Hugs and prayers as freed hostage Kember returns to church

CHRISTIAN peace activist Norman Kember yesterday celebrated his freedom from captivity among friends at the church he has attended for more than 40 years.

The freed hostage was not expected to attend the Sunday service at Harrow Baptist Church in north west London, just a day after coming back home.

But, undeterred, he crept in via a back door, to the delight of fellow worshippers. He and wife Pat were visibly cheered by the “lovely” service and afterwards the couple happily hugged as they posed for photographers.

They spent the rest of the day quietly ensconced at their home in nearby Pinner reading a Sunday newspaper. Mr Kember was freed in a multi-national military operation involving the SAS and other forces on Thursday.

He was one of four westerners seized on November 26 while on a visit to support the Canada-based international peace group Christian Peacemaker Teams.One of them, American Tom Fox, 54, was found shot dead in Baghdad earlier this month, with signs that he had been beaten before he was killed.

But two Canadian fellow hostages, James Loney, 41, and Harmeet Singh Sooden, 32, were freed at the same time as Mr Kember.

Just a day after returning to Britain, he was in church, contentedly singing hymns, smiling broadly, greeting old friends, and listening attentively to the words of the minister, Rev Bob Gardiner. He said: “Norman was quite insistent, if he was free then he should be free to worship.”

But he had wanted to “creep in to worship God quietly and peacefully, and creep out quietly without having a great circus around him”, Mr Gardiner said.

The minister thanked the efforts and prayers of people of all faiths in securing Mr Kember’s release, adding: “Our tears of sorrow have been changed into tears of joy.”

But he added: “We remember the family of Tom Fox, whose pain has already been severe enough and who would be more than human if they were not a little sad today to see us rejoicing, when all they have returned to them is a body in a bag.”

A message of support from the leader of the Harrow mosque was also read out at church yesterday.

During the service the Kembers sat next to their friend John Newby. Mr Newby said Mr Kember was “fine” and would be “telling his story in due course”.

His wife Jean said of today’s service: “It is fantastic. We are over the moon. He has not been able to worship with fellow Christians in four whole months. It is lovely he has been able to join us.”