Eddie Fairfield

Mr John Edward Fairfield, first known by his school chums as Ned, and then most of his life as Eddie, was born in Lurgan, Northern Ireland. In fact, he often said he was born twice in Lurgan! When he entered the world on 26th June 1902, he was to be the oldest of six. His parents were not saved when he was growing up, but they were God fearing and attended church. There he heard that, “Christ died for our sins” but he never truly understood his own personal need as a sinner.

As an infant he had been taken to the Parish Church to be christened and his godparents accepted responsibility for his spiritual welfare. Eddie honestly tried to do good, but he became self-righteous in the process. At the age of 16; he was confirmed by the Bishop and was made to understand that he was now responsible for himself, not his godparents. He spoke of how happy he was that he had now “become a member of the body of Christ” and even received a card to take Holy Communion. But when he returned home to tell his mother about his intent to partake, she flatly refused him permission. “Holy Communion is for holy people and you’re not holy”, she exclaimed. That caused him to think.

Eddie had had some thoughts before about eternity, especially when his schoolteacher had died suddenly. There was also a picture in his home of the broad and narrow ways. He didn’t understand just what it all meant, but the picture of the narrow door impressed him, and he knew that somehow he had to go through that door. One day his father come home from work and with tears running down his face he told Eddie’s mother that two workmates had been converted. But after that Eddie’s father died quite suddenly.

When some evangelical Christians came to Lurgan in 1920, they erected a portable hall on the property of Eddie’s boss. Eddie and his chums went to a meeting one Sunday, and he was impressed with the text on the wall that said “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved”. He actually added that verse to his evening prayers, but it didn’t give him any peace. He longed to have the matter of salvation settled; he feared Hell.

It was on the second Sunday of 1921 that he went to hear the Gospel again. He was deeply stirred by the message and hesitated to leave. His churns hurried outside to wait while the preacher came and questioned. Eddie about his concern. “Ned’s caught”, the boys outside were heard to say! But instead of succumbing to their mocking, Eddie thought to himself, “They may carry my coffin to the graveyard, but I will have to meet God alone”. The preacher drew near and asked him, “Could you not receive the Lord Jesus as your Saviour?” That stopped him. He had tried to believe, but hadn’t he always believed? But this was different. So, when he was asked to receive Christ, he thought to himself, “I will”. And he did. His friends gave him three months to be back with them, but Eddie lived to prove the reality that, “As many as received Him, to them gave He power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on His name” (John 1:12).

After his conversion Eddie returned to his Church. But one day a friend asked him to attend the Gospel Hall on Sunday afternoon. He admitted later that it was strange to him. Two men without clerical garb were expounding the Scriptures, and to his surprise it was ‘really good’! He had been praying about what church to attend and knew that the religious confusion in his town meant they couldn’t all be right. He attended the same hall that night and again he enjoyed it. He continued going to the Gospel Hall throughout the week, soon realising he had found his ‘resting place’. His friends came to see him being ‘dipped’ in the waters of baptism, and it brought Eddie tremendous joy to obey the Lord in this way. The following Lord’s Day, he sat down with the saints in Lurgan to remember the Lord for the first time.

Soon Eddie was active in the assembly, becoming friendly with Bertie Douglas who would later go to Venezuela, and joining him at the Sunday school in Kilmore. (Albert McShane was one of the pupils in Bertie Douglas’ Sunday school class at the time.) Soon Eddie was taken to preach the Gospel on Sunday evenings by older brethren, and a burden to serve the Lord full-time in this capacity was begotten in his heart. The Lurgan elders eventually approached him and told him to either leave his work or leave the preaching.

For the previous year he had been working through the day, going directly to a meeting without a meal, and preaching every night, often returning home after midnight. But Eddie didn’t tell them what he was thinking. He wanted the Lord to make it abundantly evident to his brethren and to an older man to take him into the Work, much like Paul took Timothy.

Around that time, Mr. William Williams came to Northern Ireland in search of another young man who knew his Bible and could teach the new believers in Venezuela. He had taken Bertie Douglas and John Wells back to Venezuela with him on two previous visits, and now the word was out that Mr. Williams had come for Eddie Fairfield.

Eddie wrestled with the matter when, on 12th July 1933, the crisis came to a head. The previous day Mr. Williams had prayed with him behind a haystack up the road from the Ballybollan Conference Tent. Eddie couldn’t sleep. Could he go to Venezuela? Who would pay the rent? What if he was married? But as the sun rose on the field on the edge of Ahoghill, he looked out at the cows lying there chewing the cud. “The cattle on a thousand hills are mine”, he quoted to himself. Not just a thousand cattle on a hill. God could and would provide. When Mr. Williams came to his door just then, Eddie agreed to go. The crisis was over. Tears stained his face as a peace came to his heart. And certainly, he proved in the years to come that God could and would provide.

Eddie left Belfast by ship on 11th August 1933, and after spending time in Canada until the necessary visas were granted by the Venezuelan Government, he arrived in Venezuela in September 1934.

