Not many of you living in the U.S. will recognize the name of David Pytches. But those in the U.K. certainly will. David died on Tuesday last week, November 21. So, if he is relatively unknown here in the states, why am I acknowledging his passing?

There are two reasons for this article.

First, David was a massively influential figure in the emergence and development of charismatic Christianity in the U.K. He was a Bishop of the Anglican communion and former Bishop of Chile, Bolivia, and Peru. Pytches was ordained in 1955 and, together with his wife, Mary, became missionaries in Chile. He returned to the U.K. in 1977 and served for many years as the Vicar of St. Andrews, Chorleywood.

His greatest contribution to the charismatic movement in England was his formation of New Wine in 1969. Their conferences had a massive impact for many years on not only charismatic Anglicans but Christians of all stripes.

David was also a prolific author. His most well-known books include Spiritual Gifts in the Local Church, Some Said it Thundered (reflecting his encounter with the Kansas City prophets), Come Holy Spirit, Does God Speak Today?, Prophecy in the Local Church, and his autobiography, Living at the Edge.

It was David who introduced John Wimber of the Vineyard to the U.K. and in doing so helped bring the charismatic movement from the fringes into the mainstream.

But the second reason for writing this article is the personal relationship I was blessed to have with David and his wife Mary. It was in the spring of 1995, at the height of what has come to be known as the Toronto Blessing, that David invited me to minister at St. Andrews Church in Chorleywood, England. It was an incredible three days of preaching and praying and the Spirit moved not only on the people but on me as well.

On the final Sunday morning of my time there, I had the privilege of serving the Eucharist alongside Mary, David’s wife. Those were the days (pre-Covid!) when people drank of the wine from a common cup. As Mary and I served the elements, I couldn’t help but notice the incredible voice leading worship. I kept turning around, looking for who was leading the set. I turned to Mary and asked her who it was. “Oh,” she said matter of factly, “that’s little Matty Redman.” Well, little Matty (Matt) Redman went on to become one of the leading worship leaders of our generation.

Mary, David’s wife, was a relentless prayer warrior. As soon as the celebration of the table ended, she moved all through the auditorium laying her hands on all who requested prayer. At one point, she literally jumped over one pew to reach someone who was desperately in need of ministry. As far as Mary was concerned, propriety took a back seat to the demonstration of love for a broken soul.

Before my departure from England, David took me to London and introduced me to Sandy Millar, the Vicar of the Anglican church, Holy Trinity Brompton. HTB, as it has come to be known, was in the throes of revival and had scheduled regular noontime meetings for any who might be able to come. They had removed the pews to accommodate the countless people who fell under the power of the Spirit. If you ask, why did they fall, the simple answer is that they couldn’t stand up. No one pushed over anyone. Manipulation was forbidden. It was the undeniable manifest presence of the Holy Spirit as he awakened people to the love of their heavenly Father.

I preached that day on Zephaniah 3:17 and the immeasurable love of the Father for his children, a love that leads our great God to break out in joyful singing over us. At the end of the hour, I noticed a young man, dressed in a coat and tie, standing up against the wall. I went over to him and he introduced himself as Steve Hill, an American evangelist. I laid hands on him and prayed that he would receive a fresh impartation of the love of his heavenly Father. As it turned out, it was only a few weeks later that Steve was used of God to launch what is known as the Brownsville revival in Pensacola, Florida.

After the session, David, Sandy, and I shared lunch and a prayer time together. I will forever be grateful to David for his kindness and his efforts to introduce me to so many in the charismatic communion of England.

David’s life was a marvelous testimony to the grace of God and the power of the Holy Spirit. Thank you, Lord, for the incredible privilege you granted me in knowing him, if only for a short time.

“And I heard a voice from heaven saying, ‘Write this: Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on.’ ‘Blessed indeed,’ says the Spirit, that they may rest from their labors, for their deeds follow them!’” (Rev. 14:13).