barry Seeley, a decorated Vietnam War veteran who was born in England but has lived in Australia since he was sixteen was recently advised by his ailing mother that his real father was not the man who raised him but a Canadian soldier named Arthur Jerome Suchard.
Through the Canadian War Museum in Ottawa, Barry learned his biological father was awarded a Croix de Guerre Avec Palme de Bronze for his efforts in the Dieppe Raid in France in 1942 and was a member of the Chatham-based Lt. Col. W. Ivan Nurse Branch 628 Royal Canadian Legion.
But there the trail went cold until an internet search revealed that Reverend Anderson was the honorary padre for the Chatham Legion. Barry's workmate in the Queensland Government and former Guelph Ontario resident Hugh O’Brien wrote to Reverend Anderson seeking his help in filling in some missing pieces.
Within an hour of receiving the letter, Reverend Anderson went to the Soldier's Field at the Maple Leaf Cemetery, found the grave of Arthur Jerome Suchard and then proceeded to the public library to check the obituary notice on microfilm. From this, he discovered that Arthur had a son, Ronald Suchard, in London, ON.
Reverend Anderson traced Ronald through the internet and phoned him, seeking his permission to reveal his details to Barry Seeley. Ronald agreed and within 12 hours, two half brothers who never knew of each other's existence were chatting on the phone like old friends.
Ironically, Barry's middle name is Ronald, he is a dead-ringer for his father and his military honour won in Vietnam in 1971 is of a similar level to the Croix de Guerre.
“The speed at which Reverend Anderson responded to a simple request for information was amazing and the way he followed it through was fantastic,” Barry said.
“His detective work has brought together two families from across the world and has allowed me to fill in so many gaps in my life,” Barry said.
Barry, who is the Head of Security in the building which houses the Premier of Queensland, is planning a trip to Ontario later this year to meet his Canadian family face-to-face and to thank Reverend Anderson in person.
News story put together June 30, 2010 for publication
by Hugh O'Brien, Manager - Publications and AV
Communication Services
Department of the Premier and Cabinet
Brisbane, Australia