During a service of thanksgiving at Moulton Parish Church, Northampton, evangelist Vijay Menon – who died recently (see online obituary 1 May) – was described as having a “smile that so often reflected the deep assurance he had in the gospel”.
“To say that Vijay Menon lived a unique and extraordinary life would be the master of understatement,” began Lawrence English – a member of Moulton Church – during his tribute. “Throughout his whole life, he was driven by love for God and integrity, and an irrepressible sense of humour.”
Menon was born in 1930, into a “very devout” Hindu family, in the southern Indian state of Kerala. In 1961, he took a job in London. One day, “by accident”, Menon found himself in a Christian church service at St Helen’s Bishopsgate – but by the time he realised where he was, “the press of the crowd made escape impossible and so he had to sit through the service until the bitter end” (as described on vijaymedia.com). During a sermon by Dick Lucas, Menon heard that Jesus died for Hindus; he was intrigued by this, investigated the Christian faith further, and subsequently became a Christian. For a more detailed description of Menon’s powerful testimony, see the en online article here.
The rest of Menon’s life was marked by what has been described as “enthusiastic” evangelism; he took early retirement to concentrate on his ministry, reportedly saying “God sent me to Britain to convert the natives”. Alongside public engagements, Menon focused on one-to-one training in Christian discipleship, with the aim of teaching people “not only for their own benefit, but so they may in turn teach others”.
Back at Moulton Parish Church, English’s tribute concluded: “Vijay, you were loved by so many in this world and you will be missed more than it’s possible for words to say. But now you are loved even more, and we look forward to seeing you again when we, too, are called home.”
Menon’s main thanksgiving service is going to be at St Helen’s Bishopsgate at 2:30pm on Thursday 4 June with David Jackman leading and William Taylor preaching. Menon’s family have said that “all are welcome”.
