Peter Birt passed away on Friday 23 November 2012.
Jill and the family invite you to share your memories and thoughts below.
Sermons and messages from across the years
Peter Birt passed away on Friday 23 November 2012.
Jill and the family invite you to share your memories and thoughts below.
We only know Peter for a short time, but in that time he has shown us a great example, “Follow my example as I follow the example of Christ”
Dear Jill and Family,
Please accept my condolences for the passing of your beloved Peter.
I thank God for the opportunity to have heard God’s words through Peter. I was often welcomed by both your warmth and smiles.
My prayers are with you and your family.
Peter was more than a pastor – he was a shining example of someone who was more in love with Jesus each day. Knowing he is safely in the arms of Jesus gives me comfort in the loss of this great man who was so humble in his service of the Lord. Peter – I will miss our talks about the Eagles and our friendly rivalry over our WAFL teams. Condolences to Jill and the family.
Love Stephanie
We are so sorry for your loss. Peter was a great pastor and very welcoming he will be missed. Our thoughts and prayers are with you and you family.
I shall be forever thankful to Peter for the compassion and comfort he gave to my dying wife during her journey with cancer. His regular visits and prayers not only helped her to better understand the afterlife, but also gave me great comfort at a time of extreme sadness. Condolences to Jill and family on your sad loss of a great man of God, husband and father.
Memories of Peter Birt….
Inspirational Preacher…..cheeky handbag snatcher….patient and wise counsellor….great guitarist and songwriter….participator in surprises….keen sportsman….passionate, enthusiastic follower of Jesus!!
Some people leave a mark on your life that changes you forever…..Peter Birt was one of those people!! He showed Jesus to the world and that is hard to ignore!
Thank you, Lord, for the life of Peter Birt! He lived for You and You used him for Your Glory…now that’s a life worth living!!!
Love and prayers to you, Jill, and all the rest of our beautiful family xx
Peter was one of the few people you meet in life who really inspires you to follow Jesus. His passion for God and his authentic journey in Jesus’ footsteps brought us all to a deeper understanding of our loving God.
Life at Parky has not been the same without him.
We love you Jill. Praying for you all.
Peter has had the greatest impact on my spiritual life second to Jesus!
Thank you God for the privilege it was to know this man; to be taught, mentored, challenged, guided and loved by him in your service. He will be greatly missed by my family, having been a part of important events along the way, but praise God that this isn’t where the story ends.
Lots of love to Jill, Jules and Brad and their families.
Peter was an inspirational man and it was a pleasure and honour to know him for the time he was at Lakeside.
Thank you Lord for bringing him into our lives, he will be greatly be missed.
Jill and family – I am sorry for your loss and my prayers go out to you at this sad time.
Much love and God bless.
Erin from Lakeside
We are so sad to hear of Peter’s passing but at the same time, we know he is with Jesus and we look forward to the day we’ll see him in heaven. We especially appreciated Peter’s honesty and integrity – he was a real blessing to us and made a significant impact on our lives. Our deepest sympathy to Jill and family. Love from the McKinnon family.
To Mrs Birt and your family.
As a toddler jam family of nearly 5 years we have had the absolute privledge to know and love Mr Birt. He was a kind and gentle man with such an a amazing heart and both my boys looked up to him at Toddler Jam as more of a grandad type figure. Lincolns (now 3yo) obsession with the guitar came from coming to Toddler Jam every week and watching Mr Birt play. He would wake up in the morning and if I said we were going to Toddler Jam he would say “Birt Birt”, “Guitar Guitar”!! As he grew older he began to bring his guitar along to Toddler Jam with him every week so he could play along with Mr Birt, and Mr Birt always gave him his time and patience, this is a memory I will treasure forever.
We are forever grateful that he came into our lives and he will be missed by all of us. May he rest in peace and may he watch over us always, singing his crazy songs while he jams on the guitar.
All our love,
Sarah, Jacob & Lincoln Cole.
We were so sorry to hear about Peter. He was truly inspirational in every part of his life….as a friend, neighbour, and pastor (Trev reckons he had the only sermons worth listening to!) you have both been so special and loved very much. his running, guitar playing flowing thru our front room windows, his cheery wave and smile and always the time to listen are what we will remember most. Please take extra special care Jill and know our thoughts and prayers are with you
love Karen, Trevor, Clancy & Guy
To Jill and the Birt Family, our thoughts are with you during this time. Peter was such a wonderful musician, always knew the right thing to say and was so happy to share with all of us. He will be sorely missed however everytime we sing our Toddler Jam Songs, we will think of him and know that we have been very lucky to be included in his journey through life as he is with us on our journey. Love Mitchell, Lauren, Tahlia, Paul and Kathy Riley (toddler jam parky)
I can still remember and see the first time and place that I met Peter Birt and Jill. The image is so strong because of the warmth and passion behind the words that Peter spoke to a small group of worship leaders. Peter lived what he said. Peter shared how he lived – always with warmth, gentleness and fun-filled humour. Over the seven years I have known Peter he continued to create so many great memories that will never fade – thank you good buddy. I will miss your guitar playing and song writing. Playing music along side Peter was an immense joy and privilege – unforgettable.
