 Tribute to Dave Colebrooke
(19 June 1957 – 21 June 2009)
Dave Colebrooke came to Hook to lead the church now known as Hook New Covenant Church in April 1996. Prior to that he had been an Elder at Winchester Family Church, living in Alresford, and working as a structural engineering draughtsman.
When Dave arrived in the village the church congregation based in Elms Road was quite small and was part of the FIEC grouping of churches. Dave’s passion in church ministry was to combine careful Bible based preaching with an expectation that the power of God’s Holy Spirit would transform all aspects of people’s lives and characters. These emphases mirror the values of Newfrontiers so it was only natural that very early during his ministry in Hook the church joined that family of churches.
Dave’s faithful ministry resulted in new people being attracted to the church, some coming to the faith for the first time and others simply looking to express their faith in a vibrant and dynamic way. After a few years, the church outgrew the capacity of the building at Elms Road and so the Sunday morning meetings have been held at The Elizabeth Hall in Raven Road where the church has grown to over 60 adult members and regular congregations of 100 people. It was a source of great delight to Dave when the meetings transferred to the brand new Elizabeth Hall, providing bright and airy modern facilities with extra rooms for the children’s activities.
As the church grew in size so too did the need for additional leadership, so Dave appointed two other Elders and several Cell Group Leaders. In recent years a number of people have been employed as administrative/pastoral assistants.
Dave worked hard at all aspects of building church life but just as it seemed this was bearing fruit he was dealt a body blow in 2007 when his doctors identified that the weakness and pain in his leg was due to the progressive illness Motor Neurone Disease. For the last two years of his life Dave continued to work fulltime for the church and despite the limitations of becoming wheel chair bound his preaching and pastoral work grew in power and effectiveness. In the days prior to his death he had been talking animatedly about his plans for the future. Although he did not see the work actually commence, he was actively involved in planning the preliminary works package for the replacement to the Elms Road building which was carried out during August.
Dave’s ability to maintain his sense of humour in the face of declining physical strength was an inspiration to all who met with him. So was his faith in the God who loved him and sustained him through the ups and downs of the illness. There were many verses of scripture that were precious to Dave, but he was inspired to persevere by one hanging on the wall of his office:
‘Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourself fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labour in the Lord is not in vain.’
1 Corinthians 15:58
Tragically, early in the morning of Sunday 21st June, Dave was suddenly taken ill and an ambulance called. Despite the best efforts of the ambulance crew to revive him he died quickly and painlessly at home due to a pulmonary embolism.
Dave is survived by his wife Angie, and his children Thomas, Timothy and Elizabeth. They along with the church membership draw comfort from the fact that Dave is now face to face with Jesus, his Lord and King, who mercifully took him home before the MND had the chance to rob him of his ability to serve the church he loved.
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