Moving Funeral for Murdered Devout Christian Charity Worker

|PIC1|Mourners have packed a country church in the Burnley area to pay their respects to a young British charity worker found bludgeoned to death in India last November.

The body of devout Christian Michael Blakey, 23, was discovered in a churchyard in Dharamsala in the Himalayas of northern India, where he had been working for seven months for the charity Tong-Len. He had been bludgeoned to death.

Family and friends filled St John the Evangelist Church in Blakey's home village of Worsthorne near Burnley where they heard moving testimonies of the compassionate and idealistic nature of the young man who had gone abroad to help the poor.

Mourners at the moving funeral service also heard him described as a genuinely remarkable young man.

Mr Blakey's parents, Paul Blakey and Mary Whitford, looked on close to tears as Anna Owen, the director of the charity, gave a eulogy, reports The Wharf.

Mrs Owen said Michael had "more essential goodness than any young man I have ever met" and was "good to the core of his being", who "not only cared for the poor, but acted upon it".

Many of Mr Blakey's friends from Swansea, where he attended university and lived before he went to India, were in tears at the service.

An outstanding student, he was awarded a first class honours degree in development studies after studying at Swansea.

Andrew Mews said his cousin Michael had a, "thirst for life" and was passionate about his beliefs.

Blakey's killer has not yet been caught.
News
Chris Pratt says Jesus is essential to his life
Chris Pratt says Jesus is essential to his life

Hollywood actor Chris Pratt continues to boldly affirm his Christian faith, most recently by naming Jesus as one of the top things he simply cannot live without. 

Cathedrals Cycle Relay concludes in Bradford after 2,000 miles
Cathedrals Cycle Relay concludes in Bradford after 2,000 miles

The 2,000-mile journey connected more than 40 cathedrals across the UK.

Four ways to change how Christians are portrayed in the media
Four ways to change how Christians are portrayed in the media

National denominations and big Christian organisations can do so much – but motivated local churches, seeking to win coverage on their doorsteps, could help transform how the Church is perceived across the country and beyond.

London resident threatens to sue council over trans display
London resident threatens to sue council over trans display

The display was made in honour of the controversial Tavistock clinic