It said a lot about Yos, who came from Cyprus as a seven year old boy to live in Bermondsey and become a member of CUM (Cambridge University Mission, now the Salmon Centre) - and the deep links that his family had in the community - that so many people came to his funeral, as did the veritable carpet of flowers that appeared in the churchyard before the service.
Big funerals are a feature of Bermondsey life and reflect some of the very best aspects of our community here: the importance of family; strong networks of friends; people coming out to support each other; putting on the kind of funeral that shows the person who died really mattered and was really loved.
For us, at St James, its privilege to be part of this and to be able to bring the consolation of God's word and the gospel promise of eternal life to grieving families.
Today's funeral included a contribution from Yos himself in a letter he had written to his friends before he died. He said there was nothing more important than love, other than God himself. I think that's about right and today's service was a real expression of love by literally hundreds of people.
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