Dear Jill and family
Condolences to you and your family. We knew Peter through Toddler Jam and I must say it hasn’t been the same since he was unable to come and play and sing for us anymore. Amy loved coming to Toddler Jam and running up to Mr Birt to give him a big hug, whether he was ready for it or not! Sometimes at story time she would ask me if she could go and sit next to him on the step. We still have both of the TJ cd’s in our car and my girls still enjoy listening to the wonderful music that Peter created and sang. The joy he felt for life came through in his music and voice. We are grateful to have known him through Toddler Jam.
God Bless
Sharon, Alan, Amy and Phoebe
Our sincere condolences to Jill and family. Mr Birt shared his kindness and love of music with my children at toddler jam. As one of the ‘originals’ my eldest Ashley(aged 5) will be deeply saddened to hear of his passing. He loved playing along with Mr Birt during instrument time and we have all enjoyed the songs he wrote, singing them with great gusto in the car for many years. He was a true treasure that we will always remember.
Best wishes,
Karen, Ashley, Jocelyn and Tessah Mancini
Pete has been many things to me over the years. A friend, a mentor, an inspiration, a leader, a pastor, a supporter, a colleague. Someone who challenges me, someone who encourages me, someone who showed me what it was to be a disciple of Jesus. It’s been a privilege being apart of his Church family both in Mandurah and in Parkerville. I’m especially thankful for the amount he invested in me as a part of Pacesetters, and then in later years as we co-led Explorers. Pete and Jill have always been, and always will be, a part of our family here in the Ingram household. I’m excited at the thought of him finally being home in heaven, and can’t wait until we all join him there. Xx
Hello Jill, after our time at Maida Vale back in the 1970’s we diverged due to time and distance. I kept in contact with your and Peter’s activities through my family and the other people from Maida Vale. It sounds as if you and Pete have had an amazing life doing God’s work. I pray that you will find strength and peace in the days ahead.
Love and best wishes
David
Our early days of Toddler Jam are filled with memories of you, that beautiful smile and quirky songs that we can play and sing along with still. The two Peters on stage at Toddler Jam were an inspiration and just such fun to be around. Now they have both gone to another life which they both so much believed in. Thanks for the love and welcome given to all the Toddler Jam families, and especially to our own.
Many memories of a truly remarkable bloke, who lived every day for the King of kings and Lord of lords. So many spiritual lessons whilst spoken to many, seemed as though they were just for me.
Peter dedicated one of our girls to God and surprised us with an ‘impromptu’ song (was anything with Pete impromptu!)
Amongst all that Peter was an inspirational runner who did it old school, and just got out there and ran. No music, no GPS, no iPod. Just simply enjoying the run. He continues to be an inspiration to me every time I lace up, and because of that I imagined Peter passing into the next room, as though it was the finishing line of a marathon and Jesus is jumping up and down and punching the air and shouting “yeahh!!! You made it!” and then in a quieter voice, “you made it my good and faithful servant, come, I’ve been expecting you, I’ve prepared a place just for you…I’ve been telling my Father all about you….come let me introduce you to Him”
Peter will be missed, but his legacy will be evident amongst our family for generations to come. One day we will see him as we cross the line and he’ll be there shouting and punching the air and helping to welcome us home.
Jill, Brad, Jules and families, our thoughts and prayers are with you always……
My little family had many many fun days with Peter and the Toddler Jammers each Wednesday, fantastic music, warm welcome’s, support during a difficult time in our life and such wonderful wonderful memories that my children still remember .. especially when we have the Toddler Jam CD belting out in the car! Who knew that pea’s would stick on a knife with honey?? Peter knew!
Such a truly beautiful and pure man is how we will remember Peter Birt. One of life’s true gentlemen, honest, caring, humble and so supportive. He was a man who held firm to his faith and lived through it. How the world needs more like Peter! He has taught through example to be humble, kind, truthful, caring and thoughtful among many many other things, not to mention love for other’s, forgiveness and joy in bringing a smile to everyone he met, especially his 3″ high ‘groupies’ !
