Congregational Church minister; Born October 14, 1929; Died July 24, 2008 The Reverend Matthew Sullivan, who has died aged 78 after a lengthy illness, was a truly great parish minister. Born in North Belfast, the son of a lamplighter, he was for nearly 50 years a guiding light to the people of Cumnock in East Ayrshire.

Congregational Church minister; Born October 14, 1929; Died July 24, 2008

The Reverend Matthew Sullivan, who has died aged 78 after a lengthy illness, was a truly great parish minister. Born in North Belfast, the son of a lamplighter, he was for nearly 50 years a guiding light to the people of Cumnock in East Ayrshire.

The fourth of five sons, the young Sullivan was obsessed with football and was good enough to represent Northern Ireland at amateur level. However, after he and his team mates attended a church mission as a teenager, he increasingly dedicated himself to God.

On leaving school he entered journalism, but when his paper's ethics clashed with his Christian principles, he abandoned the profession and crossed to England to study for the ministry at the Paton Theological College in Nottingham.

Graduating in 1955, he returned to Belfast to marry his long-term sweetheart, Ruth, and they set off on their honeymoon to Saltcoats. While there he was offered the chance to take over Cumnock Congregational Church. For the rest of his life he dedicated himself to the church and the wider population of Cumnock.The Congregational was not in the best of health when he took over, but his muscular, evangelical ministry soon had the pews packed.

His love of football found an outlet with his church's team in the local Churches League. This at the time was a good standard of football and the Congregational team tasted a lot of success, although more than one opponent refused to believe that the centre-half, who adhered to the time-honoured Ayrshire tradition of pivots: "If it moves - kick it; if it doesn't move - kick it till it does" was the church's minister. Unlike other centre-halves of the time, Sullivan - he was always Mr Sullivan to team mates and opponents - always picked up his "victim" after decking him.

He organised and ran an annual Glasgow Fair Seaside Mission for Children in Ardrossan and, during the Troubles of the 1970s, his manse and church were a haven for the hard-pressed parishioners of associate churches in Ulster, while he himself would frequently arrange exchange visits with ministers across the North Channel.

Over the years he became the shepherd of the waifs and strays in Cumnock, and was a dedicated visitor and source of comfort to the needy. His service to the town was recognised when he was named Citizen of the Year in 1985. After he and some other local ministers answered a call to use their expertise as RE teachers at Cumnock Academy, he also forged a close relationship with the school, one which lasted to his death.

Indeed, Strathclyde Regional Council offered him a full-time post as organiser of RE, but he refused to abandon his parishioners for this challenging role.

His service to the Congregational Union of Scotland was recognised by that body's presidency in 1991. Further recognition was to come from Cumnock and Doon Valley District Council, who granted him the freedom of the district, while he was made MBE prior to his retirement from his charge in 1998.

Sullivan had been diagnosed with cancer in 1993, with heart trouble necessitating surgery two years later. In spite of his increasing frailty, he and his congregation became determined and successful fundraisers for the Ayrshire Hospice.

In retirement he was always ready to answer calls to help out at other Ayrshire congregations, in particular filling in at Kilmarnock's Henderson Kirk during the Right Reverend David Lacey's term as moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland.

His last days were spent in the Ayrshire Hospice, but even there this great evangelist and committed Christian was holding prayer meetings and helping others.

Sullivan is survived by Ruth, his wife of 53 years, son David, daughter Ruth and one grandson, Matthew.

By Matt Vallance