Douglas (Doug) Thomas Harris

[Arwen]

Douglas (Doug) Thomas Harris, May 17, 2013 (aged 66)

My friend Doug passed away a few days ago.

He was a great man and a great loss.

Here is a link to some of his work.

You can watch it online or on a Roku box.

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Doug wasn't an Adventist, but he would often interview Adventists on his TV show.

Here is a statement from the leadership of Revelation TV.

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Doug Harris - Statement by Revelation TV Leadership, May 17th 2013

Our dear brother Doug Harris went to be with The Lord today, 17th May, at 9.00 am. Those of you who watch Revelation TV will know that Doug has been struggling with cancer for several months now and his death is a release for him into the arms of Jesus.

Doug was more than a work colleague and Director of Operations with us here at Revelation TV. He was a friend, a brother in the Lord, an expert in the cults throughout the UK through his work with Reachout Trust, a pastor and a confidante to so many on their Christian journey.

Doug was away for a weekend of teaching last November. When he returned his skin colour had changed. He went to the local A and E hospital in Spain for a checkout. They kept him in for tests and it was from there that he was transferred back to the UK just before Christmas. The tumour that was discovered was too near his liver to operate and Doug refused Chemotherapy - rather depending upon God to do what He wanted to do in his life.

As we remember Doug we pray for his dear wife Noemi and for his children and their families - Luke, Joel and Debbie.

It seems hard to take in that Doug has gone. If ever a person was prayed for to be healed it was Doug. So many people have committed themselves to his cause and not only prayed but 'stood on the word' and fasted before God for his life to be preserved. Ultimately of course Doug has been healed as he has stepped into eternity.

We sense an enormous loss which leaves us devastated - but our hope is in God.

Statement by leadership of Revelation TV.

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Thanks dgrimm60.

Doug was a very special person.

Loved and respected by many.

I’m going to put some tributes from others that knew him.

[Arwen]

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Doug Harris of Reachout Trust and Revelation TV has Passed Away

It is with sadness that I have just found out that Doug Harris whom Christine & I met back in late 2003 when attending a Reachout Trust convention in England for ex Jehovah's Witnesses has died after a recent illness.

About a year ago Doug had moved across to Spain and soon afterwards was diagnosed with a serious condition, that has now claimed his life.

Doug was a great Witness for the Lord to Jehovah's Witnesses and campaigned for many years to help JWs and later Mormons to see what darkness they were in. He set up Reachout Trust which is a Bridge between the false doctrines of those cults and the TRUTH about the Lord Jesus Christ.

Let’s pray for his family and friends at this time.

Blessings to his family

David

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[Arwen]

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Doug Harris

Sad news today that a friend of this ministry, has gone to be with the Lord. Doug died yesterday after a seven month battle with cancer.

Doug worked with Revelation TV as director of programming and as a director of Reachout Trust and will be missed by both those organisations.

Doug leaves a wife Neomi and three children. Please pray for their peace at this time.

I first met Doug in 2008 when he interviewed me on the Simply the Truth programme for two hours and he put me so much at ease. He then invited me back to do a Testimony Time programme and also invited me to speak at Reachout Trust Conferences on freemasonry. I also did some work with him on work through Reachout Trust.

I am blessed to have known such a great man of God. He was a gifted speaker, teacher, Pastor and a friend. I look forward to meeting with him again in glory

Michael Hedley

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Doug Harris, Reachout Trust, Rest in Peace

Hearing through Facebook that Doug Harris founder of RT has passed , he was a member here. I never subscribed to his Evangelical brand of Christianity but his former headquarters was close to my old house and proved invaluable for research tools and kept a great stock of all the ex JW reading material that anyone would need (R Franz/Reed/Free Minds etc) Sad.

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Friday, 17 May 2013

Doug Harris – With the Lord

This morning at 9.00 am the best and wisest man I ever knew departed this world and entered glory. He was a friend, a brother in Christ, a mentor and I miss him more than I can say.

Please pray for his wife Noemi, his family, his church family, close friends and the countless folk to whom he ministered and who will mourn his passing.

Doug Harris founded Reachout Trust in 1982, initially as an outreach to Jehovah’s Witnesses but it quickly grew as a ministry to the cults, the occult and New Age movements.