Those early days are recorded elsewhere (Mr. William Williams wrote a notable volume called, “It can be done”) and Eddie Fairfield became an integral part of the work. Remote villages were accessed by horseback, and new ground was covered with the preaching of the Gospel. It wasn’t only preaching, however, there was a practical work that also fell to his hand. Many in the homeland will recall him speaking about threading bolts for fastening the corrugated roof to a Gospel Hall. He had spent hours of painstaking work, trying to get the bolts prepared; it had been an arduous task. The day finally came for opening that particular hall, and the speakers spoke in glowing words of the various aspects of the building. But much to Eddie’s consternation, no one mentioned the bolts! (No doubt he was able to apply it in ministry to the saints, when speaking of work done for the Lord that will often go unnoticed by other believers.)

While the Gospel prospered in Venezuela, it came at the cost of personal and family life for this servant. At one point there were several years of separation when Eddie was in Venezuela while his wife Elizabeth (Lily) and daughter Elizabeth and son John remained in Northern Ireland. To make matters worse, Lily became very ill. Word was sent to Venezuela for Eddie to return to his family, and soon he was a t the Caracas International Airport. Just as he was about to board the plane, he turned to brother Joe Turkington and said, “Brother, do you think I will make it in time?” Mr. Turkington told him through tears that the news had just been received that Lily had been called Home.

While those were dark days, the Lord later provided another helpmeet for him in Miss Joan Shannon, a sister at the Royal Victoria Hospital. Soon Eddie and Joan were back in Venezuela, serving in the land that he loved.

Teaching the saints in Venezuela was a priority, and Eddie’s sharp mind and diligent study of the Scriptures fitted him well for the task. As the assemblies increased in number, so did the perplexing problems. In later years there was a constant stream of visitors to Eddie’s home in Valencia, seeking his wisdom and advice from the Scriptures. Wisely, he steered his visitors back to their local assembly elders where local men can deal with local difficulties. Brother Fairfield truly valued the Scriptural autonomy of the local assembly and sought to teach it by precept and by practice.

It is required of stewards that they be found faithful, and Eddie Fairfield was true to his God and to His Book. His notebooks and Bibles gave evidence of a tidy mind, and his challenging messages were weighty, passionate and memorable. But there is another element that is vital to a true servant, and that is a sensitivity to the voice of the Holy Spirit. On one occasion, the ageing brother Fairfield approached an assembly in Belfast to say he had a desire to preach the Gospel in their area. The brethren considered the matter and suggested that a week of ministry meetings was better. No, said Eddie, his specific exercise on this occasion was to preach the Gospel. In order to placate the insistent servant, the brethren promised him if he came for a week of ministry that he could preach the Gospel on the Sundays before and after the ministry meetings. He agreed. The result was that on the first Sunday a young man professed faith in Christ, and on the second Sunday there were two more! One of these now serves the Lord in North America. God indeed guided His listening servant.

Those who preached with Eddie Fairfield over the decades can testify that he sought opportunity to encourage them in their service. Often it was a word indicating approval, which was most helpful to a younger man. On one occasion, however, one young brother knew it must not have been a good evening, for the veteran didn’t say anything at all in the car as they travelled home. Then, just as he was opening the door Eddie turned to the brother and said, “I thought it was really good the way you ended on time tonight!” In everything there is something to commend!

By the time brother Fairfield reached his 80s, it became evident that his years in Venezuela were concluded. He and his wife Joan settled in Northern Ireland again, where he was as active as his declining health and failing eyesight allowed. Those who knew him during these years were impressed by his constant desire to sing the hymn, “God is still on the Throne”. He had learned over many years of service that the schemes of men were no match for the workings of God. You could hear him say at the end of the evening, “Let’s sing!” When his wife Joan, an accomplished pianist, moved to the piano, the question would be asked, “And what shall we sing?” The answer was immediate!

God is still on the Throne,
And He will remember His own;
Though trials may press us and burdens distress us,
He never will leave us alone.

God is still on the Throne,
And He will remember His own;
His promise is true; He will not forget you,
God is still on the Throne.

Now in his 90s, Eddie Fairfield’s time on earth was drawing to a close. Having bid farewell to loved ones just hours earlier, on 25th August 1994 he entered the presence of the Lord Whom he passionately served since the day of his conversion. On 29th August 1994, the large Gospel Hall on Malcolm Road, Lurgan, was packed to capacity. It was fitting that three of his fellow missionaries, Mr. Joseph Milne, Mr. Samuel Ussher and Mr. James Walmsley, were present to participate. Mr. Albert McShane came to the desk and gave a challenge to the rising generation, speaking of the mantle of Elijah falling upon Elisha. Eddie’s four grandsons carried his remains down the street, feeling the weight of his passing. Mr. John Hawthorne’s voice sounded out the Gospel at the graveside, with Mr. Thomas Larmour an elder of the Newtownbreda assembly, closing in prayer. The mourners left the Lurgan Cemetery reflecting upon their own lives, challenged in heart by the example of the departed servant to faithfully follow the Lord Jesus Christ. Moreover it is required in stewards, that a man be found faithful.