Jill and family, we look forward to seeing Peter again with his guitar over his shoulder and singing along with his beautiful voice, inspiring songs and boogying dance moves 🙂
Love to you all,
Fiona, Neeve & Kai Blackham xxx
Jill, Jules, Brad and extended family our thoughts and prayers are with you at this time.
Even though I only had a few conversations with Peter over the years, his advice in one area in particular has always stuck with me. Each time we spoke he would always ask how my songwriting was going and encouraged me to never stop writing music – that stuck with me and it’s something I will never forget (and will never stop doing!) I have also heard from many people over the years what a great Bible teacher Peter was and I now look forward to listening to these sermons that have been made available here – thanks!
Thinking and praying for you all at this time.
Chad and the Peacocks
As so many others have said Pete was (and stil very much is to me!) one of the most inspiring people I have ever met. I will be ever grateful for the way he has challenged me over the years and it is my enormous privledge to have known him.
Never have I met a more authentic, real, honest man who definitely lived his pledge of bring people closer to Jesus. Thank you for helping me to continue to grow.
To Jill and family – thank you guys too for sharing this beautiful man you call your husband, Dad and Poppy! Sending you loads of love x
1st memory. When Peter Birt lead our wedding, he did an outstanding job. When it came to the serious side of signing the forms, he did so with absolute professionalism. The crowd watched as the gentle music played and Peter slowly placed the marriage certificates on our w
hite laced desk to sign. He pointed to where to sign. We both signed away. He then placed another form on the desk for me and pointed where to sign. Being oblivious, I signed it and Peter and I both smiled for the camera. Peter of course was wrapped. He had been pressing me for a while to nominate for position of church Deacon. Unknown to me, I just did. Peter was unique.
2nd wonderful memory of Pastor Peter Birt. In 1999 I was fortunate enough to work with Peter at Mandurah Baptist Church. During that time I was in my office and the phone rang. It was an elderly lady from the community. She was quite strange and asked if she could speak to a pastor. I said I was a pastor (I had only be a few months). The elderly lady said “You don’t sound like a pastor”. She th
en started to ask me deep theological questions, which I simply couldn’t answer. She would then ask “Are you sure you are a pastor?”. This went on for a good 5-10 minutes until she said “Is there another pastor there I can speak to?”. I said “Yes. The senior Pastor, Peter Birt.” The lady’s voice then went deep and said “Thankyou.” I then heard in the background Jill Birt laughing her head off. It was Peter the whole time. That was his way of testing my skills on dealing with difficult people. He told me afterwards I ‘handled myself brilliantly’. Peter Birt. He was unique and wonderful.
3rd wonderful memory of Pastor Peter Birt. The church family camp boat race. Back in 1996, at a Mandurah Baptist Church family camp, we held a boat race. Using limited materials, each group needed to construct a boat that could float fastest across the Serpentine camp pool. The group that came up with the fastest boat was declared the winner. Peter Birt, Brett Chambers, Scott Chambers and myself designed and created a boat that demoralised our opponents. It was fast beyond all comprehension. The captial L on the sail stood for LOSER. That wasn’t the name of our boat, but the message we sent to the boats it passed. Peter, being the ultimate competitor, lead the victory cheer when we won. Notice on the victory photo Brad Birt, standing to the left. Brad was on a loser team, but just had to jump in the photo. These were wonderful memories.
4th memory of Pastor Peter Birt. The afternoon kick of the football. During the football season, a number of men from the church would go down to the oval for a kick to kick. The number of men would range between two to ten. The only on constant was Peter Birt. He was always there. It was a routine part of life. I remember coming home from school, hearing phone ring and it would be Peter. “Can you
come out and play?” he would ask, sometimes in a squeaky kids voice. We would then meet at the oval and have a kick. Dave Fallon, when he had his short stint in Mandurah, would even join us. Rain, hail or shine, we kicked the footy. we once even played in the middle of a storm. On the Saturday before my wedding, Peter thought it would be wise to give me a break from our routine kick to kick. Peter said it was important for me to spend time with my wife, Elise. He stuck to his guns on that decision. He didn’t ring again until Wednesday.
My final memory of Pastor Peter Birt: Coffee at the Dome. It was a routine Monday event. We would meet at the Dome Monday mornings and Peter would open up his heart. Peter encouraged the same of me. Peter wasn’t interested in superficial Christianity. He wanted to jump deep into it and ask the questions of ourselves no one else would. What I didn’t realise at the time was how important this was fo
r me. I was very much a ‘keeping up appearances’ type of guy. Peter slowly stripped that back. He never pushed it, but if you allowed him, Peter would delve deep into the soul and find the areas Christ wanted to change.