Doug’s work, of course, involved so much more. He had been a church elder since 1963 and for the past five and a half years was a key member of the team at RevelationTV. He and his wife, Noemi, had only last year moved to Spain as the TV operation moved its main office and studio over there. I am sure Revelation TV will soon publish its own account of Doug’s work with them but it has been every bit as substantial as anything he did with Reachout Trust.

Doug was instrumental in guiding our transition from Mormonism to Christianity, allowing Ann and I to “purge” old and unhelpful ideas by talking about our journey in seminars, and by writing on the subject for Reachout. We learned from him the value of grace, the importance of patience and the skills involved in sharing our story in a way that challenged Mormon teaching while loving the Mormon to whom we were witnessing.

We worked together for over twenty years he as chairman and Ann and I as trustees of Reachout. We shared platforms, developed the ministry, wrote and published together.and lead in twenty or so Reachout Conventions. They were great times, challenging times and he will be missed more than words can say.

About thirteen years ago I suggested I interview him for a short history of Reachout that was eventually published in booklet form. In 2005 this was updated and is still the most recent account of an exceptional work started and driven by an exceptional Christian man of vision and grace. I reproduce it in part here:

The Reachout Story - The Story So Far

It is sobering to reflect that the day you stepped out with some tracts and a handful of friends you started something that would grow to national proportions. Reachout Trust began in 1982 as a local outreach to Jehovah's Witnesses. From a single initiative, by a handful of people, at a Witness convention in Twickenham the Trust has grown to become a nation wide ministry to those in the cults, the occult and the New Age movement.

Over the years we have taken on responsibilities, met needs, and developed in ways that were never envisaged in those early days. No one sat down and said, "why don’t we see if we can achieve this?" The ministry can truly be said to have evolved until, today, we are one of the foremost Christian groups in our field.

The first newsletter was produced in 1984, was four pages long and photocopied, and had a run of a few hundred. Today's newsletter is sixteen pages and growing and goes out to several thousand individuals and churches across the country. It is our main organ of communication and seeks to keep people informed and equipped for what they face on their doorstep or high street.

The first Reachout convention was held in New Malden Baptist Church in 1984. After that it moved to Kingstanding Elim Church until 1991 when we held it at the Wycliffe Centre at High Wycombe. Having outgrown that venue we moved in 1996 to the Pioneer Centre near Wolverhampton. From a handful of 'interested' people at that first meeting we have grown to over a hundred attending a full weekend of seminars every November.

2004 saw a landmark 20th Convention and proved successful with seminars on Developing the Ministry, Defining “Salvation”, True Christian Communion and the need to be a peculiar people. In 2005 we found ourselves moving back - or is that forward? - to the significantly expanded Wycliffe Centre and it has been a little like coming home.

Seminars and workshops typically cover all the main cults including, of course, Mormons and Jehovah's Witnesses, but also other groups such as the Children of God, Freemasonry, Moonies etc. We also provide instruction in dealing with the occult and the New Age and have included counselling workshops and teaching on deliverance.

A landmark in the growth of Reachout was the introduction, in 1988, of the Action Pack. This has been a special blessing over the years and has contributed significantly to meeting our financial needs. Especially gratifying has been the fact that it gives us the opportunity to give something practical to those who give to us. This partnership scheme means that the giver is entitled to receive regularly free or discounted Reachout resources from books to videos to regular publications.

The Task

Ours is a ministry of discernment and apologetics and our primary role is 'truth-telling'. However, we have developed beyond simply publishing and distributing information. One area in which we have been particularly successful and effective is in recruiting people, many from cult backgrounds themselves, to represent Reachout 'on the ground', to be Reachout in their location.

Our system of having Associates is unique in this ministry in the UK and is a major contributory factor in our growth and success. These people who represent Reachout in their locality are a help to the local church and a first point of contact for those seeking the help Reachout provides. Through their different talents and experiences Associates are able to provide training for the local church, specialised insights into the world of the cults, and sympathetic support for those seeking freedom and truth.

Our spiritual forebears fought hard for the eternal truths cherished by today’s believers. Similarly, tomorrow’s believers will inherit what we contend earnestly for today.

Where possible our Associates are encouraged to work closely together in their regions under a regional leader who co-ordinates their efforts and is responsible for training etc. Praying together, sharing problems and ideas, and encouraging one another builds strength, encourages commitment and makes Reachout a real local resource.

