Vice President Pence had personal relationship with Indian-American evangelist

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At a memorial service held in Atlanta, Georgia, for the Indian-American evangelist who traveled the globe to spread the Christian faith, Vice President Mike Pence gave a moving eulogy about his relationship with Ravi Zacharias.

The service held at the Passion City Church today, and was attended by, among others, Pence, Governor Brian Kemp and his wife Marty Kemp; Housing and Urban Development Secretary Ben Carson and Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue, and White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany, each of them in masks. The video is available on YouTube.

“God put him at my side at just the right time, with a word of wisdom, and kindness and encouragement that I’ll never forget,” Pence said, calling it a “personal loss.”

The ceremony is also available on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_d-3K_hy200

Zacharias, who was born in India, died May 19, 2020, following complications from an aggressive form of bone cancer, his Zacharias International Ministries said. He was known as a strong defender, an  “apologist” of the Christian faith, delivering sermons and speeches in university halls and communist countries.

Pence went over Zacharias’ life journey, describing him as “a godly man” and “a man for all seasons.”

The Vice President read out the message of President Donald Trump, who said, by “making the intellectual case for Christianity, Ravi Zacharias was instrumental in helping millions of people around the world come to know the love and mercy of Jesus Christ.”

Pence went on to add, “And so on behalf of the First Family, our family, and a grateful nation, Karen and I offer our deepest sympathies to your family and to all, like us, who had the privilege to know and cherish this good man, this godly man, this man for all seasons.”

“His passing comes at a time when so many families around the world are grieving the loss of loved ones,” said Pence, and wished Zacharias was present during the coronavirus pandemic to help with healing the nation and recovering.

Pence noted how Zacharias often went and spoke at venues that were ‘unfriendly.’

“In Ravi Zacharias, God gave us the greatest Christian apologist of this century,” said Pence, calling him a “gentle giant of the faith on whose shoulders so many of us have leaned.”

“He spoke truth, he spoke it with kindness and a deep and abiding care for every person that would listen,” said Pence, saying that the Ravi Zacharias International Ministries would live on. “he fought the good fight, he finished the race, and clung to the power of the faith,” Pence said, asking God’s blessings for the Indian-American evangelist, calling him a “good and great man.”

“Well done good and faithful servant. Thank you Ravi,” Pence concluded.