International ministry of intercessory prayer · Since 1980
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Passing of Rev. Peter J. Marshall

The Reverend Peter J. Marshall, a long-time friend of Breakthrough and son of Breakthrough's founder Catherine Marshall, went to be with the Lord last Wednesday, September 8, 2010.

The following statement was issued on Friday by the children of the Reverend Peter J. Marshall, author and founder of Peter Marshall Ministries:

It is with enormous sadness that we announce the sudden death of our father, the Reverend Peter J. Marshall, on Wednesday evening in Orleans, Massachusetts. He was 70 years old.

Born on January 21, 1940, Peter John Marshall was the son of the Scottish minister, Dr. Peter Marshall, who became pastor of the New York Avenue Presbyterian Church in Washington, DC, in 1937 and was appointed twice as Chaplain of the U.S. Senate, serving from January 1947 until his sudden death at the age of 46.

Dad's mother, Catherine Marshall, wrote the best-selling biography of her husband entitled A Man Called Peter. This book was later made into an Oscar-nominated film of the same title (1955) in which dad was portrayed as a young child by the actor Billy Chapin. Our grandmother went on to write over 20 books, including many editions of her husband's sermons, several inspirational books, and the best-selling novel Christy.

A graduate of Mount Hermon School in Northfield, MA, our father attended Yale University where he sang in the Yale Glee Club and earned a bachelor's degree in history. He then entered Princeton Theological Seminary from which he was graduated in 1965 and ordained as a minister of the Presbyterian Church, USA. For the next twelve years, he served pastorates in West Hartford, CT, and East Dennis, MA. Since 1977, he had devoted himself to a nationwide ministry of preaching, teaching and writing. He co-authored three best-selling books-The Light and The Glory, From Sea to Shining Sea, and Sounding Forth the Trumpet. 

Rev. Marshall is survived by his children, Mary Elizabeth Marshall, Peter Jonathan Marshall, and David Christopher Marshall, two step-brothers, Chester LeSourd of Chattanooga, TN, and Jeffrey LeSourd of Lincoln, VA, a step-sister, Linda LeSourd Lader of Washington, DC, and Charleston, SC, and three grandchildren.  Our mother, Edith Marshall Roberts, also survives. 

The Rite of Christian Burial will take place on Monday, September 13, at 10:00 a.m. at the Church of the Transfiguration, 5 Bay View Drive, Rock Harbor, in Orleans, MA. Interment follows in the Orleans Cemetery.

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How to get to heaven

Do you know what it means to be a Christian?

The Bible says:

1. God created you to have a relationship with Him. So God created man in His own image, in the image of God created He him. (Genesis 1:27)

2. But because of sin, you have infinitely offended God. For all have sinned and fall short of God’s glorious standard. (Romans 3:23)

3. This offense of sin carries with it a present separation and, if not dealt with, the ultimate separation of death. But your iniquities have separated you from your God. (Isaiah 59:2) For the wages of sin is death. (Romans 6:23)

4. But God, in His great love for you, took the initiative to restore your relationship with him. But God demonstrated His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. (Romans 5:8)

5. Jesus, God’s Son, removed the offense of your sin and made reconciliation possible. For He (God) made Him (Jesus) who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. (2 Corinthians 5:21)

6. OUR PART is to accept God’s gracious gift of forgiveness by embracing His Son Jesus Christ, by faith. God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life. (1 John 5:11-12)

One way to express your faith and your trust in Jesus is with a prayer like this:

Dear God, I want to be in a right relationship with You. I understand that I have offended You by my sin. God, please forgive me. Forgive me through Your Son, Jesus. I accept His sacrifice for me. I trust Him right now as my personal Savior from sin. God, thank you for taking the initiative to save me. In the name of Jesus, Amen.

If you have come to God through Jesus Christ, your spiritual journey has begun! We would like to put materials in your hand to help you understand this step and to begin to grow in your Christian faith. Call or e-mail us to get started. God bless you!