Reachout continues to evolve and we face new challenges almost daily. Managing and training a growing number of people, and maintaining and enhancing the reputation of Reachout in an increasingly demanding ministry, means finding new, more efficient ways forward. In these challenging times we seek to define more clearly what we do and how we do it. To help in this work a 'ministry team' is being developed to look at all aspects of the ministry, from literature to training to how we should respond to developments in the constantly changing world of the cults.

2004 saw the publication of Should Christians Apologise, a book that shows every Christian that apologetics is something we all need to learn, and that equips every Christian to begin that process of learning and gaining in confidence in their witnessing. The Reasoned Defence series of booklets begin to address some of the key issues Christians might meet and have proved a handy reference tool.

We also re-published Audrey Harper’s testimony book Dance With the Devil, a harrowing account of one person’s experiences in the occult. It has been controversial and we have had our critics but we feel it is important that people like Audrey have the opportunity to tell their story, and important that others hear them.

We also continue to find popular Doug Harris’s Jehovah’s Witnesses, Their Beliefs and Practices as well as, Mormonism, a Gold-Plated Religion, the definitive British books on these groups. A full catalogue is available from Head Office.

In 2004 we also saw an increase of 30.8% in the number of people reached. Much of this is accounted for by the continuing development of our web site. A new version of the web site was produced in 1994 and has proved very popular. Our presence on the world-wide-web can now be said to make a significant difference in the number of people we can reach. 1998 saw us reach 104,746, while 2001 saw this figure increase to 188,337. In 2003 we reached 221,028 but this latest increase has seen us reach a record 289,158 people in 2004.

Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope you have. But do this with gentleness and respect.1 PETER 3:15 (NIV)

Reachout Trust has a good relationship with the media and undertakes a number of media interviews each year, being called on by researchers for a wide range of subjects. Representatives appear regularly on news items, 'chat shows' and documentaries covering all areas in the cults, occult and new age.

When stories, such as the first 'approved' Satanist in the Navy are reported on, many newspapers and TV programmes request information and interviews. These do not always bring direct responses to Reachout Trust, although it does make us known. It also enable a 'Christian' perspective to be placed on the items of news people are talking about. This is a demanding avenue of work and we would welcome the help of people who feel they would like to join us to work in this area.

The Church

We are sometimes referred to as a para-church organisation. As an organisation, of course, that is what we are. Reachout is not a church, but neither are we separate from, or in addition to the Christian community. We are Christians first and foremost who see our role in the body as that of watchmen. The way we fulfil that role is in organisations like Reachout, just as those called to mission form missionary societies.

People who escape the cults need a new spiritual home. God's provision for all new Christians is the church. Members of Reachout Trust are members of the local church and Reachout always seeks to work closely with local church leaders. From the beginning it has been very important to have a network of church contacts across the country.

As people have come to Reachout for help we have in turn sought to 'plant' them in an appropriate fellowship. Reachout is often simply a first point of contact leading to more appropriate ministry within the church and even professional help in a counselling setting.

The Need

There is an urgent need for Christians to be equipped to meet the challenges of the modern world. People are needed to act as comforters to the hurt and wounded, bringers of fresh hope to the disillusioned, friends to the betrayed and truth-tellers to the deceived.

Churches need to act as communities of refuge where there is shelter and safety for the vulnerable, life and hope for the lost, and sound teaching and gentle discipline for the many who need correcting and direction.

Reachout Trust seeks to provide that equipping through a training programme designed to teach individuals and churches. Through seminars and workshops we bring to the Christian community specialist knowledge, gained from first-hand experience, that will arm Christians for the battle for truth that rages in our society.

By means of newsletters, fact sheets, books, audio and video- tapes, as well as the internet, we share our knowledge and understanding and keep the church informed of up-to-the-minute developments in the ministry.

We are, then, those who in Christian love, often having experienced ourselves life in a cult, wish to come alongside, advise, pray with and otherwise help cult members and their families and friends.

As far as our experience and knowledge takes us, as God leads, we help and minister.

Mike and Ann Thomas

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[Arwen]

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Doug Harris of Revelation TV has Passed Away

Doug Harris from Revelation TV has died and gone to be The Lord. Lets pray for his family and friends at this time.

