Dr Donald English, chairman of the World Methodist Council, has died aged 68.

He had been re-admitted to hospital after a recent heart by-pass operation and died at Oxford's John Radcliffe Hospital.

Born in Consett, Co Durham, the son of a colliery electrician, he became the only minister to twice serve as president of the British Methodist Conference, a figurehead for the UK church.

The Rev Nigel Collinson, secretary of the Conference and a former minister at Wesley Memorial Church, Oxford, paid tribute to him.

"The death of Donald English is a loss to the whole church but to the world and British Methodism in particular," Mr Collinson said.

"He believed passionately in the gospel and in the historic traditions of Methodism but he had a wide view of things and was

constantly relating the Christian faith to the everyday world."

Dr English had helped to develop the church's Mission Alongside The Poor programme bringing support to some of the UK's poorest communities, the Rev Collinson said.

"He was a visionary thinker who played a significant role in shaping contemporary Methodism," he added.

Dr English, whose wife Bertha died a year ago, leaves two sons, Richard, a politics lecturer, and Paul, a company director.

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