Kirstie Birr

1974 – 2020

On 19^th November 2020, the Glasgow Church of Christ said a farewell to our dear sister in Christ, Kirstie Jane Birr (nee Fraser).

Kirstie was born in a town called Loanhead just outside of the City of Edinburgh in Scotland. At 17 years old she found herself living in a refuge for young women. She had just recently lost her beloved grandmother and felt lost and alone. She prayed desperately to God and asked “If You are there, please help me.” Fifteen minutes later two brothers from the newly planted Edinburgh Church of Christ in a “reach out for your wife” campaign invited Kirstie to church. She quickly took the card and left. Very shortly after Kirstie attended the first-ever Edinburgh service. She studied the Bible and was baptised into Christ in the year of 1992.

It wasn’t long before everyone in Edinburgh realised just what an amazing and incredible woman she was. She was great fun to be around and was often the life and soul of any gathering. Her gratitude to God was deep and she became incredibly evangelistic and as a result, she brought many women and a few men to Christ.

As a student, she attended Napier University and obtained a degree in Science and Management. She then went to work in finance and also for HOPE worldwide, but her heart was for the ministry. For the Edinburgh Church it was a bittersweet day when Kirstie left to pursue a career in the Ministry. In 1998, Kirstie went to work in the London church as a teen ministry leader and then went on to lead the women in the South London region. She served faithfully and gained many friends and was highly respected by all.

Kirstie first met her husband Adam on a blind date in London.  Adam recounts their first encounters “We met at Piccadilly Circus and went for a Chinese meal in Chinatown.  We had crispy duck pancakes and I had fun showing her how to put them together.  I talked mostly nonsense.  Kirstie seemed to listen attentively and might have even laughed along the way.  Yes! I thought.  I have found someone who laughs with me rather than at me. ‘A result,’ I thought.  Over the course of the next few months, we went out together a few more times.  I even took her to Nandos, I must have been keen.”

In 2000, they both moved to Birmingham Church to work together in the student ministry and later briefly led the congregation in Wolverhampton.  It was in Birmingham where they fell head over heels in love with each other.  It was Kirstie’s godliness, displayed through her kindness and thoughtfulness mixed with straight no-nonsense talking, that won over Adam’s heart.  She also continued to laugh at his jokes, which was probably her strongest asset (or curse), according to Adam. 

On 4th August 2001, Adam proposed to Kirstie at Blenheim Palace, the ancestry home of Winston Churchill.  He proposed next to the Temple of Diana, a couple of feet from where Winston Churchill proposed to his wife.  They were given the grounds of the palace to themselves for 45 minutes before it was opened up to the rest of the public.  Adam said, “It was a truly magical day.”

They married a month later, on the 22nd of September.  Purity was important to them both and the first time they kissed was at the altar. Kirstie was a stunningly beautiful and radiant bride.  Adam said “over 300 people filled the church building that day, but I only cared that my wife was there.  To this day I still have people coming up to me telling me that they were at my wedding and I have no recollection of them being there.  I was just so besotted with Kirstie.” 

Shortly after they married, they came out of ministry and they moved to Glasgow to help the young church planting.  Kirstie was in every way a unique and special person. She had an incredibly empathic way of relating to everyone, male or female. She got people, even when no one else did. She was able to help people through difficult situations and was full of wisdom and encouragement. People would seek her counsel in many aspects of their lives. As young as she was, she had participated and worked in so many ministries which gave her experience and understanding beyond her young age. She knew how to make and build friendships from the very young to the very old. She was much loved and respected by all members of the Glasgow Church and beyond. The church itself had many visiting Christians from around the UK, who mainly were friends of Kirstie’s.

Kirstie always excelled in her giving and being in Glasgow was no exception.  She gave so much of herself to so many people.  She saw needs and tried to meet them.  It was not uncommon for her to buy a week’s worth of shopping for someone in need, both people she knew and random strangers in need.  She didn’t judge the reason why they were in need, rather she just wanted to meet the need.  She didn’t shout about it, but rather she did it in secret, not even telling her husband.  On several occasions, she asked Adam to help to pay someone’s monthly mortgage payment.  They were not well off, but they would find some way to help.  She put her faith in God and believed that God would help them if they were to reach out and help others. She fully lived out Matthew 25:35-36 - “For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.”

Kirstie had a great heart for children. She loved all children in the church and she loved to share her ideas and thoughts on how to make children’s ministry work in a small church. She actively served in children’s ministry whenever and wherever there was a need. Even during the lockdown and in her final months she produced fun-filled children’s ministry lessons that not only served the children of the church but created a following with children of friends outside the church.

The Birr family grew in number and they added four wonderful children to it. Isaac, Joseph, Iona, and Daniel became many loved additions to the Glasgow church.  Being part of a small church, you always knew when the Birr family were in residence as the noise levels increased but the joy levels would increase further. Raising four lively, smart, and energetic children required lots of work and much faith. Kirstie prayed fervently for her children and she had a unique way of laughing through the challenges and a dogged determination to be the Mum her children needed.

Kirstie always had a passion for Gaelic, and this inspired her to send the children through Gaelic medium education.  Kirstie did what Kirstie does, she got sucked into everything, like leading Gaelic songs at Cròileagan (Gaelic playgroup) and doing Gaelic bug book sessions.  She volunteered in numerous capacities at the Gaelic school.  She also joined Gaelic choirs where she was able to use her beautiful singing voice.  This allowed her to build many relationships with many incredible people.

