John Stott was a very remarkable Christian leader with an international reputation but his church home was here at All Souls for nearly all his life, so his death will be felt by us at a very personal level. John came to the church as a child and I can well remember him telling our family of his first visits to the Rectory as a member of the Sunday School. He was to spend more than 50 years as Curate, Rector and then Rector Emeritus in a remarkable ministry here. In every sense he was one of the church family so his death leaves us with a real sense of loss as well as the confidence that he is with his Lord and ours.
I have noticed over the year that the spectrum of Christians that appreciate Stott and quote from him as much broader than his own beliefs. From dissenting evangelicals to anglo-catholics, he garnered wide respect.
All Souls Langham Place has been a powerful force in the church, with much unseen influence. In purely human terms, a lot of the credit must go to Stott.