During those mornings I discovered more about God’s love than any other time I can recall. Peter taught me that God was a truly loving father. Peter engraved into this into my heart and assured me, if I could comprehend this, I would become more like Christ. Peter would close off these morning meetings with a spiritual ritual I have practiced to this day. He would pull out a pad from his top pocket and scrawl a list of names. You see, for Peter, there was always time for the church staff footy tipping.
Sending much love to Jill and family, Peter will always hold a special place in our hearts, he was more than a pastor, he was a teacher a friend a wise man with many talents. Church was never just church with Peter ….it was family. I especially remember those special moments when he would just sing with no instruments just his voice and the congregation would join in ….the sense of Gods presence during those moments was palpable you could almost envision the angles surrounding us.
Until we meet again ….
Blessings
Deb & Family
Peter was a warm gentle natured man that demonstrated encouragement and wisdom in all ways. He was part of the young people when Scarborugh grew as a church. He loved his guitars, his music and making up songs. His sermons were very down to earth and easy to understand for us young ones (20 years ago) Have a great time playing your guitar in heaven. You can jam with those legends now. Your friend Steve
To Peter was to Love him, an honest, open man who truely Shine the Light of Jesus here on earth.
My love to Jill and extended family as we share in your grief while celebrating a life well lived as an apprentice to Jesus. Pete now graduates with Honours! Pete’s time at Parkerville Baptist has enriched and nourished us. Pete has touched the lives of many and will continue to do through his legacy of love. He wlll be missed but never forgotten.
Keeping the family in our thoughts and prayers x x
To Jill and your family, I am so sorry to hear of your loss. Mr Birt was a kind, caring and inspirational man to many.
Having attended Toddler Jam for close to 5 years, Mr Birt’s voice will live on in my heart and memories for years to come, and even longer in our CD player!
I especially loved the song he penned for us parents all about listening the the CD over and over again, cracked me up! Wish I had that one on CD!
And his short song ‘Glory, Glory, Glory in the heavens above……’ Still brings goosebumps and tears to my eyes whenever I hear it, along with some of his other fabulous songs about the love between parents and children. So precious…. Thank you for everything you gave me and my sons…. Charmaine, Zac and Luke Taylor xoxoxo
Went to the Memorial Service of Peter Birt today
So many lives he touched along the way
The sermons he preached and the songs that he wrote
the friendships he forged and the books he could quote
He brought our the best in all those he knew
sharing his wisdom with young and old too
challenging us to look to Lord Jesus
to be the One who would always lead us.
So today as we say this goodbye
with a smile at a memory and a tear in the eye
We thank God for letting him be part of our life
(and not forgetting his wonderful wife)
We’ll see you one day in our home in the sky
Rejoicing and reigning with Lord Jesus on High.
Jean Kayne 29 November 2012
Dear Jill
Peter was an Enoch, an Elijah. Like Enoch he walked with God. LIke Elijah he spoke God’s words. And, yes, like both of those men, God took him, perhaps not at a time we would choose, but within His sovereign plan. It is painful but the pain is tempered by the hope, joy and exuberance of the resurrection and the age to come.
Dear Jill
I am so sorry I did not come, for me funerals and the like are so Absolute. I would rather picture people still living but in a world I have created.
For Peter he is in France with a little French hat and he is singing in a little coffee shop, singing the music he wrote, singing songs like “Absolutely Trustworthy” to a crowd o desperate people, desperate for answers and peace. Then after he has finished he goes and talks with each one. Peters greatest gift was that he “Heard” he did not listen he “Heard” and with a Solomon like wisdom he would at the right time speak, it was as if God was talking through him and his words were so relevant, so right for that time.
There is no doubt in my mind that every sermon that he spoke when I was in the congregation was written just for me, he spoke to my heart, to my mind, he spoke the words of God. He had a gamblers tell and when his finger came and rested on his cheek you knew that what was to come was so important, you better listen and man was it always right and just what you needed to hear.
Peter was a friend, counselor, mentor but above all a true man of God, who did trust in the Lord with out reservation. I believe that if a man lives his life and does “One” random act of kindness, just “One” to help a stranger then he has changed the world for the better. To do that for a friend is even harder. For Peter that was what he did, every day, he made the world a little better for many people like me, who then from that experience did the same for others and so on it goes, it started with Peter.
There was a period in my life, my most darkest and if not for Peter and his love for me and God, the time we spent just talking and him hearing, the words that etched into my mind I would not be here. Every day I wake up is because Peter did not give up on me. He was for me “Absolutely Trustworthy” and he showed me that God was also.