. . . He was a lovely man. Always friendly to myself and Maria and very funny.

Bob Mitchell

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[Arwen]

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Doug Harris

It is with mourning and compassion for his wife that Moriel and Jacob Prasch learned that Doug Harris of Reachout Trust went to be with The Lord.

Doug was Britain’s leading anti cult apologist and directed the evangelistic outreach of Reach Out Trust to Jehovah’s Witnesses and Mormons. Doug was an intelligent, articulate, and capable figure as well as a personally nice kind of guy, whose legacy will be cult evangelism and apologetics where by God’s grace and calling he so ably excelled.

Although because of Christ such separations are but temporary, we pray that his wife and family will know the consolation of Jesus during this period of bereavement . We also request prayer for the future of the important ministry of Reach Out Trust.

In Jesus,

Jacob Prasch

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Doug Harris: Loved and Missed

A Tribute to Doug Harris: (Director: Reach Out Trust and Revelation TV) 11th April 1947 – 17th May 2013

Ecclesiastes Chapter 3 Verse 1:

“There is a time for everything; and a season for every activity under Heaven:”

That was certainly true with Doug Harris. God brought Doug to Revelation TV studios just at the right time, for a season, to do a special work for the Lord.

Management and staff had been ‘Praying’ for a sincere man of God to help them to fulfil the vision God had planted in their hearts. The Bible tells us that the prayers of a righteous person avail much, and so their prayers were answered: Doug Harris.

Revelation TV had been growing, literally going from strength to strength. However this growth had resulted in a massive increase in administration as letters and cheques poured into the office, (not to mention the telephone ringing night and day!); management were literally overwhelmed. As a succession of lovely volunteers began to join the growing team professionalism and organisation were desperately needed.

Doug Harris was professional, disciplined, organised, and inspirational, also dedicated to the task set before him. In no time at all (or so it seemed) Doug had the office working like a well oiled machine. Doug worked amazingly hard and he even enlisted the help of his wife Noemi as a volunteer. If you emailed Doug you could be sure of a reply within an hour!! Efficient, you knew if you asked Doug a question he would have an answer ‘the same day’. Doug had lists and spreadsheets everything ran like clockwork. Here was a man you could really trust and rely upon. A real man of God, charismatic.

Who of us can forget all those wonderful concerts expertly arranged and organised by Doug, Daniel O’Donnell, Charlie Landsborough, Helen Shapiro to name but a few. Who of us can forget the Christian Debates complete with wonderful audiences, again all organised by Doug. The day Doug organised a Baby Grand Piano to be delivered to Revelation TV studios for one of the ‘Britain’s got talent’ winners was again a master stoke of ingenuity and organisation.

Doug Harris was a man of God, a praying man, a compassionate man, a friend and confidante. Doug was a wonderful negotiator, a man of integrity. When faced with difficult questions Doug never shrank from telling the ‘Truth’, but would always answer with love and humour.

Doug absolutely loved what he did and it showed. He presented many programmes for Revelation TV and his enthusiasm and sheer love of the work shone through again and again and again. What a legacy to leave behind.

This tribute began with Ecclesiastes so let us end there also.

Ecclesiastes Chapter 3 Verse 2:

“A time to be born and a time to die.”

Maybe this was Doug’s time, his work fulfilled, his race run; he will hear those famous words; “Well done good and faithful servant” Matthew 25: V21

Angie Clifford

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YouTube Tribute

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In Memory of Doug Harris: A Truly Great Man Now Gone to be with The Lord

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LJ_afujkIm4

R.I.P. Doug Harris: Gone to be with the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ

Shazoolo

Doug’s YouTube Channel:

http://www.youtube.com/reachout

Reachout Trust website: (please note, may be down, so you may need to check back)

http://www.reachouttrust.org

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Doug Harris - Man of God

I first got to know about Doug when he started Reachout Trust in the 80s. I was in my 20s and had been helping cultists to come to faith (especially Jehovah's Witnesses) for some years since my teens.

Through REACHOUT trust he took up the mantle of interacting and reaching out to those involved in pseudo Christian cults. We kept contact through the years until 2008 when he asked me to come in to the studios of Revelation TV to be a studio guest on the Talk God programme and later on 'Simply the Truth'.

