John Hawthorne (1920-1995) was born in England, but moved to Northern Ireland as a child. He was saved at 9 through an understanding of John 3:16, and later was a founder member of the assembly meeting in Bloomfield Gospel Hall, Belfast. In 1945, he married an evangelist’s daughter, Miss Sally McCracken, and together the Hawthornes were heavily involved in the work of the gospel from the start. In 1968 Mr Hawthorne left his employment to serve the Lord full time as a gospel preacher, which he did for 27 years, mainly in Ireland but also overseas. He preached regularly with Mr Tom McNeill and Albert McShane, as well as with his brothers-in-law Bob McCracken and John McCracken (in Nova Scotia, Canada). Mr Hawthorne was a warm hearted unselfish man who would often speak last at a conference, giving a short stirring word to send the Lord’s people home challenged and encouraged. One such message was a meditation on Psalm 22 recorded in Belfast, Northern Ireland.