Peter will be missed but he has left an amazing legacy that will never be extinguished, people will be living there lives and doing things that was inspired by Peter.
A true man of God.
Dave
Impressions from a child’s perspective:
Peter Birt (Uncle Peter to us kids) was one of the team that went to Indonesia in 1975 along with my Mum and Dad and me (and my brother who was born a month or two after we goth there.) My impression of him was a person who ‘noticed’ people – even the kids, he made every one feel special and important. Jamie and I have songs on tape that Uncle Peter wrote especially for us. That made us both feel very special and still does to this day! He was the life of the team filling us with fun and music – I have memories of he and Dad playing cricket (I know they got up to more than that but don’t remember seeing it) – would love to hear stories!! – I think I liked seeing Dad have fun – Uncle Peter gave people the gift of fun.
Although there are no specific memories attached, my impression of Uncle Peter was one of warmth, fun, and a heart of genuine love and care for all people.
Music and Peter Birt could not be separated – this was such a gift to us all! Aunty Jill, you were as much a part of this – your voices were one voice – a beautiful picture of unity – together you were such a blessing to us all – your music surrounded us with encouragement and joy 🙂 You sang any where – never a need for formality – I seem to recall You both in the speed boat with the guitar singing!
Then of course there are the Indonesian praise songs he wrote! I love them! Wish he made a CD 🙂 I’m sure we’ll sing them in Heaven though!
Mum tells me that Uncle Peter looked after me while she went to give birth to my brother (a plane trip away) – so I was the guinea pig for his parental training – hee hee – I think it was extremely brave of a very young (early 20’s?) man to undertake that sort of responsibility!!! I was 18 months old.
I’m so thankful to God that Peter Birt was a part of my life!
Julie
Jill,
Peter wrote an email in mid September 2012 that ended with the words “May you experience joy, boldness , hope and insight that comes from beyond your abilities as you play whatever part the Spirit directs in the only kingdom that will not end”.
Can words be luminous? If they can, those last seven words “the only kingdom that will not end” glow in my mind with the same kind of luminosity as his oft-said “saying yes to Jesus”. It was a reminder to remember who I am, what I am here for, and where I am going. Peter had such a way with words…they infiltrated my soul and continued to provoke reflection before God…
I give thanks to God for this man, who mentored me (and so many others), and who modeled for us all a life both of transparency and “saying yes to Jesus”.
I miss Peter so very much and am grieving deeply again today – but I am glad that his suffering is over and that he now has joined the “great cloud of witnesses”.
My accountability partner who always managed to ask the right questions and the hard questions with grace. I miss his encouragement and wise words. But most of all mate, you modelled how to live “in Christ” and you modelled how to die “in Christ”. What a blessing.
Our family met Peter (and Jill, Brad and Jules), when we moved to Mandurah in late ’96.
My first memory of Peter and his modesty is when as the sound operator at the Church I asked him, “PNB is you…right?”, he smiled and nodded, and then asked why I was interested. I was interested because every time a song with that phrase “words and music by PNB” popped up on the overhead (old school); the congregation would really sing it out, to the point where I’d be able to turn down the PA. A true leader of worship.
I’ll always remember his sermons, well thought out, easy to follow, and somehow always managing to drill you “right between the eyes”.
He led one of the most powerful small groups we’ve ever been involved in, we’ve benefited from his wisdom and compassion as we’ve confronted tragic circumstances in our own lives, and been on the side lines as others benefited similarly.
What we’ll also remember is that this incredibly deep thinking individual; with responsibilities we simply were not aware of, also took the time to write a song about 4 year olds gumboots for her birthday
We have many great memories of Peter from Indonesia (and from Perth Bible College) days. He was full of enthusiasm, music, deep thoughts, fun, ideas, pranks, encouragement, etc as he worked hard to sharpen the gifts of leadership God had given him. Our prayers are with you, Jill, Brad, Jules and families.
I will never forget meeting Peter at a Pastors’ Conference early in my ministry. He was so friendly and encouraging – especially as a musician and songwriter. I was delighted that he made such a creative contribution to Toddler Jam. He wrote some of the funniest and most entertaining songs I’ve heard…”Raining Cats & Dogs” – what an absolute hoot! Peter inspired me to embrace the particular role I played during my time as a Toddler Jammer: I was expected to minister to families in our community by simply carrying on like a big kid…and with the utmost respect, I can guarantee you that Peter modelled that joyful approach to ministry that took me a long time to grasp. Thank you Peter and Jill, for your ministry to Sandy and myself. Your example helped to sustain us for 13 years from the beginning of Toddler Jam until our exit last year. God bless the Birts!