The relationship between us over the last five years became very strong. The on screen banter, camaraderie and humour was not 'put on' it was real. We would take a break and the banter would continue at a local restaurant and then simply carry on as we resumed either 'Live' or recorded later in the day. I was his most regular guest over that time and had been asked to go over to Spain to record a further 6 programmes when he was taken ill in November.

I felt it would be good to put on record some of my recollections and a few comments about my friend Doug.

Doug could accomplish more before breakfast than most people in a full day. Never once in the five years of work together was he ever 'unprepared' for a programme!

He had many guests on 'Simply the Truth' all of whom he made to feel important. However those who knew him well would know his biblical knowledge was extensive and he probably knew more than most of his guests most of the time about most of the subjects in hand.

A sharp wit, dry humour and cheeky smile made him a likeable and friendly man. His love of waistcoats was on display for all to see!

The area of ministry he worked in for years meant that when needed he could sniff out false teaching and confront it readily and quickly. This didn't make him hard or unfriendly but it did make him strong and a seeker of truth and a confronter of error. He was a kind man and understood when circumstances made things difficult for people to make the right choices. His kindness in phone-ins made him an excellent listener.

He was never afraid of controversy but was not controversial 'just for the sake of it'.

He called me Mister Marmite or the Marmite man, only because sometimes I didn't give the 'party line' answer. He was broad enough to give me space provided I always backed up what I said with 'the scriptures'.

The sign of a man secure in his relationship with God is when he can respond with Grace when dealing with someone they disagree with.... there was plenty of Grace to spare when you were around Doug.

He never chased profit, wealth or status and both he and Noemi always put the Kingdom first in practical and financial decisions.

He was prepared to do the 'small things' in a local Church as well as the hard work of 1-1s with people exiting abusive cultic situations. His hands were dirty with Kingdom work. Here was no theoretician, he knew what it was to grapple, to struggle, to work hard to bring truth to light and people into freedom in Christ.

On our programmes they sometimes 'came to life' when we talked about Jesus. We had a few emails saying things like 'I love it when JT and Doug talk about Jesus'. He and I would spark off each other as we said good things, great things about the one we serve. It is true now though that Doug 'knows' more than me, he has seen his face and questions have been answered by the smile of the Master.

Many people will miss Doug. Noemi of course, this lovely lady who partnered Doug in all of their journeyings through life. The children and wider family too, our thoughts and prayers should be with all of these.

The trustees and workers of Reachout Trust will miss him, he was the creative energy at its centre.

Revelation TV will miss Doug because they will find it hard even impossible to replace him. He could be impartial in hosting a Televised debate even when every cell in his body would be screaming to answer the false views of a studio guest. As Director of Operations, his calm and godly (but very humorous!) work efficiency is irreplaceable.

Those who were established in faith and ministry through his work like Mike and Ann Thomas will miss him and of course I will miss him. It was he who opened the door for me to teach and answer questions on the channel and in the course of doing this we became close friends, there can be no friendship, no love without the pain of loss when loss comes.

So what should our response be to the passing of Doug Harris.

It is appropriate to cry, to grieve for all those close to him but there is a greater response. Doug served his Lord faithfully often behind the scenes since his first steps following Jesus. So should we. There is no greater one to follow.

Throughout the successes of Reachout Trust and the wider influence of Revelation TV he was committed to local Church, so should we be.

Doug applied all his God given resources of intelligence and energy to produce a quality and quantity of material and a legacy of lives changed that is truly inspirational. Then let us be inspired to do the same with our resources, our time, our lives our 'sphere' of influence.

Doug's sphere of influence grew enormously over the last 5 years through Revelation TV, ours may be smaller, this is however no excuse for us. Whatever we have, however small let us use it for the King.

For whatever many years are left to me, I will be using Doug's material in Africa and many thousands of people will continue to be impacted by the life and work of this remarkable man.

So goodbye for now Doug. As we often talked of these things, I know that you have experientially come into the truth of these words 'absent from the body present with the Lord' '...to be with Christ which is better by far'.

We look forward to seeing you again as we follow you or on that great day when we who are alive and remain, in resurrection will not precede you.

'JT' John Tancock

Other people whose lives Doug had touched have written about him. Here is one from Mike and Ann Thomas Mikes4Tea (17th May)

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