In Glasgow, she returned to her financial career where she very successfully worked for Morgan Stanley as a trainee accountant for over four years. After having a family, she worked in the charity sector for HOPE Worldwide. Her final job was within the offices at the Saint Aloysius School in the city of Glasgow.  However, her passion was for people, and she used her career opportunities to build great relationships and share her faith amongst her colleagues.

Becoming a Christian, like in most people’s situation, was not initially welcomed by her family. However, Kirstie’s persevering faith helped to unite her family over time. She built good relationships with her mum, stepdad, sisters, nieces, and nephews. She often had her niece and nephew over to Glasgow to stay and bring them along to church so that they could have some understanding of Jesus. Jean, her Mum, moved into the family home in the final weeks of Kirstie’s life. She expressed just how much she appreciated the church for all the ways they supported Kirstie throughout her life. She referred to the church as “Kirstie’s other family.”

Kirstie was a beautiful singer, one song that she sang so beautifully was “Create in me a pure heart, O God” and the words continue “renew a right spirit within me.” Although she sang it beautifully, there was a true heart behind the song. As a young disciple in Edinburgh, her goal was to have a pure heart before God. If she was struggling to have a pure heart, she would pray fervently for God to renew a right spirit within her. Kirstie wasn’t perfect; she had her weaknesses and failings just like we all do but her desire to fight for a pure heart called many around her higher in their own convictions and motives.

In 2016, Kirstie was diagnosed with breast cancer.  In 2017, it was discovered that it had spread.  She tried everything to stop it from growing including hormone blockers, immunotherapy, chemotherapy, vegan diets, Harley Street Doctors, deep counselling, and therapy.  The cancer, however, would not be tamed.  It was an extremely aggressive cancer, but she was never a victim of her situation.  She never asked, “why me?” rather stating “why not me?” She never played the cancer card to gain an advantage.  We still have so much to learn from her in how to face challenges with courage, determination, and grit.  She tried many avenues to halt the cancer, and she never gave up hope, having a faith that she was sure of what she hoped for, and certain of what she could not see (Hebrews 11:1).

As Kirstie’s cancer advanced, the Birr family moved to Paisley, just outside of Glasgow, to be in a bungalow as her mobility was reduced.  Again, Kirstie got stuck into the local community, building relationships and hosting Macmillan Coffee mornings. She enrolled her children in many of the clubs in Paisley to give herself a way of continuing to reach her community.

Even in her final months she never stopped serving God and others. She organised social distancing prayer walks for her sisters in Christ so that they could enjoy the amazing love of Christ together within the scope of the government guidelines. In much pain, she attended these events and ensured everyone was adhering to the guidelines. Weeks before she fell asleep, she organised and executed a virtual Macmillan’s coffee morning, where she personally delivered beautiful boxed homemade goodies to her neighbours so that she could reach out and show them God’s love. She raised £415.

Her last outing was with her youngest son Daniel (8), to a shopping centre to buy items for a shoebox appeal to send to an underprivileged child in a different country.  In much pain, she walked the length and the breadth of the shopping mall to ensure that Daniel was able to get everything he needed to fill the shoebox and make another small child happy. It is so fitting to Kirstie’s nature that this was the last thing she did.  Once again thinking and giving to others.  Selfless to the end.

Before she died, many of her friends had the opportunity to make short visits. She took the time to tell each and every one of them just what they meant to her and how much she loved them, precious moments that will live in each person’s heart forever.

There was so much to admire about Kirstie not just in her character but in her faith. She loved God with all her heart, all her soul, and all her strength. She was an incredibly godly woman with great wisdom, warmth, love, and fun. She was loved by everyone who knew her. The reason for that was because each day she took the time through her prayer and bible study to fill herself with God’s love and share it amongst all that she encountered. It was this that also gave her the wisdom and love to help so many people know God and stay faithful to him in their own personal walk with him.

She was the champion of the working mum.  She was the champion of the homeless.  She was the champion of the immigrant.  She was the champion of those in hard times.  She was her children’s champion.  She was her husband’s champion. Without a doubt, she was in so many ways the Proverbs 31 woman. The verses that best describe her are:

“She is clothed with strength and dignity; she can laugh at the days to come. She speaks with wisdom, and faithful instruction is on her tongue. She watches over the affairs of her household and does not eat the bread of idleness. Her children arise and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her: ‘Many women do noble things, but you surpass them all.’ Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting, but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised. Honour her for all that her hands have done, and let her works bring her praise at the city gate.” Proverbs 31:25-31

Even in death Kirstie’s legacy and spirit still live on. Since her passing, five women including some outside our fellowship have been inspired to run 5k to raise money for cancer because they knew Kirstie. This has raised thousands of pounds. Another friend of Kirstie’s when struggling with her day fills herself with Kirstie singing “Create in me a pure heart” to help her through her difficult times. Many of us within the fellowship will sometimes ask ourselves when faced with a challenging situation “what would Kirstie do?”

There is so much more that could be said about Kirstie, in fact, it would be easy to write a book. She is sleeping now as we await the second coming of Christ. She gets rest from all the pain and suffering she endured in her last few years. She will have a new body as Jesus welcomes her into his eternal kingdom. She will have eternity in the heavenly kingdom. Kirstie will have the pure heart she has always wanted, and she will be living with her much loved, heavenly Father, forever and ever, Amen.

She ran the race and claimed her victor’s crown of glory.

"His master replied, 'Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master's happiness!'” – Matthew 25:23