Tributes have been paid to Eddie Burns, a former Fulwood vicar and writer of a world-famous hymn, who has sadly died.

A former Fulwood vicar who wrote one of the world's best-known modern Christian hymns has died.

Paying tribute, the Bishop of Blackburn said Eddie Burns' words had “given voice to the gospel for generations”.

Canon Edward “Eddie” Burns served at Christ Church, Fulwood, for 28 years and wrote We Have a Gospel to Proclaim, a hymn that grew from a local Lancashire mission initiative into a favourite of churches and cathedrals across the world.

Born in 1938, he was ordained deacon in 1961 and priest the following year. After curacies at St Andrew's, Leyland, and St Peter’s, Burnley, he became vicar of St James’s, Chorley, in 1967.

It was during his time in Chorley, while serving as Rural Dean, that he wrote We Have a Gospel to Proclaim for a Blackburn Diocese call to mission in 1968. Originally intended for local use, the hymn later found its way into hymn books throughout the English-speaking world and became one of the best-known modern hymns of its generation.

Canon Burns moved to Christ Church, Fulwood, in 1975 and remained there until his retirement in 2003. Alongside his parish ministry, he served as chaplain at Sharoe Green Hospital from 1981 to 1994, was the Bishop’s Adviser on Hospital Chaplaincy and was made an Honorary Canon of Blackburn Cathedral.

Even after retiring, he continued serving churches across the Diocese of Blackburn through Permission to Officiate.

In a 2015 interview, Canon Burns reflected on the hymn's enduring popularity.

He said: “My hope is that the hymn will help convince those who sing it that in the good news of Jesus we really do have something of eternal worth to tell our world, something which our world desperately needs to hear.”

The Bishop of Blackburn, Rt Rev Philip North, said: “We give thanks to God for the life and ministry of Rev. Eddie Burns, a faithful priest of this Diocese whose words have given voice to the gospel for generations.

“'We have a Gospel to Proclaim' is more than a hymn; it is a song of the Church's calling, rooted in the great truths of Christ's life, death and resurrection and offered with clarity, conviction and joy.

“Alongside many years of service as a Priest, Eddie's gift to the church was a timeless hymn and I'm sure that 'We have a Gospel to Proclaim' will continue to be sung at mission events in this diocese and many others for decades to come.

“As we mourn his death, we do so in the sure and certain hope of the resurrection he so beautifully proclaimed.”

His funeral will take place at Christ Church, Fulwood, on Friday, July 17, at 11am, followed by a committal at Preston Crematorium.