NEIL BOND -LICENSED TO SELL

I went to another funeral today. Neil Bond was four years younger than me and had been suffering from cancer for the last couple of years. Sadly, I didn't even know this and so the news of his death a week or so ago shocked me deeply. Neil was an officer in The Boys' Brigade and served faithfully for many years in a church in Riverside, Cardiff and then in Barry, Vale of Glamorgan. I first met him when I moved to Cardiff in 1987, and he had already gained a reputation of making a profit on the 'tuck shop' at summer camps. He seemed to give most of the sweets and crisps away but still made a huge profit- we later discovered he was paying for most of the kids himself. It was that, alongside a surname he shared with James Bond, that generated his various nicknames.
A story was told in the funeral service about how Neil gave his life to Christ in a church service as a young boy- the preacher had appealed to the gathered boys to put their faith in Jesus NOW- to use the words and the emphasis Neil himself had used to the storyteller. Thirty years later, Neil was still advancing Christ's Kingdom. Apparently, he often said that his mission in life was to make people laugh; in his own unassuming way he certainly achieved that. One of the nicknames we gave him was 'Basildon Bond' - from Russ Abott's TV spoof secret agent character. Neil and I were driving through Essex one day on the way to a BB council meeting and he spotted a sign for 'Basildon' - it reduced him to tears of laughter for the next hour because he hadn't actually realised Basildon actually existed!
Throughout the 10 years of Big Ideas/Ignite Neil would regularly and faithfully send us financial donations to go towards our work with young people. He came to our 10th anniversary service last year, and my wife and I would occasionally see him walking his dog in the streets around our church City Temple in Cardiff.
Neil was not a famous celebrity or a high-flier but he was faithful, servant-hearted, dedicated to Jesus and to serving him through The Boy's Brigade. There will be many young men in South Wales who were introduced to Jesus through the love and enthusiasm, through the dedication and humour, through the compassion and strength of Neil Bond.
I shall regret not getting the chance to meet him for a final goodbye, but I'll look forward to visiting his heavenly tuck shop. I'll remember too the vital importance of encouraging young people to make a specific response to the good news of Jesus- this world needs more Neil Bonds.